Jona8than Green Art and Other Things

Get By - Tali Kweli, playing in the room. Rap is the only uplifting music I have lately. The heavy music is good for these times too, but I'm unable to crush my enemies under my war hammer; thus viking metal lacks. So its rap. Trying to learn to hustle.

Unsure if I am going to be at Eastern Edge Gallery after September 5th, awaiting notification on funding and bureaucracy turns so slowly. So applying to a few new jobs this week as well as looking for a new apartment. Trying to keep the costs on the down side, but damn Holmes, seems impossible.
Feeling so restless as well. I hate the thought of signing a lease. Something that is keeping me in place. I don't want to have to give notice or frig around if I want to go. On the other hand though, this everything being up in the air does not lend itself to enjoyment. I'm lost and unsure what direction to follow. As I said before, it really goes with the current art work.

The new lithograph print is going well as far as I can tell, I was working at it for another few hours tonight after work. Really shaping up n getting the hang of the maniere noire technique. At least as far as I know - I'll be asking Mike tomorrow about it. Hoping to do the first etch on it tomorrow. Printing maybe Thursday or Saturday, would like to print while Mike is around. Not that familar with litho just yet to be totally comfortable printing this different technique.

Would love to have a whole month free just to print all day. I regret the times I had close to that and never had any ideas. That' the way it goes. September is shaping up to be quite good with the visiting artist Colin Lyons coming to St. Michael's. That ould be a great month to have no work to go to. Which I might yet. HaHa

Maniere Noire lithography is tedious and ardous. That is probably a very self evident statement to anyone who has done printmaking, particularly anyone who has done such technique in intaglio as in a mezzotint [ which is even more tedious and ardous].

But it is going good so far, I have been here since 3:30ish and have been scratching away at the stone. I would say maybe half of the scratching I need to do is done, and is helping me learn how to do it. I very sharp exacto knife is the best thing I have learned so far. Ha! I think it will look good when printed, and the technique will be made good use of.

The stomach grumbles despite sunday dinner today, and I am not totally wanting to catch the next bus home yet at 8:30. Especially when there is nothing to do at the apartment, nar uncluttered space to draw too or such. All my stuff is packed up and stored about my room; figured I would just have to repack in again this week or next.

I have to go to Blue Cross early tomorrow morning to get a reimbursement for my new glasses. This week will be a tight week, the account suffered a lot last week: bills, eating out due to work, gallery events, glasses, etc. I do get paid this Friday, so I hope to make it till then.

I'm home for the weekend, and got up noon [ Bukowski said it will add years on to your life, rising at noon]. Did a few things round the house, and went out into the shed to try and do some painting. I wanted to oil paint, but had not the time for it; so using acrylics, tole paint ones. Which is fine with me. The problem I am thinking is that I am using some of the cheap canvas. The question that arose as I painted, not liking the canvas board texture is "Why use canvas at all?". I prefer using paper, find cardboard nice to paint on, so why wasn't I using it?

Why should I cater to this precious object mentality, when I prefer cardboard for acrylic painting. I wouldn't use oils on them, just bleeds too much.

Maybe just realizing as well that things are getting tight, I can't afford to spend all this money on suppilies like I felt I could at art school. In art school, economics aren't suppose to enter the picture but out, well, a man has to eat. I think I have to reevaluate my art practice. Fiugre out what is necessary.

I'm sure that Kanye West is the only thing I listen to anymore. I can't deal with much else besides, brings up emotions I'm wanting to keep in check. This blog is getting more personal by the day, much different than the intended purpose. Than again, it's easy to open up to nobody. Nobody really reads this, so it works.

I'm at St. Michael's; it's really the only place I feel comfortable right now. Since my brother moved out, I don't have the want or real need to go home after work. I just come up here. No supper to go home for, no real need to hang around the apartment, only needed for sleeping. If I was more resourceful and inclined I'd get a tent and pitch it somewhere.

It's just interesting, that tired and slightly dragged out from the previous week I come up to St. Michael's instead of going home to nap. Probably not going to go at my print tonight, infact I think I'm going home to Carbonear. A money conservation tatic really. Maybe work on my wood cut skateboard.

Just going to hink about some things this weekend.

Maybe it's the slight exhaustion from the 24 Hour Art Marathon, which was a great success I believe, or perhaps the realization of my situation I am in now. I don't know. Not enough food? Who knows, everything I suppose. Just feel awful.

I need a place to live, for the new place fell through along with my roommate and brother having to go home. He needed to. I understand that. It just feels a little more alone in here tonight. I feel like I am drifting about now, fitting since I have been reading about Namsen, an Arctic explorer who drifted in the North Pole on the Polar current; my life and my art are never too separated.

