A couple of revisions...

I posted images of these prints earlier as works-in-progress. I worked on them some more last night, but I am still not sure if they are finished or not. Definitely closer, though.

Some more new stuff...

Here is what I have accomplished since my last post. Sorry the images aren't very high-quality; I shot them in kind of a hurry, and didn't have time to fix them. All of the pieces are 24"x36". A couple still need more work.

Still cranking out work...

It has been like this my entire life: the closer I get to a deadline, the better I do. Yes, I do lose sleep, forget to eat, neglect other important details in my life, and basically become a crazy person (which I often take out unintentionally on the people around me, so please forgive me if that's happened to you), but I also tend to find that the pressure and intensity of focus that occur "at the 11th hour" often brings motivation, clarity, and determination that just aren't there when I have too much time on my hands. (Good conversations with people who care can be really helpful, too - so thanks to all of you who have given me that.) That said, I have been printing as much as possible the past couple of weeks, and I will be toiling away in the studio day and night at every opportunity throughout the next few days. This is the most recent product of those efforts (yes, I know the image is crappy), and I expect to have at least one or two more pieces finished in addition to tweaking a couple of others. I may not be coherent by the next time you see me, but I do think that my project will be decent. I'll pull myself back together in June.

(24"x36")

P.S. Yesterday I ordered the magnets for hanging my work. Yay!

Newer stuff, Part III

Newer stuff, Part II

Some newer stuff... more coming soon.

So many words, so much to say, so little time...

This is the major problem I've been having with this body of work. I always seem to have too many ideas, and there are always an infinite number of possibilities... which makes it really hard for me to make up my mind! I understand that I'm responsible for every conceptual and artistic choice I make, and each will have its own impact upon the success or failure of the work. I feel the need to make these choices with as much insight and intention as I possibly can, in order to serve the work - and in turn let it serve my audience - in the best possible way. Consequently, I have been struggling for weeks to figure out just what I want this work to "say" and how I want it to say it... which will be the driving force for other artistic choices that I will make. I have spent many, many hours reading, thinking, researching, and brainstorming - filling up pages and pages with notes, sketches, and ideas. I have had lots of great conversations with thoughtful people who have offered me valuable insights to think about. And I have scrapped a lot of pretty good stuff along the way to where I am now, which has been really hard for me.

A few days ago, I felt a whole bunch of stuff start to come together for me, and I was feeling really great about this project and what the next developments should/would be. And now - when I had just begun to think that I had finally resolved my major conceptual/content challenges - the critique has made me start to rethink. Everything. Again. (Oh well.)

As David Crystal wrote, "There are always risks when we use words."

The big and small of it all...

This (not-so-great) image is of the larger piece (approx. 18"x20") I made to explore scale, variety of mark, and more physically substantial materials. The support is made from 3 layers of 3/16" foamcore (which I'd replace with 1/2" or 3/4" plywood or MDF if I decide to make more at this scale or larger) , to which I pasted the larger print of the background; the print wraps around the edges of the support kind of  like a stretched canvas. The relief elements are made of PVC with printed paper cutouts adhered to them. Although I really like the PVC for many of its qualities, I had some technical challenges finding a way to mount the relief elements to the board - hence the mishap of two pieces falling off in transit. 

The second and third images are sample structures that I threw together rather quickly in consideration of making some or all of this work in book form. The top one is a codex about 3"x"4"x1" and the bottom one is a simple accordian book about 2.5"x3"x3/4" (when closed).  Neither of these structures has "words" in it yet, but my intention would be to use reliefs, cutouts, and/or other 3-dimensional elements such as flaps, pop-ups, etc. in the various books. I am thinking about exploring book forms for the freedom and sense of play that they would allow me, as well as for the intimacy and active engagement that they would offer for the reader (oh, and also for the obvious references). I am concerned, however, with the level of detail that would be required to work at such a small scale.

Wishing I had a map...

The past week or so has been full of challenging questions for me in terms of figuring out what the next stage of my exploration will be, and how it will take form. I had a great talk with a longtime friend/mentor of mine who has a PhD in communications and is an expert wordsmith, picking his brain about the concept and the content of my work. He gave some really helpful feedback and I will be meeting with him again tomorrow, when he will be able to see the work in person and provide his perspective/knowledge regarding some of the theoretical issues with which I've been wrestling. On Karen's recommendation, I've also spent some time investigating alternative materials and "construction" methods, looking at work by other artists, pondering questions she asked me, and thinking about formal issues. I have received a lot of very helpful - and at times conflicting - feedback on the work I have made so far (images that I've posted here and on Facebook), and I have spent a lot of time looking at and handling those pieces. When I have had available time, I have continued to print and to keep reading, writing, sketching, and thinking... and I had another long/good/challenging/inspiring talk with Karen today about the direction my work will take next. While I am thoroughly enjoying the journey (and all of the explorations along the way to my destination), it sure would be much easier if I had a map...
   

It's about...

tibsfe voefstuboejoht boe uif qpxfs pg xpset.

A note to the design group: The order of letters and spacing between groups of letters is intentional, so please maintain it when you create your design. However, if you could crunch the letters together within each group so that they overlap a bit, that would be great. (I couldn't figure out how to do that on here.) Thanks.

Trying again...

Thanks to all of you who have commented on my work so far (especially to those who took the time to look and comment on my Facebook page while I was trying to figure out how to post more images here), and thanks to all who helped me trouble-shoot the photo-uploading process. Now I am trying again, and hoping that these efforts are more successful. Although I haven't made any new pieces for you to see yet, I have been reading a lot, experimenting with different support materials, and thinking through various design choices before I begin working larger. This process has been at times both challenging and informative, and I am finding that the more I figure out, the more questions and challenges I have. I am planning to do some more reading, shopping, and printing later this week (if I don't get snowed out!) and if all goes well, I should have at least one or two larger pieces done sometime next week. Stay tuned!

First Impressions, Please...

Ok, so I've been trying for almost an hour to upload some images of my work, but without success. I think maybe my files are too big, but I'm not sure. They seem to be willing to upload, but VERY slowly, and when I click to "preview" the post, the images are enormous. If anyone can help me out with this, that would be great!

Until I figure out how to overcome this challenge, my Facebook friends can look at the images there, in an album called "UMA Senior Project."

In addition to the comments I've already received about the concept and about formal elements, I would really appreciate some feedback about your emotional and/or cognitive responses to the work. What did it feel like to see this work for the first time? What thoughts and/or questions arose as you were first examining it? What thoughts / feelings / questions / impressions did you take away from it? Do some pieces "speak" more powerfully to you than others, and if so, which ones, and why? This kind of input will really help me in moving forward with both concept development and technical execution. Thanks!

Artist's Statement - Draft 1b

"Confession" (This is the first piece I completed for this series - I will post more images later)

Preliminary Artist's Statement

This work has evolved out of a lifelong love of language and a recent desire to explore the potential and limitations of the printed word. As with other visual media, the ability to convey ideas effectively through text depends on both the clarity and specificity of the writer’s presentation and on the viewer’s ability to derive meaning through direct observation, prior experience, and personal interpretation. In this series, shapes and shadows resembling parts of letters and outlines of words collide, overlap, and blend together in a chaotic jumble of visual “noise” that alludes to text in ways that may not be apparent to viewers initially. A message related to the theme of the series is expressed within each piece, but these messages emerge only for viewers who attend to the work carefully and thoughtfully enough to discern their meanings.   

Day 1 - Here we go!

Ok people, here I am. Looking forward to doing art with all of you this semester. Let's make it great!