KATHRYNARNOLD

8th Street Studio

My 8th Street Studio and its day to day, or maybe it will be week to week digression on my studio issues, art thoughts, and the duality experience between conceptual/rational and nonconceptual/intuitive. Grid and ground contained all within.

Studio Log

6-15-05

5 days left! Yesterday in the studio declared some pieces finished, worked on swan tiara, a large 7 x 7 and was imagining it not being so red. Brought in my rolls of canvas to cut for these large stretchers I purchased from Kurt Weber. Received a note and check from Jan Casey, with mention of another exhibition, this I would love. She is great to work with, upbeat, enthusiastic and loves art. Also from the Ligne Roset exhibition, a promise of being included in a show in Sacramento.

Have found some new slide registries to place my work. Wanted to do some more online presences but the only one I found so far that feels professional (that I am not in) is the CAC one. Yet it seems for Chicago artsts. Yet I love Chicago and have been in 4 shows there, one great review in the tribune. Even one's successes are forgotten. One just needs to continue on.

Peeled off the tape in the studio off of the 5 small studies and have some nice looking grids. The silver lining I anticipated was covered over by some paint, it appears. Might be just as good, or maybe will need to come back with a more substantial silver - make sure it is archival.

I may find something to do with the tape. It could work with my small studies of the paper pieces...just have to do that cut cut cut, but have the greatest paper strips to do it on.

All of a sudden in there last night I found myself so inspired, seemingly just by the manual think nothing state. Maybe it had something to do with declaring 2 pieces finished and making decisions on the other 4.

Two of them are field pieces, filled with animated colors and movement. I keep thinking of either Van Gogh or maybe one of the impressionists who stated, maybe matisse, who stated no longer are colors...but are... As you can see, my remembrance of the quote is nil, but the concept of color tying itself to our time and place is of interest to me, and the active movement and rapid pace of experience. If to combine it in the still quality of painting, esp. paintng that one has to draw deep breaths to truly perceive seems a cause worth examining in its combination with the activity and colors of an anime or other animated expression. I think that is what i couldn't connect with in Naomie's animated piece of her making a painting - it was just too slow, too melodic, too harmonious - there was no conflict, no contrast, no difference between it and what goes on in her paintings, even though it was a completely different medium. It reminded me of the scene in the jackson pollack video i have, where he is painting on translucent glass or plastic, one mark at a time. just like that only without the artist and without the mixing of stuff.

All that above shows in an unconstructed view what I am thinking about and thinking of right now. Have to have that element of conflict and/or contrast to create meaning, otherwise is everything the same? Maybe its not the conflict, but the experience from life today that needs to enter in. But maybe not - i saw a quote recently or an article that denied any connection between art and life - it was fantastic somehow very freeing from the world out in california today. Yet, I guess by bringing in digital media, one is attempting to connect with life as it is, but is media enough?

I am considering my next paper series of black and whites that I feel should go with my book. Maybe also a book with glass pages; I have 4 glass panels all of the same size. Very heavy, unable to turn the pages in this book!

Well back to work! we had a tsunami warning last night; i was driving home from the studio hearing jokes about tsunamis and never once questioned where it was coming from. I need to remember to always look further; nothing is ever as it seems; nothing is ever as it appears. Are those sayings true?

6-18 - 05

Well, it may have happened. I received a call late yesterday offering me a teaching position. I still do not know if it is permanent tenure track as that would make a difference. I also do not know which classes I will teach yet.

I will mention more as I know, but wanted to jot down my feelings as they are still new. First, not believing it, still cannot quite believe it is true until I see and hear and know from more people exactly the situation as the Human Resource person called me back with different information.

But, the experience of all of a sudden not being PT left me with a state of no identity. All of a sudden I was unclear who I am. I have been PT now for more than 10 years at various locations so the adjustment feels very strange. I am truly not sure what will be different. So really just a feeling of it not being real and questions as to how this will change my perception of what I do and who I am is my experience at this moment. The idea of no more Saturday classes and not teaching every night is very odd; I am not sure how to feel or experience this. More later.