The Nuts and Bolts of Making Work.
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
I’m counting the days before leaving for California. There are 32 days between today and the day I drive a moving van away from Nashville. The closer it gets, the more eager I am to go.
I do not want to return to SFAI without any work to show. Currently I have a single video and one digital image to show for what I’ve been up to since last summer. I desperately need more than that, between now and then.
Since I haven’t had studio space, I’ve set aside the painting projects. I have been awful about borrowing Amanda’s camera and not using it (again no studio space). Frankly I’m sick of all the excuses that I’m giving myself for not accomplishing anything. Few things are more detestable than someone who finds a reason why nothing is going to work, so he does nothing at all. I shudder to think about becoming “that guy” and have tried to focus on finding new ways to work.
I want to work smaller, and more transportable. I want to reintroduce the idea of art objects - would it be so horrible to end up with something to sell? And along with the object-making idea, I want to reintroduce a little more handiwork to my art. Working with digital image and video removes the artist’s direct touch from the finished product, since the finished product is less tangible than a physical object.
What have I come up with? That’s a very good question. I’ve gathered several digital images from the internet with the intention of taking them to the Printshop and making some prints. I’ve toyed with some sketches and explored some design ideas. I’ve collected some screws and nuts from the hardware store. And I’ve bought some different papers and plexiglasses to experiment with different translucencies. I have finally come up with two successful designs that I feel confident taking to press. As soon as I can figure out how to output these images onto polyester lithoplates I will take them to the Printshop and get something to work out. And then I’ll be back in business, more productive than ever!
“The Neutral Zone” gets its title from text in the image that specifies part of the basketball court that I suppose is neutral? While this image is in black and white (for printmaking purposes) I anticipate final prints to include pinks and blues to suggest opposition. This image will be 8” x 10”.
“Hermes” takes its name from text in the print, as well. I was looking for images of the god Hermes and ran across a delightfully phallic design for a rocket or missile… I’m not sure which. Regardless of my resolve to make smaller art, I want this one to be at least 20 inches wide. Instread of just black and white, this image when printed will feature elements of pink and light blue, like “The Neutral Zone.”