hex opera

Sonnenschein

2012-02-16T00:50:00.000-08:00

Getting My German On

This is a new-or more aptly-recently finished-series. They are silkscreens with a linocut and oil pastel and pencil and stamping and more silkscreens. Each one is 22" x 30".

The image is a portrait of Marilyn Chambers. I did a drawing from the poster of Behind The Green Door a few years back. I did a fairly straight forward 2 color silkscreen version in the 13 Altars series. Then collages. And more screens made from collages. The black and white version in the Hex Opera series is called Marilyn Venus.

I've had a longstanding appreciation and fondness for the sense of mystery the words Green Door evoke. A pre-adolescent fascination with newspaper ads for the film. The Cramps cover version. The NYC party...

I generally think of series in terms of books, or records. This one is a book. The scientist in me really likes to title things. These are the titles from top to bottom:

Prolog

Chapter 1: New Ancestors

Chapter 2: Hex Berlin

Chapter 3: Hidden Upside Down Tree

Chapter 4: Half Scorpio

Chapter 5: Boreas

Chapter 6: Witch Behind The Door

Chapter 7: The Thief

Chapter 8: Der Blaue Engel

Chapter 9: Erdschatten

Chapter 10: Donna Hure

Chapter 11: Set Fire To The Air

Chapter 12: Der Immergeist

Chapter 13: The Serpent In The Soul Of The Serpent

Epilog

When I was in Berlin with the Goldmine Shithouse back in 2007, Sabrina Calmels-who was filming a documentary about us-had a shirt that simply said Sonnenschein (sunshine) on it. In a beautiful san serif font. We printed a Leila Wadell face on her shirt at the silkscreen party. Still think about that shirt. I thought the word sunshine struck a nice balance with the all the darkness.

The Serpent In The Soul Of The Serpent is an episode title from Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz.

Human Array Opening

2011-09-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from the Hex Opera opening and live silk screening at the Human Array Gallery in San Pedro on Thursday September 1.

Thanks to Kiyoshi Nakazawa for coming down and screening with me. And to Gordy Knouse for helping out all day and night, with everything.

Thanks to Jan Zwierstra and Haryn De Leon from Human Array. Most of these photos are from Jan.

And Thanks to Ben Ryan, and a huge thanks to Sencee Tagami for all her help putting the show up.

And thanks to everyone who came out.

If you missed the opening, we are doing a closing reception Saturday October 1, from 7-10pm. Sponsored by Judy Rivera from Sino Tequila. I would love to see you there.
Human Array Gallery 357 W. 7th St. San Pedro, CA 90731 www.humanarraygallery.com

Arroyo Cuerpo

2011-08-19T04:05:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent print for the Hex Opera series.
It's a silkscreen version of the big lino, the albatross in my studio...
Tried to capture some LA summer gold and green.

Pedro, Baby!

2011-08-04T00:55:00.000-07:00

I'm finally showing some of the prints-along with some other work-from the Hex Opera series.

At the Human Array Gallery in San Pedro, California.

357 W. 7th St. San Pedro, CA 90731

The opening is Thursday September 1st, from 6-10pm.

Doing a live silkscreen thing-Shithouse style. Bring your own shirts, totebags, pillowcases, etc and we'll screen them for $5 a pop. My friend Kiyoshi Nakazawa will be printing his designs as well. If you're not familiar with his work, check out his website: luckynakazawa.com.

I've got some work up in the gallery now-pieces from the 13 Altars series.

Tomorrow night is their First Thursday opening for August. There will be food trucks and I'll have some additional older prints for sale...

13 Altars Pt. lll

2010-10-29T06:36:00.001-07:00

Goodbye

Big Cakes

Blue Bedroom

2 Candles

Linda

13 Altars Pt. ll

2010-10-29T06:32:00.001-07:00

Chloe

Interview

The Lam

Sadie/Sharon

Nova

New Old Friends: 13 Altars Pt. 1

2010-10-29T05:57:00.000-07:00

Vague Ultimate Bedroom

Romance

Sleepwalking

Beer Fridge

Green Door

Hello:
I haven't posted anything in a long time.
Pretty much since my little girl was born 9 weeks ago.

I had a numerically crazy birthday: turning 44, born'66 on 10 10 10.

