Sunday, May 12, 2013

incognito 2013

Incognito was on Saturday, May 11, at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Now that it is over, I can post the pieces I donated:


second skin
10" x 8"
leather sewn on burlap mounted on illustration board

Second Skin is sort of a "sketch" of Genuine and Bonded, which uses cut up leather belts to reference personal childhood memories. I'd prefer to shy away from over-explaining, but I'm sure (unfortunately) that many others have had close encounters with belts in their formative years. 

The striking (no pun intended) contrast between the different textures and colors serves to draw attention to the material, while the choice of material, arrangement and shape of the pieces is meant to suggest a something more aggressive and sinister.


a piece of heaven
10" x 8"
corrugated cardboard on illustration board

A Piece of Heaven draws back to another memory. In middle school, I found a bird that had fallen from a tree. I put it in a cardboard box and planned to nurse it back to health (or at least keep it safe) in our screened-in patio. After its life was threatened, not by cats or weather, but by a human presence, I was forced to find the safest possible spot I could think of for the box. I hid it downhill near a bridge that went over the canal near my bus stop. When I got back from school, I ran to see how the bird had fared and found only feathers scattered about.

Both of these "sketches" touch on a child learning cruelty not only from the outer world, but also from inside the home. I think of our capacity to reach out or to hold back, depending on the situation, and how those choices change us and define our character.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

kickstarter launch!


Today I launched a KickStarter campaign for the artist residency I will be attending this summer in Haukijärvi, Finland at the Arteles Creative Center. After many weeks of work on the video, it's a relief to finally be able to share all the fun little animations I made with you.

The project is:  Ephemeral Past --> Material Present



Check out the Video


I will keep a Finland blog that will be open to the public until June 9, 2013. After that date,  the Ephemeral Past --> Material Present blog will be private and dedicated to all $25+ backers of my KickStarter campaign, who will be added to the "readers" access list.





I'm grateful to all backers and supporters of me and the project ... Backers below $25 will still receive official project updates via the KickStarter site, and will be able to view this blog as always, but those updates will not be as frequent or as detailed as the ones on the Finland blog and won't include extra insights and fun details about food and travel.



I have never kept a blog during my travels, so this is a very special case where I have decided to do so as an extra special part for most of the rewards. 




While the campaign is active, I still have the ability to add rewards. If you think of something I may have overlooked that would make a great reward, please feel free to leave a comment and I will consider it!


Thanks to all for your support! Remember, KickStarter is all-or-nothing, so please spread the word. :)