It has been so long since I've posted here, I feel like an alien entering some distant planet. But fear not earthlings - I come in peace, and with a new print I just finished today.
I've had a few health issues of late, which, combined with a hectic office and home/family schedule, has made it a challenge to put out some new work. So, I was determined that, when the time came, I'd try something a little different.
Since I last posted, I've been doing a lot of reading about art - particularly about the Bauhaus and other "Modern" movements from the 1920's-1950's. I studied them extensively in art school of course, and have seen countless exhibitions with artists from these schools over the years. But, it had been a while since I'd looked at them as a whole - and never really thought of them as inspiration for my work. And, though drawing a direct line (pardon the pun) from that work to mine is quite a stretch, there are some things that we have in common. The way these artists separated and created definitive fields of color through shapes, line and form has always been interesting to me. Also, the idea or stripping down an idea to its essence is something I am always looking to do in my work.
Being inspired, I decided to try something a little different for this image I shot a few months back. I wanted a new paper/surface to try. I purchased samples of several choices - cardboard (which I used many years ago), cork and metallic paper. This paper has a shimmery-looking metallic coating on it - and is about the weight of a light card stock. This varies a lot from the masa rice paper I've been using for years - both in terms of finish and weight. In fact, I had my doubts on whether it would work at all. The surface didn't appear absorbent enough upon first glance and I figured the ink would just sit on top, smudge and not take. Turns out I was wrong:
The metallic feel isn't as obvious in the photo as it is in person - but you get the idea. The sky and the foreground have almost two distinct color fields - one looking more subtle (one of my friends said like graphite) and the foreground looking almost like rust. I'm loving this new paper - not sure it will work for everything, but it's nice to have another tool in the arsenal. And, while not a huge departure from my previous work, it's enough to keep things interesting.
Hopefully there will be more work coming soon - I've got some new film at the lab that I have high hopes for. In the meantime, consider this a step in the right direction. I'm inspired, and I hope you are too - if not by me, than by something else. It is fall soon after all - the season where I always find the most inspiration.
Until soon-
-Marc
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