|
denoted simply by "other,” these pieces are difficult to place into
a standard category. not to be belittled by their generalized heading, these
have typically been more conceptually driven works. in addition, i feel these
pieces demand a more elaborate description to better understand the thought process(es) involved in their creation.
|
 |
| untitled (documentation) |
|
for years, the most universally accepted format by which
artwork was documented was through the use of
film. i feel it is safe to say, however, that we have reached the end of physical documentation as we know it. never again will one accumulate thousands of 35mm slides in an attempt to
record their artistic process.
as the result of a recent move, i found myself scanning,
cataloguing, and wading through volumes of slides consisting of images i have
used over the past 15 years to visually convey my work, student work, and other
artwork in general. whether part of an application packet, proposal submission,
or as part of a lecture/presentation, i have used them all to communicate
visual information. as someone who
has always been interested in the concept of residue—the impressions left by
people, places and events—i recognize the significance of these slides, as they
contain years of documentation regarding my ongoing conversation with clay,
art, my work, and work in general. these slides denote the conclusion of my work in physical imagery, and i feel it necessary to pay homage to the actual space the documentation once
occupied. much of the work documented no longer exists, yet the slides allow
for their physical impression to remain as being part of my history (i.e.
journey). as the original need for
their existence has lapsed, they now maintain a new purpose—as a tribute to the
past.
|
| click here for "pre/post incarceration" video |
pre/post incarceration is a look back
into my time served as a professor in texas. finding myself surrounded by the
prisons of huntsville, i wanted to create
a piece that referenced my time there. specificially , i was inspired by the historic
association of license plate manufacturing with correctional facilities, and
also, by the "big-truck phenomena" that permeated texas on the
whole. as license plates serve as a
literal indicator of our place in the world, the changing of them represents
the final stage in any relocation—a reflective moment in which memories
resurface and the next stage in our life begins.
|
while working as a resident artist in nebraska, i noticed the exhibition
space contained a map marked with pins indicating from where the artists that
had previously worked at the center had originated. as
in the chalkboard series, i wished to pay homage to the history of the center and to the artists inhabiting it before me.
i located all of the preexisting holes scattered throughout my studio walls,
and placed thumbtacks in the holes to signify the "working map" of
the artists that had inhabited the studio prior to me.
|
 |
| untitled (resident map) |
|
|
 |
| resident map |
|
|
 |
| untitled [(resident map) detail] |
|
|
we all have annoyances that we deal with on
a daily basis—the crying baby, the barking dog, etc. this piece acknowledges those. for me, it also speaks to
those who talk too much, those who always talk about themselves (and really
shouldn’t be talking at all), and the tendency for people to talk big about
themselves and their accomplishments ad nauseum. it also reminds me of a
favorite quote from the tao te ching, "he who knows does not speak. he who
speaks does not know."
| click here for "little barking dogs" video |
 |
| untitled (CB-1) |
|
in january of 2009, i embarked on a series
exploring the ideas of education and academia. what began as the idea of
sharing/transferring information through text/written information transformed itself into a visual diary of
the history of a space. while a resident artist at the vermont studio center, i
was selected to be one of 25 artists featured for their 25th anniversary
celebration. i began to contemplate the history of the center—rich with a
diverse history of artists that had inhabited the studios over the years. my
attention turned to the fact that at the end of each residency, studios are
cleaned and painted, concealing any prior occupation. as this is the same process
that any given gallery or museum follows, this process inspired me to look for
remnants left from those who occupied the space before me. creating a chalkboard out of paint, i primed the surface
of the wall with chalk to expose the rich layers—a culmination
of subtleties from years of artists working in the space. it was an appropriate
homage to the history of the center, the space, and the artists that had
existed there before me. the residue of the people and years prior
provided a similar type of "historical information"—not so different
from the education provided via writing on the chalkboard.
|
 |
| untitled (shsu trap) |
|
somewhat of a play-on-words, shsu trap was literally a sink-trap that was removed from a
studio in which i was teaching. it exists, in my mind, as the ultimate residual
object. as it is a culmination of years of debris (clay, raw materials, even
the skin, hair, etc. of those who worked in the studio), to me, it signifies
the ultimate collection place for the studio’s physical history.
|
 |
| untitled [(2-on-1) from "the doll series"] |
|
the doll series was originally an attempt
to explore a slightly new direction, one that enabled me to “play” without concerning
myself so much with the philosophical baggage associated with making work.
after acquiring a stockpile of circa 50’s production doll molds, i was
prompted to explore some of the relationships i experienced in my most recent
past. the series depicts specific people, and acts as a visual
marker of the impression/s they have left on me. in essence, the
dolls represent to me the reincarnation of some individuals via clay. absurd,
creepy and often humorous, the dolls, to me, carry on the historical legacy of
ceramics and kitsch.
|
 |
| untitled (domiciles) |
|
a reflection on the meaning of place, untitled (domiciles) engages the conversation surrounding experiential
attributes of a geographic and demographic nature. each mud dauber nest is
directly associated to a place i have lived and the corresponding list denotes such. often with the memory simply described by the physical attributes
of that abode, each nest corresponds to the characteristics of a specific
place (i.e. apartment building, two-bedroom house, etc.).
|
 |
| untitled (ceramic education) |
|
untitled (ceramic education) capitalizes on
the opportunity to explore one of the two most well-known ceramic objects
produced by academia—the bookend. having served in numerous academic posts, i
can verify that beginning ceramic student work often involves the output of either an ashtray or bookend. i personalized
the piece by including the 34 (my age at the time of production) most
influential texts informing my artistic development. not limited to ceramics
specifically, the works include everything from philosophy and theory to
poetry.
|
|
|
