PROCESS FROM HELL


Most books and articles on creativity talk about channeling deities or the universe to achieve original ideas and quality results but my conveyors are wild undisciplined imps.  Seemingly amazing ideas are constantly bamboozled by these dastardly characters.  Their ”devil make care" attitude precludes a masterly final result.

I have almost finished an art book for an upcoming group show on the theme of Irresistible Forces. Hopefully I will meet the deadline.  Making it has been a continuous challenge.  All that could go wrong did and ironically, I based the narrative on that very idea:  

This "book" is about the naughty devils that affect my art process and resulting artwork.  They live by the motto “if something can go wrong, we’ll make sure it does.”

I must have fed this adage into my subconscious.

The experiment was about setting some of these wicked little rascals free.  I had minimal input in the creation of this codex as revealed by its illogical, cockeyed sequence.  Highly irritable and irresistible forces took over and led me where they chose.  

Recycled drawings, collage elements, digital prints, paint, transparencies, thick gels and pastes, pen and ink, photographs and a blow torch were used to put this thing together.  It took forever to dry.  On sunny days, I placed it outside and hoped the birds wouldn't use it for target practice.  

I had no idea how to bind various parts of the book ergo some pages are glued together.  Others aren't so “readers” will have to figure out how to flip pages without ripping the darn thing apart.  

Surfaces painted in acrylics tend to stick to the opposing page when the book is closed.  Paint is pulled off either page as one attempts to separate them (the devils at work again). To resolve the issue, I inserted thin sheets of paper attached via paperclips (yes, totally high tech) between the sticky bits. The clips add an exciting element to the book. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 

More to come soon!


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