Web-like intrusions of cognitive space. Spatial categorization. Division through movement.
__The idea that space is a tangible construct that can be divided through cognitive/visual means. Folding space/air as if folding paper. Perforated edges of unseen shapes. We see through invisible divisions, windows to the unknown, undefined realms of what we seek. To live within an abstract space. To inhabit art. Art as dwelling.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Art as communicatory medium, not unlike a frustrated lover
Dear art. Here are a list of my grievances.
The process of creating art can often be: frustrating, laborious, tedious, stressful, time-consuming, unproductive, physically and mentally taxing, isolating, lonely, tiring... and uncertain.
Art is communication. And hence, as is the day-to-day communication between people through language, body language, speech, etc., this interaction can be very frustrating and problematic, full of misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
If I liken my creative process to the simple gesture of talking to someone in person, then these questions inevitably arise: Who am I talking to? i.e. Who is my audience? What am I trying to communicate to this person(s)? And... the big one... WHEN will my message be communicated to them (if it will at all)??? ...and how?
These are not easy questions to answer, and perhaps this is in fact the biggest difference between art and more common forms of communication; that there are no clear and precise answers for these questions. This very openness and subjectivity is at the core of many forms of art--though I can not say that for all artists and all forms of art. For me--now--this is what I can ascertain from my practice as an artist.
In a relationship, there are times when we feel like we are not getting through to the other person at all. There are times when we spend days and weeks and months trying to tell them something very simple: That we love them, that we need space, that things aren't working out, etc.
This process of communication can feel so alone, can feel so lonely, that we face the contradiction that many of us do in relationships: of being with somebody, but in spite of that, or because of it, feeling more alone than we would if we were actually alone. And this is precisely how the creative process can feel at times. We work so hard in our studios, hours on end, exhausted already from work (non-art work), and the very thing that is supposed to liberate us, or hand us back our life, is draining it and holding us back even more. Often times these things are not true, they merely feel that way at the time. We become so engrossed in the process that we forget what we are working towards. We become so consumed by the language itself that we forget what we are trying to say through it. We forget what we are trying to create.
But if we just get through those times, if we just fight through them, then we will often come out stronger and more mature artists in the end. As is with intimacy, you must first realize and make the decision that this person and the relationship is worth fighting for. That it is worth all of your time and effort--all of your love. Without that no relationship works. No art form will come to its full fruition.
The process of creating art can often be: frustrating, laborious, tedious, stressful, time-consuming, unproductive, physically and mentally taxing, isolating, lonely, tiring... and uncertain.
Art is communication. And hence, as is the day-to-day communication between people through language, body language, speech, etc., this interaction can be very frustrating and problematic, full of misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
If I liken my creative process to the simple gesture of talking to someone in person, then these questions inevitably arise: Who am I talking to? i.e. Who is my audience? What am I trying to communicate to this person(s)? And... the big one... WHEN will my message be communicated to them (if it will at all)??? ...and how?
These are not easy questions to answer, and perhaps this is in fact the biggest difference between art and more common forms of communication; that there are no clear and precise answers for these questions. This very openness and subjectivity is at the core of many forms of art--though I can not say that for all artists and all forms of art. For me--now--this is what I can ascertain from my practice as an artist.
In a relationship, there are times when we feel like we are not getting through to the other person at all. There are times when we spend days and weeks and months trying to tell them something very simple: That we love them, that we need space, that things aren't working out, etc.
This process of communication can feel so alone, can feel so lonely, that we face the contradiction that many of us do in relationships: of being with somebody, but in spite of that, or because of it, feeling more alone than we would if we were actually alone. And this is precisely how the creative process can feel at times. We work so hard in our studios, hours on end, exhausted already from work (non-art work), and the very thing that is supposed to liberate us, or hand us back our life, is draining it and holding us back even more. Often times these things are not true, they merely feel that way at the time. We become so engrossed in the process that we forget what we are working towards. We become so consumed by the language itself that we forget what we are trying to say through it. We forget what we are trying to create.
But if we just get through those times, if we just fight through them, then we will often come out stronger and more mature artists in the end. As is with intimacy, you must first realize and make the decision that this person and the relationship is worth fighting for. That it is worth all of your time and effort--all of your love. Without that no relationship works. No art form will come to its full fruition.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Fibonacci's accidental hallucinations of spiraling intent
I haven't posted an art blog since August of last year, but I have been working on my art and have started some new series. But oddly enough, the current series I am working on is an extension of the series that I last blogged about in August. With all the moving around, I was struggling with pursuing a singular direction in my work, and often series went unfinished and uncertain. It took awhile after I finally found a somewhat permanent abode to get settled and start revisiting some of my older styles of work. Updating my website with the new work also helped contextualize them virtually (i.e. on the web) and mentally, which allowed me to rework and reinterpret the directionalities I was pursuing.
