Slowly but Surely...

...making progress in my studio. It has been a struggle to not let the academic and professional side of things take over my studio time. I've been on the phone correcting errors more than I've been thinking about making art it seems. Adjusting to the family summer schedule has been rough as well. I have managed to eek out the required studio time, but I would really like to dedicate more time then I have. I leave for Boston and New York on Thursday, and I'm hoping my return from New York will help propel me forward the way I need to.

They BYC show is on Saturday. Being swamped by paperwork and my own past laziness to get ready for everything. It seems appointments, paperwork, and dirty dishes always get in the way of my day running exactly the way I envisioned it prior to rolling out of bed. I'm already thinking about writing my first paper, and I feel like this semester is a struggle like my first semester. I don't really want to deal with the mind bending task of writing critically.

I met with my new mentor for the first time last Tuesday. Seems Claudia Fitch will be a great fit. She has recommended I work on Stream of Consciousness writing to inform my work and choice of color. She has also suggested I begin collecting and surrounding myself with things that I like. I'm not much of a collector so I'm not so sure how that part will go. I get really depressed when I'm surrounded by clutter. Also, I have a few readings she suggested that I will be taking to Boston to keep me company on the plane.

As for studio progress I don't have a lot to show right now. Since I'm working on the flag portions of my flag box idea the process is slow right now. I will post when I have things more finished and readable. I fear if I post them right now it will just look like a bunch of junk on the table. Also, trying to get my boyfriend to make the boxes for me is a bit of a struggle. The weather is nice, fishing season is here, and his boys are visiting so he doesn't have a huge itch to break out his wood working tools. I know in time he will make them for me, and I know what I want, but I don't have anything to show for it right now. Seems to be a typical start to my semester! :)

Onward and upward!

Barry McGee and others at the ICA

My first art exhibit excursion took me to the Barry McGee exhibit at the ICA. I had planned on seeing the Peabody Museum glass flowers but I was just too wiped out. Anyway, here are some photos:

There was a wide range of his work including large installations and small sketches. I found his sculptural objects the most intriguing. They gave me a sense of the artist whereas the giant installations felt really cold to me. I also was completely turned off by the mechanization in some of his installations. I didn't see how they added any value to the overall aesthetic, or why it was relevant. It really made me think of how to make my own work discuss an issue without discussing it too much.

There was a special smaller exhibition as well, the James and Audrey Foster Prize 2013.  I got to experience a second mark cooper, the first at the MFA in the white blue show.

         I'm a student of visual culture and visual language - the more I learn, the less I know, and I find           that intriguing...

                             -- Mark Cooper

I find his work to be very welcoming. I want to study every nook and cranny. It is interesting to me how he represents the messiness of life and humanity through such abstract structures. There is a frantic gesture to each installation that I find energizing and intriguing. Do I want my work to be energized? How do I want my visual language to read? Do I want it to be stale stoic and detached? I feel in some ways, that boring side of my work is important to the overall meaning.

From Mark Cooper I ran into Annette Lemeiux whose piece I would say has that dry sensibility that is so important when discussing issues of institution. Obviously, something I will have to look into further.

On a side note, next week I get to meet with my mentor for the first time. I'm excited to hear what she has to say. I'm sure she will have an entirely different approach than Susan had, and I'm curious to see what she thinks of my new direction and my old.

Shameless plug of my new website again :) http://www.mariajonesartist.com

The Summer Residency

This summer the Residency was a bit tougher on me physically. I did however, develop a fabulous new tangent for my work! I'm super excited to get working in my studio, which is always a good sign. Here are some pictures of my space this semester:

I had a bit of an issue with my shipping company so I am still waiting for everything to make it home safely. Although, the feedback was mostly positive I think I will probably photograph and destroy most of the things I made this semester. Sculpture and installation take up a lot of space, and I really don't think the things I have made in the last six months are really the selling type.

