Fluxus events in NYC!

This is such interesting stuff. And I am in NYC that week--I may have to just to to this and meet up with Cecil!! How exciting... I am tempted to go Friday Night!
The following is a clip from a post made by Cecil Touchon regarding upcoming FLUXUS events in NYC...
"Also I will be in NYC for some Fluxus performances and get-togethers around April 14-18 I think. A lot of fluxus artists will be descending on NYC for "Greetings from Daddaland:Fluxus, Mail Art and Rubber Stamps" performances and events are planned for several days. see below.

Would enjoy meeting up with anybody in NYC at that time.

1. Thursday, April 15th - Gaglione opening at Stendhal / Dada machine
Fluxus performance : Performers are : Picasso Gaglione, Darlene Dormel, Joshua Rutherford, Jessica Feinstein, Keith Buchholz, Reed Altemus, Melissa McCarthy,Ruud Janssen, Christine Tarantino,
and Mark Bloch .
The show opens at 7pm. We will perform at 8:32 sharp.

2. Friday, April 16th - Inside / Outside Fluxfest at Printed Matter

Performers ( So Far ) are :
Reed Altemus, Picasso Gaglione, Joshua Rutherford, Melissa McCarthy, Perry Garvin, Ruud Janssen, Christine Tarantino, Darlene Dormel, Warren Fry, Jennifer Zoellner, Jessica Feinstein, Mark Bloch, Keith A. Buchholz, Olchar F. Lindsann, Tomislav Butovic, and whoever else shows up to perform .
The performance is at 6 pm with the first 30 minutes inside Printed Matter.
At 6:30 we will move outside and unroll a banner that says " FLUXUS STREET THEATRE "
and begin the second part of the performance .
( Printed Matter will be featuring the release of our new series of Performance score pamphlets that evening ).

3. Friday Night, Following the Performance - 8pm
New York Correspondance School Dinner - at Katz's Deli
Spread the word !!! - a classic meeting reemerges at historic Katz's.
Let everybody know - It would be great to have as many folks there as
possible .

4. Saturday, April 17th Lectures at Stendhal - John Held Jr., Ruud Janssen,and Geert De Decker ( Stuka Fabryka ) Lecture on Mail Art, Rubber Stamp, and Fluxus .
1 pm ( tentatively ) I'm not completely sure of the time, but We'll know the lineup for sure by the time we get to New York .

5. Saturday Night - Please Mr. Postman !!!! It's Sticker Dude's
Birthday !!!
Joel Cohen (Stickerdude) hosts an evening of music and mayhem with mailartists at a coffeehouse in Brooklyn .
Details to follow in New York !!!!!!

6. Sunday Morning - The Raid on Rutgers.
For those who wish to venture out on the train.
The Post Neo Absurdists have put together an informal tour of HISTORIC FLUXUS SITES on the Campus of RUTGERS. see where the FLUXMASS really happened. And lots more.
Our hosts Olchar, Warren, and Tomislav have done all the footwork

Are you in NYC? Or near it? Perhaps it's time to decent upon the streets of NY and share some art!

Moles not Molar presents Predictions in Philadelphia

Friday, April 2nd at 7:30PM

location: Wooden Shoe Books (704 South Street)
Philadelphia, PA

Moles Not Molar presents
Predictions

A Book Release Event

Featuring Cara Benson, Jason & David Zuzga, Julie Sadler, Monica de la Torre,

and More!!

Animations! Readings! And Choral Performances!

For this special release event for the fourth volume in the Chain Links book series, a number of the contributors to Predictions - who range from climate scientists to animators to poets - will be presenting portions of their contributions to the collection.

About the Book:

As is painfully obvious for many a religious leader and many a psychic, predicting the future is an indeterminate business. The work collected in PREDICTIONS takes that indeterminancy as a starting point and celebrates it. A futurist points to how the question of the future, once a matter for dreamers and philosophers, has moved to the center of development and scientific agendas. Several artists, well aware that accelerating changes to the environment require that we learn quickly, suggest how art might help us to understand and to rethink the interface between old technologies and new technologies in this time of environmental crisis. A writer and a scientist team up to tell an alternate story of evolution. And a poet writes, "Predictions acquire full meaning when they apply to the, until then, unimaginable." Edited by Cara Benson, with contributors Paul Raskin, Bart Bridger Woodstrup, Julie Sadler, David Zuga, Jason Zuga, and Monica de la Torre.