Series and ideas for new series often, if not always, come out of intense sketching sessions where I loosely explore ideas and images and try to push their boundaries to see what works and what doesn't. Out of this process and experimentation comes the happy mistakes and accidents that often lead to new ideas and breakthroughs. Of course by nature accidents and mistakes are unintentional, but behind their 'becoming' are a more directive, secret and hopeful type of intentionality. We know that these things do happen, we just don't know when and where, so we have to stay open and alert to their possibilities. We have to keep working and try our best to create the conditions for accidents/mistakes to happen. My assumption is that great ideas, or the hints of great ideas, are always happening in the form of mistakes and accidents, but we as artists have to have the ability to recognize and recover these things as they appear before us.
The newest series I am working on came out of this type of situation. Again, the imagery is a sort of overlapping backwards spiraling form that is reminiscent of archetypal forms that are seen widely throughout nature and the universe at large. At first, for me, the image evokes: chakras, spirituality, the movement of energy, etc. Also, the circular, spiraling forms evokes the fibonnacci sequence and nature's way of ordering and creating life, as seen in plants, flowers, and cactii. Furthermore, there is something cosmic about these drawings, in that they talk about constellations and stars with the dotted lines and 'points' marked on these lines. These points on the lines to me represent place, as in a map.
I just did a quick google image search to find that the design/form I am depicting in my work is better described as: two sets of opposing spirals juxtaposed on top of each other. The result is a sort of jolting image that plays tricks on your eyes. This arrangement can be seen on seed formations on flower heads, flower petals, pine cones, etc. The reasoning for this design seems to be that it allows for seeds to be uniformly packed, all the same size, avoiding overcrowding towards the center.
I think this series too will work better on mylar, perhaps layered with other forms.
We shall see.
From a purely aesthetic/formal standpoint, I really like how the layered dots create textured darker areas on the drawings. It adds some shading to the drawing which I think makes them more interesting.
PS - The absolutely fabulous and intriguing cactii in my room (that was recently given to me) may have had a small part in the development of these new drawings.
Series and ideas for new series often, if not always, come out of intense sketching sessions where I loosely explore ideas and images and try to push their boundaries to see what works and what doesn't. Out of this process and experimentation comes the happy mistakes and accidents that often lead to new ideas and breakthroughs. Of course by nature accidents and mistakes are unintentional, but behind their 'becoming' are a more directive, secret and hopeful type of intentionality. We know that these things do happen, we just don't know when and where, so we have to stay open and alert to their possibilities. We have to keep working and try our best to create the conditions for accidents/mistakes to happen. My assumption is that great ideas, or the hints of great ideas, are always happening in the form of mistakes and accidents, but we as artists have to have the ability to recognize and recover these things as they appear before us.
The newest series I am working on came out of this type of situation. Again, the imagery is a sort of overlapping backwards spiraling form that is reminiscent of archetypal forms that are seen widely throughout nature and the universe at large. At first, for me, the image evokes: chakras, spirituality, the movement of energy, etc. Also, the circular, spiraling forms evokes the fibonnacci sequence and nature's way of ordering and creating life, as seen in plants, flowers, and cactii. Furthermore, there is something cosmic about these drawings, in that they talk about constellations and stars with the dotted lines and 'points' marked on these lines. These points on the lines to me represent place, as in a map.
I just did a quick google image search to find that the design/form I am depicting in my work is better described as: two sets of opposing spirals juxtaposed on top of each other. The result is a sort of jolting image that plays tricks on your eyes. This arrangement can be seen on seed formations on flower heads, flower petals, pine cones, etc. The reasoning for this design seems to be that it allows for seeds to be uniformly packed, all the same size, avoiding overcrowding towards the center.
I think this series too will work better on mylar, perhaps layered with other forms.
We shall see.
From a purely aesthetic/formal standpoint, I really like how the layered dots create textured darker areas on the drawings. It adds some shading to the drawing which I think makes them more interesting.
PS - The absolutely fabulous and intriguing cactii in my room (that was recently given to me) may have had a small part in the development of these new drawings.
Monday, August 11, 2008
dots, delicacy, and dynamites!!
delicacy vs. dynamite.... hmmmm.. interesting juxtaposition. with my recent drawings and sketches i have been exploring the idea of delicacy and fragility in terms of line quality and touch. i want this body of work to embody the sense of being handled with care and fragility. here i am less concerned with the overly loud and dramatic images and bright colors that have pervaded my previous work. yet while being more minimal and subtle, i still want my new work to be dynamic and expressive in its own way.
the under sketch (which i have been leaving unerased in the final composition), is in contrast, drawn with a fluidity and expressiveness that is then traced over with small dots in ink. besides the aesthetic tension of the lines vs dots, there is also a temporal tension that is at play. time seems to speed up with the fluid lines that display a sense of movement, but then is slowed down with the tiny dots that are placed one by one on top of the lines.
the other drawings i am working on were inspired by a thermal image of the globe i had once seen in a magazine. here i am still investigating ideas of networks and interconnectedness that i have explored in previous work. another key term i have been thinking about is 'clusters.' in any network you wll see clusters, and i like how this concept talks about community and togetherness, and how there is an innate, biological tendency towards grouping.
the under sketch (which i have been leaving unerased in the final composition), is in contrast, drawn with a fluidity and expressiveness that is then traced over with small dots in ink. besides the aesthetic tension of the lines vs dots, there is also a temporal tension that is at play. time seems to speed up with the fluid lines that display a sense of movement, but then is slowed down with the tiny dots that are placed one by one on top of the lines.
the other drawings i am working on were inspired by a thermal image of the globe i had once seen in a magazine. here i am still investigating ideas of networks and interconnectedness that i have explored in previous work. another key term i have been thinking about is 'clusters.' in any network you wll see clusters, and i like how this concept talks about community and togetherness, and how there is an innate, biological tendency towards grouping.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
character design
Been working a lot on projekt: sushi4breakfast!!!
