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.