I am going to be there! If you are anywhere near Philly this Friday night, let's meet up!

Post Animation Discussion

There's nothing like that feeling of achievement when you finally finish something that started off wonderful and ended up tedious and annoying! The animations for the Predictions show are done and I am breathing huge massive sighs of relief. At first they come easily, and I laugh and enjoy the play between me and my art, but after countless hoursof computer work, a month later I begin to tire of it and crave the freedom that collage allows me.
It's within my brain that I feel the difference. I am always well aware of what steps need to be performed to create an animation, and most of it is computer work, inputting frames, animating things, timing to music....it keeps going and going the list of commands and mouse executions I need to perform grows and expands but that's all there is. I am a fast typer and an even faster thinker so things move along, but still, after awhile it just feels tedious.
On the other hand, when i am on the collage table, I feel the freedom to look thru that magazine for just the right little piece. And if I come across something that strikes me for another project I can grab that too...or stop for a moment and read a funny little ditty I find in an 1850's newspaper while I am searching. These pleasant little distractions just don't occur in the middle of working on a computer animation. It's balls to the wall work, for both brain and body.
And so having said that, I am really glad to be done with all 6 of them. I know I am complaining a bit, but I must also be truthful and show the good. There's something hugely satisfying and powerful about being able to see your art come to life. It's as tho I can go in and complete my thoughts, and actually show you what I was thinking behind the scenes. I love that feeling, and it's that very feeling that spurs me on when my wrist starts to ache--and my eyes go fuzzy. It's the knowing that there is no end to the fantasy within me. I love that. They get pretty tedious, but I still seem to be compelled to do it!
After countless hours of work tho, in the end I have to feel justified, and the animations are kind of a dead issue so far for me, at least as far as money is concerned. How i hate it that money even comes into this equation. it's about love! it's about doing! it's about being while I am doing! but my resources =time are limited. I need to justify these things even to be able to afford to continue them all--with shows, sales, and maybe soon some teaching. I need to prioritize with such a busy life, I just have no choice.
So back to the animations, I can't share them or sell them as a product as of themselves, they are ethereal. They are aether. So I'm compiling them into a DVD now, so I can share it and sell it. I don't imagine myself ever getting rich on them specifically, but certainly this skill set of mine isn't a common one! I have done Dreamiverse, Fairies Fantasticus, 8 AEZine CDs, Stand and Deliver...I guess I have done several computer pieces that were designed to accompany artwork, but I have always had the book as a product to sell along with it. For this project, all I have is the DVD.
Such are the lamentations of a wayward collage/computer artist.
This last phase of compiling should take me just one more half day, and then I will be ready for next Friday night's performance. I have to get the details together on that, but that's for another blog post.
Happy arting this weekend ya'll!

Ephemera auction

posted by Steven Specht:

I would really like to keep this as much of a secret as possible, but alas, I feel obligated to inform anyone of my fellow artists who might be interested...
This Saturday there will be a large auction of ephemera in Earlville, NY (beginning at 11:00). For more details, check out www.cnyauctions.com Perhaps I will see you there.

INFAMECLESS Matrioska!

Just Spectacular! found at his flickr home!

Taking the liberty

Since Julie is busy with her animation work for Philadelphia (I LOVE her animations!), I thought I would take the liberty to post my most recent piece (I'm assuming Julie wouldn't mind). I'm chomping at the bit to post this one somewhere; but can't post it on FB or my blog yet since it is a birthday gift for my daughter Brianna (and she shouldn't see it until her 21st B-day at the end of the month). The piece is done on a 6" x 6" panel which is 3/8" deep and incorporates hand-made paper from my sister-in-law Sharon Anayiotos. Enjoy!

animation city

The clearinghouse is quiet, while I take time to prepare the animated collages for PREDICTIONS in Philadelphia.
I do so enjoy making the art squeak, squeal, rock and roll! The added dimension is quite satisfying, but my poor right hand is mad at me now. My wrist hurts and it is hard to maintain 8 hours straight in front of the keyboard to do these. Nonetheless, I persevere and as of this weekend 4 out of 6 animations are complete. The last 2 are already half done, so if I hang in there, I can finish before this week is over.
I looked over at the studio table while I banged away at the keys, and my glues called out to me in distress...USE ME! Soon enough I will be back at the table in the middle of a pile of cut paper! And my wrist will love me again.