Have developed about 5 characters that I am pretty happy with. This week alone, I have finished two and a half-ish so far. One is the second one on left based on Audrey Kitching, and the other is a request I got from Lorngasm on myspace. The one based on Audrey K. is one of my fav so far.
Others I have finished include the one on immediate left, inspired by Kiki Kannibal, and the first two that I did that also have variations with floral designs extending from their hair.
I would like to explore this direction more and begin to create an environment that the characters inhabit, while also playing with elements of abstraction.
I want to have a good variety of characters each with unique, individual characteristics that stand out from others. Many so far are based on real life people whom I find on the internet/
myspace, but some I have made up as well. Eventually I want to have a solid 'group' of characters.Process using Illustrator/Photoshop is becoming much smoother and quicker as I progressively get more used to the medium. I feel like I am learning each time I work on a character, thus it is important that I keep working and keep drawing. The balance between drawing by hand and then by computer is interesting and new to me.
Have also been researching other artists in the character design field and gaining inspiration from that.
Monday, June 23, 2008
sushi 4 breakfast
started projekt: sushi 4 breakfast!! fascinating idea based on actual fascinating idea of eating sushi for breakfast?! tis an illustration projekt inspired by emo hairstyles and cute 15 yr old emo girls that have nothing better to do than post thousands of pc4pc and w4w bulletins on myspace ad nauseum.
working w illustrator and photoshop is always a challenge. always a learning curve. patience is key. caffeine and rockstar energy drinks helps in miraculous ways only imagineable to crackheads, geniuses and meth addikts.
continue to work on drawing as well. mostly finished under-drawing and actually started applying paint yesterday. first time to paint in new apt. kind of a challenge due to restrictions in space and also bcuz 90% of art supplies r still in boxes and/or on the way to the dump in denton.
working w illustrator and photoshop is always a challenge. always a learning curve. patience is key. caffeine and rockstar energy drinks helps in miraculous ways only imagineable to crackheads, geniuses and meth addikts.
continue to work on drawing as well. mostly finished under-drawing and actually started applying paint yesterday. first time to paint in new apt. kind of a challenge due to restrictions in space and also bcuz 90% of art supplies r still in boxes and/or on the way to the dump in denton.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
new apt, new drawing, new life???
Finished or closed to finished for the TAJ mag projecto!! Check en route to Keke's bank account.
Started new drawing today. Very exciting. Been doing a lot of sketching and pursuing a new-ish direction. Playfulness is key. Following the heart. Drawing from the heart. That sounds really cheesy but is nonetheless important. Enjoying and relishing the creative experience, the process. Talking to Kiki-Sophia, my Tocalla, via myspace has been very inspiring and has elucidated several realizations about my art. Or perhaps a re-realization. Why is it that our minds need be reminded of the simplest and most important matters?? Art is important in my life. Creativity is the driving force for my overall existence. If I am not creating then I am not alive. I haven't been feeling too good lately... and yet as soon as I started this drawing I realized, again, that this is what keeps me alive. These are the simple things that brings me pleasure: drawing, painting, looking at good art, talking to inspiring people about art and music and creativity. As well as reading an amazing short story, writing, talking to my family. One day I will fill my life with only the necessities; only the things that make me happy. Life is supposed to be happy, right?(as my daily inspirational emails tell me)
Happiness is key. Follow the heart.
Started new drawing today. Very exciting. Been doing a lot of sketching and pursuing a new-ish direction. Playfulness is key. Following the heart. Drawing from the heart. That sounds really cheesy but is nonetheless important. Enjoying and relishing the creative experience, the process. Talking to Kiki-Sophia, my Tocalla, via myspace has been very inspiring and has elucidated several realizations about my art. Or perhaps a re-realization. Why is it that our minds need be reminded of the simplest and most important matters?? Art is important in my life. Creativity is the driving force for my overall existence. If I am not creating then I am not alive. I haven't been feeling too good lately... and yet as soon as I started this drawing I realized, again, that this is what keeps me alive. These are the simple things that brings me pleasure: drawing, painting, looking at good art, talking to inspiring people about art and music and creativity. As well as reading an amazing short story, writing, talking to my family. One day I will fill my life with only the necessities; only the things that make me happy. Life is supposed to be happy, right?(as my daily inspirational emails tell me)
Happiness is key. Follow the heart.
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