Having had adequate "cool-off" time from artful academia, and having discovered contentment with being the "designer daddy who once made Art" I have decided it is time to share the work of last summer - that is, summer '08, folks. I didn't make jackcrap this summer... Not in the "Art" sense anyways.

Prominent among these uploads is my temporary wall drawing from June of 2008. To this day, I am deeply indebted to MTZ and the managers of Commerce Street for the generous use of that wall... Anyhow, it was a long-standing dream fulfilled and it was great to get it out and seen in Vegas... Now the rest of the world can have access to it in some form.

Hey! remember how I always wanted to work on a Mac desktop... All thanks and praise be to my employer!

Final thoughts: In line with coming to terms with the non-art, irrelevant, "Gypsy" nature of my work, I still say it possess no meaning beyond itself - it's the physical record of the movement of my hands, with marks and colors arranged in clever, but ultimately insignificant ways. It was my selfish, albeit pleasurable way of passing the time - akin to any masturbatory act... Further to this, anyone who seeks meaning in these or other images does so at their own risk and at the cost of their own time - if you need to find meaning in an image I made, it's probably time to re-evaluate your priorities, mate! Go for a long walk. Get a real job. If you're really feeling sassy, get married, adopt a puppy, hell... have a child with someone you care about - then ask yourself where meaning lies. It certainly isn't embedded in strokes and splatters of a piece of "Art", that's for certain.

Anywhooo... enjoy the (not-so) new imagery folks!

-G

Three decades... a lot can happen in that span of what we perceive as "time"...

Physically, I feel fine - there have been concerns over misbehaving moles and fluctuation in weight and eyesight... Other than that, my hair has remained in place and in color, all internal devices appear to be doing their "job" consistently, and for the first time (ever!) I can run... I never ran in P.E. class, nor when training for marching, and college or grad school? forget about it! But the recent passing of a beloved relative and the not-so recent advent of my son has literally kicked me into gear... so, I run now. I haven't touched caffeine in months and I'm weening myself off refined sugar and sodium... Is this an attempt at immortality? No... but I suspect that decades of soda, fast food and a sedentary lifestyle might have devastating consequence - ergo, the emphasis on physical maintenance. Plus, I suppose it will soon be time to visit the physician more often - I'm not looking forward to getting his "thumbs-up" though...

Emotionally, my family really sets the tone... It seems that ups and downs are dictated by those with whom I share my life and living space. I can't claim to truly, deeply care about anything else though. I still don't get the "emotive" response to art thing - never have, probably never will. Art may be for expression, but I really don't have much to express or say.
Every now and then, music sends tingles down my spine and limbs - I miss playing, but not badly enough to spend the time to do so... I suppose that's the expression and manifestation of not caring.

I came to realize over the past five years that I can't really point to anyone anymore and name them as a "friend" - at least not in the traditional sense, anyways. I didn't "keep up" with anyone after any graduation at any time ever... I don't "do" MySpace or Facebook, so... I couldn't tell you a thing about anyone from my past right now... And the most bizarre thing: I am at peace with this notion. I suppose I always have been. I don't really know anyone (Hell, I wonder if I know myself...) but then again, no one knows me (save a small contingent of familial relations...) It gives me a lot of time to engage in my extraordinary and strange job, and I suppose a certain anonymous "freedom". I maintain very few social and emotive obligations these days, and I kind of like it that way. I am indebted to those I love and care about, and I believe that sense is reciprocated.

In terms of philosophy and ethos, I still see no reason or cause to believe in anything beyond myself and my family... possibly my co-workers, but that's a different paragraph... Despite a remarkable number of coincidences and the complexity of the universe, I see no grand plan or design - it's random - nothing happens for a reason - you have nothing to believe or control in but yourself. I'm a damn skeptical cynic and pretty proud of it!

