The Ocular Novelty

muse - wednesday

2012-02-15T09:12:00.001-08:00

In a dirty old town with a conscious so clean - Gram

untrue narratives

2012-02-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

Due to a lucky turn of events, I am now an adjunct professor teaching an upper level photography class at the University of Arizona. Unlike the many foundational photo class I have taught in the past, this class (titled 'untrue narratives') is a conceptually based. Untrue Narratives explores the concept of the pseudo-event and the manner in which photography validates these events. I am so excited to take on the challenging concepts that arise, and am hoping that this will lead to more classes in the future.

If you are interested in what we are doing, I've set up a blog where anyone in my class can post photos to engage in on-going dialogue. Feel free to post comments!

You can check out The Untrue Narrative blog here! (class just started, so give us some time to accumulate imagery!!)

feng shui

2012-01-29T10:29:00.000-08:00

(exerpt part II from anthology)

I woke up this morning with the same empty pit that gnaws at my stomach.

On the opposite side of a backward-orientation, I pretend I’m still sleeping.

The elevator slowly moves to the 5^th floor and jolts for a split second. As I loose my balance, I am saved from the inevitable motions that propel me through the day.

As the lift continues to move, my brief reprieve has vanished and I exit into the last waking days.

an unknown truth

2012-01-22T10:11:00.001-08:00

“I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say.”

-Flannery O'Connor

Tectonic

2012-01-21T12:52:00.000-08:00

shifts

concave

2012-01-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

(exerpt from an anthology of poems I'm putting together...)

I can spend hours, days, months trying

Slip outside of skin

I manage otherwise

To live outside

I can make mountains

I can concave

I am uncertain as to weather this whether

I am stuck

Like sticky mud that catches shoes

Suctions off to leave struggling

Balancing with an exposed white, cotton sock

Like a topiary labrinth

Where hedges grow around

Open paths

A constant: crossed wires blur

And never ending waves of static become the august of this canto

transient

2012-01-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Still image from 'miniature photograph' project a former student of mine made

(paintbrush used for scale)

this too

2011-12-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

Christmas gift for my beloved: a parasol and a holy cross.
I do believe they compliment the eternal flame.

steal my bike

2011-12-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

Adventuring with Philip

did you know horses have human teeth?

2011-12-10T17:41:00.000-08:00

image i took at the twin falls county fair: my pentacon never fails me

A HAIKU:

mini horse raffle

i purchase tickets inside

a lady; reward

Clown in the Moon

2011-11-26T10:10:00.000-08:00

I think, that if I touched the earth,

It would crumble;

It is so sad and beautiful,

So tremulously like a dream.

-Dylan Thomas

Orbs

2011-11-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

Time wears her not; she doth his chariot guide;
Mortality below her orb is placed.
--Raleigh

Tricks > Treats

2011-11-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the shenanigans of a lovely October 31st : Skills attributed by Philip

This Is A Recording

2011-10-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

If you are in the Tucson area, don't miss the opportunity to catch This is A Recording screening at the Conrad Wilde Gallery on November 4th. Stellar work to be shown by yours truly along with some amazing international artists!

el gusano : project

2011-09-26T12:39:00.000-07:00

My good friend Ivy asked me a while back to illustrate a children's book/ lullaby she and her husband Joel created. Here are some images of what the final product will look like. So far I'm at 32 pages, which seems appropriate for the story. As some of you may remember, my past relationship with story telling/ illustration wasn't as upbeat, "The Story of the Sea Elk" was deemed too depressing by my target audience... So I've scrapped the storytelling part, I think I will stick to pictures...

More updates on this to come... Hoping to have everything ready for Ivy by December 5th!

Welt am Draht

2011-09-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, my favorite local cinema put on an epic showing of the 1973, made for TV film Welt am Draht (World on Wire.) Although the German translation was hard to follow at times, the story leads the viewer through a time in the future where a computer project called Simulacron (which is able to simulate a full featured reality) becomes convoluted with the lies and deception of individuals running the super computer. I can only describe it as a brutalist's version of the Twilight Zone.

Above: Dr. Fred Stiller of Welt am Draht

Below: Myself emerged in a project designed by my Slovak friend Pavlov.

