ART FROM THE ROAD: Experimenting with Bamboo Skewers and Super Glue

"The Floorboards of Amerika"

This is a piece that I actually did very early in my pursuits as a sculptor, and as it is much earlier work for me, it has been admittedly neglected in my efforts to give it a presence in the public realm. No more of that nonsense though, right? I'm beginning to shift my thoughts on

"All The Stars In The Sky," Drawn in Ball-Point Pen (Small Scale Study #1)

Upon returning recently from my latest adventures throughout sunny Florida, I have had the privilege of satisfying my urges to push quantities of work in an attempt to whet my more-so (recently) mania driven appetite in the realm of visual arts. This is not only because my "traditional" studio practice isn't quite as feasible to maintain outside the studio and on the road, but because of my tendencies to work several pieces at once, and to explore relative concepts that come to me organically and satisfy a certain physical or psychological need within me. Put another way, I don't work on a piece if I don't have the literal need to work on it; similarly to the way a person wouldn't make love or masturbate without the urge to do so.
That being said, it can be observed with practicality that I would return on such a trip that forces me to be exhausting more internal facets of creativity such as writing, poetry, note taking, meditation, photography, etc.; and now feel the need to work aggressive, experimental, physical, and visually oriented works.
Similarly to some of my more meditative work, this piece almost develops aesthetically from within the first marks of its original conception, and is only loosely controlled through the implementation of the process.
Essentially, I very quickly drew and re-drew the simple five lined star that we all learn to make in kindergarten- I did this over and over again using a variety of sizes from one inch stars, to one foot stars, and repeated this for a few hours every single day. Not only did this provide an insightful opportunity for aesthetic development and reflection at the end of every days session, but it provided a certain time slot for me to relax my tensions in the frustrations of art-making by venting creatively.
Many have likened this quality to some of my work as therapeutic, and suggested that I work more toward that field (art therapy), however; although I do not work against, or deny this observation- why must any/all other facets of art be lacking this self healing quality? I was led to believe very early, that this was always a major function of art, no matter what your subject, medium, or intent are. I hope we do not begin to compartmentalize this healthy function of art as a new trend or movement, but conversely- strive to fulfill that personal importance as an asset to any artists working philosophy, whether someone paints a vase, a figure, a circle, or a wall.
I will continue to work off of what was observed in this smaller scale study (2'x2'), and am already considering how I will go about making these into large scale pieces. Since I used only one blue ball point pen, on a scrap board painted over in house paint- I have allot of decisions to consider when making the leap to large scale.
No matter what I decide for the future works, I cannot help but be amazed in the beauty of the single star itself, and then the resulting pattern created by obsessive repetition, and aggressive spontaneity.

A Simple form, untactfully placed;
sequentially repeated, the unit erased-
marriage of function, disparage of form,
essentially deforming the symbol first born.

dramatic reformation is creative masturbation.
clean up your mess, it is time to embrace
this curious new form.

Taken From Joseph R Reeves Esq.
(The Life, The Writings, and the Essential Life Writings of Joseph R Reeves Esq: p.26, par.4, WPP. '09)

THE FIRST TREE I'VE EVER MADE!

If you like this and other pieces, you should know that many of my current pieces are created on the road, as I am writing "THE LAST GREAT american NOVEL-" Be sure to follow this blog, it is my main priority currently (in the world of blogging that is)
The link is a few posts below, and on the side of the site this site as well- it can be found at:
http://www.thelastgreatamericanjourney.blogspot.com/


