new, smaller series and questions of workers intent.

the last few days ive been looking for part-time stuff like crazy, but that didnt keep me from making a small table for a stereo in the studio. from that construction ive started a new series of the ink drips on smaller sheets of 100# productolith paper. the paper has the shine of commercial stock which plays well with the matte black of the ink.

at the start of the "saturday night" series it was more about gestures and control of not thinking. as things have progressed, my focus turns back to the figure. i am not so much choosing to define figurative shapes as i am using the same mark-making choices ive used in the past. there is still a struggle in the line (that i hope to god comes through in the piece) and maybe that has more to do with my concern about my tools than it does my execution. 

with the addition of a proper stereo to the space, the wall on which i work has shrunken, as well as the ceiling. another tool i am unsure of. and playing mix tapes from the late 90's only makes my heart do a slow burn. 

my primary brush is a nylon W&N #2. made for acrylics, it serves as a  fantastic ink-giver when loaded up. but my abuse/use of this one brush is taking its toll. i  whip the thing around for effects, then try to tame my own nervous energy when the sweeter, thoughtless application begins. as much as i would love a handful of bamboo brushes with the best of horse tail, dripping with some Suni as black as Russian coal, i must go with the cheap alternative of whats in the bucket. 

i need more ink. i need more brushes. i want to try this on heavier paper. huge paper is out of the question right now. too ambitious right now. im comfortable with the size right now. these things are accessible, frame ready, would look fantastic pasted on mailboxes or on doors of abandoned buildings (the second Liberty series is both rejecting and embracing street art, but more on those when theyre more done.)

i dont think just going big for the sake of scale is worth it. i need a bigger wall, anyway.

oh - primaries. how i wish it mattered. one new 25x38 piece is called "a mountain of delegates." im pretty happy my girlfriend listens to the rules and speculation and BS going on. american politics is the dirtiest, most catty-wompass, out-dated system in the world. thank god for cable? thank god for piles of paper.

new works

my last week has been spent looking both for work and looking at a wall. the later has been more rewarding.

two new series; one called Saturday Night Wrist and the other called Liberty. both are on 100 lb. white paper and range in size from 25" x 19" to 25" x 37 1/2".
here is a short explanation from my "other" blog: the straight ink and paper works were inspired by my revisiting of Saturday Night Wrist by the Deftones, but visually, im pretty sure it looks like ive been listening to Stephen Reich. well, i havent.
They deal with the idea of the selective random: they start as gestural wavings of an ink loaded brush, following either text or figurative forms, then through some staring, i create connections (or rather, fight my eye and muscle reactions) to where the next line begins or ends. the excessive dripping is created either by stopping for a moment to create discourse in the line being made or the decision to find the fastest way out.
the piece up top is the name of the series. i will be writing more on my feelings about the album when the whole series is done.
some others...






and, the other series; again, from the "other" blog: the mixed media works were created with an ipod on shuffle. the layering of marks and shapes follow the constant change of tones and aural textures. i used a limited palette to encourage less decision making and allowed for the "muddying" of colors in order to limit visual layering. the thoughts involved are that of the personal resolutions concerning social freedoms, contractual governing bodies, the anti-scientific Religious Right, and beer.

these ones:

so that is what i do when i dont have a job. i just stand there and work on my career, the most important part of my career.