I could go home. Always can go home. Not sure that I "can" go home though. No art will get done, or if so, only paintings. Got this print shop scholarship, and that is the art that I want to pursue. That and my drawings.

I just want to be in a position to make my art. Its all I want. As long as I make my art it will distract me from everything else. Make everything easier. It is interesting the sacrifices that artists make, especially economic ones, to pursue their art. Of course, as Ernest Beckett says that artists create so that they can make sense of the world. I guess if I did not sacrifice for art, I would be pending the money on psychology treatments.

I see a slight plan happening, forming in the back of the mind.

I forgot to write last night that I finished two more editions the week. On Wednesday I printed my lithography stone, with it rolling up well and printing fine. Had a little problem with the ink at first, using a stiffer ink -shop black ink- where I should of used crayon black. The shop black gave me problems on my palette, but the print shop director came over and fixed the problem for me.

He also told me I was using too much water on my stone, no need to see beads of water on it, no need to wring water out on it. I think that helped a lot too, allows for less transfer of water to the ink palette [ which gets messy] and allows for quicker sponging.

So one lithograph print was completed, I signed and numbered it Thursday night.
As well I finished an intaglio [etching, aquatint] print Thursday as well, so thats all signed as well.

Washed the image out of my stone, so hoping to get graining after the art marathon week. I have a bit of blank metal plate that would be for a larger size etching.

It's going to be a busy week coming up. The 24 Hour art marathon activities start Tuesday for me, and volunteers, and then our big launch is Wednesday with Annie Sprinkle at the Rockhouse, artist's talks and cocktails Thursday, getting everything ready for the marathon Friday, and then the marathon Saturday. That's a good 24 hours straight gig, with almost a hundred artists and probably 300 people coming through, over 20 bands and performers, numerous workshops, along with a bar and feeding people. I do pretty good in those situations, I just work and keep my head on a swivel. The 24 hours up awake, I haven't been able to do that in a long time. Have to see about that. Redbull? Yis!

Also having to move this week, so will have to pack up tomorrow night and getting stuff ready for that. i will be working all week and night, so Adam and the parents will have to help with that. Real bum thing to be happening, but that's it. Having problems with the guy I am sub-leasing from, but will straighten that out the week too.

As for art, well, I guess it isn't going to happen this week at all. I have been on a really good schedule lately, and hate that it will be interrupted; mostly because it is difficult getting back on it. I have a lot planned, there are many ideas floating round that I would like to get down soon. what also worries me about my art making is after the marathon, I have to start looking for new employment. That will be another interruption in that I will have to find a new job, and I really don't think there is much available. Actually, there is very little available.
The print shop scholarship is an excellent opportunity and I want to make the most out of it. Yet I feel I may have to move away to make some money, least better money. I know one to make art has to do jobs to survive, to be creative enough to make money, to just do it. I have enough phrases and words of wisdom in my head, enough to write a platonic dialogue of my own about it. Doesn't mean I think I can work at a fast food joint. Maybe something will come up, but just very nervous about the fall and the upcoming weeks.

To do a large scale three dimensional rubbing of a shed, which is then reconstructed through the hanging of the sheets of paper. The reconstruction is lit from the inside; illuminating the paper and creating an object that has a spectral quality about it.

Detailed description:

The idea is to capture the nuances and details of a shed on my family property. The shed was built by my grandfather, a carpenter, all by his own hand. I would use large sheets of paper and do a rubbing of each side of the shed, including the roof. This would done all by my hand, using graphite sticks and pencils. Copied in materials more natural to me.

By doing a rubbing of the surface of the shed, I would be creating an inverse image of the shed. The paper would be hung, reconstructing the dimenisons of the shed: being _ _______. The paper would be supported by a wooden frame of the shed, fastening at the top. This would give a wavering quality to the work according to the environment conditions i.e: people walking past.The structure would be lit from the inside by a small work light hanging down in the shed, the light would illuminate the the negative spaces created through the rubbing process. This would contrast against the dark grey of the graphite.

This project is a continuation of my current investigations in drawing and printmaking. I am drawing but I am also capturing the imprint of the surface - like a collograph or relief print. I am constructing my own shed, reproducing some of the same motions that my grandfather would have; becoming a print myself in a sense. It touches on the concept of a film negative as well though it it is not something actively pursued.

