Mentor Meeting 2

I met with Bryan for the second time a few weeks ago and discussed some of the newer pieces I brought with me.

The above works are printed on a textured "grip" fabric that I really enjoy. There are little ribber dots on the fabric that absorb the ink differently than the rest of the fabric. During our meeting, Bryan suggested more aberrations perhaps, to create more interest when viewing closer. Using distance to my advantage is something I am interested in, and it's been beneficial to think about this work being viewed further away and up closer. I think of that as more of a painterly technique, but it also relates to the optical affects I'm working with. Bryan also felt the images needed more contrast, which I think might need to be achieved through an additional pass through the printer. Because the fabrics are so absorbent, the contrast tends to get lost in printing. Another suggestion was to work with these in a triptych, as this format acts like a strip of something, and makes it feel like there's more of an image to see. I think because these images are more recognizable contributes to this. A triptych could be made of three images taken moments apart, from different perspectives, which could also provide more to the content in terms of time and movement. These works have potential strength in numbers, working together. 

 

I created two prints using the mesh and muslin fabrics layered on top of each other. Bryan pointed out that even though the fabrics were the same, the works themselves were almost complete opposites. The first is the largest fabric print I've made so far, at approximately 48x100 inches. I folded the fabric and put it through the printer three times with overlap, creating the darker bands. Currently, I plan to display it so the lower half folds on the floor. Bryan mentioned Mariah Robertson in relation to this piece because of how she will change the presentation of her work to fit the proportions of the space it is displayed in. This organic way of presentation suits this piece in particular, and much of the work in general. The literal flexibility provides a range of possibilities. This piece was created from a pinhole image, and is a landscape with light trails of a passing car. Bryan said if the landscape isn't important in the final image, which in this case it definitely is not, perhaps I could try letting go of the camera aspect altogether. He had several ideas, ranging from an iPhone photo, to a Photoshop generated image, perhaps an actual color gradient. He encouraged me to print larger, and to also do some studies in monochrome, ad look at how the colors interact when folding onto the floor. Abandoning the camera completely feels a little bit like jumping off a cliff to me, but it could be a good jump. I'm still processing that idea. I see how further reduction could benefit the work, and definitely think the monochrome studies would be helpful. 

The second mesh/muslin piece is smaller and denser. The pictorial reference is more apparent. I had put this piece through the printer twice, giving it richer tones. This piece is much heavier than the larger piece. Bryan prompted me to pursue both directions, of the more pictorial and the less referential, to see how they work together.

I made two pieces using the glass transfer technique I entered the program with. I was personally excited by doing that, wanting to see if it worked effectively. I really enjoy the results, for the deep colors, and glossy surface. I'm still a little hesitant about this material with this body of work though. It still seems to strongly reference stain glass, which I wonder about because of stain glass's didactic history that I'd love to avoid. What I love however, is how the colors get projected onto the wall behind them (unlike my early work, I did not back these with a painting, allowing for colorful shadows). Bryan suggested breaking the glass, taking advantage of the follies of the material like I do with fabric. He mentioned Glen Baldridge, who Bryan has shown together with before, and made silkscreen prints on glass. In these pieces, broken glass collected on the bottom of a shadowbox-like frame. I can see that potentially working. We also talked about presentation of the glass pieces. It's important that works lean, to allow for that play of light and shadow that works almost like a contact print. Initially, I really liked the work just on the floor, but Bryan pointed out at this scale (18x60 inches), these pieces are too low to observe well. I agree, but still love the rawness of that presentation. The concrete floor at Bryan's studio in particular was a nice combination of materials with the glass, which I could perhaps work into a satisfactory display. Again, with this proportion, multiples work well, and Bryan thought I could even do multiple of that same images. Recently, I thought more about this idea, and it occurs to me that on a smaller scale, these could almost reference the barriers that are sometimes between traffic on the highway. I remember as a kid being fascinated by glimpsing the view between the slats on the barriers. It could be an interesting direction, possibly more sculptural than I've considered before. 

The final thing we discussed was a group of "straight" images that reference similar ways of seeing in a more concrete way perhaps. These photographs can hold their own, but also speak to my other work. It was actually a little bit of a revelation to me to see these photographs next to the other work. I take thousands of pictures a year, and it's fascinating to me to see how the camera records subtle shifts in surface, distortion and reflection. Until now, I've always felt like it was a more background element of my practice, but Bryan's prompting has made me reconsider this. I am very intrigued by the ideas of showing these works together. For our next visit, I preparing a kind of mock up of a show, to decide how everything will be presented. I'm looking forward to it.

First Mentor Meeting

This post is long in coming. I met with my mentor, Bryan Graf, on February 23rd. It was an excellent meeting that generated new ways for me to look at my work. Bryan was enthusiastic about the work and we had a great discussion. I brought most of my fabric work from last semester to show the progression of the work up to this point.

Some of the elements we talk about was the role of fabric in the work, the use of images created from driving, and how repetition can be used in the context of this work. Many of the things we talked about will be helpful as I approach my thesis and as I make more work.

Bryan appreciated the raw edges of the work and felt it gave the work a sense of urgency that was interesting. It seems like the work is ripped from a sketch book or larger whole and this gives the work a freshness. There's a nice tension between between how the work is heavy and light and translucent at the same time. It creates aberrations and layered affects in a very simple gesture that doesn't feel overwrought. It would be completely different on photo paper, or in a frame.  Bryan felt it would be wrong to frame the work, which I thoroughly agree with. Letting it hang in a more exposed manner seems to stay truer to the work. 

