Jona8than Green Art and Other Things

I'm a bit of a state today. I had the intention of writing a lot here today, but due to a lapse of judgement last night - I am not quite there. This is going to be a mang.

Some days all I need is Wu Tang.

"Work like a slave; command like a king; create like a god."

A new residency starts tomorrow morning, thus the past week has been a week busy with preparations for the new group of artists. I look forward to this residency, The Wanderer, as it deal with the romantic notion of the figure in the landscape and the contemporary issues with that. It is something that relates to my own art practice or can inform it a bit more.

I have finished all my researching for my new project... well, maybe finished is the wrong phrase. I have stopped researching for my new body of work at the moment, and will just start making stuff. Especially in the lithography room. If I don't use that room, I lose it in a way. It has just taken so long to get everything kind of situated for to start working at something. So glad I got an extension here in a way because if I hadn't, I'd just have two months to make everything.

“Polaris Destroyed” is a series of prints that will be started during the residency. Consisting of 6 etchings, from small to medium size, and one very large etching of a full plate size or greater. The works are based on the 1871 Polaris Expedition towards the North Pole and the events that befell them.

The intaglio prints will be printed on paper- chine colle - in low edition of seven each. Their creation will consist of many traditional intaglio techniques from drypoint, etching, aquatint and some mezzotint. They will be printed in a limited colour palette, of somber tones. The large print will consist of at least a full plate that will be etched with the plate cut in half. At the moment I am leaning towards zinc due to the low edition.

“Polaris Destroyed” is based on the 1871 Polaris Expedition under the command of the explorer Charles Hall. It is the second part of a body of work of mine which starts with “Polaris Lost”. This second part will be focused on the ship's events after the death of Charles Hall and the lost of crew on a ice floe; specifically on the ship being trapped in ice and the eventual running aground of the ship.

This work will be exploring the notion of the tragedy in Romanticism. It will use image making techniques of the romantic school of art, in particular the Hudson River School and the artist William Bradford. I wish to contrast the ideas of Romanticism against the facts of the narrative and contemporary issues.

Print is to me is not just an way of distributing ideas and mark making, but an approach to art making itself. To paraphrase William Kentridge – substituting printmaking for drawing. "So [printmaking] is a testing of ideas: a slow-motion version of thought...The uncertain and imprecise way of constructing a [print] is sometimes a model of how to construct meaning. What ends in clarity does not begin that way." Print allows me to be intuitive but with a resistance, a resistance from the materials or processes at times, that then affect the piece. The narratives that intrigue me are hardly ever the ones that go straight on course, but rather where problems persist.

Went through the hallways today, this morning, so quiet. Checking the studios for the start of the new residency, already finding it hard to remember who was in these studios just a few days ago. Trying to remember the residency before that is even harder. It's funny when you're in the Banff groove.

The problem could be that everything is permitted. That is the postmodern condition. A condition that is closer to me is that everything is accessible. Everything is permitted to me and accessible to me. I can do almost everything, well, cept oil painting due to ventilation problems in my current studio. There is acrylic.

Kunst. My kunst. What am I hoping to do with my big dirty kunst? That is a question I keep asking myself. It has been three months of thinking, pondering, daydreaming about where I would push a new project to. Some call it waiting for inspiration, I think I was more in the research mode myself. But who's to say?

Joined the artist collective "Pick Me Up Art Collective". Instead of chatting about them, I'll just copy their mission statement and post it here.

"Founded by Craig Joseph, Hillary Winter and Jillian Waite, Pick-Me-Up Artists Collective aims to bring together young/emerging visual artists for the purpose of fueling inspiration and providing creative outlets. Based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Pick-Me-Up aims to develop a network of artists, promoters and venues across the country to act as a web of support for those new to the world of independent art practice. We want to create educational, collaborative and career-enhancing opportunities between artists by centralizing web presence and building a foundation of artists interested in showing outside of the conventional gallery scene. Pick-Me-Up offers members a socially supportive network which will encourage the cultivation of ideas and the continuing development of skills and concepts."

So I am now a member of the collective, well, just paid my membership today, so after 6 - 8 days of processing, I will be an official member. Joining a collective is always an interesting piece of business, so we'll see how it goes. I'm with fine folk, so it should be good.

Just a basic little template site where you upload images, but it works and looks nice. All I need right now. Check it out.

How does one start after three months absence? Catching up is a chore. You see a person after months and months, ask them what they've been up to, and the reply is “Oh, nothing.”

