Saturday, November 26, 2016

Electro-Pop Lady Grid II + Corner Installation WIP

Hey folks,

I finished "Electro-Pop Lady Grid II" and have now successfully scaled up my corner installation!  The corner piece will be the final piece in my upcoming solo show at Camiba Art.  I have no idea what to title the thing, but I'm sure it'll come to me soon... in the meantime, check out some new photos:


Electro-Pop Lady Grids I & II


Electro-Pop Lady Grid II

This piece was created by registering gel transfers of photocopied ink drawings onto hand-painted acrylic gradients, and then collaging them onto book board substrates.  Presented face-up on a pedestal, it blends illusory and sculptural spaces within a non-quadrilateral format, activating painting off-the-wall.  As the viewer investigates the piece's various perspectives, their body is denied entry by its small scale, forcing them to reckon with the anamorphic contradictions created by the painting's multi-planar surfaces.  "Electro-Pop Lady Grid" pulses with an electric cyber-queer energy, interposing spectrums between rigid binaries and disrupting expectations by bending perceptions of hierarchy.  Like a grand mountain, the undermost layer may become the summit, just as the trompe l'oeil recedes into the foreground.






Corner Installation


Scaled up!  Approx. 4 cubic feet... more soon!




The book board structure is complete!


It's so pink, it hurts my phone.  And I still have two more layers to paint! #FuckThePatriarchy





"Fachwerk" is complete!  (Better photos soon...)
Acrylic on book board substrate
30 in. X 30 in. X 32 in.
2017

Color and space; counteracting the obviousness of the shadows by creating an illusionistic dimension that contradicts the painting's form.

The "tip of the iceberg" is emerging from the wall.  Talking points:
1) Equal values can appear unequal from different angles.
2) Flat shapes can become illusionistic extensions of three dimensional planes.
3) A shape's number of sides can change in Euclidean space. 
4) Triangles and squares are essential building blocks for creating continuity within anamorphic surfaces. (Thank you, Germany!)
5) The perimeter cannot be arbitrary.  Interior shapes must determine the perimeter to convey the painting's overall form. 
6) Flush edges convey an uncertain boundary between the wall and the painting.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

Mountain Frequencies!

Hey y'all, 

"Mountain Frequencies" just arrived!  It's printed on aluminum with a sheer glossy finish and I'm very happy with the results!  Check out the photos below: 

"Mountain Frequencies"
Photocopied ink drawing and origami; printed on aluminum 
34" X 40"
2016


Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Walter Russell

Hey y'all, 

I just had an interesting observation to share: Walter Russell.  Oh my Force...
During my artist residency in New Mexico, I meditated by floating in the nearby lake and envisioning geometric systems from the water's currents.  Inspired by my vision, I drew a Fibonacci circle system to describe a self-similar progression of interconnected circuits based on drainage patterns.  This eventually led to my "Topolograph" composition, which is scheduled for completion next year.  Today, I saw Walter Russell's diagrams of octave-wave progressions on Pinterest and was shocked to see he used the same geometry that I had discovered in New Mexico!  Could there be a link?  I don't know, but perhaps I have found yet another soul mate through the sands of time.



Fibonacci circle system


"Topolograph"


Walter Russell's octave-wave diagram




Thursday, October 20, 2016

Electro-Pop Lady Grid I

Hey folks,

Behold, I have just finished "Electro-Pop Lady Grid I"!  This piece was created by registering gel transfers of photocopied ink drawings onto hand-painted acrylic gradients, and then collaging them onto book board substrates.  Presented face-up on a pedestal, it blends illusory and sculptural spaces within a non-quadrilateral format, activating painting off-the-wall.  As the viewer investigates the piece's various perspectives, their body is denied entry by its small scale, forcing them to reckon with the anamorphic contradictions created by the painting's multi-planar surfaces.  "Electro-Pop Lady Grid" pulses with an electric cyber-queer energy, interposing spectrums between rigid binaries and disrupting expectations by bending perceptions of hierarchy.  Like a grand mountain, the undermost layer may become the summit, just as the trompe l'oeil recedes into the foreground.



Pedestal view 1


Pedestal view 2


Pedestal view 3


View from the front


There will be three compositions total!





Sunday, October 9, 2016

Circuit Topology Paintings Complete!



Hey y'all,

Exciting news, I just completed a new series of paintings for my upcoming solo show at Camiba Art Gallery!