Been trying to figure out the next project. And trying to figure if I can do it and sleep.

I needed to make some room in my studio.
So I had a studio sale on my birthday.
It was nice.
Didn't clear enough room.

But I took stock.

Going to be posting older silkscreens.
For sale.

The first series is called 13 Altars from 2008-9. This series was the precursor to the work in the Hex Opera series-which I still haven't posted all together. Soon...

Anyway-
all these silkscreens are 12" x 18"
(except Blue Bedroom which is 12" x 16.5"
Limited editions ranging from 10 - 30 (most editions of 17)
$30 each, which includes US shipping & handling
Overseas, I gotta figure out still...
contact me @ colin.burns@gmail.com

There are 15 images in this series.
Gonna do consecutive posts.
And soon-hopefully-subsequent posts of older print series, linocut as well as silkscreen.

I think this is the last print of this series...I think...

2010-08-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

Studio Ghosts

2010-08-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

The Horror

2010-07-28T02:01:00.000-07:00

It's looking a bit Italian horror in the studio lately.

La Gritona cd released

2010-07-28T01:16:00.000-07:00

The La Gritona 2 cd set was released today. 41 tracks, all our studio recordings and some live material. Nice booklet filled with photos and old flyers.
Available at www.bluecollardistro.com/hydrahead/

Lindsay

2010-07-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

The first thing I heard on the radio this morning was Lindsay Lohan showing up late to prison.
I did a number of pieces "starring" Lindsay.
Here are two from 2006:

Laguna Sunset silkscreen 18" x 24" edition of 50
text:
She was gonna be anything she wanted to be
The pretty song on a metal album

The other is Lindsay Memoir #1-9, which casts Lindsay as member of The Family
9 pieces
linocut and media mounted on masonite 9.5" x 12.5" each
text:
It all started with Charlie
God and Man, Father-Lover
Charlie was Love

There was a short period
Where we knew
What we were doing

I traded it for Jesus And
For Life
It was a Ride

Candy Process

2010-07-12T00:58:00.000-07:00

Photography

2010-07-02T03:57:00.000-07:00

About a year ago I started doing photo shoots with Katie. At first, solely as a resource for my printmaking. Now, I am beginning to look at some of the shots as photographs instead of studies.

I've been using a digital camera for the past few years to document work, take family portraits, and do the occasional landscapes and figure studies. I took it on all the Goldmine Shithouse trips, and I'd come home to 6 blurry shots of gallery chaos.
Not the most diligent keeper of records.
Anyway, I was becoming more and more dissatisfied with relying on found images as the major sources in my work, and I realized I had the capabilities to shoot my own material. All those sources remain as inspiration.

The first few shoots I did with Katie were for specific purposes. The very first was for the big lino.
My friend Jake was kind enough to show me a secluded spot bordering Elysian Park. It was perfect. Trees, hay, party remnants. Just the kind of spot it's perfectly natural to ask someone to pose in as a naked corpse. It wasn't before long that during that first shoot that Katie began predicting what I wanted. Which makes my job easier. And it was fun. And I was getting really good source material.

The Hex Opera prints have a transitory feel for a number of reasons. I won't get into all of those reasons. Yet.
About half the series is based on smaller multi-layered silkscreen collages I've been working on the past few years featuring images of Sadie Mae, Sharon Tate, Barbi Benton, Leila Wadell, John Holmes and some other random porn stars. Enlarged in size. And reduced (also for a number of reasons) to black and white.
The other half of the series is images based on photo shoots with Katie.
Though I'm actually working on a small series of silkscreens, Silent Water being the first, taken directly from Katie photo sessions, after each shoot I'd find a photo or two that I couldn't really think of an interesting or necessary way to turn into a print of some sort.
Other than a photograph.
The above shots were taken in my friend Tristan's car last Sunday. Parked outside. Natural light, streetlights and car interior light.
Now the shoots are more like collaboration. I usually go with an idea of what I want. And I get that. And I usually get more I didn't expect or foresee.
Thanks Katie

Silent Water

2010-06-08T01:00:00.001-07:00

I had to take another break from the big lino.
These Carny Hands are nothing but little claws, lately.
And I wanted to see some tangible progress.
And I'm less likely to fall asleep screen printing than I am cutting the lino...