Recurring themes included mirrors, circular camera pans, sexy automobiles, lipstick, and telephones. The whole drama got me thinking about how, in perceived reality, reality is just really a simulacron of our own design. Therefore, nothing in reality is really real, because "reality" is subjective.... Right? In short it was a wonderful way to spend 4 hours on a hot Sunday afternoon.

consanguinity

2011-09-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

Early this morning, my sweetheart and I hit the mean streets of Tucson for some much needed yard sale therapy. Our haul was a huge success, and all at under $10 it was a super fun Saturday activity...

Booty: Bart Simpson doll circa 1990, Billy Joel concert t circa 1982, various geodes, stack of well collected singles including a Sonic Youth ditty I am SUPER excited to play at the next record night my friend Dan and I host at the Red Room

Philip with various treasures found in his tool shed

Continuing my pie and pastry ventures with these UBER jems... Betty Crocker is no joke

This could have been helpful...

2011-09-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

For the past few weeks I have taken some much needed time off in my home town of Twin Falls, ID. It's been a lovely trip, and I couldn't have asked for better weather (especially since it was 114 degrees when I left Arizona.) I spent some time with my dog, I went to the county fair, I had some quality time with my grandma, I learned how to make some killer pie crust; it was nothing short of being a super vacation... However, after an unfortunate series of events, I was stung by a wasp. On my top lip. Multiple times. What are the odds of that happening you may ask? I have no idea. All I know is that when people refer to "bee-stung lips" in beauty magazines, they really have no idea what they are talking about. Because the look is close to that of being psychotic and far, far away from being considered glamorous... I've included in this blog a list for you, readers, to help prevent this tragedy from happening to any of your precious faces... I just wish I could have known some of these rules sooner...

Tips to avoid bee stings:

1. Don't wear perfumes or colognes.

2. Avoid wearing brightly colored clothing, especially floral prints.

3. Be careful what you eat outdoors.

4. Don't walk barefoot.

5. Try not to wear loose-fitting clothes.

6. Stay still.

7. Keep your car windows rolled up.

8. Rinse your garbage and recycling cans and keep lids on them.

9. Don't hang out in the flower garden.

10. Call a professional to have unwanted bees, wasps, or hornets removed.

1974

2011-09-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson in Bronson

How would you feel, waking up in the morning without a window?

Wonder

2011-08-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Peak pose : Pachimottanasana

Yesterday marked the final day of the first part of my Anusara yoga training. Unlike the immersions I've participated in, this week was truly focused on the nuts and bolts of teaching a yoga class, and subsequently, taking the seat of the teacher. It was overwhelming for sure, and I often found myself questioning my intentions throughout the week. Our final assignment was to teach a 45 minute class to a friend based on a lesson or inspiration we had during the week. I chose a theme based on the idea of "wonder." In yoga one can often become overwhelmed by a sequence or pose that may be unavailable or beyond their reach for that day. To wonder what a specific pose feels like, or for myself, to wonder how it will feel to be in the seat of the teacher one day, is truly empowering. Finding wonder within ones' self by using muscular energy to draw into inner awareness and organically extending out to further outwardly express oneself can ease that sense of being overwhelmed. The sequence I put together incorporated forward folds and supine twists to steady, and introvertly investigate with wonder the true self within the pose.

Here it is!

Surya NamaskaraA

Surya Namaskara B

Trikonasana

Parsvakonasana

Adrha Chandrasana

Parsvottanasana

Parivritta Parsvakonasana

Pavrita Ardha Chandrasana

Paschimottanasana

Janu Sirsasana

Ardha Matsyendrasana

Paschimottanasana

Savasana

Peppersauce

2011-08-08T15:31:00.000-07:00

Family fallout shelter? Family fallout party!

I was lucky enough to get out of the heat for a few hours this weekend to go hiking and cave exploring. I ran into a cow, chased some lizards, and stuck my head in a suspicious cavern. The whole experience got me thinking about bomb shelters.

What comes up missing?

