A Secret Society on the Web

There is a sorta secret society on the web that actually is accessed outside the web. It's a place where originality and creativity work hand in hand with community and  networking. The shows are constantly in Flux (an inside joke). And the artist tend to laugh a lot. And while many of the exhibitions are created around themes just as many are un-juried. These are artists that promote interaction outside of the normal approval systems of galleries.

Okay I'm talking about mail art. And as Ray Johnson who is considered the first mail artist called it, Correspondance Art. As the name implies it is based on sending small scale original work through the mail usually to a network of other mail artists. Or like I do at times, just send pieces to people I meet in my daily life.

The artwork can consist of collage elements, rubber or artist created stamps, found objects, recycled objects, paint and just about anything that can fit in an envelope or be attached to a postcard. To the artists once its sent it is then mail art. As a precursor to cyber communities these virtual communities also span the world.

From its start in the late 50's to the establishment of Ray's New York Correspondance School, to the schools death on April 5, 1973 as written in Ray's unpublished letter to the Obituary Department of the New York Times and still now throughout the world, mail art is thriving. Anyone with a mailbox and the cost of postage can participate in circumventing the commercial art market.

As Published in Wikipedia; The mail art philosophy of openness and inclusion is exemplified by the "rules" included in invitations (calls) to postal projects: a mail art show has no jury, no entry fee, there is no censorship and all works are exhibited. The original contributions are not to be returned and remain the property of the organizers, but a catalog or documentation is sent free to all the participants in exchange for their works. Although these rules are sometimes stretched, they have generally held up for four decades.   

One of the most popular sites for mail artists is the International Union of Mail-Artist, IUOMA. Its variety of groups covers just about any interest. But if there's one missing feel free to start your own group. Either way you are guarenteed to meet some of the most fascinating people on the web through Mail-Art.

 Remember; Imagination is never still. The marks we make are verbs!

Simplicity of Form

New work exploring the reduction of the human form to some basics in shape, color, texture and movement. As always I would love to hear what you think.

Named from top to bottom, Leaving, Reclining Figure, Sad Man. and Sisters

Don't Loose Your Art in the Studio Mess

This past week I was with some friends at a local coffee shop, all right it was Panera's, and we got on the subject of how much inventory artists have. This of course led to how do you keep track of the stuff. Not surprising most artist don't keep track of their art or they hope their spouse or partner will magically do it for them. Personally I run about 50 50 on the subject. At least I did until the beginning of this year. I was surprised by multiple sales of sculpture and paintings from the gallery that represents me, and while this was a great thing, I realized I didn't have a clue as to which ones sold. I know that sounds silly but somewhere along the line the gallery and I had different names for the works. It took weeks of searching through computer files to match up the sculptures. It was then I decided that this was NOT going to happen again.

So I devised a plan to inventory my work in a coherent fashion that would not be labor intensive. After all I'm an artist and my mind tends to wander to more creative endeavors, meaning art marketing overwhelms me. You can make up a spreadsheet for this but I don't keep a computer in my studio. Besides I thought a basic handwritten log would be a good starting point. My laptop is way to distracting. However I do  try to transfer this information periodically to an Excel sheet which I'll go over at another time.

• I created a naming convention that works for me. Year-Month-Number, which looks like this 15-o6-001, (2015, June, first piece)
• I place this number on the back of a work in the bottom right corner WHEN I START IT!  Wherever you put it be consistent.
• Now for the really hard part. Copy the number in a cheap composition book. You can add more information later.

I need to interject a small note here. YOU WILL MESS UP THE ORDER OF NUMBERS ON THE BACK OF ARTWORK. So what, its your reference, you don't get marked on it. I wrote the same number on 3 separate works and had to go back and change them. No one laughed at me. So if it makes you feel better go ahead and list a bunch of numbers in the book now but skip a line between them. That way you can jump to the rest of the information you need to record. Let's look at that now.