Announcement from FLUXMUSEUM - Call for Works

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM FLUXMUSEUM
Call for Works

INTERNATIONAL FLUXHIBITION #4
Deadline: April 1, 2010
no entry fee.
All accepted, no returns.

see incoming works here
http://fluxmuseum.org/calls-for-works-fluxhibition4.html

INTERNATIONAL FLUXHIBITION #4
Fluxus Amusements, Diversions, Games, Tricks and Puzzles

The Fluxmuseum will be organizing an exhibition for exhibit during 2010. This exhibition will focus on fun and games. Works including art, objects, boxes, instructions, performances, scores, ect. are sought that deal with any issue related to fun and games, tricks and puzzles, amusements and diversions.

Subjects might include: any sort of crazy game, trick, magic tricks, strange things to amuse one's self with, disfuntional diversions, perplexing puzzles, etc. Dream up something, send it to:

FLUXMUSEUM
FLUXHIBITION #4
6955 Pinon Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76116
817-944-4000
cecil_touchon@fluxmuseum.org

Be sure to include a filled in Deed of Gift Form

The Future is near! Prepare now.
Don't wait for the dealine, send soon.

Items become a part of the permanent collection of Fluxmuseum.
A full color catalog will be available when completed.

countries currently represented in this upcoming exhibition:
USA, Spain, Ukraine, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, Hungary, Australia & Brazil

Sincerely,
Cecil Touchon
Fluxmuseum.org - CollageMuseum.com

Hochbaum interview on Juxtapoz

David in his element

It's no secret I have a passion for David Hochbaums' work. His ephemeral and medieval landscapes take me to places I think I have been, or perhaps I will be sometime in the future? I have met him in person, visited his studio and seriously have been inspired by his sharing and generous art spirit. The personal benefits I have received because of this I cannot speak enough of ....nor can I exaggerate.
He is interviewed on Juxtapoz regarding his most recent exhibit Your Are Not Falling, You Are Floating. (which I only wish I could have been on the West Coast to see)
When asked about dreams, his response, "All the glimpses into our past which are some how manipulated by our minds and end up as memory that we carry and mold our lives and character around." seemed so appropriate. I believe that as collagists pick up specific detritus from their daily lives, they are unknowingly subconsciously re-membering or re-living experiences or feelings from the past and repeating these themes throught the artwork. It's a fascinating premise.
And so, I urge you to peer deep into these canvases....whether you go to one of his shows, or check out his extensive web presence....and look for that deeper meaning that stirs within your own psyche.

The rich texture and patterning in David's work is evident in this piece. He uses a variety of printing techniques in addition to some that he has conjured up thru his own experience

Encaustic Workshop @ Arkell

The workshop was the first day of no snow, after getting 2 1/2 feet the 3 days prior!

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of being able to attend an encaustic workshop. I was lucky because this class was being taught at Arkell Museum which is located right in my hometown of Canajoharie, NY. I have seen encaustic works before....I did a post in 2008 about Kate Phillips work that I discovered on Etsy. I love the effect, but I have not had the opportunity to try. My collage comrade, Steven Specht, also signed up and took the class.
The instructor for this class was the enthusiastic and vivacious Joanne LaForest-Qua. She is based in Albany, and I think she said she teaches at SUNY. This was going to be interesting. I have not attended any collage workshops before. I am looking into giving some workshops in the future, so I was quite interested in how these things go.

The room before collage chaos began. Nice and neat!

We were ushered into a spacious and well lit room in the basement of Arkell. Joanne had brought a myriad of materials for us to use, and we had also been instructed to bring some materials (or "specimens" as Steven fondly calls them) of our own. I was pleased with the selection of ephemera that she brought, and there was a little bit of something for everyone.
At first, we were instructed to begin our collage work. Each person in the room had a different way of approaching the situation. I was intrigued and wanted to discuss the process with the folks that were there, but I was also trying to learn something and perform my own work, so my attention was limited.