2011-07-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

Image from Teinosuke Kinugasa's 1926 film A Page of Madness

There are spans of time where things begin to fall short... Colors become subjugated from sensory tastes, and days fall as if they never existed to begin with.

it ain't over

2011-07-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

: till' it's over

Inspired Slump

2011-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be honest, spending the past month in SWELTERING 110+ degree heat has been far from motivating. I've used the long hours of the day mostly trying to avoid the persistent glare of the sun, moving from overly air conditioned buildings via bicycle, to the poorly insulated box that is my studio. During the past few weeks I've taken solice from the weather by eating copious amounts of otter pops and discovering in a new found interest in bollywood videos of the 1960's and 1970's. I'm fascinated with the cinematography, set design, epic story lines, and of course, the dancing. I recently stumbled along Mughal-E-Azam (1960) not too long ago, and it has since manifested its way into a stem of research I'm doing for a new project. This film of epic proportions centers around the ill-fated love affair between the Mughal Crown Prince and his lovely court dancer. The intensity of their tabu relationship threatens to cause demise to the throne of the Mughal empire. Dancing ensues. I love everything about it.

Still shots from the court dancer's performance of Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya - Mughal-E-Azam

Psychonic Invisiblity

2011-06-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

I found this ride in Santa Fe (image taken with pentacon.) It looks like something someone invisible would drive

How would you like to be invisible? To walk through the streets of a city unseen or unnoticed? To enter any building, mingle with any group and be completely unobserved? Impossible?

-Walter Delaney

Dads

2011-06-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that a little over a year ago I was spending a whirlwind adventure with my pops over in Central Europe. After the disaster with the volcano, dad was able to get a ticket to see me instead of our failed London trip we had planned a month earlier. In a matter of five days we went to Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava, and back to Prague. I like to call the whole experience "Central Europe through the eyes of a Goulash Connoisseur." Regardless of the goulash, we took many long train rides to see the Prague Castle, Budapest Castle, Slavin, the opulent museum quarter square of Vienna, and haggled at many, many street markets. It was an experience that I will never forget, and a trip that I will probably never have the chance to take again, and for that I am forever grateful.

My dad posing with an appropriate sign in front of an amazing Goulash restaurant in Prague

On the Train to Budapest from Prague

On the train to Vienna from Bratislava (I still have yet to figure out why dad was trying to read the Slovak news)

In front of a wall in Prague... Dad being a good model

At Slavin, a 15 min walk from my flat

oxygen to breathe

2011-06-14T08:29:00.000-07:00

Inspirations for this otherwise uninspiring Tuesday:

BKS Iyengar and Modest Mouse's "Cowboy Dan"

Hot off the presses!

2011-06-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

A bitty preview of my writeup in the 2011 University of Arizona MFA catalogue now available for purchase here! Good times will be had by all whilst reading this lovely collection of images from my thesis show.

update to no update

2011-06-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Frame 2 of 3 from the recent show held at the 5th at 6th Gallery last month

Coming off from a month of huge changes has set my Arizona summer clock to a painfully slow, tick tocking. Not only have I installed/de-installed two group shows, I was "hooded" in my masters graduation, completed 11 full days of yoga immersion, was hired for two different positions (one of which would have kept me in Tucson until May of 2012, and the other requires me to fold t-shirts), rekindled a special bond with my equally special man friend, and made the difficult choice to leave Tucson in January to potentially set up myself in Austin, Texas. Needless to say, I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'm finding that the "post-masters slump" is something that no one could have prepared me for (and actually no one in my program attempted to). I mean, who really wants to end up working in a dead end retail job after countless hours of art obsessed study and research?

Finding it hard to matriculate back into the other real world, and hoping that good things lie ahead.... otherwise, stick a fork in me because I'm done.

i can see through time

2011-04-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Upon joblessness I plan to work here...

Now that the most important days of my academic existence are coming to a close (at least for the time being) I have had a lot of time on my hands. Currently I'm reading Steven King's The Stand to quell my impending summer boredom and inevitable "what am I doing with my life" dilemmas... Not only is this novel terrifying, it's giving me some weird dreams. For example, last night a close family member forced me to walk off the edge of a boat and then I found myself eating strawberry pie at the bottom of the ocean. I think post graduation isn't going to work for me...

crawling under covers

2011-04-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

Install Shot from Thesis Exhibition!!!!!

