Fungus & Ceramics

So, I haven't written yet about my new, and most likely temporary teaching position teaching hand building in ceramics at Loyola! Its going really well, even though I was given such short notice (three days). I owe much of my success to Vesna, who has helped me out tremendously!

One of the great things about teaching this class is not only the added experience I'll be gaining, the great students, and the money, but I will be making some ceramic art for the first time in a while.

I've been fooling around with some old ideas, but have been unhappy with them, feeling like an imitation of myself. But this weekend on the El platform there was a new idea- fungus. This orange folded delicate organism, peeking out from between the boards.
This new idea will hopefully continue another piece I made a while ago, but sold this weekend at the mini dutch show. "Mountain Stickers" are latex casts of small mountain ranges, each about one to two inches long, painted white, with double sided tape on the back. A woman bought all of them, and was so excited about them! I asked her what she would do with them and she started drawing in the air and explaining how she would make a mountain range somewhere in her apartment. I became so excited about this. She was going to go home and have a creative experience with the art she bought. I love this idea. Hopefully these new ceramic fungus pieces will work in the same way, but probably not at the same price point.

Waiting

We are waiting for the 20th ward Alderman to move and sand blast the planters. We are ready to paint. I am discouraged, and starting to thing about some plan-B's. The teens really want to paint. Above is the front and back designs for the planters and the colors we'll use. I'm starting to think about sidewalk sandwich boards, other types of signage or community markers. I really want to make something, and make something happen. I'm not getting paid enough not to make art.

Here is our practice one...

A quick thought on a new idea I am forming: The Mythology of Contemporary Art

I think the separation of contemporary art from everyday life has been as detrimental to art. The idea that contemporary art is now different, and making a difference, in a way that traditional and historical arts have not, or in a way that other creative acts have failed, is indeed sad. There is an increasingly exclusive religion growing around the obscure and specific actions of people deemed qualified if not anointed to single handily represent the culture without participating in the culture.

Art separated from life may not be art.

Tub Practice

So as I mentioned, I was going to practice for the tub shoot this weekend, but there were some problems, and now I need to borrow someone else's tub.

Problem one was that the pilot in the hot water heater went out. It took a while to figure out why the water was luke, and then to light it. I then waited a couple hours for it to heat up.

After filling up the tub and getting in I was practicing submerging and I realized I would need some kind of plug in my nose because water was getting up it and I thought it would be worse with milk. I went to Michael's studio to look for ear plugs to see if those would work without deforming my nostrils, when there was a knock at the door.

I wanted to ignore it because I was in a towel, but then another knock. And I thought for some reason it could be about the tub full of water. And it was! They guy down stairs said water was coming through his light fixture in his bathroom! I quickly got dressed and went down to his unit to see the globe of his light fixture full of water! I helped him take it down so it could dry out and it seems that there will be no damage to his unit. But I guess the overflow in my tub is not connected to the drain! Thank god that wasn't milk dripping down to his apartment!

So now I need to use a deeper tub or a tub with a functioning overflow. I will have to call my friends....

Research and Searching

Researching for art is sometimes funny.

My next task today, after taking care much teaching paper work and what not, is to research for the video I'll be making this weekend.

I'll take a bath.

I need to take a bath to determine how much water I'll need and to practice my moves.

On Saturday with the help of my friend Tesia I will make a video of my face sinking and emerging from a white opaque liquid to take a breath. Its like a video version of my piece Breathe . I figured the best way to accomplish this would be in my bath tub. Yesterday I bought three boxes of powdered milk, enough to make 15 gallons of fat free reconsituted milk. Tesia will bring a light kit from school and her video skills, and at times we will both be in the tub of milk in my bathroom. She will need to stand in it to get an over head shot. I hope it turns out well.

I am making this video for my upcoming solo show at Northeastern Illinois University Gallery for this summer. I will show this new video, Breathe, and reconfiguration of Sentient and a few other new things. The show is called White Moment.

I am searching for mirrors for this show. I'd like to collect many mirrors of any rectangle or square size, with any frame or no frame, but I can't seem to find any at the thrift stores...