Class participants began their collage work while the beeswax melts.


Steven (lower left) working in a creative frenzy.
Steven remarked to me that he wasn't usually able to produce good work at workshops. I was hoping for him that this time it would be different and he would find a good flow. At first we were both kind of over stimulated. There's new people, new techniques, stuff to talk about, and to do collage work we all know that a bit of concentration is involved. But after a short bit, we all settled down and the paper cutting began.

Collage work in a box using papers of vermilion and glitter that Joanne supplied for us

As for my work, I was in a totally white mood. We had a huge amount of snow this past week and all I could see was white. My mind was white. At home, I had collected quite a pile of white "specimens", including various birch bark pieces, maple seeds, age-stained linens and cottons, and pieces for a massive wasp nest. I proceeded with my work and ended up being able to produce a reasonable collage, even tho I felt like I wanted to be a little bird, floating around the room watching what everyone else was doing!


My work area: the sloppiest in the room and my piece, right before my first wax layer

Our working styles were seriously diverse. I had bark parts all over the floor, and pieces of fabric were floating all around my area. Meanwhile, Steven on my left, had an extremely neat area, with very little debris, not to mention his fine collection of exquisite little scissors that he arranged neatly in order of size. I laughed about this with him, since I use only one very messy, dirty, collage medium-laden pair of full size scissors. How different we all are! Phil, on my right, also kept his area quite clear of messes. Probably neither of them stood a chance, with my stuff flowing all over the tables like the River Nile.
Once we all had a layer of collage on our canvas, it was time to visit the Beeswax station. Joanne had set up a couple of hot wax pots along with some paintbrushes for us. There was also a heat gun for removing wax that was too thick. We continued to work thru our collages and the room got quiet. I was able to do a couple of layers of wax and I found that it was way easy to put too much wax on. Thankfully it's easy to remove.
When I was just about finished, I danced around the room with my camera and took random pictures of participants working. I am so sorry that I didn't take time to acquaint myself with all of these folks so that I could label these photos properly.

This person had a fondness for Mary Englebright and had many colorful pieces of ephemera with her work printed on it


This woman had wonderful copies that she had made on an old style copier. Some were copies that were done on already printed magazine paper. They were extremely rich in texture.

Game boards make a great base for collage.


Pat Castka is a neighbor of mine! We were surprised to see each other at the workshop. Pat challenged herself with a bunch of natural materials.

This woman did colorful work with a flat approach. The colors were saturated and the beeswax was a great accent.

Yours truly in her messiest art clothes on the left and Steven Specht to my right. Not exactly the most flattering pic, but I am posting it anyhow.

Welcome to my waxed white world. Finished piece.
I got to meet some new peeps, got to learn some new techniques, got to talk art with Steven for awhile. A good day was had by all!

Class Participants:
Toni Gaetano, Elaine Holdridge, Melanie Bouton, Sarah Johnston, Karen Katz, Sally Weinstein, Pat Castka, Olya Szyjka, Steven Specht, Julie Sadler

Now, the question. WILL I do this again, on my own? I am not sure. Although I will tell you that I have already acquired a wax heater and the beeswax. I still need Damar Varnish (to add to the beeswax) and perhaps I will have to experiment on my own. I like the fact that the pieces seem otherworldly. The wax adds a dimension that I cannot achieve with any other medium.

Hello from Planet Susannia

Collage by Susanna Lakner
Collage is the noble conquest of the irrational, the coupling of two realities, irreconcilable in appearance, upon a plane which apparently does not suit them. Max Ernst
Was ist eine Collage? Die systematische Ausbeutung des zuffälligen oder künstlich provozierten Zusammentreffens von zwei oder mehr wesensfremden Realitäten auf einer augenscheinlich ungeeignete Ebene. Max Ernst