• Weekly I go back to the book and next to the art works matching number I add the medium, (acrylic, oil, watercolor, etc)
• Next I list the substructure, (canvas, art board, watercolor paper, etc) You can make up your own abbreviations, just be consistent.
• Then I list the size which is about the last known piece of information.
• I leave the title and description for last because you know the work can change overnight. 
• Once the work is done I write the title and size on the back.

It takes a little work but if you start now with any new work you can go back and tackle all that other stuff laying around. Remember these do not need to be in sequential order. This list is for you to inventory your work. It will be important later! 

Imagination is never still. The marks we make are verbs!

Harn Museum of Art Review

If you have the opportunity to stop by the Harn Museum of Art on the University of FL. campus, I would definitely suggest you DO SO!
We were there this past week and while it was between major exhibits, the displayed work from their permanent collection did not disappoint. Being a Sculptor and Painter I was excited that the first piece I saw was a Frank Stella work, Zandvoort, 1981. This mixed media wall hanging was alive with colors and shapes.

Another thing I've always wanted to see up close is the work by David Smith. The Museum had 2 on display, Hi Candida and Zig I
  
                
Paintings were not in short supply either. There was Florida Lake by Milton Avery, Jim Tadell's Place by George Bellows, Pulling Turpentine by Ellis Wilson, Flute Player and the Watermelon Eater by Picasso just to man a few of the 9,000 works of art in the permanent collection.
          

The Harn museum has eleven galleries on one floor and admission is free. So take a day trip and enjoy a wonderful museum.

New Paintings

I have been exploring the personality of paint by layering acrylic paint, papers and a variety of other textural surfaces. I have combined this with surrealistic conceptual works that delve into astrology and symbolism. Feel free to let me know what you think. Taurus (24 x 36) is about my sign and how I feel about it, Once the Bird is Released (16 x 20) refers to the symbol of a bird released in a painting referring to a woman releasing her innocence and She Has Always Danced With Fire (18 x 24) while an erotic work is also related to Native American culture.

Exercise in Texture and Space

In an effort to allow texture to create tension, I have limited my palette and included a variety of material. Overlapping along with vertical and horizontal placement reinforces some of the spatial depth.

Mono-Transfer, Strappo

I have been providing lessons on how to create a Strappo and realized that I have modified the technique in a natural progression that I thought I would explain here.

 Briefly, Strappo’s are a monotype from a dry acrylic transfer. An acrylic painting is developed and painted in reverse on a clear glass plate. When the image is fully formed and dry, to thicken the acrylic skin, successive layers of acrylic gesso are added. For the transfer process, fresh coats of acrylic gesso are applied both to the back of the glass plate and on the sheet where the image will be placed. The plate is placed on the prepared surface while the fresh gesso surfaces are still wet. Weights are placed to insure contact while the gesso layers bond. After the acrylic layers are bonded, the image and attached surface will be peeled from the glass. It is exactly the image as painted. The image, a monotype, is now transferred and the glass plate is clean. The surface of the image is smooth because it was developed on the smooth surface of the glass. A great advantage is that it does not require the use of a press.

The modifications are created when I add collage and drawing elements to the mix. By first coating the glass surface with a polymer (and letting it dry thoroughly) I am able to create a surface that I can draw on. I use permanent markers to sketch out gestural images and objects and I have also experimented with crayons and lithography pencils. I then coat the surface with polymer and again let it dry.

When I want to add collage elements the layering process starts again. For the Floral pieces I create, I use acrylic paint chips from dried pigment on my palette. This is great for the leaves and blossoms of plants. They are set in place using polymer and then coated with the same medium. Wallpapers in rooms are often designed with pre-painted newspaper or magazine clippings. These collage elements are treated and adhered in the same way as the floral works, alternating layers of polymer with the pieces of ephemera.

 The only other adaptation is that after all is said and done instead of adhering the glass to a surface for weights and drying, I peel the image from the glass and then apply it to a new surface. This can be paper, material and even an existing painting. And while these are still Strappo's I have begun to refer to them as Mono-Transfers.

You can see additional pieces along with additional artwork at www.donaldkolberg.com and feel free to email me with any questions.