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!)
