Attraction

Attraction
gunpowder, acrylic, gold leaf, wood_ 36″x 48″x 5″

A new direction based primarily on some architectural theory I have been reading. I have been using this pattern for a while, but more recently the idea of architectural fidelity and the space it protects/forms have become something I see as a political manifestation. I am referring to it as the “politics of the void.” (2 previous works dealing with this topic are Incursion I and II.)

I have become interested in how much effort/power it takes to stabilize vacuousness, how architecture is part of the constructed stability of space and yet, interior design and temes tend to disrupt/distract the space itself to present a more socialized view of this power discourse. Dealing not only with the forces that attract towards the void, I have attempted to symbolize the restraining architecture, essentially highlighting the warping of space by presenting stability. The singed edges of the circle are a physical manifestation of this power, at once exploding outward, expelling, as the vacuum pulls discourse ever inward. (In black holes or gravitational fields they call this edge an event horizon, where escape is impossible.)

In many ways this is about interdependance. The forms rely on each other to create a dynamic form of tension, stabilizing on their own power and continual interaction. I am simply trying to visually represent this complex set of symbiotic forces.

* Since winter 2010 I have been painting a bright color on the backside of my works. This allows for a glow of color to reflect onto the wall in order  to mingle with the shadows. It is part of “Attraction” but is also noticeable on “Fulfilling the Void“, “Disruption/Seduction“, and “Connected: Laocoon.”

Connected: Laocoon

Connected: Laoccon
66″x102″x5″
gunpowder, graphite, acrylic, wood. [2011]

This is a continuation of a recent theme: re-purposing powerful or violent historical characters that have been immortalized in sculpture. This piece is especially poignant as the father struggles to free himself (and his 2 sons) from a serpent, which I have conveniently removed. Without seeing the deadly serpent the characters are fragmented, ripped apart by an unknown force.

Pleasure Principle

2 pieces I recently completed…

Disaster Relief

These are experiments. I am playing with some new imagery and SMOKE BOMBS to add color to these images. The problem is I am trying to make something worthwhile even when experimenting…

Thug Life: Hercules

“Thug Life: Hercules I”_ 2011
22×15 in, gold leaf, graphite, gunpowder on paper.

Incursion

Two art pieces pursuing a slightly different direction for me…  These are more about delineating space, mapping the void within the space, and how that void serves a purpose and becomes overlaid with pattern/meaning.

Replication

So, these 2 pieces are a refinement of several previous ideas worked out in a different form…

Fulfilling the void (pt. II)

These works are explorations of space, most notably characterized by populating a circular form with a pattern to dirupt any idea of pure space, instead exploring ideas of the positive/negative shifts that alter our perception. There are 2 rifles, barrel to barrel, forming a negative space phallus ejaculating upwards also disguised, disrupted, by this pattern. The content, masculine and phallic, machine and organic, forms a layering of complexity subverting the imagery into designed beauty. This is, of course, by intent. It is cultural camoflauge.

 

The idea for me, is to present something beautiful, offering a subliminal message of power and violence that the viewer walks away from without fully realizing. It is the way subtle temes and memes work in society to replicate themselves, the viewer is simply a host to the idea and as such it has a virulent spread due to our inability to recognize the source.

I equate this spread of ideas with cultural violence and power.

Extras

Ok, here are 2 pieces finished recently.

Gunpowder Demo at Thirdspace

Gunpowder Demo at ThirdSpace, Dallas in Aug, 2010

“.270 Winchester with Scope”
gunpowder and graphite on paper
22″x15″

This is a demo piece that I did for a small audience during my ThirdSpace exhibition.

I got a nice ball of fire when this one burned, which is great for a demo and not so cool for the cleanliness of the art.

Alexandra Olivia from Pegaus News took some images and video of the burn… It is always a bit awkward listening to myself ramble on about nonsense. (I need to work on my showmanship.) Either way, the demo was a pleasant experience and the folks involved were very supportive.

Pegasus News:: Video of gunpowder demo

And the other little one seen in the above video:

“Fine, Susan, Fine”
gunpowder and graphite on paper
5″x7″

This was a smaller demo piece done at the smae time as the one above.

Susan Roth-Romans called it hers early on, as she does with most of my work. And after much tongue-in-cheek haranguing this one really is hers, hence the title.