My current art has been focusing on 'small memories' of objects, memories that an object accumulate, common objects that many people can have a connection to. With this there is always the issue of lost and a sense of mourning, this goes from the personal to the larger population that many Atlantic Canadians have a familial connection to a shed. A sense of place definitely plays into the work, it is a product of its environment and is commonplace in the area. The use of paper will convey the fragility of these memories, a sense of impermanence that is associated with memory. The graphite would capture the exterior of the building, allowing for the traces of aging and weather. The inverse image created by rubbing would be related to the memories associated with the shed along with the illumination of the small light bulb.

This work references the art of Do-Ho Suh, and Rachel Whiteread as well as the art of Ed Pien. Do-Ho Suh and Rachel Whiteread both investigate space and the sense of place in their work along with concepts of memory and loss. Where as Pien has influence my practice in the sense of drawing and installation, by showing the intimacy that drawing can have and the way the material can be used beyond a support for a drawing.

That's what the article was called in Art on Paper magazine. I picked it up today at chapters, running into an artist I've met here in St. Johns, we discussed art as we meandered around the store. He admits to being very much a formalist, so was interesting discussion.

The article, was kinda fun to read in some of the entries; Terrance Koh seems to manifest himself in the same manner as he does his art- a bit of coke. Some others were interesting, how some of the same doubts affect I'm having still find themselves in artists of semi-establishment. I have been thinking a lot on my career as an artist, or least my start of a career. These questions seem to be getting round, my bro-bot, is experiencing similar issues on what to do with himself. Might just be the plight of a generation really.
So what do I do with myself, I'm finding out that I'm not terribly good at administrative tasks from working at Eastern Edge. It is a good learning experience there, and very appreciative for it. My problem with it I just don't know how to excel in the situation or environment. Getting a lot of sponsorships and donations seem to be one way. But to me it seem that some of it is just luck of the draw, you get responsive people and other times you don't. There doesn't seem to be a method of leading there, is there any way of leading in administrative tasks besides just doing your work promptly and on time? There does seem to be a large amount of adminstration in the art world, so one does have to get better at it.
The job ends in September, and I really don't know what I'm doing. I might score some Joe Job, which from what I'm seeing is the best I can hope for. That will be minimum wage, and will suck. I can't afford to live on just minimum wage. There might be an opportunity in Grenfell in October at the gallery there, but then that will be for quite a few months and I would be leaving my bro-bot in a lurch along with leaving on the Don Wight Scholarship at St. Michael's. The opportunity at Grenfell would be decent dollars. Yet leaving St. Michael's would be wasting good time at the shop making art. Assuming my Joe Job gave me enough time to do so. The opportunity might not even arise, so should shut up about it.

I am applying for the NLAC grants in September, working on the grant proposal; that would be the Shed project. I'm ordering some inks Monday with some people at the shop in preparation for the print and drawing project I'm working on. Reading about the John Franklin Expedition for the North West Passage today. I, as said before got to start work on that soon, yet in defense I find the literature really exciting. Though in terms of concept it seems to be approaching the "About 1865" project that Tony Scherman worked on. He did a series of encaustic paintings based on the events of the American Civil War. Beautiful paintings, though not positive on the conceptual perimeters. Anything as a starting point perhaps?

I finished my editon Saturday, dated them, and signed them. Still have yet to get a picture, but will soon.

So I have been printing a lot this week, and finally got one of my editions done. I have to tear the paper tomorrow [mostly because of not using a guide for laying paper down and eyeballing it] and sign, date, and register them at St. Micheal's. Then finally the printshop chop.

Started wiping two other plates this week as well. I'll be printing my lithograph tomorrow. Ordering some colour print inks this upcoming week, for both etching and lithography. Ordering your own inks make you realize how good you had it in school.

Borrowed a few books from the library, one is Jim Dine Prints 1970 - 1977 which is a decent catalog of works of his during that period. I would like to do a homage to one of his works, a slight updating of his etchings called "Four Kinds of Pubic Hair". They are definitely a product of the time, so I would like to do a contemporary version. A landing stripe perhaps. I'll get a scan of he etchings in question, and post soon. The book has a very good interview with him as well, and offers some insight into his work.

The other book I'm reading now is The North Pole: A Narrative History edited by Anthony Brandt. It's published by National Geographic. It has excerpts from selected Northern explorers from their diaries, book, etc. Should be good for my current research and art project. I really got to get producing more work on it as well, before I get bogged down and the excitement dies.

The relief woodblock prints I had started on some skateboards got a little shot at tonight. An artist Dennis McNett who is interviewed on Fecal Face and is also a printmaking professor in New York had done some. Not sure if he printed them or just carved, but takes a little originality out of my idea. Still going to continue it, for I'm playing with some other elements of the skateboard as well.

That' it for now, been a long day. Listening to Daft Punk's Something About Us Video. Certain people in my head.