Guest Star Friday #144... Jasper Johns

Regrets, 2013

In 2014 just before I left for my second trip to Iceland, I visited MOMA to see Jasper Johns' Regrets, an exhibition I had been reading about for weeks. Johns' new work was compelling and I knew I had to see it in person. I was moved by the exhibition. It felt heavy; the weight of the subject, the underlying emotion, the visual elements, and the signs of his methods bared down on me intensely. Since then I've been steadily taking in Johns' work and life and continue to come back to several articles I read before my Regrets visit. I'm very interested in how he works and his process is apparent when you see the paintings and prints up close. Johns is obviously committed to his work, he is unapologetic, uncompromising. I love this quote from A Lens Catches; a Painter Converts in The New York Times:

"As always, in developing a series, he juggles several media, including oil paint, acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, ink on paper, ink on plastic, printing ink and photocopying. And his idea of doing variations on a theme is close to dissection: cutting an image open, picking apart its essence, moving bits around, throwing some out, squeezing others into new shapes, in the end restoring wholeness, but not in its initial form."

In another favorite article in the Financial Times, Johns talks about the show, his process, and his life. One of the quotes that continues to echo in my head regarding his process is: 

“Somehow what you end up with seems to be something you should have known was there to begin with, even though you had to work so hard to find it.”

How true. 

The day I visited Regrets I went early to beat the crowd and got to spend most of my visit nearly alone in the gallery. For the last twenty minutes I sat in front of the painting I have pictured at the top and just stared at it. I took it in as a whole and in minute detail, studying the composition and Johns' individual marks, and trying to think about what he must have been thinking about. It is indeed a heavy painting.

White Target, 1957

Near the Lagoon, 2002-03

Untitled, 1964-65

Fool's House, 1962

See more of my favorite Jasper Johns' pieces on Pinterest.

Thanks for reading.

Seattle for Two Weeks, Part 2

above and below: a few favorites from 

Jana Brevick: This Infinity Fits in My Hand

And as always, I took in lots of jewelry while in Seattle: Jana Brevick's wonderful and impressive solo exhibition, Madeleine Albright's extensive brooch collection, and the delicate, beautifully designed work of Curtis Steiner (not to mention his incredible eye for artifacts and arrangements). Each visit was inspiring and reminded me why I love jewelry as much as I do. 

Jana Brevick: This Infinity Fits in My Hand

 Jana Brevick: This Infinity Fits in My Hand

elegant, refined, minimal, and modern necklace by Curtis Steiner 

(special thanks to Curtis for the images)

gorgeous layered necklace display, Curtis Steiner

fascinating objects and arrangement, Curtis Steiner

Katrina pin from Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection

and statement I agree with 100%: 

"jewelry's greatest value comes...from the emotions 

we invest in them"

Thanks for reading.

Seattle for Two Weeks, Part 1

Jaume Plensa’s 46-foot-tall Echo at Olympic Sculpture Park,

first time seeing this, love the powerful visual illusion at work here

I spent two wonderful weeks in my old haunt, Seattle, spending time with friends, visiting favorite places, and eating really good food. The weather was killer: bright sun, blue sky, light breeze. It was cloudy only a few days and rained once, and even those days were lovely. The city looked more beautiful than ever in full bloom of spring. Here are some of my daily observations from favorite places and artists:

Frank Gehry's EMP

Heron in Flight by Eras MFK and Doc Rot

Something Like This Design, another unexpected new favorite

from The New Frontier: Young Designer-Makers in the Pacific Northwest, Bellevue Arts Museum

Richard Serra's Wake, Olympic Sculpture Park,

an "old" favorite I never tire of spending time with

Thanks for reading.

Thinking About Light

I don't write my "Thinking About" posts often and thought it was time to write a new one with some recent observations. Previously, I have written about abandoned spaces, atmosphere, texture, and white here and here. Today I share with you some thoughts on light. I notice light throughout the day, but lately something has gotten me to look even closer. I like observing how light reflects and refracts, diffuses, and fills a space; how it highlights certain things, creates shadows and patterns, and establishes emotional qualities that can have everything and nothing to do with the place the light is cast. Light has a presence and can become an entity of its own without being something one can touch.

Thanks for reading.

Silence and Ambient Sound

low tide in the western part of Reykjavík

I've been in Reykjavík for a few weeks now and have been taking my walks and visiting my favorite places. I'm always thrilled with the chance to see something again, something that I love. I guess there is a part of me that knows I may not see certain things again, so an opportunity to return always feels special. Many of the places I've been revisiting I revel in because of their inherent silence and accompanying ambient sound: the old cemetery, Hólavallagarður, the outdoor sculpture, "Þúfa," by Ólöf Nordal, the coastline along the western part of the city, Grótta lighthouse. I have made pilgrimage-like walks to these places, taking in what I see and what I hear, and don't hear. All of these places have a silence to them that I crave and also include sounds like snow falling, wind in the trees, seabirds, and rippling water that add subtle textures to the experience.

a child's grave at Hólavallagarður 

"Þúfa" by Ólöf Nordal

dunes near Grótta

Thanks for reading.

Textílsetur, Sjáumst

Sjáumst means, basically, "see you later" in Icelandic, and is often my preferred way of saying goodbye to people and places. It's not final, it's more open ended and hopeful. I left Textílsetur yesterday afternoon and the month I spent there was pretty dreamy with every day filled with quiet studio time, long walks, and solitude in the landscape. On my last full day I took two walks. On the first one I walked along the sea to a cove, one of my favorite places in Blönduós. Then later I took a walk on the farm of the Textílsetur director, Jóhanna Pálmadóttir. Her place is situated on a lake and as I walked along its frozen edges, I noticed there was no sound except for my breathing, the sound of my feet walking through snow, and the sound of snow hitting my parka. There was nothing else, no birds, no cars, and I was surrounded by white. It was an amazing moment and the perfect way to end my time there.