Things went off without a hitch, although it was definitely nervy... Next up Orals Review at 3pm!!

In Limbo: In Sleep Away From Our Home

2011-04-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

In my head, I've been going here a lot...

Title of work to be shown this weekend at open studios downtown! In conjunction with "4 Story" at the 5th at 6th gallery, our group show will be open to the public this weekend for the studio tours happening in and around Tucson. Check it if you are in town!! Also, today marks the last day of install week.... I am so tired. I need a gluten free cookie.

let the install week begin!

2011-04-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

Let us begin here, Photo girl show!

Day one of an epic week of installations! It's not even 11am and I've already been to home depot... Lets hope I can make it to Thursday in one piece.

saturday following a friday

2011-04-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

4 more days till install... me nerves are all a flutter

Icon

2011-04-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I had a post dedicated to the lovey Flannery O'Connor, and since then I've been thinking a lot about female role models that have been influential in my life. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of males that have shaped a lot of my interests in the past 25 years of existance, but really, it's all about the ladies. So as I've been thinking of this, and subsequently embarking on a new path of post thesis life, I've started a list of sorts:

My SHEROS, by Emma High

Anne of Avonlea

Anne Curry

Bjork

Flannery O'Connor

Gwen

Kiki Smith

Laura Ingles Wilder

Charlotte Bronte/Jane Eyre

Sheryl Lee

Lisa Simpson

Martha Colburn

Miranda July

Debroah Stratman

Dolly

Cosette

one day i will be a floating head

2011-04-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

one day I might be a floating head

only with language through text

and the absence of image

but where the text is placed could have the most significant purpose

to make the said floating head...

float

kindof

the moment it leaves suspended in time

PARALLEL to

the ideas it leaves suspended

IN TIME

and coming full circle to you

yeahbut

only to become intertwined at me

-yours truly

ice cave

2011-03-31T14:29:00.000-07:00

Farmer and Sheep from the Scandinavian Fest in Paul, ID

Today feels like this

suspended: here untethered to the within and outside

2011-03-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Let it be known, I've titled my thesis work! A busy start to a busy week... it's only noon and I've been in the editing studio since 6am this morning. Let the fun times begin!

Truth

2011-03-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Lovely Flannery O'Connor and a peacock

"Where you came from is gone, where you thought you were going to never was there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it."
-Hazel Motes in O'Connor's 1952 novel Wise Blood

update

2011-02-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

visuals taking shape: language not so much...

I can't seem to remember

2011-02-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

Drawing from a vivid "dream" about metal teeth and unidentified flying objects.

shifts

2011-02-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Pix Pix's little Lucy bathed in sunlight : Image from this November

Today has been spent enjoying the absolutely beautiful sunshine in Tucson! I had a lovely yoga practice this afternoon, along with an epic 7 minute headstand, and am now gathering my thoughts for an up-coming thesis review on Friday (I'm hoping to come up with something a bit more tangible than the ditty I posted a few days ago.) A lot of things are shifting in my life lately... I'm trying to stay balanced and fully open to the changes that are ever present.

making sense in a room full of clocks

2011-02-14T11:05:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from my notes/ how to make sense when it's barely a Monday:

The use of binaural tones is employed to induce a state of wakeful meditation. The 4hrz oscillation is associated with out-of body experiences; much like one assumes they are walking in a straight line, yet when the blindfold is removed, the subject discovers that really, they walk in circles. The viewer is taken to the location of the subject in the video; their brainstem is activated, and then set to the oscillation of the stimulus in the audio. This functions in a similar response to the way grandfather clocks re-set the ticking in a room filled with smaller clocks.

These auspicious obstacles are manifest

Within the boundary of the internal

Ghost and the external wanderer

With no pint of reference

No direction but our internal compass

We won’t ever be lost

Circular as the universe

Like the tiny inside

The simplicity of a straight line is due to false reality.

This is a cautionary tale of that reality

That is to say

Unreal/impostor

Impostor as within

Impostor as without sight

you are here/ i am here also

2011-02-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

Philip and cat killing time post video shoot.