It was a bit frustrating being in Jacksonville NC- a Marine town with nothing to do at all, AND, Brian and Mark were working most days. I stayed productive initially by writing for the novel until midnight most days, and then pounding cheap beer with Brian until 3 or 4 and passing out, and then doing it all over again. I did get a bunch of work done on the novel, and I actually don't mind that sort of life- but after about a week I realized there was something missing in my life- I was feeling unfulfilled.
I decided to stop staring at my computer screen for hours on end, unless I was ACTUALLY writing, and decided to change out of Marks sweatpants, and go walk around outside.
It was a beautiful day out, and there were these wonderfully cute little lizzards running around all over the place. I began to go explore the back of the camper, and ended up just playing around with the nature that I saw, which eventually got me thinking about what kinds of art I could make out of it. The way I approached it reminded me of being a kid, and how much time I spent just goint and "playing" in the woods. The revitalization of that spirit began to inspire me, and as I came across a big dead tree that had fallen, I started to jump around on it, trying to get a nice piece to break off. After propping it up on a rock, and finally jumping onto it with a snap- I had a nice length of wood that I could carve or do SOMETHING with, I just wasn't sure what.
I sat there among nature and just looked at it and thought. Although I have always enjoyed earthworks, and natural installations, and that type of thing- I don't often see new concepts being explored; most of the time it is using elements found in nature, and arranging them in an eye pleasing composition. With that in mind, I began to think of how futile an effort that can seem be in comparison to the authentic beauty of nature. Put another way, nature in itself, is so inspiring that artists most often times use fragments of it as a medium to make something that is "MADE OF NATURE" but is no longer "Natural" or within the context of "Nature."
I thought about it over the next night, and when I approached the sad dead log, I suddenly had an idea. What if I could bring this dead log back to life? although I found a certain beauty in it already, I began to wonder if I could make this a "REAL" tree again. Along with this notion, is also a certain trickery that always appeals to me. The idea that I could "FORGE" a tree, or "FALSIFY" nature, began to intrigue me as a challenge.
I ran back to Marks trailer, and grabbed a pair of scissors, a box of toothpicks, and the fold-up marine standard shovel that he had given me for my trip. The results, are not too bad for my first try, and my limited materials. Although we left Jacksonville before I could really put some touches on that tree that would fool anyone- I am pleased with how far I was able to push it, and will be trying to invent new trees and plants now as I continue my travels.
A really great part about the process, is how meditative and reflective it really is to try and replicate nature in such a literal sense. It is not only a humbling experience, but it gives you a sense of inferiority that is intriguing to use as a challenge against yourself, and is at the same time, an aspect that contributes to the way you appreciate nature that isnt invented by wacky traveling artists such as myself.
the day before I departed from Jacksonville, I was overjoyed when a neighbor came over and asked- as if astounded- if we had a magnolia tree growing on the side of the trailer.

"ONE BOX OF TOOTH-PICKS" (In the process of becoming: "1000 BOXES OF TOOTH-PICKS")

So as I was staring at the Computer screen writing for hours and days on end- I started to go a little crazy, and needed some fun relief that could serve as another form of artistic release- thus, the toothpick sculptures were born!
I made it as far as One box of toothpics before I left NC, but you just wait and see- someday, this will be a large-scale outdoor sculpture! Think of how crazy it would be if I could get 1000 boxes of toothpicks together! What fun!!!


Start small, and be patient!








If you like this and other pieces, you should know that many of my current pieces are created on the road, as I am writing "THE LAST GREAT american NOVEL-" Be sure to follow this blog, it is my main priority currently (in the world of blogging that is)The link is a few posts below, and on the side of the site this site as well- it can be found at:http://www.thelastgreatamericanjourney.blogspot.com/

New Glitter Porn Pieces, AND Fun Process Pics!

As simple of a concept as these glitter pieces really can seem, there is conversely, a level of depth to their presence, as well as their depiction. Strangely enough, I found myself spending alot of time in choosing these photos out of porno magazines- not for personal reasons believe it or not, but for finding exactly perfect images. Not perfect in any sort of superficial sense either- I was seeking images in which the female model was displaying not only a sense of control or dominance over the male objects, but also striking eye contact, and an intense expression that evokes a disarming sense of intimacy, lust, and voyeurism when confronting the viewer.
The pieces are done on 4' x4' panels, so the relatively large scale is also confrontational in its essence. Although the content is considerably offensive, and the images are quite 'loaded' with possible meanings- I am trying to use the push/pull of imagery versus material, in the same way that I am trying to illustrate the contrast between natural, intimate, human behaviors; and the silliness of our demoralizing, hypocritical, degradation of these same such images publicly.
Would you think I'm a pervert if I said I thought these images were sexy?
Instinct, curiousity, human nature, and pleasure- all seem to be direct contradictions to societal expectations- these pieces are just an extension of some of those never ending human struggles.
Don't worry mom, I do OTHER things with my art too.
Because of my avid documentation practice, I got a bunch of fun photographs during my working too! I just cant do one damn thing at a time I guesss...

