Jeffrey Mitchell Exhibit

My house had a break down while I was away on Halloween night.  Now I am trying to deal with the damage repairs and a cold/allergies (not sure which it is).  I'm wrapping up my work by the end of November so it has time to dry and cure prior to shipping so at this point most of what I am working on will be wrapping up ideas from this residency and working up new ideas for the second residency.

Last Tuesday I met with my mentor.  I surfaced from the session with a new determination.  She recommended I visit the new exhibit at the Henri; Like a Valentine: The Art of Jeffrey Mitchell and think about it in relation to my work.  When I first arrived I did not quite understand why she wanted me to see his work.  It took some walking around to glean what ideas his work was inspiring and steering me towards.

Jeffrey Mitchell is a ceramist.  His work is based on sex, love, death and spirituality.  He creates these crazy sculptures, pickle jars and whimsical animals that at first seem innocent, but upon further inspection are comments based on his personal experiences.

  

The longer I spent with the pieces the more I picked up on the social cues being projected.  This is what my work is missing in some areas.  Specifically my candy dish idea and my photo project.  I have decided to go two different ways with my candy dish due to Mitchell's work.  My work with enamel, wax and ceramic insignia can be used in a different expressive piece.  They are objects given out in abundance.  My photo project has developed into an installation piece that represents the patriotism imbued in each ribbon a military member collects.  

Right now my concentration is short, but my determination is great.  Just working on being prepared for January at this point.

 

Cigar Boxes and Excitement

Today I completed three of my many pieces in progress.  I am working with the idea of ribbon and medals as "treasures" and "momentos".  A lot of keep sakes are placed on display in homes, and a lot are stored very commonly in cigar boxes.  I think the use of cigar boxes always makes me think of grandparents and past generations.  Of course, the only person I remember ever smoking cigars in my family was my Great Uncle Ange.  He loved cigars so much he was buried with them.  As a little girl I had a cigar box at my grandparents house that stored little toys and childhood keep sakes.  I guess that is something I feel and remember when I see these boxes.  I think this is a common experience for American's, which I think helps make the entire piece relate-able.

From left to right:  National Defense Ribbon, Navy Commendation, Good Conduct and Sea Service

This box works really wonderfully with the National Defense Ribbon.
As the "Autumn Collection" it feels somewhat fake and mass produced to me.

Taking the time to study the works of Haacke and Kippenberger helped a great deal with the creation of these pieces.  I was struggling with the idea of using ready made objects, but I don't think these pieces would work as well without them.  I'm very pleased with the way the ceramic pieces turned out in the end, and hopefully my mentor and advisor will feel the same.  Aside from these pieces I'm still plugging away on my candy bowls and paintings.

Labor of Love

This is my first time painting SO SMALL.  It is really a challenge for me, but I'm trying to do the best I can.  I finished the first of what is to be a long series of ribbon paintings.  It took me 12 hours total (not including drying time between coats) which will be hard to believe seeing as the piece is only 12x12 and has detail in only one area...a labor of love indeed.

A close up of what is considered a "finished" product.  After it dries I may go back in and fix.

The full piece with hospital corner folds in the canvas.

 These three are a few of the other paintings I have in progress.  These each have two coats currently.  A burnt umber under painting and a wash of colors.  I currently have 5 in progress, but somehow I missed photographing 2 of them.  I guess I got caught up in the moment.

 As the pieces near completion they will have individual touches that will make each unique. I haven't decided if I am happy with how they are unfolding, but this could be a good thing since the Navy did not unfold the way I thought it would either.  Somewhat a happy accident.

These ribbons were discarded at a thrift store.  They are dirty and torn and are completely unusable for uniforms. I am painting these with the material in the position it was in when I purchased the items because I think it adds to the unique quality.  It shows the rough handling they went through, and how the material has shifted and changed over time.

Above are more enamel insignia or "candies".  This time the enamel worked out a bit better because I mixed some wax into it.  It is less brittle but still has a somewhat yummy hard candy look to it.  I have decided to do a bowl of ceramic candies, a bowl of wax candies, and a bowl of enamel candies.  Each bowl will have a different glaze pattern with the same idea of the red white and blue of our flag patterned on the outside.  The inside of each bowl will be white to signify the innocence, ignorance, safety, comfort, and simplicity. 

I am also working on a momento piece from ceramic medals and ribbons and photographs. I forgot to take pictures so they will be in the next post.

Birthday and Grad Work

So today is my birthday.  As a present to myself I decided to work 40 hours last week in my studio so I could fly home to Michigan to see my family.  It has been over a years since I have been home, and the visit has been a nice break, while at the same time allowing me to see art from an east coast perspective. 

On Wednesday I took a visit to the Detroit Institute of Art.  I am a big fan of this museum because they generally put on an impressive contemporary art display.  Some big hitters I had the pleasure of viewing were Newman, Oldenburg, Yoko Ono, Shakisah Sikander, Judd, Moore, Lewitt, Artswager, Segal, Bouguereau, Gentileschi, Giacometti, Rothko, Picasso, Manet, Monet, Henri...the list goes on and on.  I enjoy museums because you can get right up close and experience the brush strokes and imperfections.  It also affords me the opportunity to see the artists I have been studying side by side. 