I learned a lot (and freaked out) about professional development as an artist. It seems like an extremely long arduous toil to get to some modicum of success. Which is then another giant leap to being able to teach. I'm trying not to completely be overwhelmed by the information. Instead, I put my anxiety to good use and wrote my residency summary, book list, artist list, developed a professional artist page, press release for the BYC, resume, business card, and e-mail address. :P

http://www.mariajonesartist.com

It is not the best site in the world, but it is mine and it has a lot of what I have been making on it. Once everything makes it back to Washington I will toil over getting someone to photograph them professionally for me...maybe...or maybe I will use the photography skills I have to photograph them myself (if they look like dookie I will hire someone).

Boston Young Contemporaries and Vacation Time

So I found out last week one of the three pieces I submitted was selected to be a part of the Boston Young Contemporaries Exhibit in Boston starting on July 26th and running to August 24th! The piece they selected is called "the women" and here it is...

The opening and awards ceremony is on July 26th from 6-9pm. I will be there for the opening weekend only, but at least I will be there. From the exhibition in Boston I will be taking a detour to New York City for a week before returning home. Hopefully, I will get to every art museum and be completely inspired and ready to get to making amazing art when I get home. I'm excited about the summer, but at the same time I'm still trying to figure out how to keep my Fibromyalgia under control while it is all happening. I think the last will be a lost cause, but I have a lot of coping mechanisms and when all else fails really strong pain killers and drugs to knock me out :) Not letting my illness bring me down! As my mentor says, "Onward and Upward!"

Also, I have let all my work dry and dropped it off to be packed up and shipped off to Boston! Two weeks to residency. I'm looking forward to it! I'm taking the two weeks before residency as vacation time from school. I will be spending time in my studio but not as diligently as usual. I'm making time to do things outside, exercise, visit and talk with friends (finally), and of course do the readings and rework some of my papers.

With all of the ups and downs of this semester I think it turned out to be a good one. I'm ready for Residency 3 :)

Saying Farewell

Since I have decided to move away from military themes it seems my last project is very appropriate. It's like the death of my idea and the growth of me spurred me to create a memorial of sorts. At the time I thought it would just be another piece in the series, but now I see it as a perfect way to end things and move on. Looking at influences like Liza Lou, Jessica Stockholder, Cindy Sherman, Judy Chicago, Martha Rosler, John Cage, Gerhardt Richter is forcing me to grow and change as an artist.

Memorial

Now I'm trying to figure out what I actually want to make art about. I'm tired of being happy and excited, and then getting into the studio and getting angry because of the nature of my work. I want my work to focus on the positives of life and things that interest me. In an attempt to make less didactic, more intriguing work I am moving into an experimental phase. My mentor has suggested a more John Cage approach to see what comes out of my head. I have three boxes of thrift store "treasures" and I am using a board I made up of different art techniques and dice to determine what happens to the items in the box. I'm hoping a more intuitive approach will help me reach the break through I need. I will be posting pictures from this process in my next post. Until then I wish a fond farewell to my military art.

Let's Talk About It

First things first. Here is a picture of my completed light boxes and necklace boxes that I will be taking to Boston in June.

Bed Memories

The Women

Now let's talk about where all of this is actually heading. I've decided to let things get a bit messier. This epiphany has come about from my experimenting and play. Restraint, identity confusion, indignation at the forgotten in past memories. It's also about the injustices women still face today in the military. The titles are VERY important. The piece is not whole without it. So here are some new pieces...

No Larger Than Regulation

A Small Stain

I took my belt and displayed it on coveralls. Still working on a title as the coveralls add a new element.

Start of my floor panel project. The center tile is non-existent and in it's place is a crochet vagina. Hard to see in the picture.

The Invisible War

In 2012 a documentary was made addressing sexual assault in the military. In a male dominant ego centric society like the military those who are assaulted, men and women, get swept under the rug.

The Invisible War (the trailer)

The problem with being ignored doesn't go away over time. It creates identity confusion, anti-authority sentiments, continued anger and judgement over the injustice, and the monsters that won't go away that no one talks about. This is happening now in the United States. Yes, all of the world has problems, but I'm just one person in an ocean of sharks. The lives that are being altered and sometimes destroyed matter. Who will be their voice????