New Spaghetti Composition!

What can I say, I just cant stop with the spaghetti art. So much of my other work is so very different than this, but what the hell, if I enjoy doing it, what more justification should I need? Of course as a professional artist, its much more complex than all that in my head- but does it need to be? Can art validly JUST be pretty? I find alot more than just that in my thoughts as I make these pieces, but maybe most valuable to me, is the solitude I find when engaging in these precise compositions. This variation of my 'spaghetti series' in particular, brings me back to perspective drawing, and as always with my spaghetti pieces, I can't get over how cheap it is to make such beautiful pieces using only superglue and spaghetti. Sure, maybe its no breakthrough in contemporary conceptual art- but give it some time!

SENIOR THESIS EXHIBITION

This was the piece that I did for MIAD's Senior Exhibition '09. It was a huge success for me personally, and I was fortunate enough to have been given "Best of Show," for the Integrated Studio Arts major- a personal goal that I had in my mind since my freshman year at MIAD.
The piece developed into a merge of video, sculpture, and performance; and was based largely on concepts of personal reflection, intensity of process, and perceptual relativity. For the final few weeks leading up to the senior show, I spent most hours day and night, drawing circles in phonebooks. I would start with a rather large circle, and I would continue drawing that circle with a pen, until eventually I would draw through the entire phone book. I did this with nearly 20 phonebooks, and after the second or third phone book, I even had a developed understanding of how to control the aesthetic outcome of each phonebook i.e. swithching pen types, colors, or the angle of my hand. The result was that the books themselves b
egan to have a beautiful layering of pristine colors, almost like what a jaw-breaker looks like if cut in half.
In the space that I was given, I projected a video of me that was split screen. half of the video displayed an emphasis of my facial expressions while drawing these repetitive circles, and the other half was a close up of the phonebook being drawn through. Along with the screen, was the embellished acoustical presence of the circles being drawn over and over again- a strangely dominant factor in the hypnotic tone of the space.
In the very center of the space, was a large wooden circle that I attained as a result of drawing a circle all the way through the wall using MANY MANY pens! Using the circle as a platform, I arranged the meticulously collected circles from the center of each phonebook on top of the wall circle, and placed them in front of the projection of myself and the phonebooks.
Finally, I placed 6 unmarked pedestals throughout the exhibition, and I displayed the actual phonebooks themselves, in small groups on these 6 pedestals. The intent of this placement, was to draw attention to the strange un-named phonebooks as objects, and to allow viewers to question not only WHY they were oddly placed throughout the exhibition, or WHAT the significance of this was- but also HOW had these strange objects been constructed.
By seperating the unexplained physical objects from my actual space in the exhibition, people were led through a series of questions that they would not normally be forced to consider. By seeing the recurring object a few times on their way to the 4th floor gallery, they had the object in the back of their head- THEN, upon seeing my space, and finding the video installation as well as the presentation of the phonebook centers- viewers were prompted to put together the puzzle, and were lead to discover the answer of HOW exactly the pieces were constructed. This helped to emphasize the great deal of meticulousness that pertained to the construction of the pieces, and added to an even greater appreciation of these objects on the way back out of the gallery when viewers would again come across the object with a newly found sense of appreciation.

Duct Tape Form

I was a bit burned out on some other projects one day, so I decided to go to the corner store, buy a roll of duct tape, and see what kind of forms I could create by just playing around with the material. I really do have far too much fun with my art for it to be considered work! Anyways, as I played around with the material, and built this cute little button of ribbons on the wall- I began to envision a duct tape button that would nearly fill a room! This is the result of one or two rolls of tape. Along with many many many other experiments, this will be put in my to-do pile of future projects. Anyone know of someone who might want to donate a thousand rolls of duct-tape?? Just thought I'd ask...