[april 2, 2011] “Ignite” – the most recent was an amazing show at SPARC (social and public art resource center) on venice [discovered this place through the show- they converted the old venice jail into a community and cultural center and are responsible for putting up a huge number of murals around l.a.].  the art show brought together 15 great l.a. artists, in part to fundraise for the ‘tree of fire’ play about incarcerated women in conjunction with the roots and wings project.  the opening was a powerful convergence of radical artists and community members – including the beautiful and poignant performance of excerpts from the play.

[september 9, 2010] “Expanding the Matrix” – an excellent group show at occidental curated by linda lyke and jason manley, bringing together great l.a. printmakers and some alumni.  there was a great turn-out and it was awesome as always to be back at my alma mater.  here’s the link from artslant, hopefully i can get the postcard itself scanned and up soon

http://www.artslant.com/la/events/show/124722-expanding-the-matrix

i’ll start with january 9, 2010, when my first one-person exhibition opened at park fine art gallery in sacramento.  about 25 b&w prints in all, it was a great success thanks in no small part to eric nickerman, esp. in regards to the tricky installation of the remnants nine series.

in all, wonderful to see family and friends.  seriously great party.  and a body of work came together, i really couldn’t ask for more to start off the year.

title: Send out your signals

another adrienne rich poem, this time Implosions two pages before.

‘When it’s finished and we’re lying in a stubble of blistered flowers eyes gaping, mouths staring dusted with crushed arterial blues’

title: The sun to set on this

so i’m not good at writing my own titles, so i find them in poetry.  i like my titles long and prosaic and enigmatic in an understandable way, so this works out.  i found this one in adrienne rich’s book [poems selected and new, 1950-1974], first page i opened to was nightbreak, which i’ve read and re-read, and it is always amazing.

‘What breaks is night not day The white scar splitting over the east The crack weeping Time for the pieces to move dumbly back toward each other.’

poets just know

i feel a series coming on with this one…

the title references a sylvia plath poem, Sheep in Fog from Aerial.  i’ve been reading entirely too much of her–figuratively speaking her writing makes one want to commit suicide in gorgeous ways.

in any case, connecting my work with literary work is something i’ve been about for a while.  one line of poetry can fuel a year’s worth of art.

‘The hills step off into whiteness. People or stars Regard me sadly, I disappoint them.’

also, i submitted this piece to artslant’s may juried show [by the way i love artslant, way good user support, completely sexy tool for artists]

first is Arching Their Necks Out Of Rotted Tree Trunks, second is My Anatomy, third is This Forest Eats Itself And Lives Forever. the first and last titles i owe entirely to barbara kingsolver’s poisonwood bible.  they’re from the epic paragraph on the first page… her description of a forest is possibly the most succinct and poetic i’ve read.

this weekend!  a little far, but so good.  the space is amazing, the works are amazing-er.