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Pretty Good Shape

March 8-21, 2013
threewalls 119 N. Peoria #2c Chicago, IL

Pretty Good Shape materialized from the musings and survival of an artist in residence. While making on top of life, daily sustenance blends into material and back out again, agitation swarms and looms and humor emerges from a hole in the wall; regardless it all continues on. The act of supporting creativity without overindulging and spoiling it is precarious and never the same. Marks in space act as cairns; a way to push forward and find the next thing while leaving a path to backtrack, keep record and maybe begin to understand the present moment.

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Maybe it’s supposed to
hole in the wall, soap, water, container, tubing, motor

I feel so sorry for you in those hot pants II
table base, motor, white table cloth

Still Life in Balance
hot cocoa powder, paper scrap, cough drop, tape, pink packing peanut, twist tie, bagel on napkin, paper towel piece, orange rind, onion skin, honey, sugar cube, eyelash, oatmeal, rock salt, pepper, sugar cube, staple, toothpaste, two rubber bands, painted cardboard piece, wrapper, contact lens, cinnamon, penny, wrapper corner, plastic protector, match, avocado skin, pin, sawdust, napkin bit, bread crumb, used birthday candle, eye lash, thread, mini marshmallow, red wine stain, two popcorn kernels, ribbon, gorilla glue, drywall, box fan foot, avocado skin, salt, tag piece, thread, rice, cup, ketchup packet

Nonetheless
wax, sinkers, thread, wire, motor, wood

Untitled (from the Kitchen Table Series–2 drawings)
ink, graphite and acrylic on paper

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The Kitchen Table Drawings

It took me quite awhile to realize that my work has a trend of domesticity that runs through it. It’s hard to find overarching themes, so I am glad to have identified one. At the moment I don’t have any photo’s of the actual drawings I have been making at the kitchen table, but Rob documented me working on them, so that will have to do for now. More to come!

As mentioned in the previously in “Panes”, I am intuitively attracted to the safe interior spaces. I like the outdoors, but I am really really enamored when it crosses boundary of home (light through the window/view to the world outside). It is across from this window with run new records from our housemates-to-be (for now we’re living with their stuff), Skye & Eric that I have been delving into my subconscious thoughts of how things work. The drawings build, grow, follow trains of thought and color. Symbols emerge, but as soon as they seem to be clearly defined, they morph into something else—like dashed lines are stitching, lane dividers and if oriented vertically, they are stacks of plates, air vents or blinds.

It is a comfortable place to draw. No need to dress for the day–the comforts of home at your fingertips.

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090910-151619 Eating lemon meringue pie and thinking of Laura Letinsky‘s work. This plate and crumbs might have made an appearance in some of the drawings…

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Waiting

Waiting is a transitional state that I often find myself in and tend to be quite impatient with. Whether it’s waiting for Rob to head out the door (although I’m pretty sure he waits for me more than I wait for him), waiting for a balloon sculpture to deflate since my prodding only messes up the process or waiting to get an answer from say, a graduate school or something like that, I tend to twiddle my thumbs, tap my fingers and get myself all worked up. Time is a precious thing in my life since there is always more to do than I have time for. My time has become quantifiably valuable in the photography business since we bill by the hour and I can also see a monetary value for the time I am putting in at Cranbrook since this experience is an investment. The laborious nature of my art work is also very time intensive.

These thoughts about waiting were inspired by some images in the series “New Londoners: Reflections on Home” and Louise Bourgeois’ “Insomnia Drawings”.

The New Londoners are a group of refugees from around the world now living in London who were connected by Photovoice with a “new and upcoming” photographer from the area to create a series of honest photo’s based on life in a new city. There were at least 3-4 photo’s titled “Waiting for… (so and so)” which got me thinking about what I do while I’m waiting and how that changes based on the place I am in. If I’m at home, I busy myself in that waiting period. If I am in an unfamiliar place as these photographers are, I tend to sit and look. I’m less interested in the photo’s themselves than I am in the idea of transplanting, seeing for the first time, collaborating and waiting.
View Slideshow of “The New Londoners: Reflections on Home”

I had an individual meeting with my artist is residence, Heather McGill and she suggested I look at Louise Bourgeois’ Insomnia Drawings in relation to my work. I am still working on tracking down the book itself but the images and information online also lead me to thinking about the state of waiting. I came across an article referencing the drawings the New York Times (read the article) Louise talks about the lulling nature of making the drawings while she is waiting for sleep to come.