"In Planar Camo" + "Tri-Circuit" + "Exotic Bird" + "Attractor"

Acrylic, gel transfer, collage, and transparency film
1 ft. X 1 ft. (each)
2016

"Circuit Topology Poem"

I am in planar camo
as I weave between muscular tree roots
bursting from uneven concrete tiles,
up to a kaleidoscopic canopy

Knots of interwoven branches obscure the sun,
casting gothic rays down onto my
animal face

Instinct drives me
to an ancient geometric grotto,
located somewhere beyond the deep murmurs
of these uncharted tropics...



The series...


"In Planar Camo"


"Tri-Circuit"


"Exotic Bird"


"Attractor"




Saturday, June 25, 2016

Residency Circuit Complete + Texas Summer 2016

Hey y'all,

Now that I have completed my eight-month artist residency circuit, I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has supported me along the way.  To the residency program staff and hosts, all of the incredibly talented artists I met along this epic journey, and to my dear family and friends rooting for me back home: I am eternally grateful.  I could not have made nearly this amount of progress without the encouragement, constructive criticism, educational discourse, and sense of community that I have gained through each of these residency programs.  My art is the direct result of the collective contributions of brilliant and generous minds coming together and engaging in the beauty of creation.  All of the conversations we have shared together are written deep into the layers of my paintings, and that, above all else, is what I believe makes them truly meaningful.  No matter where I am on this Great Earth, I am immensely comforted and proud knowing that I am part of this larger family of artists.

I love you all: 


Kleindorf Art, Strodehne, Germany, March – May 2016



Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, VT, January – February 2016


The Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada, November – December 2015


Starry Night Retreat, Truth or Consequences, NM, July – August 2015

Currently, I'm back in Texas and am whippin' up some new work in my home studio!  Here are some photos of my studio and process:





Home base.



"Electro-Pop Lady Grids" in progress...


"Glitch World"
Photocopied drawing and collage
16" X 20"
2016


16" X 20" metal prints of "Glitch World"


Raster blow-up of "Topolograph"

I plan to do an acetone transfer using these photocopies and work back into the image with graphite.  It will be a "printerly" drawing, much like some of my Vermont Studio Center experiments. 


"Topolograph" in progress...

"Topolograph" creates rhythm via reflection and asymmetry. Its amoeba-like circuits connect and distort without breaking; as their topology moves along a linear axis, they pulse with continuity, yet change as if to become a geometric organism.









"Circuit Topology Excerpts" in progress...


"Like Bismuth"
Cyanotype mounted on book board substrate
5 3/4" X 6"
2016



The book board substrate.  I plan to mount all of my cyanotypes using this technique.


Advantages of building book board substrates:
- You can build any size and shape with any number of sides and layers.
- It does not require power tools to build, which makes it a very portable process. (Construction only requires utility knives (OLFA is the best) and/or Japanese handsaws, sand paper, metal rulers, and clamps.)
- It's sturdy, if built correctly.
- It's pH neutral and will have high archivability when primed. 
- It's lightweight for hanging and shipping.
- It's an ideal surface for collage, building structures, or mounting works on paper. (PVA glue, gel mediums, and gesso work great.) 
Considering how many pieces you can make out of one sheet, it's a low-cost material if bought in bulk. (http://www.ernestschaeferinc.com)

"Fachwerk" corner installation process:


Prototype I (Too busy!)


Prototype II (Would be a bitch to paint!)


Prototype III (Carving out the perfect form... getting warmer!)


Prototype IV ("I see it... I see the island.")


Connecting and contradicting multiple planar surfacces


Paper model and video of "Prototype IV"



Color and space; counteracting the obviousness of the shadows by creating an illusionistic dimension that contradicts the painting's form.

The "tip of the iceberg" is emerging from the wall. Talking points:
1) Equal values can appear unequal from different angles.
2) Flat shapes can become illusionistic extensions of three dimensional planes.
3) A shape's number of sides can change in Euclidean space. 
4) Triangles and squares are essential building blocks for creating continuity within anamorphic surfaces. (Thank you, Germany!)
5) The perimeter cannot be arbitrary.  Interior shapes must determine the perimeter to convey the painting's overall form. 
6) Flush edges convey an uncertain boundary between the wall and the painting.


Color composition ideas for "Prototype IV"...


Color topology



Large wall painting ideation...


My official "studio Yoda" for Force-inspiration!

(P.S. Thanks, DJ Shadow!)