Pictures + Words: The Artist Series, at Bay Area Free Books Exchange

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Pictures + Words: The Artist Series.

Organized by Philip King @
BAY AREA FREE BOOK EXCHANGE
10520 SAN PABLO AVE.
EL CERRITO, CA 94530

March 26, 2012: On Sunday, April 8, the Bay Area Free Book Exchange launches Pictures + Words: The Artist Series. Curated by Philip King, this will be an exhibition in three parts by local artists taking an opportunity to liberate the words: “book,” “free,” and “exchange,” as a new way to display their work. The series launches with After Wyoming, a response to “Book,” by printmaker and book artist Michelle Wilson. The Bay Area Free Book Exchange is located at 10520 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito, and is open every weekend from 9AM-6PM. A reception will be held on April 8, from 4-6 PM, where visitors will be able to enjoy food and drink, see the art, and help themselves to the free books. All activities are free and open to the public.

The quiet materiality of Wilson’s work includes a sense of the time taken making it, making her own paper and carving blocks to print her imagery. Like so much of the best contemporary artwork it brings with it its own lucid conscience, and a sense of story. As a book artist, Wilson has chosen to liberate her visual narratives from their bindings, and instead presents a series of “pages,” in a nonlinear sequence of events. Wilson was recently an Artist-In-Residence at Jentel Arts, an arts residency program in Sheridan, Wyoming. After Wyoming is her response to her time there and experiences since returning.

Pictures + Words: The Artist Series continues in May with paintings by Philip King, followed by the collected images of Timothy Buckwalter. All the artists live and work in the East San Francisco Bay.

The Bay Area Free Book Exchange was established May 17, 2009. It was created and is run cooperatively by local book sellers/book lovers who process thousands of books every month. They thus continually stock the shelves of the Free Book Exchange. All the books on all the shelves are available to the public free of charge. It is an ever-changing treasure hunt among thousands of books. Open Every Weekend Saturday & Sunday 9am-6pm. For information on the artist series please contact: Michelle Wilson at michelle(at)michellewilsonprojects(dot)com.

Publications, a New Print, and other news

Maddy Rosenberg invited me to dust off my collagraph skills recently, by inviting me to write a how-to article for Central Booking Magazine (follow the link to order a copy)! The gives step-by-step instructions, which are illustrated by the making of the print above, Solace.

It's been a while since I made a collagraph outside of a classroom demonstration or print exchange with students. It was exciting to get back into experiment mode - I used to make so many collagraphs, like this one below, made while on a residency in Costa Rica.

My challenge was to fit this technique into my current work, which incorporates a more graphic punch. The final print uses the collagraph as a the first layer of color, with four more layers of linoleum on top. Since I've been back from Wyoming, I've been trying to take more walks. Still not managing to as much as I'd like, but my favorite place to go is Point Pinole, which is where I drew the inspiration for this piece.

I'm not sure what exactly draws me there, I love the panorama of the bay and Mount Tamalpais from it's western side, I love seeing the plethora of birds, I love hearing the wind blow through the grasses. Though I think what I find most comforting is the history - the park is the site of a former munitions company that made black power and dynamite. There are still a few relics on site - like this black powder press.

There is also a bunker where I believe they tested explosives, now almost completely overgrown with trees growing out of the walls. Nature has reclaimed the site, and I find this evidence, with Robert still incapacitated, as a great comfort.

As I continue with this series, I've been wondering about this recurring theme of "people looking at stuff" that seems to crop up often. Not sure where it's going, but I think I might need to break out of the static nature of it soon, though not yet...

In other publication news, Shelley Thorstensen, in other words, a catalog of prints by the woman who introduced me to printmaking is out. I've written an essay for it - and it's the first in the book! It can be ordered online or scrolled though page-by-page here.

I'm also part of a three-person show with Helen Hiebert and Sun Young Kang at MCLA's Gallery 51 in North Adams, MA, curated by Melanie Mowinski. The show is called Branching Together, and as Melanie puts it, in an almost Mary Oliver poem kind of way:

The lines, paths and ways created by fiber, paper and shadow that each of these artists create branch together as they journey from birth, through life and into death. Where are the places inside of each of us that mother, that mourn, that take a stand? How do they branch together in you? How do they branch together in me? How do they branch toward each other, bringing us together as we journey in this great community of earth? I ask you this as the curator, to think about this as you experience this exhibit, what is your path? How is it part of this greater communal journey of birth, life and death?

Image above is my piece, The Ghost Trees, on view in the space.

The idea for Solace was a moment I had at Point Pinole, standing on the eastern side looking over the water. It was early evening, low tide, and birds were feasting on what they could find along the shore. One gull flew in an arch almost directly above my head, crying out a single caw. It seemed directed at me - probably from his perspective, it was either telling me, the predator, to get lost, or warning other birds of my proximity, or some mixture of the two. Yet something about the cry, the moment, the recognition of my presence, reminded me of how interconnected I am to everything. It didn't take away the anxiety and sorrow of everything that's been going on, but it was enough.

