Saturday, May 30, 2009

1000 Bamboo Skewers

Hot Glue, Clear Acrylic, Bamboo Skewers, Organic String

For my 3D-Desing class at MECA I had to sculpt something out of 1000 objects (or close to it). I went with the bamboo skewer because it was super cheap. I really enjoyed making these because the process was repetitive and automatic. Inspiration was mainly drawn by the visual aesthetic of bird’s nests and oriental lanterns. I had a few sketches of what I wanted to see when I was done, but it took an evening of moving up and down a ladder to figure out the overall arrangement. In the end I was really happy with the presence of three globes suspended by tight, perfect, organic strands of twine; while located in the busy stairwell at MECA...

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Scanned Negatives

Kodak Tri-X 35 ISO400

Waking up early to go fishing can always be a hit or miss. Last Saturday it was kind of both for my brother Austin and I. At 5 am in the morning, a couple of small perch and pumpkinseed’s were brought in. Nothing exciting. Yet in between each bite cameras were in hand. Austin shot some super 8 and for me, some tri-x with my AE-1 and Lomo fisheye. I actually taught Austin how to read a light meter too. He took a couple of me. It was nice to be distracted by the film. It got our mind off of our shitty catch…

Monday, May 25, 2009

Scanned Prints

Kodak Tri-X 35 ISO400

All Gelatin Silver Fiber Prints

8'' x 10''

I just hung a few of these in my room about a week ago. This is a little bit of my Abandoned Objects project that I finished in late November of 2008. I fell in love with these pictures and the areas I took them in. It’s still to this day one of my favorite bodies of work, which is good considering my short attention span in such situations. Most of the spaces at the time were where the homeless of Portland,ME were living. It was always fascinating to visit such a space one day and then visit it the next and be able to take a totally different photograph. There were strong trends of literature, clothing, and children’s toys; all of which help us envision the kind of people who have come into contact with what’s left behind. I deem a strong influence from this project towards my present work; hints of decay, human contact, and struggle. I have since also found myself being attracted to bringing home thrown away “treasures” in hope for a new life...

Saturday, May 23, 2009

For the past year, living in Portland, ME helped me grow at such a rapid rate. I met a remarkable group of kids at MECA who are talented and hard working. It felt so good to finally be surrounded by the people who think, understand, and create the same way I do. I no longer felt weird about expressing ideas and thoughts that many who I knew before just wouldn’t get. I know this summer is going to be tough. The art scene in VT isn’t the same. I wish I could get some kind of fulltime job here that is related to art. Maybe VT art lacks the financial support that Portland had? I know of places that are open to volunteer support, which I would be totally open to be doing, except I kind of have these things called student loans and they kind of suck. Maybe Portland just had more artists/galleries? I just know that the people I was living with a month ago are harder to come by here. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I love school and can’t wait to go back.

The best part about living with artists every day is that they give you artwork. My friend Luke Butler gave me an Albrecht Dürer inspired print that he did for an art history project. It’s title The Martyr. I love the repetitive marks and the deer head. I made a frame and matted the print with torn up brown paper. I found both especially fitting. It hangs in my room and reminds me of all his artwork and the good times at MECA...

Friday, May 22, 2009

So first blog. i'v been home from Portland,ME for a few weeks now. It's been super tough finding a job around town. I hope someone calls me back. I'm pretty sure I have filled out about 10-15 applications. The economy sucks!

It's been kind of nice to have time off. I have a tiny studio table in my basement to paint and make stuff like that. Yet were beginning to get signs of summer and i just want to be surrounded by it all the time. It's fucking beautiful here in VT. So i built a spacious table in my garage. It's sick! There's a shit ton of junk in there because it's where my dad stores all of his plumbing supplies for his business.I have always been used to that though. What's sick is that there is a breeze moving through there everyday, which is great for spray paints and strong chemicals. The cement floor is nice because i have some sculpture/3d-ish stuff that i want to do. Photography is what i want to pursue, no doubt. But i just have to get my hands dirty, my t's marked with paint, and my shorts smudged with charcoal...