Hand-embroidered paper collage, 8-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches. Photo by Don Ornitz.
The EP will be released May 21 and the band and I will celebrate on the following night at Tractor Tavern.
Hand-embroidered paper collage, 14-1/2 x 10-1/2 inches. Funded, in part, by the Frye Foundation.
The Frye commissioned me and thirty-five other Seattle artists to create new work in response to musical compositions based on James Joyce’s volume of poetry titled Chamber Music. Curated by new Deputy Director Scott Lawrimore, we artists were chosen for our contributions to Seattle’s art community in avenues beyond our artwork.
Meeting with each artist individually, Scott outlined the detailed path he had taken to arrive at the show’s two-fold premise, touching on, among other things, the history of the museum, a synchronicity of numbers, his love of public art, the aesthetic movements of Seattle artists in the 70’s/80’s, James Joyce, love itself, and even Wu-Tang Clan.
To Scott, I related an ongoing concern of my own, regarding a general lack of genuine greatness in Seattle–the kind of big and engrossing work you come across while stumbling around Chelsea any given day of the year–and how that likely had to do with to a lack of opportunity and space. He suggested that we are, perhaps, in a state of transition; between great times; and that the hoped his new direction of the Frye would play a part in that upward shift.
I left the meeting with a pair of CDs, a few sheets of poems and a lot to think about. From the set of poems/songs available to interpret visually, I selected XXVIII, as sonically interpreted by Sphyr:
Gentle lady, do not sing
Sad songs about the end of love;
Lay aside sadness and sing
How love that passes is enough.
Sing about the long deep sleep
Of lovers that are dead, and how
In the grave all love shall sleep:
Love is aweary now.
While it wasn’t necessarily my favorite song of the bunch, the vocal style implies a hazy, darkness that appealed to me, and as I continued to think about this period of transition, the “long deep sleep” phrase stuck.
My ongoing fascination with geometric patterns had recently turned me on to the many designs found in the Flower of Life, including the Seed of Life, and within that a mesmerizing cube formation known as Egg of Life.
With these bits and pieces in mind, I considered the burial of a once-great love, and how everything that is buried grows anew; reformed. After toying with many colors, it soon became clear that a deeply muted palette was the only option, which spoke clearly to Seattle’s oft-cited dreary grays.
In addition to the commissioned piece, each artist was asked to contribute artifacts to an archive which represented their contributions to the artworld. I created a catalog of work showcasing the many websites, publications and logos I’ve created for artists and galleries over the last six years. » Launch catalog in new window
I’m really pleased with the outcome of the piece and proud to be a part of this exciting exhibition.
Disorder(s). Hand-embroidered inkjet print, 4-3/4 x 4-3/4 inches.
Over the last few years, I have contributed music mixes to Tender Validations Mix of the Month Club. Every few months, an assignment is given based on a theme. Once you’ve made a mix and created some art for it, you send it in with a couple bucks. In return, you’re shipped someone else’s creation as well as a second mix made by the project’s caretakers, an always-excellent selection of tunes culled from all the other mixes. It’s a very satisfying project from start to finish.
This year I embroidered a few of the covers. For Disorder(s), a series of rock songs about mental disorders, I used the light/dark motif I’m so fond of to give weight to the constant dualistic struggle of the mind. For SPACE (listen), I used a few of the remaining pages from the NASA Hasselblad catalog I used for my Many Moons project with some sparse text elements.
If you’re into making music mixes, I highly recommend taking part in an upcoming TVMotMC assignment!
SPACE. Hand-embroidered paper collage, 4-3/4 x 4-3/4 inches.
Connotation No. 29. Hand-embroidered paper collage, 11 x 11 inches.
Included in the show is a new batch of my hand-embroidered collage series, Connotations…
Connotation No. 38. Hand-embroidered paper collage, 13-1/2 x 13-1/2 inches.
Connotation No. 30. Hand-embroidered paper, 9 x 9 inches.
Connotation No. 31. 9 x 9 inches.
Connotation No. 33. 8-1/2 x 8-1/2 inches.
Connotation No. 34. 9 x 9 inches.
Connotation No. 36. 9 x 9 inches.
Connotation No. 37. 9 x 9 inches.
Hand-embroidered paper and acetate collage, 12 x 12 inches.
Small Voids is a series of 100 mini ‘galleries’–individually lit plexi-boxes–each containing the work of a different Seattle artist. Each box is mounted to existing street signs and light poles for one night. The series will travel to a few cities for more one-night shows.
I chose to play with the out-door street sign motif and utilized harsh contrast on the outside to ensure visibility in daytime and night. Of course, it also plays into my ongoing fascination with dualistic imagery.