And then I walked in circles...

2011-02-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

Still image from footage I'm importing this lovely Super Bowl Sunday afternoon.

Over the weekend, I spent a few days exploring the Phoneix area with a dear friend of mine. My main priority was to shoot around the outskirts of town for a new project, however, during our adventure we managed to hit up a used record shop and a candy store complete with a photobooth device! It was a Saturday of epic proportions.

this isn't helping

2011-02-03T08:46:00.001-08:00

With two months until thesis and a lot of things on my plate, my studio is not the intellectual haven it once was... I kinda just looks like my bedroom from high school.

spelunking

2011-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday, PixPix, Camden and I went on a lovely hike west of Tucson. While attempting to find the King's Canyon trail we ran into our spirit animals and also found this cave. Interesting things began to align after our brief encounters... Today however, I have successfully broken my glasses, popped a bike tire, cracked the screen of my ipod, and forgot to pack a lunch for the studio. I'm thinking I may go back to this hole and hide in it....

birthday

2011-01-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

A curious circle and a lovely view of Tucson greeted me as I reached the apex!

Thread worms on a string
Keeps spiders in her pocket
Collects fly wings in a jar
Scrubs horse flies
And pinches them on a line
-Bjork/Sugarcubes 1988

It isn't my birthday, but it is a song by the Sugarcubes that I played on repeat as I walked up Tumamok yesterday evening.

the universe... and some other things

2011-01-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

A view from my mat this morning...

Well, I've just finished part one of my Anusara yoga immersion at the Yoga Oasis here in Tucson. As I write this post... that is honestly the most clever thing I can come up with. It's been an intense six days. I came to Yoga Oasis three years ago on the recommendation and encouragement of my dear friend pix pix... Having grown up in a semi-transcendental household (dad spending the past 30 years of his life attempting to achieve enlightenment through TM and various other practises,) yoga was never a four letter word. It wasn't until that first class at the Oasis with pix pix that things began to shift for me. Through Anusara, I began to form a personal relationship to yoga outside the spectrum that I grew up understanding....
anyway...
I have started the next level of my commitment to this practice by attending this immersion again in March, and for two weeks in May.

Couldn't be happier, sleepier, stronger, and still

Showing this month in Taiwan!

2011-01-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

I am so honored to be included in Cheuh-Lin Tsai's exhibition at the BF Gallery in Taipei City, Taiwan. My videos "whereBEARSeat" and "Veritable Swings" will be on view from January 22st to February 27th. I can feel the doors opening, and I couldn't be happier!

Tucsoniana

2011-01-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

Stuffing:Grounding 1 of 2 images of mine to be shown at this upcoming show

The term Tucsoniana refers to objects and ephemera that relate to Tucson's unique history, geography, cultural heritage, values, and problems, both past and present. As photographers, we are trained to watch, listen, interact with, and make sense of the place which we occupy as well as our relation to it. We are interested in the unavoidable connections that can be made between ourselves and this land, whether internal, external, or imaginary. This exhibition represents the manifestation of our unique experiences with this place.

Tucsoniana

Rombach Gallery

Tucson, AZ

On View Jan. 10th- 21st

Opening Reception Jan.14th

Please Come!

fare-well

2011-01-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

Camel - City of Lights - South Hills

Tucson tomorrow.

14

2010-12-31T17:51:00.000-08:00

A number which represents the high temperature for Twin Falls today. A very cold ending to an interesting year. The past few days have been spent re-connecting with family over dinners and wine, a most beautiful wedding of a dear friend, and afternoons of movie watching. It's hard to believe that a year ago I was embarking on my grand Slovakian experience... It seems like a million years ago. Looking forward to what 2011 has in store for me, I'm betting my chips on a new state and a new job. Here's to adventures!!

e.s.a.d.

