the current current

a week and a half ago, i had an opportunity to travel to the 150th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Shiloh. i have only been to one reenactment in my life, and this one was expected to be ten times the size of that one. this is serious stuff within this particular subculture. i am learning more about their commitment as i sink deeper into this Work. this event added to the level of mystique that veils my understanding of exactly what this war meant for our country (and, possibly especially, for the south.) i am not sure that i will allow myself, and not positive that i can stop myself, but i am drawn to investigate this phenomenon more intensely. when i began this Work, i was emphatic about steering clear of the wordy history of this war, but it seeps up through the Work, and it mixes with the emotions in the studio. it is possible that the paintings would evolve into more if i back them with my knowledge of the history. then again, the Work could get muddy while losing focus on the original intention. i have been doing this Work for six years, and i know that it will evolve, and it will shift based on my reading of the cues and the following through. there are a number of other factors that play into these decisions, and i would often like to subtract some of these factors. the "market" for this Work, and for art in general has been put through the ringer over the course of the last five years, and few know what the state of the art world is right now. there is dialogue about how to navigate the currents that flow below us, but no real world map to find the way. as we ride these rapids, we try to do our best work, or we throw caution to the wind, and we turn our studio practice into the science lab of experimentation. in the vein of experimentation, the reenactment gave me over one thousand photos to work with in one way or another. over the next month or so, i will be looking at them and trying to consider some of the many options. do they stand alone strong enough to exhibit them as photographs? do i go for it and reproduce them as large format paintings? is there a hybrid that needs to be created? there are images that speak volumes in the conversation that i am trying to have with myself and with the people in general. there are no solid answers to these questions yet, just echoes of the questions. lucky for you (for you, for you, for you.)

tis the season

two months away from the blog... doing the Work.

"work smarter, not harder." - "NO."

there is a cliche going around in the world of work: "work smarter, not harder." i think that if you are a sissy, this should suffice. the new year has burned down one month so far, and the flames have been hot and bright and loud with the crackling. i have been in the studio consistently, and one more of the large panels for the Project is nearly complete. a bright idea that i had, because the Project is going to span four years, i decided that it would be wise to finish all of the paintings within the same year. if i finish one now, and one in 2015, it is likely that the style will have matured some, and the mark making may have changed. so, to hopefully keep a cohesiveness in the quality/style, i will paint each piece up to a point and then put the piece aside until the "finishing time" comes. my life has become a dream come true, as i have found means to spend the next six months in the studio working on this Project... and seeking the funding to make the studio time continue through april of 2015. i have been doing a lot of the business, and it has been slow going at times, and that speed may continue for a while, but i feel a positive direction has been forged. i began a painting today of a map of the divided united states... titled "divided." it is 5'x6'5", and it will be the only colored painting in the series of thirty-six paintings. to begin the painting, i am painting the names of the states (and rivers,) using the smallest paint brush that i have in the studio. it seems like a ridiculous task, but that is what has to be done. the effect will be worth the effort... the "hard work." photoshop, and the computer can make so many art projects easier, but nothing can paint like the hand of a human. i am working hard and smart at this Project. for a favor and a little money, i painted a client's nursery yesterday, and within an hour, i was back in the throes of the yuck that was my old job. luckily, i was finished in four hours. the format of this blog may be soon to undergo a transformation; i hope so. i am in the midst of considering my "brand", but it sort-of seems silly, like i'm hopping on the "brand-wagon." © artists were entrepreneurs before entrepreneurs were entrepreneurs.

"running feet" ?

at this point in the studio, i am not painting, but considering the ideal number of inches that would separate these paintings if they were to hang in a museum... in an attempt to calculate the "running feet" of the exhibit. they must have gone over this in college after the point when i dropped out and went to work in the studio.

on the plate

twenty twelve will begin with an opportunity that sets fire to my burning fire. it will be a month of plotting, planning, and executing the next step in the Ghosts and Hopes project. instinctually, when i have "spare time," or time in the studio, i paint, plain and simple. but, following through with this massive project will require me to don my business suit (really, there is no suit,) and put together some meetings and get investors to sign on to back this Work. i like business, but my career has not granted me the opportunity to dive deep into my abilities in that field, but, here at the beginning of the year, those opportunities stare at me with fierce eyes. i have a strong stare and bull horns; i am prepared.

marching on

marching on. since november, there was the Small Packages show... it passed in a flash. now, i seem to have an extra nine tiny paintings in my collection. selling art is magic, i don't understand. i want to say some things here, but i won't. i witness my inability to move paintings that are priced at $250, and in the studio, i am working on pieces that i have begun pricing at $10,000. they might as well be that price. i am working on projects that are in pieces, and puzzling them together is another bit of magic. i am working on a gallery show that is yet to be scheduled. i have secured my first "museum show" for november, 2013, and i will soon start the process of putting that together. the paintings that are for the four year Project will be included in the museum show, along with a number of others. i have two submissions sent to other regional galleries, and i patiently with a bit of anxiety wait on a response. i need to get in with another dealer; one is not enough. i am prepared to take the month of january to work towards securing funding for the Project. i will not be painting houses during this time, and that excites me beyond belief. i will be able to wake up and take myself directly to the Work... that is not usual. i wanted to begin a winter painting project, but i realized that i can not afford to take on more projects if i want to live without being crushed. threesquared held another opening, and the show was a success as far as i'm concerned. sara did a wonderful job curating Stomping Grounds, the group photography show... i could not be more pleased with her work so far. we have shows lined up for february and march, and we are working towards setting some more dates... threesquared is growing wings. Camp Griff, the painting on my easel, is getting stronger and nearing completion. will i be taken to any art fairs this year, and displayed? i don't know, and i want to know, and i want to surrender it. i can get to the studio and do the Work. 2012 is going to be a breakout year for this business. i am thirty-nine and primed.

sure.

for a couple of months, i feel like i have mostly turned my back on the studio. there has been a "day job" mountain in front of me, and on the inside, the battlefield of being an artist was drenched in blood... so, i retreated. i lived an alternative life that supplied a blindness for a while that brought a bit of relief to tired eyes. i worked my day job. i let go of the struggle of making it happen in the studio; it worked for a while, sort-of. my back eventually gave out, and for about three weeks it remained a pain. i kept working my day job, and i grew increasingly agitated. now, i have my eyes back open, and a new (old) belief has brought relief, and i have found the studio again. i am committing to getting there every day... fifteen minutes or nineteen hours. for the time being, i am willing to step on toes, my wife's included (sorry, honey); i am learning to walk in new Guided feet... this is a crucial transition into the next, updated version of me as Dane. ... not stagnant, not secure; sure.