Monday, April 26, 2010

Manson Bus


This is one of my favorite LA omens.

I've been admiring this vehicle since we moved to this side of town.

Trying to remember locales where it was parked
helped me discover various scenic routes through the neighborhood,
and how mine and other neighborhoods connected.

I hadn't seen it for a while.
But spotted in 3 times in 3 different locations in the past couple weeks.

The last time, when this picture was taken,
I was picking my son up from school.

It wasn't there when I parked.
It was there when we returned minutes later.




And,
working on that big lino.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Back To The Big Lino






Otto Mueller

James Ellroy

Andrew Wyeth

Anselm Kiefer

Ed Sanders

Sonic Youth Flower EP

Savage Pencil

Anselm Kiefer

Last Fall I started this project. As I got the big lino prepared for cutting, it was getting a bit colder.
I knew that I would be in the studio late at night mostly, and that it would be cold in the studio.
Linoleum gets hard brittle and unforgiving in the cold.
So I screen printed over the winter.
Kept warm.
And now that Spring is here? Coming?
I'm back to cutting.

The lino is about 5 feet by 7 feet.
It's pretty slow going.
Gives me time to figure out the rest of the piece.

This is going to be printed on rice paper. Giant rice paper. Which I have to get made.
Big, delicate rice paper.
The first time Eduardo and I printed the flowers on rice paper, it was the windiest day for months. And Hochbaum had just showed up that afternoon.
It was a difficult job keeping rice paper soaked through with oil ink from blowing on everything and itself. and then trying to peel it apart without tearing them.

There is going to be light and sound as well.
I have some help.
But it's not quite there yet.
It's solving that mystery which propels me to cut this damn lino.

I haven't worked on something this large in a while. Something that is going to take a long time. And has already taken up a lot of mental space.
And work.
So the ideas and reasons for doing it are shifting.
I had originally wanted to record myself reading The Family by Ed Sanders.
The entire book.
And play that along with other sounds and video projections, using the rice paper print as the screen.
I want the projections.
And sounds. And possibly music. But I don't know what narration(s) if any will remain.
From multiple sources.
Right now I'm thinking about a collage.
But that could change.

I'm including pictures of some of the initial inspirations for this piece.
There will be quite a few more by the time it is finished.
And along the way.




And.
It's about California.
It's about Los Angeles.

The Park








Goldmine Shithouse



Goldmine Shithouse



I've got my work on display at The Park Restaurant in Echo Park right now.
It's up for a while.
There are 17 pieces up, including 2 Goldmine Shithouse pieces. One from the very first Shithouse gallery show in New York City 2004 and one from San Francisco 2008.
My work on display is from pretty much that same time span.
Check it out.
Have a meal.
I'm going to do a closing thing there at an as yet undisclosed date.
The Park is closed Mondays. Open for lunch and dinner. And brunch.
Check website for hours:

The Park
1400 Sunset Blvd
LA CA 90026
213 482 9209
http://www.thepark1400sunset.com/

Goldmine Shithouse:
goldmineshithouse.com

2 New Pieces





Two recently finished pieces.

Indio Ghost


My son Indio being a ghost.
Singing the Scooby Doo theme.