Maybe that is true, in a sense, I've been up to nothing and everything. The past three moths here in Banff have been a almost never ending tumult of stimulus. New place, new people, new job, new apartment, moving to a better apartment, learning new things. I think the biggest is the new people. I've met so many new people here. In the visual arts program, where I work as a workstudy, we have thematic residencies. Thematic residencies are six weeks in length, based around a thematic premise with a faculty and guest lecturers. The format always changes from theme to theme. Usually involving about 15 – 20 artists. Then there are self directed artists, who commit to different lengths of time and work on their own projects. Then there are the fellow workers, fellow work studies, people in other programs, etc.

So there have been a lot of meetings and good byes. Many great people and interesting art projects; an abundance of seeing how artists create and work. From all types of media and levels, from young emerging artists to mid, established to art stars. It's been a lot to take in at time.

I want to go on about the good byes, just because of today; an end of a residency and a day of saying good byes to people. I can see myself constructing walls in this one, unlike the first one. Not sure if that is the right way to go about it or if just an inherent mechanism that occurs from this place. Hard to say.

The job is good, I receive a stipend as the program is an arts training program, so there is a tuition and so forth, that is paid by donators, funding from different organizations, etc. I work four days a week, and have one paid day that is my studio or study day, where I have to work on my art and other projects. A good gig really. I started out in the printmaking department and am now stationed in ceramics and sculpture. Their goal for me is to expand my knowledge, so learning ceramics and sculpture.

My own art has been slow coming here. I haven't completed anything as of yet. A lot of thinking and digesting everything that is around me; almost chokes you up there is that much. I do have new directions, new ideas for my art. They need refinement however, I need to figure where I want to go with things. I've had some studio visits lately with some artists such as Duncan MacKenzie and Christian Kuras, and Ron Terada. Both visits were quite illuminating, contradictory over some things, but both valid.

Scale in particular has came up. The relation of the viewer to the work, and the possible inadequacy of print to address this. Not saying big prints aren't possible, but the labour goes up quite a bit. Just things to address and figure out.

Then there is contextual issues and other things that I'll save for another post. A problem with the imagery and the symbolism that is used to construct meaning in my work could be considered too easy to use. A new way of addressing these ideas has to be constructed, perhaps through jettisoning some of that imagery. Unsure just yet. Newfoundland does come back in to my work, perhaps in more consideration than before.

Besides that trying to keep my ambition up; Banff has a habit of making everybody a little soft around the edges, physically as well as mentally. I could go to the gym or climbing mountains for the latter. Maybe these are just the thoughts of a young man on a downcast day of saying good byes. I'm going to try and write more regularly here from now on.

Shit son! Been a while. Log while. A lot has happened. Wouldn't even know when to start.

I leave for Banff soon. A week to this day. That's a starting point. My time is divided into a matter of days here. Like all the hours are accounted for. Hardly enough time really. There was at one time, a few weeks ago. That never goes as planned though. Was never great at keeping in touch, dissuaded by even the most trivial of matters. I have been busy as people who I have encountered the past few months would attest to.

And now I am going to Banff, Alberta. For a Visual Arts Work Study position at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Basically across the continent. Ocean for the mountains. It never really hit me till today. The shortness of time, and the distance that will be traveled. Like shit. Least I will have one of my best friends there when I get there. For a week and a few. Show me around. Take the edge off it. Then alone.

Working, making art, becoming a better artist. That are the tasks at hand for me. And to do it with style. Not worth doing without.
That is the goal and purpose of the work study. What I have to dedicate myself to. Seek out oportunities. Just do everything. And I want this. I want this so bad. This is what my life needs. New energy, new ideas, a change, a shift in everything. Just there is always, a feeling of nostalgia as in the meaning "the pain a sick person feels because he wishes to return to his native home, and fears never to see it again". There is this feeling of loss. Like I am losing something by going away. Something I may never get back to.

I'm gone for six months. Back in November. At the least. Could be extended...will probably be extended till March, so twelve months. I suppose I would return for Christmas if I can. Always a pricey and tricky proposition with the way air flights are round the holidays.
That's the other part that gets me. The openess of it in a way. Kinda planned ahead for a year - in a sense- just not sure what that year will contain. Apply for residencies after it, gallery shows, masters, etc?

This is a disjointed piece of writing. My horoscope is interesting at the moment.

Jonathan Green was born two weeks late and seeing out of only one eye. He just received his B. FA from Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in April 2008, as well completed a co-op internship between the school and St. Michael's Printshop in 2007. Jonathan was the recipient of The Don Wright Scholar for 2008 - 2009 at St. Michael's as well. Jonathan's art consists of drawing and printmaking as of late, using histories and personal iconography for self expression. He has interests in literature and philosophy, gender issues, violence and fighting. Jonathan will be starting a Visual Arts Studio Work Study at the Banff Centre for the Arts in late April.