I make money these days... a lot in my estimation. Sure, my family and I still rent and we maintain only one vehicle, but we don't spend on luxuries, per se... Hell, we still have a tube TV and wouldn't know a DVR from a BluRay player... but I'm gainfully employed, doing something I love in a position where I seem to make people happy. That, to me, means more than a car or plasma set. I would like to work on a Mac at home soon though...
I also wish that the public sector would quit bitchin' about the so-called economy. Are schools and hospitals and police and fire really that connected to Wall Street? Why are school districts terminating employees because of financial and real estate speculation? Aside from my wife not being re-hired within the school district (due of course to fear and financial panic...)we're not really "feeling" this so-called depression... and skeptic that I am, I don't buy it. If you lost money or financial ground in this "crisis", I'm sorry - but that's the risk of speculation. Be there a next time, choose where your faith lies a little more carefully.

So, another year, another decade... still not making "art", gypsy or otherwise - probably won't for some time... But my job (if such a fun and engaging activity can be debased with such a label) keeps me drawing on a daily basis. I will continue to slowly release older images - maybe eventually getting to the crap I had to make in the MFA program...

Here's to me at 30...

-G

One of the key reasons I "left" my MFA program dealt with the naming of Art... My opinion then, as it continues now, is that naming or labeling imagery is a futile pursuit in the here and now - Like any good cookie, it is best to give it time to "cool down" before tasting; in other words, to call art of our time by any title or name is wrong.

Why?

Almost every "movement" in the known history of human image making was labeled by historians, collectors, and archivists - NOT the artists themselves! Time, history, and those who see our work LATER will properly apply a brand. WE, the makers, are as yet unfit and too invested to accurately apply such profound and meaningful ideas as a "name" for the work we make. Also, by "letting it be", we encourage participation in the process of criticism and aesthetic theory by future generations. The main exception, of course, came about in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, when critics began identifying and labeling artists or movements, and later, artists formed groups and movements with the aid of the infamous manifesto. No one believes in manifesto anymore, so no one really writes them, I guess...
Anyhow...
I refused to label and subsequently insist upon the importance of my doodles by "naming" them or trying to connect them to an important group, movement, or style. It's just too soon!!! I also want it known that I currently reject academic elitism - after several years "out" in the "real" world, returning to the "ivory tower" was a poor and tragic mistake! Those who guard the tower have their heads so far up their collective ass and are incapable of thinking in practical, as oppopsed to theoretical, terms...

...Harsh words, I know.

But I want my work to be recognized for the materials, processes, marks, and emerging images represented therein - I want it to be good in reality; not just good in "theory".

So, I'm a pragmatist.

Pragmatism is a renegade way of thinking in post-modern academia - But ultimately, it is the pragmatist that survives!

Damn... for a quick and fleeting thought, this is going towards a rationalized manifesto hard and fast... sorry... I guess some folks DO still write manifestos.

With that in mind, that is: Being of the renegade, anti-theoretical/pro-process mindset, and possessing more skill than thought, I stumbled upon a lable for myself and the work!
Now, when people see my work, they can have a cushy little label and a neat box to place it in... and by the by, if anyone wants to join me in this cozy box, please let me know... I'm not possessive of this title by any means and, by its very essence, it belongs to all and any who desire to partake...
Anyhow, enough build-up... This was just a fleeting thought that my mind crossed today, and I didn't want to loose it (or the rationale behind it...)

OK... Here goes:

GYPSY ART!!!

It's a leap beyond the now-popular idea of Juxtapoz/"skreet/street" art, and more cognitive than the oft demeaning "outsider" or "visionary" art... By virtue of the fact that I studied, I can't be "outsider" (that, and the fact that I uses phrases like, "by virtue of the fact that...") I am no more a visionary than Picasso... I love to experiment with material - in other words, I wander and don't like being in one place (physically or visually) for too long... also, in terms of what I do and make, I am essentially "cast out" from mainstream theory-headed concept-driven "Art".

