Monsters

I am starting an experiment. In efforts to draw more and fit artwork into my day in the in between spots I am carrying notebooks that are specifically for a certain subject. I have started a bird, robot and monster book. The books are just memo books and, as such, are not incredibly precious. I feel like the nature of these books will make it easier to deal with mistakes and to work quickly. This morning while I was experiencing my beginning of the day studio time I tried to work through a few different characters in my monster and robot memo books and it seemed to get me by the working kinks that start every studio day.

I have always kept sketchbooks so this practice doesn’t seem completely new, but this is the first time that I have ever challenged myself to fill a particular book with variations on just one subject. I think this will prove interesting. Often subjects become boring when you draw them too much because they become all very much the same. As I am attempting to create a different creature for each page I think that this will make me think a bit more out of the box.

At any rate, it was at least a pleasant way to end my night last night and begin my day today. I wonder what other subjects I will try to fit into memo books. They are cheap. I’m looking forward to the drawings. I hope you dig them too.

Peace
-Mike

Change has been brewing. Nothing seems to have stayed the same this year. I started teaching. I now make more money from art related ventures because of teaching than I do from working in a restaurant. I am now a dishwasher again. Dishwasher Pete thanks for the power. I am married. I have a child on the way. My wife is starting to show the tiniest little bit and everything has finally started to settle in. As a result I’ve used my number one coping resource, drawing, as a way to work through my thoughts. I’m going to be a dad and I am so incredibly grateful and excited for it.

As long as I have been growing up in the fashion, I figured that it was about time to make some other steps. I have begun matting my artwork. I am excited about that too. As my incredibly talented friend Caleb told me, it’s”like a suit coat for a drawing.” My pieces have looked rad that way.

I have also been extremely excited to be working solely on index cards and circulation cards from libraries lately. There is something very interesting to me about working completely on supplies which are over the top ready made. I recently read an article in Art Papers mentioning Dave Joselit and his view points on authorship. Also nestled within the article were some comments on Duchamp and his ready made ideas. It said he considered all painting to be ready made since someone else was making the paint. After I read that comment I determined that it didn’t make sense for me to be using art paper any more, especially since my art panels are reclaimed. I determined that I would use either twice used materials or I would use the most mass produced materials that I could find to do my artwork on. I think the results have been really great. I am very much into them.

The library due date cards I plan on making into several small books. I have wanted to do 50 monsters, 50 robots and 50 birds for quite some time. The disposable quality of these materials makes me feel more capable of working through that idea.

I hope you dig the new work. Keep up.
Peace
-Mike