Visit Charles in TPR on Saturdays from 1-4pm as he demonstrates his process and takes your suggestions! Watch Charles at work and contribute ideas as he continues the series. Refer to the calendar for specific dates.
“Disjointed…” is the second of 12 prints in this series. I came upon this image after hours of writing and sketching different ideas and thoughts revolving around The Project Room’s basic question- why do we do the things we do (make things). This print represents a place I often find myself in when contemplating the origin of work and motivations. It’s not a subject I like to dwell on, as it opens an endless stream of thoughts that often paralyze my work and progress.
After hours of attempting clarity and writing on this open-ended subject, I grabbed a blank slate and thought through a simple sketch. The image of a person pulled from multiple angles in an unnatural and unrealized form, surrounded by square plains broken apart not matching up. In other words: Often how I feel when venturing out into something new.
It’s always much easier to look back on my work and discover more about it then. The quote that rings to mind was from a print teacher I had in school who said, “It’s important to use archival paper, because we do not know what we are doing while we are doing it, and only upon reflection can we gain a greater light”… or something to that extent. But it is a belief I hold very strong and have outlined my process around: create and ask questions later.
When looking over this piece with Jess V, she pointed out how it looked like someone trapped inside the walls/maze from my previous print. I enjoy that- not something that had crossed my mind at all. The print proves a feeling of trapped unknowing vastness, stuck inside our own limited and limitless selves.
I also see a common theme of my current work in this print: the chaotic & fast-paced environment of the modern age, bombarded with a stream of images, triggers, & entertainment from many different angles, with phones/computers fragmenting our brains- this figure resembles this. Determining all the small factoids which amount to a creation, alas, is a difficult (and unachievable) task. I think I’ll keep shooting first & asking question later.