Setbacks.....

I know everyone always says that failure is great and it's what art is all about. And while part of me buys it, the other part is still discouraged.

I experienced several setbacks over this fall break regarding IP. First of all, I was unable to stage the large-scale cyanotype with my sisters. My first problem was that I did not have the space or time to prepare the fabric. Furthermore, I had not experimented enough on a smaller scale. Also, it was too cold to be laying outside without warm clothing. I have been researching several sources of UV light that are not the sun. Unfortunately, they all seem to have extremely negative effects on humans. Therefore, I probably should not force my family to lay underneath them.

I guess I am just a little frustrated with what I am doing. I really enjoy being able to work and work and I feel like I am running into far too many roadblocks for my comfort. I am not producing enough work. I am just frustrated.

For now, I am going to work on small scale tests. Hopefully, that will take me somewhere meaning ful soon.

photograms

Photograms!

My project, ever evolving, is becoming photogram-tastic! My first big test for large-scale photogrammin' is scheduled for this weekend (assuming I can get the chemicals in time). I will be treating a king-size sheet in a lovely mix of Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate. Then, my three sisters and I will don nightgowns and lie together on the sheet. Once exposed, it will probably look something like this:Haha.... but, seriously. The idea for this mostly stems from the fact that the four of us used to sleep together a lot in one big bed. It also represents this incredibly feminine household I grew up in and my relationships with my sisters. And I'm not entirely uncomfortable with the Virgin Suicides reference. I am super excited to get working and be able to test some things out. However, I am feeling a little nervous about getting my sisters to participate. I did talk to them and they seemed willing, but they also think I am crazy. And if the weather does not participate, I know they will not be willing to lay out in the freezing cold with me. So I am just a little nervous, especially since this is my one big shot for a while (my sister Lisa lives in Florida and will only be in town for the weekend). But here's to hoping that the stars align and things work out!

shadowssss

Light and shadow is the topic of the day!

Why? You may ask.....

because i like it!

Shadows are so interesting to me. I think it's something about the mystery and the nuance that surrounds them. I have been looking at some artists that use shadow in interesting ways.

Remember Xu Bing? He came for Penny Stamps and I remember being really blown away by his work. I didn't really understand his lecture, but luckily his work spoke for itself.

www.xubing.com

So great!

Apparently, there is something about those fabulous Asian Artists.... because Japanese artist Kumi Yamashita does some really beautiful things with shadows and figures as well.

www.kumiyamashita.com

Street artists have also had a history of using shadow for their art. Ellis Gallagher, for example. He traces shadows at night using chalk. During the day, their shadows exist where they wouldn't normally.

Finally, Tim Noble and Sue Webster are London-based artists (also absolutely brilliant!)

So I'm making shadow monsters these days..... more to come on that topic later!

Sourcing Inspiration

Are you more likely to be inspired by:

The presence or absence of contentment?
Personal situations or social conditions?
Interactions with humans or non-humans?
Rest or fatigue?
Relaxation or pressure?
Sobriety or being high?
Joy or sorrow?
Culture or nature?
Familiarity or mystery?
Production or consumption?
The past or the present?
Facts or feelings?
Anger or pity?
Yourself or others?

A couple of these were difficult for me to answer. On the other hand, some of them I found to be very easy to answer. So first I will start with those.

Culture or nature?

Culture is what absolutely inspires me. Whether it be for the positive or the negative, the society we live in and the "culture" that is embedded in that society is integral to my work and my life. My own culture is also very inspirational to me. Growing up white and Roman Catholic in the suburbs of Detroit is something that has been definitive in my upbringing. It is part of who I am and the way I think is a result of that circumstance. As much as I like to pretend I am something else, it is what it is.

Familiarity or mystery?

Familiarity is something that I understand. Mystery is scary. While I like a healthy dose of mystery, I find that I work well when I am working with topics that I know well from a personal experience or viewpoint. I believe strongly in research, but unless I am personally invested in the subject matter, I find myself getting lost.

Facts or feelings?

Facts are important. I definitely believe in knowing and understanding facts. But I also am a strong feeler. I believed for a short period of time this summer that I was crazy. My sister told me, "You're not crazy, Jenna. You just feel things stronger than other people." I know, so deep you could drown. But seriously, I am very emotional and that is an important element in how I work and understand my work.


Now a couple that were difficult for me to answer:

Personal situations or social conditions?

Social conditions are extremely, extremely important to me and I find inspiration in that. However, I can only truly speak from my own personal experiences. I work best when I am able to relate my personal situations to social conditions.

Yourself or others?

This is similar to the last question. I am inspired by other people always. I am not the type of person who could lock herself in a studio for weeks and just come out with a ton of brilliant work that would change the world. I am a part of my community. I need to be talking and responding to other people. I get lost in my own head a lot, but I need to be grounded by those around me to stay sane.

Thank you, Linda Weintraub for that exercise.

narrativeeevs

I find something really fantastic in the narrative; I love something that tells a story. Work that speaks not only to a situation but to the people involved and their story are all things that are important to me. I think this began when I was younger and I was obsessed with this book about Egyptians that my mom gave me. I liked to make up stories about the people and how they would interact.


I love the way that Kara Walker creates these epic stories using silhouettes. The scale and the figures speak about slave revolt and rebellion. Yet they retain some sort of whimsy in the exaggeration of certain body parts and features.


Bec Young, who was my supervisor this summer (and my life mentor), is part of this print collaborative called JustSeeds. Her work is really fantastic. I have had the opportunity to see many of the other printmakers' works in real life as well at a show this summer. I absolutely loved the work by Meredith Stern. Her creatures have something sort of dark and mysterious about them; something sort of weird. (This image is not the colors of the print I saw- the one I saw was blues and browns and no reds) Her work is very stylistic and also has a nice mix of whimsy, darkness, and narration.

I want to find a way to incorporate this narrative style and memory into my work.