2010-12-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

This is one from the vault... I think I took this circa 2002?

to you and yours

2010-12-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Celebrating the "hat on tree" ceremony ala SCTV style

Happy Holidays ocular readers! I've finally made it back to Idaho for a festive (and much colder) change of scenery from Tucson. Things around my parents house are looking a lot like the Shmenge's and their Leutonian Christmas traditions. It's heaven.

up the mountain

2010-12-19T13:03:00.000-08:00

insignia for the twin peaks cave... someday hoping to stumble upon this whilst walking tumamoc

Now that the semester is officially over, I've been killing time until my departure back to Twin Falls. Much of this has been spent walking up tumamoc hill, indulging in hours and hours of yoga, and taking sunny morning bike rides. Enjoying the warm Tucson weather as much as I can until I'm submerged into the snowy white. In other non-earth shattering news, my piece for the upcoming photo show is printed, framed, and ready to hang, and I've heard back from Tsai Eve that the gallery in Taipei City received my work. All systems go.

i am out of interesting things to say

2010-12-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

This has been quite possibly the most difficult semester of my two and a half years in grad school. I am very glad it's over. For the next four weeks it's ice cream time!!

bring it

2010-12-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

Claude Cahun: Self Portrait 1911

As I prepare to finish the last art history paper I will ever have to write, ever again, in the history of my life, I can comfortably say that I am not sad. After six and a half years of studying art history, I have no qualms saying farewell to this practice for a while. Going out with a bang with Cladue Cahun (a.k.a.) my shero!

success!

2010-12-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

\in-'stol\ was a huge success last night. A big thanks for everyone who came out to celebrate with us! We had a huge turnout for both spaces, and although it was a lot of work for a one night show, it was totally worth it. I've included a lot of images from the event (which I normally don't do) so enjoy!

Emma High

my two favorite ghosts

6min, 45sec

Outside shot of my piece

Andrea Jensen

Frank Yunker

Erin Garber-Pierson

Rebecca Hamlin

Daisy Pitkin

Last minute touches

Sarah Zidonick

Getting support from my lovely photo ladies:

Me, Christiana, Lizz, Coriana

24 Hours to install, 2 minutes to sit...

adventures in boredom

2010-12-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

A vision for my future: double barfs

Pix Pix and I were discussing what work we were thinking about putting up in an upcoming photo show in January... I think I'm gonna go with this? Desperately trying to properly manage my time before the end of the semester happens. Distracting myself at the library and going on frequent rage walks up Tumamok hill is not helping me achieve this.

be there

2010-11-30T08:09:00.001-08:00

It's gonna be good times!
(I will be screening my two favorite ghosts for the first time)

and then i ate naan

2010-11-27T09:43:00.000-08:00

one of my finer art history doodles
Stuffed my face with Indian food and watched basic cable tv....
It was great.

yes please

2010-11-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

I would like to go home now.
Map circa art history class - Monday afternoon.

opinions are like kittens

2010-11-15T13:48:00.000-08:00

Mona (my adopted feral cat) is not amused by me, or my camera.

mediat-ion

2010-11-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

Wall tapestry in my kitchen : A fair representation of my innards.

specificity of place

2010-11-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

discussing our area... to build false walls, or to not build false walls.

Currently in the process of organizing a show at 6th and 7th gallery for my installation seminar and therefore spent a lovely afternoon determining the poetics of space. . it's going to be an art explosion on the 2nd of December. Mark your calendars!!

you are invited

2010-11-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Official invitation to the exhibition my work is being shown in. If you are by chance in Abu Dhabi, you should go.

tricks

2010-10-31T09:30:00.000-07:00

Little me at age 7

Props to all the moms out there that make halloween the best holiday ever... my mom did!

time crimes

2010-10-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

image still from Chris Markers epic Le Jetee

busy as busy is busy, sensory deprivation is in order.

mashup

2010-10-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

a haiku describing current audio situation:

sound design and light pattern

halogen slovak

patience and cabins to grow

It's a designated studio day, and my ability to concentrate has most certainly been distracted by late night dance parties and celebratory drinks for pix pix. Thinking thesis will now be about how many hours I can sleep in one day, and how many haikus I can write about said sleeping schedule. I'm guessing 13?

checking out

2010-10-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

bakery tomfoolery

this is neat

2010-10-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Still shot from In Hurricane Island 2010