Silent Water is a 2 color silkscreen (dark blue over light silver blue)
Image size is 18" x 24" printed on 22" x 3o" paper
From a photoshoot I did last year in the Los Angeles River

Looking at the prints hanging behind me, the dark blue is darker than the above photo. It dried down some. It's more contrasty.

The title comes from a song by the band The Telescopes from the album As Approved By The Committee. It's one of those songs that I wish I had written. Or at least had an excuse to sing.

More than other cities I've lived, names and places here constantly evoke bits of song, dialogue or scenery from film. etc. If I'm downtown crossing the LA River, I invariably envision a young Emilio Estevez puking over the bridge in Repo Man. When I cross it on my way to work I hear the second verse from Some Other Time by X:

this midnight
i will
turn into a beer
i will
dream of you between nightmares and wars
and toss and turn
ain't you gonna take me for a ride
drink and drive
down to the l.a. river bed
i'll make no mistakes and
i'll behave

Another inspiration for this piece came from the cover of the soundtrack to You Light Up My Life, which my in-laws have displayed in their living room. We were back east recently, visiting family, and I fixated on the cover, especially the tasty duotone color scheme.

I've been revisiting Twin Peaks lately, as well.

Now it's back to the lino.

After Schongauer

2010-05-15T04:24:00.000-07:00

Eduardo came over earlier this week and helped me print.

I'm trying to figure out various options for printing the big lino.
I've never printed linocuts onto canvas before.
Never liked canvas, much. Always preferred paper and wood...
I've been thinking about various lighter weight options-such as rice paper-
but I want materials sturdier than that as well.
The linen seems a likely candidate for the big lino.
But not the rice paper we used this time.

I'm not sure if the photo conveys it, but her face on the linocut itself,
after printing and cleaning,
is much softer.

I did a previous post about the image.
Martin Schongauer 1440-1491 A Foolish Virgin c. 1480-90

These Brittle Bones

2010-05-11T22:53:00.001-07:00

These are photos of my old band La Gritona taken by Ryan Murphy at a club called Jacques in Boston in 1995, at the first Drags, Dicks & Dykes benefit.
A Los Angeles label, Tortuga, is releasing a 2 disc La Gritona retrospective? Discography? (it's everything we recorded) later this Summer.
We've been tweaking the booklet the past few weeks, and this series were in the last batch of photos Thos sent earlier this week from Boston. The horizontal shot was the last missing piece in the booklet.
I don't think I'd ever seen these shots.
Pretty bad ass.
The anger!
The red shorts!
I'm so old fashioned, I can hardly wait to be holding the package in my hands.
I'll do another post when it's release is imminent.

In the meantime, here is a video Ryan Murphy shot of the song +2 Charisma:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfwqbs1diDo

La Gritona was: Thos Niles, Dana Embrose, Andrew Donheiser and me. In the red shorts.

Wee Break For Carny Hands

2010-05-01T05:28:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out different options for printing the big lino.
I'm planning on rice paper.
But I wanted to try printing on other materials.
Starting with this linen.

The engraving, A Foolish Virgin, is by Martin Schongauer (c. 1440-1491). He was an influence on Albrecht Durer. With umlauts.
I came across it in a book called Great Prints & Printmakers-Herman J. Wechsler.
It struck me.
I did this lino last year.
I was working on a couple of additional layers that I stopped working on.
Sidetracked by the Big Lino.
The layers may or may not reoccur...depends, really...
What I like.
I'll do some of these on rice paper as well.

Manson Bus

2010-04-26T01:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Back To The Big Lino

2010-04-08T02:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-08T00:56:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-08T00:41:00.000-07:00

Two recently finished pieces.

Indio Ghost

2010-04-08T00:35:00.000-07:00

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

Priestess 2

2010-03-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

RIP Alex Chilton

There are times when it's really satisfying to lay the black down when you're printing.
And they're pretty rare.
This was one of those times.

There are some nice variations.

Italian Horror Give 'Em Enough Rope.

Now I Need To Find This Nose

2010-03-16T00:37:00.001-07:00

I know I have a few left from this series without dots on top. I like the dots, but I want to find the nose.

drawings/monoprints

2010-03-16T00:24:00.000-07:00

Since I had the linocut out, and it was all inked up, it was time to hit some older prints and drawings.