Greetings! It's Friday and I am kinda nervous and jumpy today after receiving 3+ feet of snow in 3 days. It's like an infinite canvas, stretching across meadow and forest. I wish I could paint across it all in a large swash.
Fluxus, Dada, these wonderful art movements both played a part in elevating the status and popularity of collage. When first discovering collage over 10 years ago, I fell in love with these European works, and Hannah Hoch was my idol. I came to learn about mailart rather late in the scale of things, and altho I have sent out a few projects and participated in a few mailart calls, I really have not embraced that art scene as much as I could. There are a lot of Fluxus groups and they are constantly posting intellectual works that are stimulating and innovative.
Today I share with you mailart sweetness from across the pond in Germany. I received an email today from Planet Susannia. As soon as I saw the name in the email, I was excited. I have heard of Susanna Lakner in mailart circles and here she was sharing her collage blogs with me. I am tickled to death that she wrote me--honored even.
Of course, there was nothing I could do but share this all with you.
Her first blog, Planet Susannia, is a terrific digital accounting of her mailart correspondence sprinkled with random collage work. I loved looking thru these pages and spent some time peeking around.
I love the spontaneousness of mail art. I fixate and fantasize about the postal workers and their reaction to a breath of fresh art in the mail.


She started a new blog recently...entitled leben-und-kleben.blogspot.com. I am sure this will also become a colorful box of treasures to peer into when in need of a break from daily visual boredom.
Thanks Susanna for the heads up on your blogs! I am sure to stop by now and then to visit.

Kristina Kiselyte

I know. It's been awhile since I posted anyone else's work on this blog. The energy to do so thru these past few months of surgery and healing was just not there. But as I climb back into my busy reality, I find gems along the way that scream out--Share me!
Today I stumbled upon Kristina Kiselyte. She's a collage artist that recently graduated from University of the Arts Camberwell in 2009 (UK).
Truly, I was not looking for collage, but instead for more information on my Lithuanian folk project. Kristina did a small series of interpretation of a fairy tale I am studying. I liked her stuff so much, I probed deeper and found even more delights.

These fascinating letter collages really tripped my trigger. Black and white is so rich. Her work with type is really inspiring.

This wonderful piece, makes me think of the serpent king in the story. I love the portions that are drawn, and then the addition of minimalist collage pieces. Nice.
There really wasn't a lot to see, but the work that I have seen is terrific.
Her website is here but I am following her blog here.

Instruction Manual for Tree Isolation Unit-Animation

I am working on animating the Prediction pieces for a live performance in Philadelphia on April 2. The details are still being worked out for the show, but in the meanwhile, I got to work this weekend, and finished up the first of 6 collage animations.
It's a bizarre process. I scan in the completed work. I open it in Photoshop and use the pen tool to isolate various portions of interest. I save all these as individual .png files. Next, it's off to Flash for animation. I import all the little tidbits and begin mixing them. It's the most fun part of all, watching everything come alive. Finally, I pair up sounds with the objects, and of course now I am usually brimful with the pleasure of creation. You get another dimension of the artwork...Welcome to the inside of my head....

Predictions

A couple of years ago, I was approached by Cara Benson about participating in a project called Predictions. She invited me to participate a book that would require me to search my soul for feelings about our future here on Planet Earth. I have a deep love for forests, and I see them dwindling and slowly disappearing. I allowed my imagination to go wild on the topic and after much thought, I ended up thinking of a day when trees only appeared in tended gardens. It would be a time where our atmosphere would have degraded to such a degree that perhaps we would even have to contain, and therefore sustain vegetation.
Using collage as my medium, (*of course*) I tackled the subject and came up with 6 different ways of depicting this concept.
I probably posted them here while I was working on them, but here's a reminder of what they looked like.

Liquidation Detector
2008
Mixed Media Collage on L'Anaquarelle
12 x 9
Vintage photo frame, snips from Emigre type catalog promoting the font Puzzler, wrapping paper, rice pasta bag, poster from religious mailer, marbled floral wrap, vintage atlas, instrument keys from vintage instrument catalog Tone Topics Issue 14

Operation Manual for Tree Isolation Unit
2008
12 x 9 on L'Anaquarelle
pen and ink, tissue paper label, Vintage The Vermonter cover, Chinese Calendar box, automotive poster, medical book, popular mechanics cuts, Kirsch drapery brochure

Some time has passed since I did these pieces, and now the book has been published and even reviewed by the Brooklyn Rail.
I can't resist posting an excerpt here>
"If “Global futures cannot be predicted due to three types of indeterminacy—ignorance, surprise and volition,” then it is necessary to begin with hypothetical scenarios. Who better to work with such scenarios than professional visionaries who creatively tinker elusive material into potent realities?...
...We cannot imagine falsely and Julie Sadler imagines images of things like a “Harmonic Human Invasion Instrument” and a “Landscape Containment Unit.” These gorgeously reproduced collages combine vintage instruments with barren trees and wrappers in a meld of alchemical layout. They are blueprints for the fusing of a malleable past into an elastic future."