I did complete my black island and I'm very, very pleased with it. I stitched the last knots on Saturday while listening to Björk's, "All is Full of Love." The piece is about darkness, but in the end it came down to a lightness; for me there is always light when all is said and done.

Here are new images of each of my big influences from the month--blue light, darkness, the sea, the sky, and ice--all taken in those last few days in Blönduós.

Thanks for reading. 

Textílsetur, Part 2

Since my arrival I've been working on a black version of my white Island of 14,264 Days. I'm using a similar process as before with a few changes and will be sewing my last knots on the new piece in the next few days. The piece is about darkness, the sadness and heaviness of life, the difficulties and challenges, the other half... I wanted to be here in Iceland in the winter in the dark to make this piece and the season and lack of light has proved very inspirational. I'm not ready to go into greater detail or show images right now... I want to keep this one to myself for a little while longer. However, I'm happy to share some of the things I've been listening to, looking at, and reading over the past month including a few podcasts about different kinds of darkness, some articles, a map, and a beautiful poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

Seeing in the Dark on Radiolab

Dark Side of the Earth on Radiolab

The Secret History of Thoughts on Invisibilia

Jasper Johns: ‘Regrets belong to everybody, don’t they?’ 

by Julie L Belcove

Jorge Manilla: Oscure Sacrifices by Susan Cummins

a map of "what the world would look like if it were only made of islands." 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

A Psalm of Life by Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers, 

        Life is but an empty dream! — 

    For the soul is dead that slumbers, 

        And things are not what they seem.

    Life is real !   Life is earnest! 

        And the grave is not its goal; 

    Dust thou art, to dust returnest, 

        Was not spoken of the soul.

    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, 

        Is our destined end or way; 

    But to act, that each to-morrow 

        Find us farther than to-day.

    Art is long, and Time is fleeting, 

        And our hearts, though stout and brave, 

    Still, like muffled drums, are beating 

        Funeral marches to the grave.

    In the world's broad field of battle, 

        In the bivouac of Life, 

    Be not like dumb, driven cattle! 

        Be a hero in the strife!

    Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! 

        Let the dead Past bury its dead! 

    Act,— act in the living Present! 

        Heart within, and God o'erhead!

    Lives of great men all remind us 

        We can make our lives sublime, 

    And, departing, leave behind us 

        Footprints on the sands of time;

    Footprints, that perhaps another, 

        Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 

    A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, 

        Seeing, shall take heart again.

    Let us, then, be up and doing, 

        With a heart for any fate; 

    Still achieving, still pursuing, 

        Learn to labor and to wait.

Thanks for reading.

My View

A few maps, my plane ticket and the ticket from Park Avenue Armory when I saw tears become...streams become just before I flew here, the pattern and photocopy of Island of 14,264 Days, a postcard from my friend Dan's upcoming solo exhibition...

And then there's my view outside, which changes often as the sun moves, as the wind blows, and as the clouds roll along...

Thanks for reading.

The Sky

Thanks for reading. 

Blue Light

Thanks for reading.

The Sea

Thanks for reading.

Ice

This week I'm going to post an image each day of something that is currently inspiring me... the inspiration can be seen in my work, but it is also a force, something that drives me to work. Each inspiration gives me pause and can send me into deep thought for hours, as well. Today I share with you an image of ice. Ice can be found in so many different forms here and every day these forms change.

See more photos on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.

Guest Star Friday #142... Louise Bourgeois

Untitled, sewn work

I only started studying Louise Bourgeois about 9 months ago. I probably saw Maman before, but honestly, I knew nothing about Louise until my French friends at SÍM mentioned her last year. They said my work reminded them of her. Then I was gifted The Secret of the Cells for my 40th birthday and I began paying very close attention. (Thank you, Elsa!) 

Right now what I am most interested in are her sewn works because I'm working on my own sewn work at the residency. When I made "Island of 14,264 Days" in Iceland in the spring of 2013, I knew I was doing emotional repair. I was very aware that with every knot I stitched I was trying to make sense of life and trying to sew together all sorts of different experiences. When I began my new work here at Texílsetur, I stumbled upon a Louise quote that hit me hard,

“The act of sewing is a process of emotional repair.” 

I was just floored. She put into words some thoughts I had floating around in my head that I had not yet articulated outwardly. In another article I read,

"The sewing is my attempt to keep things together and make things whole."

I find these ideas very inspiring, and also very comforting. Louise used memory and emotion in her work, too, as well as other themes that she could illustrate very specifically because they are part of her personal history. Now, I don't love everything she created. I find some of her pieces difficult to look at both visually and conceptually, but even that is interesting to me, and I certainly don't avoid trying to learn from them. I like studying all the different aspects of her work because it's really helping me sort through some of my own thoughts. 

He Disappeared into Complete Silence

Blind Leading the Blind

The Couple

 loose sheet

Untitled

See more of my favorite Louise works on Pinterest.

Thanks for reading.

Things I Like: California, Again

I walked the Golden Gate Bridge, 

something I've wanted to do for years

I wasn't able to walk as much as I usually do while I was in California, but I did manage a few miles here and there. Here are a few favorite observations:

I revisited some graffiti sites in San Jose 

(see a picture from last year here)

I spent time in Golden Gate Park

I saw the Pacific

I viewed the permanent collection at the De Young Museum

and discovered this incredible still-life by Alexander Pope

 I looked at details

I went to see @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz… 

the exhibition was beautiful and the space alone was inspiring

If you like the images you see here, please find me on Instagram!

Or, see more images on Flickr.

Thanks for reading.