Sorceror Series: God show me the way...
God Show me the way 'cause the devil's try'n to break me down.
- Kanye West Jesus Walks
After a couple years of teaching and finally having a chance at teaching studio courses I realized that I had to create an effective process to facilitate finishing paintings quickly. After a visit from a guest artist I was inspired to mix some approaches to make my work more immediate. I was moving into an area where I thought The Sorceror Series could be used for social commentary. This painting in fact was the first to be titled as part f the sorceror series. So there, I had my INTENT. To find a way to express my reactions to contemporary subjects by interlacing my interest in news media, the art canon, the layered narrative, and my own sense of self absorption.
My process began by collecting newspaper articles and images that caught my eye or connected to things happening in my life. Next I stole a visual structure from Piet Mondrian to tip my hat to a sense of geometric reality and the symbolic use of symbol color. After collaging and doctoring images to coincide with experiences of aging, relationships, art hip-hop, the CIA, and of course the Turtle. Finally I painted in the Sorceror sitting at the base of my greatest fears: being an immoral spirit(Hell) and never maturing(Boy). This painting took me less than a week to complete and is one of the most finished paintings I felt I had done to date. This painting was also the beginning of projecting the future as opposed to being consumed with the past. The confusion that the Sorceror expresses is the disease of always looking back as though you can change the past as opposed to facing the future. Thus the quote from Kanye West's first album.
posted by Elias Infinity at Wednesday, March 15, 2006
3 Comments:
What is the building featured? At first I thought it was the White House, but it pretty clearly ain't. Is it a building on campus?
I like the ever present turtle, but what exactly is going on beneath him? (shouldn't it be turtles all the way down?)What's the deal with the three blue panels? They all seem rather pained but I know you love turtles. I'm reading the "Art? Art?" section as you frustration of people dismissing your media (comics mostly what I'm thinking) in academia. Anything there?
Interesting the hip-hop export to Columbia. Seems more like the other way. Reminds me of scarface, which I guess is Cuba. Ahh well.
Thanks for showin.
SOL
1:28 AM, March 16, 2006
Blue is always just life. The journey and the experiences. Under the turtle was a ad for Kill Bill. I represents how love relationships seem to be about conflict. I gave the Bride extra arms to represent Kali the mother/destroyer. The Art art section is about the designation of High art and low art but not specifically to my work. Not as much frustration as a comment on arguments I have had with others about the significance of the art canon and who decides what is art. The building is the Brooklyn Museum of art but it represents a Heavenly place or the Invisible College. If I hadn't said it in another post Yellow represents spiritual matters, blue repreents life matters and red represents carnal matters. Thank you for getting it.
9:28 AM, March 16, 2006
The Brooklyn museum is a beautiful building. I was just staying with a buddy in Brooklyn who lives in a sweet building right across the street. Great view.
Still hate NY though.
10:40 AM, March 16, 2006
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