Genève

“Consider how well we use the word recognize.”

I recognize the furniture in my room, the friend whom I see everyday.

But no ‘act of recognition’ takes place.

-Ludwig  Wittgenstein

Putting words to the sights, sounds, and tastes I’ve witness in the past several days seems overwhelming. When I’m traveling, trying to take in as much as possible while still remaining present, is a challenge. It is however, well worth the effort. I find so often that I’m living through my camera, not wanting to miss anything, yet actually missing out on everything, only to try to relive it later through the photos. Kim and Derek have been wonderful tour guides through the first leg of my journey through parts of France, Geneva, and Carouge.  I’ve given up control of my normal tightly arranged and controlled itinerary and have defaulted to their expertise of the area. It’s actually allowed me to be very present and not worry about my general anxiety of missing trams, getting lost, and feeling less than communicative with my basic French skills. The MAMCO was a great plce to whet my visual appetite and while their website does not have an English version, here’s the link to the collections I saw. L'appartement was a favorite as well as Section des stylites.

I'm packing for Basel and could not be more excited to know I'll be at the Vitra Design Museum in a day! Here are some inspiring spaces I've intersected.

 

kickstart my heart!

hello blogosphere, it's been awhile. i've missed you and i know you've missed me. what better way to get reacquainted than for me to ask you to sponsor a project i just launched on kickstarter.com. don't think that i'm just the receiver in this relationship, i know it's a two-way street. so, i'm offering some artwork and my heartfelt gratitude in exchange for your sponsorship. please check it out and if you feel so inclined, make a pledge.

Renegade Chicago

If you're in Chicago Sept 12/13 stop by and visit me at Renegade Craft Chicago! Hours are 11am-7pm, on Division St. between Damen and Paulina. I've been working on some new encaustics and you can see more in my etsy shop

ArtPrize

If you haven't already heard about ArtPrize, it's an open art competition in Grand Rapids, MI. It's happening this fall and is determined by public vote. The top Prize is $250,000 with overall prizes totaling $500,000. I was on the fence as to whether I should apply or curate, one or the other, I couldn't do both. At the last minute with much encouragement from Deb and after realizing I've spent $50 in worse ways, I decided to fork over the registration fee and take a gamble on one venue. At the very least, I would get to show work and add a line to the resume. ArtPrizes website serves as a bit of a match maker. Both artists and venues fill out profiles and make 'connections' if they are interested in each other. The venues vary from museums, to banks, to bridges, to the Grand River and are all concentrated within three square miles. With a final total of 1,261 artists in the running, downtown will be quite exciting during the September 23 - October 10 exhibit dates. Out of the 5,000 artists that entered, I am one of the lucky ones that secured a venue and will get to show my work. You can check out my profile and come visit me in my space and even vote for me if you feel the love.

incubation part II

the figure made an appearance in my work late yesterday and i'm using images from porn and pin ups again. not sure where it's leading, but i'm going to try my stab at making more and thinking less.
i also don't generally post more intimate drawings during their development, but for all i know this beginning drawing may end up in a drawer and never resurface. i'm really enjoying the gouache on yupo and also started another drawing today with prismacolor and graphite. both are pretty difficult to control, they both want to run and bleed on the yupo. i'm also quite surprised that an 8H pencil shows so heavy and dark on the slick surface. it actually shows more like an HB on regular paper. so i will be on a quest to find a 9H and other alternatives to getting a softer look. i may end up resorting to variations of grey colored pencil.

yard work

i worked in the yard today and spent 4 hours trimming hedges for deb. it was a good reminder of why i have no desire to do yard work, nor want a yard that requires maintenance.
the highlight of my day came when i delivered a piece of artwork to a friend. he was leaving out of town and invited me to cut as many flowers as i wanted from his garden. i miss the days of working for a florist and always having flowers around. hopefully i get a good week out of these beauties.

incubation

i spent most of the day in the studio thinking i would start a new series of drawings. i've been so busy with other commitments that my work tends to take a back seat. i often wish i could walk right in to the studio, sit down, and start drawing. i should know by now that my process is a bit more complex than that. i spend a lot of time thinking, thinking, thinking, writing, thinking, looking, thinking some more, looking some more, thinking, thinking, thinking, finally having my AHA! moment, then drawing like a mad woman.
i can't say i didn't make anything. i did one small drawing of furniture on yupo after i had been x-acto blading my room and board catalog and i also began a figurative drawing. part of me likes the disconnect of drawing domestic objects and structuring my own spaces, the other part of me really wants to make a connection and i feel i can accomplish that through figurative work....now, to who and what do i want to communicate.
i think part of my frustration in the studio right now too is tied to readings, movies, and experiences i've come across recently that leave me feeling like any kind of hardship i've had is minute in comparison to what others have endured. i know that there is constant comparison circulating. comparing ourselves to others, other to others, ourselves to objects, objects to objects, and its through this examination that we become informed about ourselves.

The deeper I progress in my art, the less I feel like I know.
why am i making art and why does it matter?
i think maybe a little self help is needed, time to pull out some Art and Fear

Day 7 of 7 - Installation Nation

Today was hot and I was tired. I decided to take a break and check out the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The grounds were beautiful and the building was lovely and easy to navigate. I checked out the Special Exhibit, European Design since 1980, saw a Ghada Amer body suit, some beautiful Florence Knoll furniture and best of all, I got to revisit an exhibit Adaptation that I had seen at the Smart Museum. Guy Ben-Ner, Arturo Herrera, Catherine Sullivan and Eve Sussman & The Rufus Corporation all have adapted works of classic literature, film, ballet, email and painting into video installations. Eve Sussman and the Rufus Corporation's Rape of the Sabine Women and Guy Ben-Ner's Wild Boy are my favorites. I'd love to have Sussman's video playing on my tv in a loop. After the women have been abducted they end up lounging around in a swanky mid-century home. The love triangle of the Sabine women, the Sabine men, and the Roman men is subtlety shown. There is little audible dialogue and tensions build through body language and mainly camera angles and sound. I t was nice to have the chance to revisit the exhibit.

Day 6 of 7 - Installation Nation

Here are some pics of some of the other artist who participated

Brian Priest
Derek Parker & Jason Chakravarty
lori miles
Julie Cifuentes and Brent Aldrich
Jeff Schmuki
Debbie Rosenfeld & Jonny Roller
Scott Scarboro
Jeff Martin

Day 6 of 7 - Installation Nation

Today was relatively low key. I had time to myself to walk around Indy now that the installation is completely set up. I headed out for a late breakfast then decided to go downtown to the city center and ended up in a book store for a few hours and then found a random toothbrush on the sidewalk outside. Then I walked around the ginormous Soldiers and Sailors monument in honor of the peoples who fought in wars prior to the Civil War.