Color Backdrop

2010-03-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Working on another version of the Priestess print. These are going to be an edition with some variety. A little break from the black and white. Decided to take a small break from the screen printing. Tried out some linocut dots. Wasn't too thrilled about the result on this series...

Priestess: First Attempt

2010-02-23T23:35:00.000-08:00

This printing was fraught with error.
This is one case where I like the fuck ups a lot more than the regular prints.
There didn't end up being too many regular prints that weren't fucked up, at least a little.
But I liked the completely off printed newsprint ones.

And I'm gonna do a single black run.

And the cover of the Hex Opera series.
This print, but more Italian Horror/Give 'Em Enough Rope.
Hopefully.

That candy box is in there because it's at eye level with me at the computer. Almost back of the head level, really. This is what imprints.

Up The Stairs

2010-02-13T05:02:00.000-08:00

This is my latest print from the series.
Printed last Friday.
And some studio shots.
Series is winding down. One more screen, well, at least one more...
For the cover.

I'm letting it drag a little here.
Not quite ready to finish this.

Leila Waddell

2010-02-02T00:13:00.000-08:00

I printed this one, The Other Twin, last week. And before I put it up I wanted to elaborate a bit about this image.
It's from a photo of Leila Waddell.

When the Goldmine Shithouse was at the Strychnin Gallery in Berlin in November 2007, Travis Lindquist brought the picture with him. Knowing I'd love it. I'd seen it before, but been hesitant to use it-on account of the Crowley association. But, it made perfect sense to attempt to invoke a witch in Berlin.

There is all kinds of footage of her presence during our residency on youtube. Goldmine Shithouse Strychnin Berlin Residency or combination thereof will get to some nice stuff.

I did a small-ish lino. We printed that on rice paper.
And made it into a silkscreen for the t shirt party halfway through the residency.
And then did a large lino in a number of pieces of a distorted version of the smaller lino print-that I achieved by printing through the rice paper onto a heavier paper.
We had a lot of people helping cutting the big lino. I think it's 8 or 9 separate blocks,mostly the same size, but a couple larger pieces that I bought in Berlin. I brought most of my linoleum cut up to it fit into the back of one of my silkscreens. What I didn't bring was a buttload of blades for the lino cutters. So we had a lot of people helping cut, with dull blades, and the lino is really hard, because it's really cold. And really moist. Really large and heavy oil based prints on rice paper in wet climates, take forever to dry. The large print managed to get into one piece, which I don't have a picture of. It's a beautiful piece, but it could have been nicer. I wasn't finished with Leila anyway.

Travis and I had a show the following March at the Grey Gallery & Lounge in Seattle. Eduardo Benedetto helped me print two copies of the large Berlin lino in my studio in Los Angeles before the show. Which was done Shithouse style, but we also both brought work...
And brought the Crowley Mistress screen with us to Seattle.
There are two pictures of the print in Seattle. The one with the candle beneath it.
We put the other one together as well. We burned it. And filmed it. Have to find that footage. Rice paper prints go up fast. Like magic paper or something.

Still wasn't finished.
Not sure if I am now.
There is a small print with two other women on it. That's a print from the 13 Altar series. A somewhat precursor to the current series of prints.
The latest print is from the silkscreen/lino combo piece The Other Twin.
I felt Leila needed to be in the current series.

The pictures aren't in chronological order...

Party.

2010-01-26T22:42:00.000-08:00

This one reminds me of a party scene from a movie.
Not just any party scene, but the first one. Where it's all "Gee Whiz-This looks like so much fun!"

Before it becomes one of Z Man's little private parties.

Or houseboys with firecrackers.

It's the castle with Nico.

Marilyn Venus

2010-01-21T01:50:00.001-08:00

Printed this one tonight.
Time to sleep.

Angel

2010-01-15T04:26:00.000-08:00

Printed this one the other night...Last Friday after work maybe. It's called Angel.

Xpressway

2010-01-15T04:03:00.000-08:00

Eduardo came over a couple weeks back, and helped me print Xpressway. We did a three color edition and a black edition. I'm pretty happy with this one. It's one of the most direct references of the series-to Expressway To Your Skull by Sonic Youth from Evol. I'm just about ready to write about this series. I'm down to the last two designs-4 more prints. Unfortunately the ability to articulate my thoughts coincides with the final images coming together... More soon...

