Jona8than Green Art and Other Things

What drives me as an artist is that I think everyone is unique, yet everyone disappears so quickly. "

Christian Boltanski

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.

A update of my whereabouts lately:

Been workin at Easter Edge Gallery, trying to get the 24H.A.M up and on the roll.

Printing when I can get off my lazy arse at St. Michael's Printshop. Currently in the process of editioning an etching, one of my rocket images. Not sure what the edition number will be, 13 or 15 seems a good number, currently on number 5.
I've had a lithograph hanging round as well, needing to be printed. Got to get that it printed soon, so I can get on to another one. Have a few ideas churning. The edition number will that will probably be the same as above.
Been currently debating the idea of editioning as well. Not sure if I like the justification of it. Editioning is for primarily economic concerns really, all goes back to it, ensuring its limited and rare, can ask for more money. So really unsure if I agree with it, goes againest some marxist tendacies of mine.

Drawing as well, some rockets and a new project. The new project deals with using the history and imagery of the North Pole Explorers. Manliplating history, maps, imagery, text, etc to reflect my own personal exploration. Inspired by Jane Urqharts book "The Underpainter", a quote found in it.

Besides that, I have another project in mind, which I will be writing a NLAC proposal for. Hopefully I get it, would be really swell. Probably will be hammering out the idea a bit on here. Send it to my homies, get their opinion on it.

Also reading Terry Eagleton's "After Theory", which is a realy interesting read. That will be followed by some Zizek.

Outside of that, I do waste a lot of time napping like a fiend in the heat, watching Seinfeld, surfing the internet way too long. Like now. Identified that I have a addiction to caffine, particularly coke. Got headaches from now having it all day.

Anyway, that's it.

"Painting and drawing seem to me to be too closely related to the subconscious, to something that goes beyond reason. This scares me, perhaps I would say too much about myself..."

The tie clip is a response to an event in my life; the drawing bring the words meditated passion to mind. I choose this specific object because it had personal meaning to me, but I felt it could communicate to others as well by drawing it. I drew this object existing in a neutral space, perhaps more of an empty space to me. I divided this space with the use of a horizon line, and perspective lines.

The tie clip is an object with social and cultural meaning to it, it is an object of restraint but yet also one of flourish. The ability of restraint is also seen as part of the flourish, the ability to restrain one’s self. The ties with its phallic connections play in to this.

Drawn in a realistic manner, from life, and surrounded it by a large mass of charcoal, the item has been marked with tape so it would not interfere with the drawing of the clip. The clip is surrounded with this greyness, to create a surface around the clip that is indeterminate and imposing, to equate it with death. The tie clip exists without the tie, so there is loss and inability to function. The desire for death is often equated for the desire of sex, and

I have the object with perspective lines going from it to two vanishing points, the perspective lines do not match up to the object and are done so really to just acknowledge the vanishing points.

The finger trap drawing is that of a finger trap in the empty or neutral space, hovering in the space and the drawing is split through the middle by the seam of the paper. Perspective and the horizon lines exist in the top of the drawing.

This object of the finger trap is a trick device, where you are trapped by your fingers, and when you try to haul or pull yourself out of, you only get more trapped, the trap tightens. The only way out is to push further in, and let go. The finger trap is made of pieces of bamboo, braided together; bamboo is often seen as a symbol of longevity. The split acts in this case as

The finger trap is a joke, not intended as a restraining device or such. It is an example of how one cannot escape something through

The next drawing is that of welding goggles, surrounded by space and the goggles are split by the connection of the paper. On one side of the paper split, the lens is cracked. There is a slight shadow in front of the lens.

This object has industrial context in that it is used for protection from the bright light of metal cutting. They protect you from seeing the light. One of the lenses is cracked, which would allow some light to get in. This object also appears in post apocalyptic media often as a fashion object. What I was trying to do with the paper split here is show the object in it’s entirely, but showing a shift in the perception of it. By being broken on one side, and on the other side of the split, the perception of the object and its meaning is changed.

The drawing of the hammer head is drawn in the upper half of the sheet, with a long light grey shadow coming from it downwards, and perspective lines leading to a vanishing point.

The hammer head is a found object, was found with no handles. In a way it is decapitated, and remain useless. All it takes is a new handle, but till then it just lays there. Invest it with small, localized narrative through the use of the shadow and the perspective lines.

The drawing of the arctic explorers (incomplete) is that of a drawing in space, horizon and perspective lines in the space around it. This image is that of five explorers at what they thought was the North Pole, from the Peary Expedition. The drawing is erased; some of the explorers are erased as well as some of their surroundings.

This image is a found image, that I used for it reminded me a quote from the book The Underpainter by Jane Urquhart. To paraphrase, a character mentioned his “own interior Arctic”. I wonder whether it was easier to cross the real Arctic or one’s own, do you think you reach your destination when like Peary’s you are a ways off still. The drawing of the image shows loss through the selective erasure of the elements in it.

I approach my drawings, by finding an object or found imagery, and through drawing process to invest it with meaning. The objects and imagery have personal connections to me, whether they be a part of my life, were a part, or come from an area of interest.

So I peruse this writers website often, and he has a blog. The writer is Warren Ellis, an interesting chap, does comic, novels, screenplays, etc. He might just be more connected in to the internet than me.

In a recent post, he brings up a quote by Frederik Pohl, another writer of some fame.