aeonlogic gallery and my first show in nyc!

here is a piece that i wrote for another blog that i contribute to:

a new contributor with a new outlook
i got an invititation from shadna to contribute to this blog. i suppose he is looking for some new perspectives and some insight into the minds of the artists he and his galleries represent. but for me, this was an incredibly difficult exercise to wrap my head around. i used to say that if i could use words as an effective means of communication, i wouldn't need to make the pictures i make. but that's sort of a cop-out. now, i'm not going to give you a step-by-step process, pointing out each nuance of thought because that would rob you of some of the magic. you don't really WANT to know how a magician pulls off that perfect trick, do you? i didn't think so. but, it might be good to know just enough to make yourself even more curious.so, when i was accepted to the inaugural show of a gallery to debut in brooklyn this weekend, i decided to take the opportunity to give both you and me a better understanding of what goes on in this more than slightly disturbed brain. aeonlogic gallery will be opening tomorrow at 4 malcolm x blvd in brooklyn, and feature not only work by artists, but also a statement of motivation to make the art. it's a bit of a rejection of photos of poop that seem to be altogether a bit too prevalent in the art world these days, and an attempt at a return to a more human approach to storytelling. i am not an expert in all things art-worldly by any means, and so if i am missing the point of poop photography, i apologize. but i do like what this gallery is trying to do. so when i was invited to participate, i accepted happily despite the fact that i would have to stretch beyond my comfort zone and try to make sense of my work for the benefit of the audience, if not for my own. below is an excerpt from my attempt at the logic behind my work. i hope i didn't give away too much of myself. i like to be a little mysterious...


I wish I were a storyteller. I wish I were articulate enough to bend the ears and capture the imaginations of those around me with my tales of life and love and legacy, to have my words flow from my lips like a mountain stream trickling around rocks and roots, collecting into a crystal clear mirrored pool in the valley.I am not. There is this disconnect between my brain and my heart, between my brain and my soul. I have tremendous difficulty deciphering my own hopes and dreams, let alone spinning a yarn that will hold captive the minds of others.But sometimes, things click. The pawls align, the gears engage, and an image flows from my hand like that stream from the mountaintop. Collecting its tributaries one after the other, building in volume and strength, becoming a powerful river until it pours onto paper like so much water into that lake in the valley. Often, I have to keep these images close by, constantly looking for that place in my mind or my heart or my soul where they might have come from. But they don’t seem to fit anywhere very neatly. They do, however fit in between. Between my heart and soul, between my heart and mind, between waking and dreams, between disappointment and regret, between life and death, between sin and redemption.They narrate for me what my words could not; what my mind or heart or soul could not have done alone. They pull from all sources the shattered pieces and make them whole, to make available to the viewer that which sloshes around inside me like a whirlpool. When asked what my work is about, I used to say that if I had the words to describe it, I wouldn’t need to make the pictures to begin with. But that is a cheap cop out. It isn’t true. My work is about where people live. Not on the mountaintop, or the pool in the valley, but on the slopes. In between.Maybe I am a storyteller…

something for kate

monotype and mixed media, 22x30

the gathering

2 color linocut with handcut type. 12x18 on 15x22 somerset satin.

coffee mugs

when was the last time you actually WASHED the coffee mug on your desk at work? i don't mean a casual rinse to remove the weekend's dust. i mean a full on soap and sponge wash. why would you? if the mug gets filled, then emptied into your gullet, what's the point? consider the stains 'patina.' they add character. and there is hardly any risk of contracting any sort of yuckiness. i think...

really, this comes up because i am so bored with my current mug that i have no use for maintaining it. i have been very interested in vintage diner mugs, and those cool old mugs that fade from tan to brown (my mom could tell you what that style is actually called) and mugs with logos from defunct businesses, and such. i like things with a little character i guess. things that can tell a story.

i guess i like things that remind me that what i do is a good thing. story telling reminds us of where we came from, and can hopefully give us a glimpse of where we are going. just a little hint of it.

secret keeping

i carry a burden
that is not my own,
i carry it for another; its weight is shown
in the way my back bends
as i bear it to my eternal home.

a new look and turning gears.

so many experiences in uncharted territory, so much travel, so much sorrow, so much joy.

all good for new stories to tell...keep an eye open.

works on paper

something for kate, 22x30

i'm so sorry. 22x30

g-love floats. 30x30 monotype and mixed media on panel. commission for LIVE NATION concert series. sold at auction, 11/11/2008

secret keeping- monotype and mixed media, 22x30

these things take time, 20x28

softly soaring through, 20x28

ignarus aspurnatum seminare, 22x30

a trope for entropy, 22x30

husker du? 20x28

sometimes i forget how to breathe, 20x28

upon this rock, 20x28

you had to be there, 20x28

this house, 28x22

a tear in the fabric, 22x26

echo, 22x26

static

monotype and mixed media, 22x28

softly soaring through

this one is a little victory for hope. and happy accidents.

monotype and mixed media, 20x28

these things take time

these things take time, 20x28, monotype with mixed media.

watch out, here comes that phelan guy

show at herrell's opens may 3rd

come out and see some of my new work at herrell's allston cafe at 155 brighton ave, allston, ma 02134. the show opens may 3rd and runs through the 16th, with an opening party on the 3rd from 7-9 pm. herrell's will be providing some tasty goodness, so you know it's worth the trip.

http://herrellsallstoncafe.com/default.aspx

hope to see you there.

parentheses or bookends?

...or maybe just a monster of our own making.

22x30, monotype with mixed media

i'm so sorry

what more could possibly be said?

22x30, monotype with mixed media.

a trope for entropy

it still hits a little too close to home.


22x30, monotype with mixed media.

what dreams may come

i can't help but wonder.

18x24 on 22x30 paper. hard ground and spit bite etching, colored pencil and photo collage, monoprint.

ignarus aspurnatum seminare

you think you know, but you don't. you can't possibly.

monotype, mixed media. 20 x 28

it is finished

the title isn't as simple as it seems. it took me a year and a half to be satisfied with the idea that i am done with this one.

pronto plate, chine colle, mica dust, akua on paper. 20 x 28 1/2.

loss of innocense

sometimes, i mourn for my childhood; it was so good.

hardground etching, inking ala poupee, chine colle with burned paper, imbedded grass. ~8x10

direction

sometimes people move in different directions. when they are tied together so tightly,

this can be very painful indeed.

4 1/2 x 12, hardground, softground, spit bite, drypoint. edition 6