In other words, I am a Gypsy - A resourceful and opportunistic (taking advantage of what comes my way to create imagery), nomadic (not belonging to any school, movement, or region), malcontent... and one that often irritates the mainstream because of the aforementioned disregard for "rules" or social conduct.
Similarly, I smile! I think that, more than anything else, the demeanor of art people rubs me the wrong way - as a group, they seem to lack the mandibular musculature to achieve the feat of smiling, let alone laughter or any other form of mirth... Cheer the hell up, Emo kid! I know there's a lot wrong with the world today, folks, but we might see more funding and social acceptance if we chose to adopt a more positive, whimsical outlook on life. If you're trying to look "serious" and "lost in thought", you don't; rather, you look quite constipated. Knock it off! That said, even in leaving the program, I am happy. Here again, the gypsy parallel is seen: Gypsies have a certain reputation for flare; a zeal for living, even though circumstance is less than ideal or one finds one's self an outcast.

Anyhow, that's where I'm at - rationalizing it to the nth, I know, but right now, I like the ring of it: Gypsy Art. Love it? Hate it? Object on some level or disagree? Lemme know!

It's hard to call this a "reflection" - Reflection involves a degree of intorspection; introspective practice implies that there is something to "look at" within one's self. And as I clearly explained last time, my lack of internal substance makes "Art" an impossibility - ergo, reflection would be moot. This site is a place of documentation
for me.

With that in mind, and thanks large-in part to Jen Tichon, the CCSDs premier slide photographer, I have an amusing collection of scrawlings, drippings, and marks I made last year that I can share electronically. These images - new to most of you - were on display last Summer at the Commerce Street Studios, sponsored by the now defunct MTZC Gallery.

Like all of my work prior, you will find no deep or meaningful message - just the record of my hand and the effects of gravity on now solidified wet media. If you're looking for "God/Goddess" or the cure for cancer; perhaps the meaning of life, then please look elsewhere - these were developed for my own enjoyment. If they entice and delight you, them by all means, look on.

A glimmer of "reflection": looking at these new uploads reminds me of how much enjoyment the process of drawing brings - between this and the watercolor unit in my costume design class, I sort of want to go back to drawing - just a little - and on a small scale... Just for me...
-G

And like that... he's back... sort of...

I haven't had time for "blogs" or the internet in general of late - OK, for the past six months - in fact, unless it somehow related to reading a scholarly article or e-mail from work/school, I didn't visit at all!!!

Here's the scoop: I've been participating in MFA coursework since August. Never mind that I'm raising a son with my wife; never mind that my stock as a designer continues to rise; and, never mind teaching as a graduate assistant... Here's what I learned in graduate school so far:

I AM NOT AN ARTIST!!!

Goddamn, it feels great to say that...

To clarify: I make images. I love drawing. The images and drawings don't really have any meaning or social significance beyond themselves or their maker, ergo... I do not make art and am therefore, not an Artist - at least not by contemporary philosophical and theoretical nomenclature that sustains the academic and "fine" art world...

And that's a problem if one professes to pursue a "Master of Fine Arts" degree. My work - and the lack of intent behind it - is NOT in line with the contemporary art world. It is, at best, a hobbyist activity - it falls well outside the bounds of "Art" and is, for all intents and purposes, despite all my training, "Outsider" or "Visionary" art... The problem with that classification, as suggested in the last sentence is that I have extensive training. I have access to scholarly literature, museums, gallery talks, and yes, even artists themselves... In light of all that, I still have no "idea"; no significant "meaning" behind my work beyond simply wanting to see something "cool", "fun", or "spooky".

As one poignant professor put it, "Art is Physical Philosophy". I don't profess a philosophy - I don't "believe" in much of anything... It's kind of hard to defend your work when it has no content or belief; difficult to have content when you don't have any "interests"; difficult to have "interests" when you live day-to-day. With that in mind, I'm out as soon as I'm in - in other words, I'm done with the degree track program - No MFA for me, thank you very much! Perhaps another time in another place - but not now...

"(Wake me up)
Wake me up inside
(I can’t wake up)
Wake me up inside
(Save me)
call my name and save me from the dark
(Wake me up)
bid my blood to run
(I can’t wake up)
before I come undone
(Save me)
save me from the nothing I’ve become

Bring me to life
(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)
Bring me to life" - Evanescence

So, for now, I am a designer... maybe a teacher, if I need more $$$; I'll post up anything I feel had/had merit sometime soon - until then...

-G