The book turned out to be quite cool. You can purchase it here.

Sometimes things just don't work out

My mind is hammering the fern blossom story to death. Day and night, asleep and awake, I keep going over papercuts, blacks and whites, oranges and blues, on top of tunnel book techniques. It's consuming me. I have various styles floating in my head, too, which also haunt me and affect the upcoming outcomes. The inspiration keeps pouring in from the beautiful use of photography by David Hochbaum, the fascinating tunnel books of Andrea Dezso, the paper cuts of Hans Christian Anderson, the use of Lithuanian folk art symbols-legends-myths, and of course, my own collage experience. How...how how to meld these influences together, and make them my own. That's the question. That's the goal.
So I vacillate, back and forth lately, between a collage that is more painterly than collagey--unfamiliar and strange-undone, and a collage that is more typical of my former work--comfortable, but clone like. It's a struggle to grow and to find new paths of working. I have found a formula that works, but unfortunately, I tire of it. And also, I have discovered a formula seems to create similar results. I seek growth and a change in perspective. In fits and starts I plod along.
Sometimes things just don't work out on the table and what I come up with bores me and doesn't even come close to the visions dancing in my head. For example, this piece here.

Not all work is a masterpiece (poorly cropped. it didn't deserve another scan!)
Using a family pack chicken meat tray, I made a drawing in the styrofoam with a pen. Then I inked it up with magenta acrylic and used it to create some prints. I am exploring print methods for SUNY Cobleskill (there's an etching press there dying for some use!) and decided to use some of this in my own artwork. The print worked well, altho my drawing really kinda sucked. It was a 2 minute sketch of the view aross the street. I liked the print, and decided to challenge myself to use it in Yet Another Solstice Fern Blossom picture. Unfortunately, I kept trying to cover the printed portion with collage! (In the end, I still put some pink photo blobs on it.) The outcome is pretty lame, barely speaks of the solstice and truly, I don't think it worked out. Not all pieces are the masterpieces. I am hoping all this experimentation will lead to something grand. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the journey.

CLIMATE/GALLERY "Putting It All Together" exhibit

... a couple more to go with the ones below. I apologize to the artists that I am not providing their names. The opening reception was CROWDED and my time was limited. Enjoy!

CLIMATE/GALLERY "Putting It All Together" exhibit

Here are some of my favorites from the exhibit now at the Climate/Gallery in Queens:

Pre-post(?)

I will be following-up on this "teaser" post; but I must say, if you are interested in seeing some wonderful contemporary collage in NYC, visiting the current exhibit "Putting-It-All-Together" at the Climate/Gallery in Queens is a must! What a great group of exquisite collages. Wow! I will share some photos this evening.

Try number 2 and 3

Into the deep forest on a solstice night
This second piece was totally my own, with no input from Lithuanian sources. I wanted to come up with something that could be the deep forest on the solstice night. It might be too busy. I am going to simplify a bit and try again. The birds seem corny, but part of the reward of finding the blossom is the knowledge of understanding them.

Searching for the Fern Blossom
The third piece was a product of me attempting this with a different technique. Instead of painting the whole thing and attaching the collage, I wanted to sort of paint and collage at the same time. In doin so, I lost the 2-toned reverse thing that I had going on. Took my time using pen and ink on the ferns. This one lacks the folk look I was trying to achieve, but the loose collage and stencil--it still turns me on.

NYC Gallery

I have been a little remiss in regularly checking the website for the Pavel Zoubok Gallery (www.pavelzoubok.com); but I check it yesterday and it's definitely worth looking at some of the pieces on display currently. This gallery specializes in collage and assemblage work and is located at 533 West 23rd St. in Chelsea. The next time you go to NYC, it's worth a visit. I saw a Ray Johnson collage there last summer among others. Enjoy!