In Hurricane Island will be showing in an exhibition titled "In These Rooms" at the Garden Gallery in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. from Oct 31 to Nov 12th. Big thanks to Sama Alshabi for curating me into this exhibition, I'm super stoked to be a part of it. Now if only I could go to the opening....

phantoms

2010-10-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

Image from the daily mail/ my dreams

My new obsession: Gliese 581g, the unconfirmed extrasolar planet that lives within the constellation Libra. According to astronomer Ragbir Bhathal (and active SETI member,) this red dwarf star seems to be emitting some suspicious signals... Perhaps a late night trip to the desert is in order for further investigation.

abyss

2010-10-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Figure drawing I made from the spring. I like her invisible chair

Feeling a void today, wishing I had a drawing class to go to....

art coma

2010-10-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Image from ArtInfo Blog, an installation view of The Dissolve at SITE Santa Fe

I've finally returned from Santa Fe refreshed and renewed from an amazing trip. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go to SITE Santa Fe with my colleagues, not only was the work amazing, but so was the company. The artist talk went well, despite literally almost passing out while describing The Longest Winter. No joke, I was inches from the floor.... Regardless, I learned some circus tricks from Erin, talked about Egypt at length with Jim Cook, and lounged in a hot tub whilst enjoying a most splendid southwestern sunset. No I go back to the grind. Le sigh....

the dissolve

2010-09-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Image taken from one of my epic walks to the Tesco in Brati... it's good motivation

Getting ready for an epic trip further west for Site Sante Fe's eight international biennial. I've never been to Santa Fe before, and I am really looking forward to the theme of this years exhibition aptly titled The Dissolve. Artists include my current girl crush Martha Colburn, Hiraki Sawa, Joshua Mosley, Oscar Muñoz, Jacco Olivier, Raymond Pettibon, and many other artists working in installation and new media. I'm super excited to be getting out of Tucson however, I have to give an artists presentation which, for those of you who know me, is my least favorite thing to do. I would much rather have someone speak for me... in a luchador mask... while I play nintendo ds in the corner. Wax poetic all you want about professional development and blah blah blah... I just want to observe from the side.

The gambler

2010-09-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Photo of my grandfather taken by my grandmother 1949

The miniature/ The gigantic

2010-09-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

Things I'm missing today, a list:
the farm
kittens
grass
cool weather
garden kale
francis

days turn into different days

2010-09-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

to do:
lighting design
wall text
celebration

done:
thesis review
install

le sigh

2010-09-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

In lieu of the MASSIVE day I have looming tomorrow, and the equally draining week I've had, all I want to do is color correct Guitars music video....

and then this happened

2010-09-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Screen shot of new work in progress...

one million hours later

2010-09-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

After a 9 hour day I simply can't wait to nest in something like this... Taken in Karin's delicious living room this summer. To bad this is in Portland, and that Karin has moved to Detroit.

Got through my entire class for the first critique of the semester. I was hesitant at first with this group of ruffians, but to my surprise, they have started to set the bar higher for themselves... for the most part. Although teaching is great and all, I still can't help but revert to adolescent insecurity when I'm stuck in front of a group of 18 or somethings for 3 hours. (I could have sword that they were talking about my short pants and frizzy hair for the first fifteen minutes)

My voice is hoarse, I'm hungry, I've got loads of work to do, but I'm content....

Blam!

2010-09-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

Press release for AY-yah-fyah-lah-YOH-kull! It's pretty small, but I think if you click on the image you can see it bigger in a separate window. Getting prepared to install in about a week!! Exciting times ahead...

Crush

2010-09-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

Video still from Don't Kill the Weatherman

Martha Colburn - American artist, musician, filmmaker, and all around bad ass. I like her... What I like about Colburn, is her general attitude towards art practice. Having been introduced to her video work through my installation seminar, I feel as though she encapsulates an energy that is lost so often in contemporary installation practices. The work is colorful, violent, dirty, and punctuated with whimsy. I kinda want to have lunch with her and Debroah Stratman one day.

Still from Debroah Stratman's From Hetty to Nancy, 1997

Buki

2010-08-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

watermelon

and the windows opened that night,

a ceiling dripped the sweat

of a tin god,

and I sat eating a watermelon,

all false red,

water like slow running of rusty

tears,

and I spit out seeds

and swallowed seeds,

and I kept thinking

I am a fool

to eat this watermelon,

but I kept eating

anyhow.