Left To Chance, San Francisco Center for the Book Opening

An estimated 300 people squeezed into the San Francisco Center for the Book on Friday for the opening of Left to Chance: In Search of the Accidental Book Art . The exhibition was curated by the luminous Hanna Regev, pictured below, center, bookended by SFCB Co-Founders Mary Austin and Kathleen Burch.

My new piece, Fugitive, was part of the exhibition. With the crowd, I could barely get close enough to take any pictures of it! The work was displayed with gloves so that viewers could handle and see the papers close-up.

The exhibition, which is on view till May 12, is inspired by the work of John Cage, and his use of chance operations. Some Bay Area folks, like Kathleen Burch, actually knew Cage and worked with him on projects. Cage, to me, has always been a distant figure, a colossus straddling visual art and music, influencing countless creatives of the past century until the present day. It's been so eye-opening to hear people who knew him talk about him as a person, someone who was sweet and full of life, with a quirky sense of humor. What I liked most was that people seemed to like him as a individual, not just as an Important Artist. The impression I get from them is encapsulated by the wall quote pictured below. If you can't read it - click on it for a larger image.

Sneak Peak - New Work for Upcoming San Francisco Center for the Book Exhibition

Some sneak peak details from a new piece, Fugitive. It's going to be part of the next exhibition, Left to Chance: The Accidental Book Art, at the San Francisco Center for the Book. As it reads on the colophon page for Fugitive:

"The title of this portfolio derives from the term used for pigments and dyes that fade when exposed to light. More commonly, it refers to someone who is avoiding arrest. The corporate logos and symbols that appear are representative of entities and activities that benefit from a global corporate monoculture that has led to financial and environmental devastation. The actions and organizations depicted have no fear of repurcussions for their criminal behavior.

The handmade papers for this portfolio were selectively exposed to light, causing their natural pigmentation to fade to create the images. Fibers used are from Andean Pampas Grass (Cortaderia jubata), a species invasive to the United States. Invasive species such as Pampas Grass decimate native ecosystems, drive out diversity, and their presence is due directly to globalization. Through their use as a fiber base for this portfolio, a symmetry between material and content is created, with the awareness that financial and environmental justice often go in unison."

No piece is ever made in a isolation, and I could not have made this work without the advice I received on the Yahoo Papermakers' Group, particularly the help of Winnie Radolan and Catherine Nash. In addition, thanks to Hanna Regev, curator of Left to Chance as well as the Get Lucky exhibition at SOMArts, for including me.

Together Again

I just learned yesterday that I will be in an exhibition with my friend and old studio-mate Sun Young Kang! We are going to be part of the exhibition Branching Together, curated by Melanie Mowinski, coming at at PRESS: A Letterpress Public Art Project in North Adams, MA. Unfortunately, I don't think we will physically be able to be there, but I'm sure our spirits will.

Above is Sunny's piece that will be on display, though I believe it will have a different configuration for PRESS, and I will be exhibiting my Ghost Trees. The exhibition will also feature Helen Hiebert's Mother Tree project. Its sure to be an amazing and paper-rific exhibition!

Sustainability Issues in Artmaking

Earlier this month I attended the College Book Art Association Conference (mentioned here). One of the panels - featuring my friends Mary Tasillo and Lara Durback - focused on sustainability issues in printmaking and book arts. The majority of information was presented by John Risseeuw. I've been meaning to write on it for a bit, but it's been a hectic month and I'm finally getting to it.

A primary point that John focused on is that most people, artists included, are not informed enough about what sustainability means. Assumptions in making studio practices more sustainable have ranged from "recycling more" to "using water-based materials." John was quick to point out that these do not necessarily meet sustainability standards, and in reference to "water-based materials," may not even be non-toxic, let alone sustainable.

Before I get bogged down in negativity, I think an important introduction to this topic to state the Five Pillars of Sustainability. They are, in no particular order: Ecological, Social, Economic, Cultural, Political, five interconnected and interdependent issues. The arts, of course, fall largely into the cultural, and John mentioned that when he approached a sustainability scientist about how such principles apply to artists, the scientist felt that they didn't, due to the cultural contributions.

Which probably led to the question he asked the audience during his presentation, "Is it fair to consider art in issues of sustainability?"

If so, John brought up issues that would have to be considered, such as:

What is the volume of ink (for art and regular computer printers) consumed worldwide? What are the annual percentages of pigments used in all paints/inks/dyes? What is the carbon footprint of art paper? What volume of polymer plates are consumed, and what are they made of exactly? What is the true environmental burden of digital culture? Can it be sustained? How?

One point John made regarded printmaking paper. If we are to consider such questions as those above, we must concern machine-mold paper that printmakers generally prefer, such as Fabriano. There are no machine-mould paper companies in the United States - all machine mold paper is made in Europe. However, paper companies import their cotton fiber from the United States. So the fiber is shipped across the ocean, transformed into paper, and shipped back, leaving an estimated large carbon footprint. A related issue that John did not touch on was that of bt cotton and its prevalence in the US cotton industry.