The mesh is interesting because of how it creates an optical play from different angles. It works as an optical barrier, like a grid. There's a kind of seductive yet fenced off sublimity to these—the mesh seems to literally reference a fence, like chain link, or other barriers like glass, fence, clothing (protect from elements), screens (keep bugs out). The material also has a thriftiness to it that grounds the work in a way that make it more accessible. In a gallery setting, people walking by will cause the fabric to move, and the observer will change the environment in a way. Lighting can become important too, as the use of shadow begins to play a role. Bryan talked about the shadow being a sculptural element, but also a photographic element. He suggested treating each piece individual in terms of presentation. For example, the piece printed on the leopard cut fabric would be best hung slightly away from the wall to allow the use of shadow, whereas the some of the other pieces might be better flush to the wall. Bryan encouraged me to keep the work flat for now. 

Something that came up during our meeting is that I take most of my images while moving, either walking or in a car. Bryan felt this was a very specific way of taking a picture and gave the work a richer content. It's not something I've talked about much before, but when I started writing my these, I realized motion was an important element of the work. When combined with the mesh, that optically give the impression of a foggy window, the driving ties into how theses images appear as something not fully registered, something quickly captured, torn out and hung on the wall. Driving is a physical and physiological interstate, a transitional space that is neither the origin or destination. As a passenger in particular, Bryan pointed out it's a space like a free association playground, where thoughts roam randomly. These images, as landscapes, are less about a specific place than as an abstraction of an escape. The color palette seems to reference a type of paradise or beauty. People don't usually get to escape, and in this work, the escape is prevented by the mesh and materiality. This body of work exists as a somber yet beautiful thing that can't really be attained. 

Another element Bryan thought I could examine more was the use of repetition and reworking pieces. There's certain variables I'm already working with, such as light-refraction, size, and ability to reassemble. As far as size goes, I do intended to see if I can push the limits of this more, perhaps by folding fabric to print larger with my printer (in fact, as this is written, I am attempting to do so). There is, however, something pleasing to me about my current proportions. It relates to the human body, while also being similar to a large window or door. Bryan talked about Christopher Wool's work in which he screen printed polaroids of his work over his original work. Reworking and reassembling relates to driving as part of the process as a repetitious activity. Every day landscape and places becomes spaces for a lot of people. When repetition has variables to it and is done well, it touches upon a huge part of our lives. Breathing on basic level is a repetitious act, but most of us are also creatures of habit. Sometimes it's comforting, sometimes it's totally discomforting. People frequently trade one routine for another. We also talked about Gerhard Richter's squeegee paintings, where an image is simultaneously created and destroyed. 

Bryan challenged me to include a crisp image when I come next time to see how that informs the rest of the work. I think that will be interesting to try. I brought up some of my concerns from January critiques to see what Bryan's response was. One of them was the relationship of the wok to colorfield painters, such as Rothko or Ellsworth Kelly. He felt, especially with Rothko, that work was very heavy and polished which is really the antithesis of my work. He suggested looking at Mary Heilmann's work, who borrows from abstract painting without the heaviness. Other recommended artists include Blinky Palermo for his exhaustion of colors, and Sigmar Polke. We discussed some of the my pieces at length, which was especially helpful with some of my earlier experiments on fabric. Bryan pointed out which elements were really working and I may re-look at some of my past material because of it. 

Residency Thoughts

I've been back from our January residency almost a month now. I guess that means I'm officially in thesis semester. Already, it feels different. There's an intensity to my thoughts, and my time in the studio has lessened momentarily in order to make room for writing and research.

The residency brought many good thoughts to the surface about my work. It was exciting to present this work as it differs significantly from my previous work. Before the residency, I had really only discussed the work with my mentor.

The images below show the space where I installed my work. Lesley currently is transitioning to a new building, so this was a somewhat temporary location in University Hall in Cambridge.

Overall, people seemed very interested in the work. There was generally a rather immediate read that these were paintings, which I'm not entirely opposed to. I feel this work accomplished many of the things I wanted it to, mainly allowing a more open interpretation while stepping away from the obvious digital manipulations in Photoshop. The two main ideas that came up suggested going in a more sculptural direction, or giving more evidence of the photographic/digital elements. I don't see these ideas as mutually exclusive. 

I fortunately got a critique with B. Wurtz, our visiting artist this semester, and he felt this work was very slow.  He said it takes a long time to understand what is going on, but the longer you look, the more you see it. He initially suggested going with a more recognizably photographic image, but also felt the subtly of the work was important also.

Some critiques favored the later work where I layered the images with a veil/mesh fabric. In these critiques, the viewer wanted more engagement with the work. They were interested in touching the veil and pulling it away to see what was underneath. There was some comments about adding an element of movement to the work to achieve the revealing of the under-image. Many people wanted me to try different scales, and not to be too restricted by my printer. 

Several people also mentioned making the image process more rigorous, more focused. Something like only photographing sunsets, all from one specific view, or perhaps imitating iconic work that has influenced me in the style of my process. 

Oliver Wasow suggested adding more reference to the high tech digital source, with glitch or other methods. What I realized is that almost accidentally, I'm using the ultimate analogue tool of the pinhole image with the highly sophisticated digital sensor. I see myself as pushing the tension between these a little more. To me, that is where the interest of this work lays.

Another prominent discussion point was the visual connection to colorfield abstract painting. I think this fits into my work as I consider abstraction and the sublime, as well as color optic work of contemporary artists, such as Olafur Eliason, Anthony McCall and James Turnell. To see other artists I'm looking at, check out my Artist Influences tab at the top. 

Overall, it was a great residency. I can hardly believe how fast this program is going. I'm looking forward to putting everything together for my thesis. It's pretty exciting.