New Print and a new series...

2009-12-23T01:36:00.000-08:00

This is a series I finished tonight. They've been worked on a while. Tonight was the finishing black. It's called Chloe in Berlin
1. Title Page 2. Surgery 3. der Immergarten 4. Portrait Landscape 5. Paris Dahlia
Got the finishing black from this screen. This print is called Barbi Bus. It's part of the Hex Opera series.

Garden Garden

2009-12-21T03:15:00.000-08:00

Printed this one last night. It's called Garden. It's romantic. The color piece is from an older series (2006-8) Pay Off The Kidnapper. The one pictured is #19. It was on top off a stack of similar sized (9.5" x 12.5") pieces. Couldn't help but notice the similarities.

Dots.

Susan Atkins

2009-12-19T04:51:00.000-08:00

Finished this drawing today of Susan Atkins. It's for one of the Hex opera prints. dots

Cold Studio One More print

2009-12-11T04:10:00.000-08:00

This is the latest print in the series. Eduardo came over last night to help me print. After we got our images ready for our new screens. For the silkscreen party this Sunday at Brewery Ink.

It was/is real cold in the studio. The ink was so thick...Sounds like the start of a joke, but it isn't. The ink was really thick. But I stirred it a long time. And it was smooth printing. The piece is the title page for the Hex Opera series.

And some more prints

2009-12-01T00:47:00.000-08:00

These are the latest of the series I printed.
Waiting for a paper delivery.
Getting softer.

And More Prints

2009-11-19T03:30:00.000-08:00

I had to reprint this image. Wasn't satisfied the first time round. This image is called Vague Ultimate Bedroom. The other print-the image that's in the masthead- is called Drunk In My Past. Printed that the other night. This is the type of fascinating commentary you can come to expect from this blog. Posting at the very end of the day. Well, just before the dishes. Printed a few of these smaller (12" x 18") print collages, as well. I'm excited about the next batch of screens.

Just recently printed the Jager Bombs poster. It's from a painting of mine from a couple years ago. The paper size is 26" x 26". Small edition, around 25. My friend Eduardo Benedetto came over and helped me print. It required another pair of (clean) hands.
And speaking of clean hands. Dishwashing liquid is a nice way to get the first few layers of ink off your hands. Goodnight.

Highland Park Confessions

2009-11-03T23:09:00.000-08:00

This is a series of silkscreen drawings from 2009. I like to title things, so these have lots of titles.
This series is called Big Cakes. Within the larger, more open ended series entitled: Highland Park Confessions. And then each piece has a title: The Memories Faded, As Above, Water + Power, Lost, Memory + Desire. 12" x 18" each. Silkscreen and media on paper

New Prints

2009-11-02T01:49:00.000-08:00

These are the third and fourth of the new silkscreen series I'm printing.
I printed the raven/skull piece (A Caw A Caw) on Halloween early am.
It was appropriately spooky in the studio.

Now Playing

2009-10-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween Group Show

October 13th 2009 through December 2009

Opening Reception: Tuesday, October 13th 9PM

The Thought Gallery

1621 1/2 N. Cahuenga Blvd.

(Next to the Burgendy Room)

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 465.7530

Gallery Hours: By Appointment

The Other Twin l & ll linocut and silkscreen and media on wood
25" x 37" each 2009

Featuring the art of:

Colin Burns

Nathan Cox

Shawn McKinney

Travis Lindquist

Eduardo Benedetto

Jon Hall

Mike Hamel

Dave Tree

Mask One

The Big Lino

2009-10-27T22:39:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a real big linocut.
About 5' x 7'.
It's going to take awhile.
It's further along than this.
There's been actual cutting.
But not so you'd notice.
I'm going to print it on rice paper.
There will be lights and sound when it is installed.

I don't know where yet.

Black & White

2009-10-26T23:54:00.000-07:00

While I'm working on the big linocut, I'm screening a new series of prints. These are the first two I've printed. These prints are mostly based on earlier collaged/layered/prints.
It's a fairly dark series, and I wanted the immediacy of black and white. And I've been thinking about xerox machines. And the quest for perfect toner.