Hello Folks! I am crawling out of my hole, or what is better known as the grad school-juggling act. This little shop is just down the street from one of my favorite refreshment destinations the Live Wire. I can’t believe I have walked by this storefront for years without noticing this gem. I unfortunately missed Holy’s performance. Much has gone on in a very short period of time. Besides my regular studio work (more on that shortly), I also had an exhibit of two new pieces in Mexico (more images on my Facebook page) and I learned how to use a chainsaw. I found out a chainsaw is much heavier than paint brush and it takes two hands.
Me with a chainsaw, protective helmet and chaps! My neighbors love it when I break out the heavy equipment like chainsaws and grinders.
What started out for me in the studio this semester as a challenge of figuring out how to use photography in a way that it is something else, a drawing or a painting? (One of the first images)
After sharing some of the images with Marie (my FA), she asked if I was asking myself “what constitutes an image?” I hadn’t thought if my work in those terms, but it excited me enough to want to reconsider my last package of readings to include Rauschenberg’s Erased de Kooning.
Although my intention is not the same as Rauschenberg’s I believe, a thorough understanding of this specific work is still relevant. To say the least, I have some reading to do before the end of the semester because my FA and I decided to completely throw out the last package and I am know going to go in a different direction in regards to my reading. “The objects I like to focus on have developed wear and have aged, what I like to refer to as “beautiful decay”. In highlighting decay, I am trying to connect with the personal memories that everyday objects bring to mind for each of us. With these momentary memories, I want the viewer to regain an appreciation of their surroundings and indirectly with each other.” A little background I used for my study VC group to get a feel of what I am working toward in the studio. The next image is the kind of things that have interested me visually.
I still want to erase some of these images, not completely, but just enough to make it interesting. My thoughts are maybe installing one image erased and one next to be untouched. For me this goes back to the question that my FA posed about what is an image, the photo image or the manipulated image. I believe they are stand alone, but put together I think it opens up a possible dialog between the two images.
In addition to broken up old asphalt, I have been talking with my A/T about other ideas using traditional Mexican iconography to tell a contemporary story. We both thought it would be too much, but opportunity rose its ugly head in the form of an exhibit at the Mexican-American border crossing (the one I mentioned earlier).
I think I should be able to pull it off the rest of the semester. I am looking forward to catching up with everyone in person, hanging out on the porch, maybe a swim or two. Enjoy the images and see you all soon!
Michael
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