thesis & process musings for aib jan 08 mfa residency

list of topics/ideas for this semester’s thesis: my current thoughts

1)

take paintings to digital, change & print or vice versa.
why:
to unify my work. at aib 6/07 residency i had a range of stuff. i have an extremely broad range/toolbox & for this program need to commit to one or to a combination – mix media thing. sort of a “tossed salad vs little boxes with lids” issue.
downside:
i am really struggling with integrating my work & not sure why it is soooooo hard for me to breach this. guess i do not really understand why i have needed them to be separate.

may not work. maybe it shouldn’t work. maybe my aversion/struggle is deeply felt intuition/good judgement???
new plan/amendment:
think now this needs more steps/processes to not be contrived/boring/static. needs to get muddier
2)

digital graffiti (buy/use fonts+++) elements as abstraction tool (manipulation/adj layers) in disjointed non graffiti fashion <>
why:
way to make idea #1 muddier & appropriate artistic elements from “our times/now-ish”. like stylized elements/shapes. weaving/entwining concept reminds me of viking/celtic stuff a little.
downside:
i am a white, educated middle aged single mom. graffiti is (to me) a chicano thing. although i am poor & grew up in numerous schools (12+) in the los angeles area/minority environments & have a mixed heritage, i think i would be branded as a soccer mom. picasso is held in contempt for stealing african art elements & van gogh for directly coping japanese prints. no matter what i truly “am” i will be seen as a white, blue eyed, blonde, western european & nothing more.
plan:
jump in & find out. think it would depend on how far i am able to take ‘it.”

since departure points/concepts rarely end at the obvious i feel this could work/be fruitful.

3)

reflective + transparent digital lenticular type print + lenticular lenses sheet + paint???
why:
sounds like fun. my envisioned outcome is very cool > IF it can be pulled off. if it makes me happy > others can possibly derive pleasure from it as well (extra bonus). after all "to be deeply personal is to be truly global." this is the kinda of project that i do "for me" with no other agenda for justification. this is one reason not to do this now. not sure what the logical step after would be/where it would take me next (& if i want to go there).

good & muddy :) taking all to a new place. sounds like a fun (& expensive) ride. do not think i will get what i envision > yet think i will learn + have hit virgin terrain in process concepts ( one of the main reasons i do art – to explore the “what if…”).
downside:
lenticular can be cheesey. been around a long time & may come with social/artistic stigmas (like velvet painting).

big downside is cost of plastic lenticular sheets ($$$).

creating the alternating image is conceptually straight forward, yet i know from past projects that there is no such thing as “straight forward” in the digital realm.

transparency & printing inks could be an issue. not sure if this will matter as the clear element of the image will represent the background/highlights/white of the paper in printing. if the mirror/reflective background does not increase light the whole image could be dark/flat. a solution would be distance between the reflective layer & the digital transparency & if need be a light source?

time & $!!! lots of unknowns. do not know where to get the transparency printed. may have to make image a dot matrix/newsprint moray so that light can pass/preserve transparency.

structure might have to have a lightbox structure of sorts. internal back/side light or use transparent material (clear acrylic) with grooves/slots to control position/behavior of layered elements. can of worms??? can i do 5-7 of these? would like them big-ish ($$$) <>

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list of stuff done in more recent past that i am reassessing for current project. is there something underlying all of this that i have been trying to get to/express/explore???

icons/identity

collective/us

landscape (state of mind/spirit, place i’d like to be, meditation)

yosemite

trees

faces

self (isn’t it all…)

political/social

before/after

‘through” something or other (veiled, witheld, cloaked, hidden)

macabre/dark visual aspect to some images

humor (albeit odd)
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new or unanswered questions:

what else could i combine with the digital/paint composites?

(in regards to my struggle with concept/idea #1)

1) adhere objects (not appealing at the moment)

2) adhere dig/paint to objects (print & paste or encase in object)

????????????

need answers/ideas

hope that playing/experimenting will present some