Best Laid Plans

It seems that more and more frequently despite my best efforts to meticulously plan and conceptualize my projects they seem to spiral out of my control. To the right is an image from one such project. When I began this work I was interested in figuratively processing foods by overprocessing a photographic image of food sources utilizing photogravure as a base medium for expression. I was going to damage the plate, the gel, and generally do everything I could to transform what I thought was a perfect image into something ugly.

However, I failed in this endeavor . . . the result was not ugly. In fact it put the original image to shame. Some instinct seems to have taken over as I worked, and as I systematically layered the reprocessed image on top of the original my color choices and use of transparency created beauty within the imperfections. I'm still not quite sure how this happened, but I am sure that I'm happy with the result and that I'll continue to explore this new process. Hopefully, as I keep working I'll figure out why the more I break down these images the more beautiful they become. I suppose that sometimes the best laid plans can fail in just the right way so that they lead to success.

Communication Breakdown

Break Yourself!

Once again Bouncing Puppy Press was running around Atlanta this past weekend checking out what the artists and galleries decided to show the world, because, well, we still like art. This time another friend and colleague by the name of Natalie Hudson presented her graduate thesis show Communication Breakdown.

This body of work was an investigation into the deterioration of relationships through time, miscommunication, and distance. The main wall was littered with framed artifacts of destruction, physical manifestations of the degradation of a copper plate's surface through repeated abuse. The public was encouraged to relive the creation of these works by throwing christmas ornaments into a plate prepared with soft ground. This same plate was repeatedly broken down and etched twenty-six times recreating a lifetime of degrading relationships.

Around the corner a series of interactive works were included where the viewers were encouraged to destroy, damage, or otherwise vandalize objects that most of us hold dear to our hearts. A family photo album was presented filled with mementos meant to be torn apart and hidden. A crocheted blanket was hung on display for the participants to unravel, cut, and even burn. Between these two interactive pieces was a mailbox, which infuriatingly fired letters back onto the floor each time it was filled. All the while the artist perpetually cleaned and tried to keep the space organized.

I've seen Natalie's work before, but none of that prepared me for how effective it was up on the walls at the B Complex. The work was simultaneously extremely personal, while accessible to the public through the interactive pieces. That is no easy task to accomplish, and I highly recommend that anyone who hasn't experienced this show to make the trip out to the B complex and see it.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=200949443276715

Process Project - Blooming

These are a few of the color mixing variations I've been toying with for my new Process series. They're fresh off the Bouncing Puppy Press to your eyeballs.

The Magic Theatre

Minotaurs, Bullgers, and Bears, Oh Yeah!

Every weekend Bouncing Puppy Press goes on the move to check out what the artists and galleries in Atlanta found fit to put on their walls, because, well, we like art. Often the work is by friends, colleagues, or acquaintances, and in the case of The Magic Theatre the artist in question is a fellow printmaking graduate student at SCAD here in Atlanta. This show was the culmination of his work during the course of the past two years.

As with many things that one observes in pieces, the parts alone often don't do justice to the whole. I've watched Brad's work develop throughout the critiques we've participated in together, but seeing it all together in one place, organized like props on a stage, immersed me in the weird and wacky world in which his mind resides in entirely new ways.

I once heard Brad's work described as the doodles one would find in a teenage boy's sketchbook . . . on crack. This statement is definitely accurate, and it does an excellent job of annunciating the mischievous appeal of his characters and their interactions, but this is far from the whole story. There is a depth to the work hiding behind the laughs, and as this work has matured it has at times taken darker turns. It is this mix of humor and depth, light and darkness that warrants a second look, but since I have inside information I'm sure that the magician wouldn't want me to give away any of his tricks. Suffice to say this show is worth seeing while its up, and if you're interested in gambling foxes, redefined mythology, analytical psychology, or none of these things take a closer look.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=204917879531357