Going with my mother, grandmother and aunt also provided me a vehicle to practice the knowledge I've been acquiring through study.  It gave me insight into areas I could use more study, and areas where retention has been fairly consistent.  It also makes me see how people can say there are no more original ideas in art.  There is so much to be influenced and inspired by today that it would be a shame not to use other artists as inspiration.

Plugging Along

 I started wrapping my "candies" this week.  It took me 5 hours to wrap what you see on the left.  FML!  I have wrappers in red and blue as well.  I have 3 giant bowls and I intend to do a different type of candy for each bowl.  I at least want one done before the residency in January.

 These are the ceramic medals and ribbons I have been working on.  I've decided to make them a project of their own.  Something that will showcase the precious nature.  I want the individual ruggedness to be extremely noticeable, because I'm working with the idea that although these pieces are mass produced they are important, yet disposable, to those that receive them. 




The medal impressions hint at the "backwards" nature of it all.

 These last two pieces are progress on my Individuals series.  The top I have completed two layers, and the bottom is just the under painting.  I have been working on constructing frames, stretching and gessoing canvas, and painting whites this week.

Ideas Not Process

I have been spending a lot of my blog detailing my process, and really not a great deal of time around the idea.  I guess I feel like I don't want to reveal my ideas until they are complete.  Nothing worse than a stolen idea.  The other reason is because process is very important to me.  The process is really part of the idea.  It grows and changes based on how my idea plans out.  Sometimes, the process makes the idea, and sometimes the idea changes mid-process and changes the process.

Since leaving my first Residency in June I have been struggling with the idea of "freedom is an illusion".  This idea has evolved to perception is reality.  An idea I think is less vague and easier to grapple with at the moment.  It also speaks more to how I want to work.

Soldiers and sailors are meant to be all the same.  We are trained to look and act in a certain fashion, and when we do we are rewarded.  We receive medals and ribbons congratulating our similitude, but in reality, after bootcamp, we are all individuals once again.  Everyone I know, while in service, disregards these "awards" and wear them out of requirement.  We do not appreciate them really until we separate from service and truly become "individuals" again.  I want to show this individuality in an organization that forces conformity.   I'm currently working to create this in a series of paintings of individuals.  Each painting will be named for the individual, but they will all be the same in many ways.

I am working with bowls because they signify a vessel.  Something to hold things with no end point because it is a circle, and no real way for separation once inside the bowl.  The military is a giant vessel, and once you are in it there is no end.  It pulls people in, comforts them, supports them, and holds onto them as long as possible.  The "vessel" has shaped me as a person and affected my entire life, and will continue to affect me until the day I die.  I do not feel I am the only one to feel this way.

There are parts of my process that are ready-made items.  I have give these items great thought, and eventually decided I needed something "pure", manufactured, and industriously similar.  Most of the items I am creating in ceramics, wax, enamel, and even maybe edible candies are hand made.  I'm working in hand made techniques for dissimilarity and individuality.  The objects have blemishes, and a child-like quality that I feel realistically identify the people that comprise our military population.  Adults, fitting in, but individuals that are rough around the edges, with child-like qualities that keep them young and intriguing.

So these are my ideas.  They are deeper than can be explained in a blog, and personal.  These works are something I'm excited to be engaged in.  They have a long way to go, and I'm looking forward to the time I will spend with them.

Progress and Headaches

Since my last post I have cleaned all the greenware and rebuilt my bowl.  I was not intending to rebuild my bowl, but I had frosted it with slip like a cake which made it extremely wet.  This soggy condition caused it to stick to my batt.  No problem, I should be able to just cut it off with my wire tool, but my stupid arm jerked as I was cutting it off and I cut half the bowl bottom off.  It required reconstructing in a very delicate manner that took me about 3 hours.

I'm meeting with my mentor on Thursday so I wanted to make sure my fragile items were at least in the bisque phase.  They are super thin and small and I think trying to drive all the way to Seattle with them will just cause too much damage.  I went to fire up my kiln to find that the new house did not have a 220 with a 50A draw.  It only had a 30A.  So I had to call an electrician for rewiring.  The kiln has been fired.  Now I'm just waiting for it to cool so I can see what damage was done on the inside.  Hopefully, none. 

I've constructed my purchased stretcher bars, stretched and gesso'ed the canvas, measured and drew the devises, painted my warm white on two of the canvases and applied my underpainting to one of them.  I'm a little disconcerted with the results thus far, but I have been thinking on the matter of preciseness and I've come to some conclusions as an artist and person:

1.  The Navy trained me to be clean, organized and precise but it is not in my nature.  I'm generally somewhat sloppy in everything I try to tackle.

2.  I believe conclusion 1. can work in the favor of my work.  My work is a commentary on perception, and attempting precise without achieving precise nails the Navy right on the head in my mind.

3.  I have to work within the limitations of my physical condition.  Shakes, jolts, brain fogs and pain are part of my regular routine, and beating myself up over things I have no control over will not complete anything or get me anywhere.

Thursday after my visit with my mentor I will be visiting Seattle Galleries and attending an opening.  I will be posting again with updated product pictures and pictures from the galleries.