Monday May 03

"You got to split up into pieces

and then reconstruct yourself from the elements"

Burnt Friedman -Nonplace Whistle

This is what I'm listening to, by chance, while assembling this piece - which I reconstructed from a quick charcoal drawing on newsprint I did this morning. I cut it up into random pieces, mixed 'em up, put them facedown, applied glue one piece at a time, and then closed my eyes and placed them one by one on the page.

Fried

charcoal collage

20 x 13"

There was intention behind the piece, for the Visual Arts Intro class. We were given a choice among several different assignments in lieu of class not being held today (our instructor is in San Francisco, enjoying lots of art....envious happiness!). I chose to create a piece in the Dadaism tradition (oh that's so anti-Dada, to refer to Dada in a traditional context!). I had checked out a book at the library on campus on Dadaism, and Surrealism, a couple weeks ago. This morning I thumbed through it and saw a Hans Arp collage, one of his 'by chances'. I love it:

Hans Arp

Collage Made According to the Laws of Chance, 1916

Turning my attention to how I'm feeling when I'm doing art - or doing anything - or ostensibly 'not doing anything'. Doing a lot of gut-breathing.

As usual, I both enjoyed making art this morning and found it challenging and even unpleasant. Actually the unpleasantness is a result of thinking I 'Should' (anything), or when I want to make something really stellar and am afraid I won't, or never will. Goddamn! Gotta laugh at that shit sometimes.

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evenin'

I glued up the Leftovers:

Measuring 8 x 6"

Bedtime. Already. Registering for Summer classes in the morning, 7am sharp!