Looking back to Move forward

The Momoe

This is mostly meant to a pic heavy post.  I was reminiscing with a friend earlier about some of my old sculptures, and it made me think of what I have accomplished in my art over the past 10 years.  I decided to look back through some old images and see what has carried through and what has fallen away.  Also to see how many pieces I have poor images of or no record of at all.   Its been quite a journey so far, and I look forward to seeing what else comes.  This first image is Momoe.  I still think this is one of the my favorite things I have ever created and that I still look to all the time.  Momoe represents how many of us experience life, constantly torn between emotions.  I chose to show him as the sad face here, but if you flip your head upside down you can see hes also quite happy.  Originally he was meant to be a sticker that you put up in the orientation of how you feel that day.

The next image is of a splat thing I used to draw.  I had completely forgotten about them, but they have a strong relevance in the work that I am currently making.  Looking back at this one gives me new ideas of how to approach my new pieces.    

Sculpture has always been one of my true passions.  The ability to physically create something with my hands that exists in three dimensions has always excited me.  The two sculptures here are both made with yarn.  The first was a site specific piece done for a group show.  The second is yarn that has been wrapped around found objects and then coated in beeswax.  Being in New York has limited my ability to make large pieces like these, but I feel like the aesthetic and shapes still show up in my work. 

After school I moved towards pen and ink drawing more and more.  I started a project called "If and When" where I challenged myself to make 365 drawings in 365 days.  I made close to 400 during that time, and built the habit of make drawings on a daily basis in an almost obsessive way.  A habit which I have continued.  Since I began that project nearly 3 years ago I estimate I have made close to 700 finished drawings/paintings and countless sketches.  40 of those have been make since the beginning of 2014.

Wanting to keep my hands active I decided to make some small sculptures last year.  A friend and artist Marty Henley gave me one of the greatest gifts I possess, the knowledge of mold making and casting.  I set up a small wooden desk in our tiny apartment and went at it.  I have created three "toys" so far including the boxes.  I hope to make some more of these in the near future.      

 That brings me to where I currently am.  I was given the task of drawing a booger for a friend and have run with it.  My roommate Jake Ingram encouraged me to use the water color we had laying around to see if it would make my work any better, and it has been so fun playing and learning how to paint.  Below is the first booger I made followed by my most current painting of what I am now referring to as plumpies.  Over the next week or so I will post the images and talk about the transition from the former to the later.       

 I also have to give a big shout out to my best friend and partner Jessica Augier who has stood beside me and been my biggest supporter for the past 8 years.

With this post I hope to get back into a routine of posting more frequenlty.  So keep your eyes and internets open for new and exciting things.

As always thanks for looking, comments and critiques are always welcome.