Some Bukowski for your Tuesday. Rekindling my love with The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over The Hills... Sending off show submissions and rent today, also making my students watch La Jetee/ Sans Soleil. It's a Tuesday for the ages.

for several seconds

2010-08-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

SK, Spring

each time i woke up i thought i was dreaming, when i am falling asleep in the evening i am afraid that i will forget to breathe in my sleep.

Build it

2010-08-25T08:30:00.000-07:00

In need of some technical building skills to make this 3 part projection work... Thinking a lack in said skills is going to hold up production for now. It's Wednesday, and it already feels like Friday. Need. Yoga. NOW!

It's Sunday

2010-08-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

And I don't really plan on leaving my studio... until I have face to reality tomorrow.

Ay-yah-fyah-lah-YOH-kuul

2010-08-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Can't you tell how epic this will be?

Preliminary sketch for the layout of PixPix and our show!! Ay-yah-fyah-lah-YOH-kuul will be opening at the Lionel Rombach gallery during September 20 - 29, 2010 with an opening reception on September 23, 3-4:30. More on this to come.... Exciting things are brewing in the universe!!

Aesthetic Nostalgia

2010-08-19T15:41:00.000-07:00

The Rogerson Restaurant circa 1950: Owned by my grandfather Ben and his best friend Ted

cirsium provocation

2010-08-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

This meadow was filled with bees and one of them stung me.
I stuffed my whole mouth with every single bee on every single thistle.

no grace

2010-08-15T15:59:00.000-07:00

drawing from sketchbook circa bratislava: resembling a spirit projection

Hang on St. Christopher

2010-08-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Image I took last summer... it's resonating with me now much more than it did 12 months ago.

Cooped up in my studio listening to Tom Wait's Beautiful Maladies on repeat. It's taking all efforts to keep myself focused, yet I can't find the extra spark I need to get motivated. It also kinda smells like french fries in the building which is also distracting...

When do you know...

2010-08-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

i don't know when i know

Grind

2010-08-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

View in studio. Luckily I've been able to move my hub to a more private corner, but the walls are looking frightfully bare.

One week back in the desert and I'm finding it nearly impossible to adjust. Regardless of the unrelenting heat, I've managed to move back into my small apartment and studio... now I just need to get my head together enough to write a lesson plan for my photo class, apply for a grant, and submit images to a jurried show. Despite feeling that I may spontaneously combust at any moment, I have managed to get back to the yoga grind... a much needed breath of relief.

totals

2010-08-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

11 novels read

3,654 miles driven

16 rolls of film taken

3 tapes recorded

1 little puppy left with grandma and grandpa

Dr. No

2010-07-30T10:22:00.000-07:00

Pentacon image in Karin's apartment. Dr. No was awaiting his grand return to a clean home.

Feeling a bit like Karin's beloved fish Dr. No... swimming along in circles. This week I've been preparing for my final trip back to Tucson. Thus far, this process has given me dreams of rotting teeth and upset stomachs. Although there are many reasons to be happy for my return, I can't help but feel conflicted.

where bears eat

2010-07-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Still from the project I'm working on this week at the Anderson Ranch.

It is yet to be titled... or close to finished.

Unloading Heads

2010-07-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

This trucker's atlas roads the ways

The freeways and highways don't know

The buzz from the bird on my dash

Road locomotive phone

This trucker's atlas roads the ways

The freeways and highways don't know

The buzz from the bird on my dash

Road locomotive phone

(Lyrics from Modest Mouse's Truckers Atlas)

Another 628 mile day on the road. With the help of Modest Mouse, I made it all the way to Snowmass Village, Colorado to start a weeklong workshop titled 'Video Poetry.' The Anderson Ranch is pretty epic, the food is delicious, and my roommate is great. I'm looking forwards to the week ahead. Viva art vaycay!

shapes, circles, squares

2010-07-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

Crop circle, 200ft wide, spotted in a field of wheat at Clay Hill near Warminster, Wiltshire