Local-made handmade paper might be a solution, if printmakers can keep papermakers in business and if everyone has a papermaker within a locality. And ideally, access to organic, non-GMO cotton (or some other material...flax, anyone?)

Polymer plates, for those who might not know, are a light-sensitive form of plastic plate that can be exposed to light and then rinsed out with water, leaving a relief image for printing. For clients of Boxcar Press,one purveyor of said plates, they can be shipped back and recycled, to an extent. However, when considered sustainability, John pointed out, plastic cannot be recycled more than twice. It is not an infinite cycle. He also added that the carbon footprint of shipping them back and forth would need to be considered.

John went on to discuss what exactly polymer plates are made of. He explained that the long-chain polymers for plates are a form of nylon. Nylon, which sounds innocuous enough, is made with benzene and other hazardous chemicals, and is a petroleum product with a large carbon footprint. When these plates are washed out, the chemicals are washed down the drain and into the water supply.

John often pointed out during this talk that we as humans just do not know enough about sustainability and long-term affects of chemicals both on ourselves and the environment. He didn't neglect to discuss issues of inks in his talk. Most people assume that if something is cleaned up with water, it's nontoxic. Acrylic paints, for example. Yet such paints contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, as a preservative.

Soy-based inks, which are often proposed an alternatives to oil-based, are not as sustainable as usually thought, as the rainforests of Brazil are being decimated to provide farmland to meet the need for soy. A final point concerning inks that John made, when considered volatile-organic compounds (VOCs), released into the air from oil-based inks and paints, that no ink will give off as much as driving a car to the studio will.

After his talk concluded, Mary pointed out that one resource that all artists have in relation to sustainability is time. "Slow down and prioritize," she advised. If artists can make time, heck, if all people can make time, sustainable solutions are feasible. I'm not going to argue that making time is an easy process, I as much as others always struggle for it. But it is something to consider, and probably fight for.

Sustainability is defined as, "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to be meet their needs." This post is by no means comprehensive of their discussion. A presentation like this one can cause someone to get bogged down in how complicated their artmaking choices can become. Or, they can see this knowledge as empowering, a launching pad for new ideas. It was clear that the information presented in this panel needs to shared and spread. The panel certainly made me feel like I understood my own impact much more clearly, and I am considering how it will affect my practice.

If I were to answer John's question, I think it is more than fair to consider the arts in relation to sustainability. The arts are part of and depend on community, both local and global, for support, encouragement, participation, and as audience. As part of that community, our artmaking decisions need to consider sustainability issues. Solutions might be tricky, difficult, expensive, or not always feasible, but they need to be considered.

To download an earlier version of John's talk, visit here.

Two New Prints (with details)!

Finally got a few prints finished and documented! Above is what I will probably end up with the title Wyoming Triptych. Begun and mostly printed by hand at Jentel, with the final layer of sky printed in my home studio. It's a reduction block, though now that I think about it, a bit of an odd twist on the concept. Reduction printing involves printing the most general, background color first, and carving away more and more material from the same block and printing successive, more specific layers. Typically, the first layer is the background, negative space, or sky color. Any paper surface that does become part of the image is usually negative or white space.

However, I wanted my handmade paper to have a presence in the image, particularly since this paper is such a lovely, delicate blue. So the landscape is the paper itself, and the section of sky is reduced.

Today I was loaned a book called How to be Sick, A Buddhist Inspired Guide for the Chronically Ill and Their Caregivers. The loan has interesting timing; last night I watched a PBS documentary on the life of Prince Siddhartha, the man who became the Buddha. I haven't started reading it yet, but I was intrigued by one quote I came across while flipping through, "Let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to stare at the pool....You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still." (Ajahn Chah) Stillness...at least in mind. I'm trying to hold on to this image. While in Wyoming, I kept feeling that the landscape had restorative capabilities, which is why I placed Robert within it. After I finished this print I found myself thinking about how cows have taken over what was once the land of the buffalo, and how sacred and revered the buffalo were to the Native Americans.

This print is called Cows and Corn, though the corn is the fiber of which the paper is made. The cows were such lovely dark shapes in the blue landscape. My arrival in Wyoming coincided with a re-reading of The Omnivore's Dilemma. I was caught up in Michael Pollan's discussion of corn as the basis for our food system. It's fed to cows, chickens, pigs, even farmed fish, transformed into flakes, syrup, xanthan gum, flour, diapers, dextrose, maltodextrin, MSG, mono-glycerides,di-glycerides, ethanol, plastic substitutes, wallboard, adhesives, batteries, ink, paint, pharmaceuticals...I could go on. So this print is an abbreviated version of that - corn as the basis for our meat-based food system, corn fiber is the substrate for this print of cows.