addict, artist, archeologist
Today is my 24 year sobriety birthday
I hate the disease of addiction and what it does to people. It steals souls and takes lives. I’ve lost two friends to overdose in the past year alone.
But I love what recovering from this disease has taught me and made possible in my life. The fact that I get to make art everyday (and that I’m still here at all) is something I don’t take for granted.
I haven’t shared much about how my experience with addiction and recovery influences my artistic practice and what I’m attempting to communicate with my work. It’s taken a while for me to recognize and understand. As with many things in the studio, our work tells us what it’s about- not the other way around.
I had a conversation at a the opening of a show a few years ago that has stuck with me. A pair of friends approached me and shared that they had completely opposite impressions and feelings from a particular piece. They wanted to know who was right.
The first said; “To me, this feels very dark, heavy, grieving, almost mournful.”
The other said; “I get an uplifting sense of peace- it feels hopeful.”
I said; “You’re both exactly right.”
My hope, my intention, is that it’s all in there. The beauty comes from the brokenness.
With both art and people, there is meaning BECAUSE of what’s been endured, not in spite of it.
There is hope. There is a solution. Recovery is possible. You can get your life back. You can get your loved one back. If I can be of service in any way, please feel free to message me any time.
video credit: @nathan.vogelsang
"Zero Would Be Nice", shipping crate veneer, packing plastic, assorted stream trash, and resin on tarp, 70x48”, 2023
This is the first of a three in what may or may not become a larger series.
There is a drainage ditch that I call a stream near my studio. Leo and I pass it on our walk. We rarely return empty handed.
The piles of new art supplies in the studio continue to grow- plastic bags, nylon cords, rope, cardboard, metal- an assortment of random items. I am a committed pack rat. There's a specific kind of excitement I get from finding a new home for the right piece.
It's already lived at least two lives. First, whatever it was made for. Then discarded and unwanted orphan.
Now it is something else. These materials weather and age after being exposed to the elements in ways that would be impossible to replicate and other way... especially the way the water tears the plastic just so.
I'm not sure if this is a new vein of work or just some new additions to the palette. Either way, more investigation is required. I will report back my findings.
#newart #trashart #abstractexpressionism #upcycledart #repurposedmaterials #trashartist
Here we are! With immense gratitude i share with you the final result of Erratic Patterns 03 - Rituals!
Two sides, Red Marble, hard cover with an amazing artwork from @nathanterborg (as always, you are spectacular my friend).
PTTRN03 - Tracks from @neurotribe_crsc , @kokko.crsc , @wonka_ctk , @tim_haze_planet , @kron_mental and me, Kaoslog.
Stem Mastering at @arcn_lab Berlin by exquisite me.
Distro by @meltingpotrecords , Madrid!
A huge thank you to everyone involved. A reminder of why i do what i do, and why i love it so much. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. ❤️
#pttrn03 #acidneverdies #mentaltekno #hradtechno #techno
the highlight reel illusion of social media
it’s real and it’s not
from our latest episode of Just Make Art Podcast
available now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube
@justmakeartpodcast@tynathanclark@nathanterborg
slow art
“I noticed that my art practice is very detailed, labor intensive, and I think that that’s a way of slowing myself down so that I can hear myself think. So I can hear the voices a little bit more quiet, so I can hear maybe the decision that might come through that’s a little less... large. That quieter voice has sometimes the more interesting idea, if I can get to it.”
-Mark Bradford
Our new episode of Just Make Art Podcast features this quote from Mark Bradford, an art hero for both of us.
@justmakeartpodcast can be found on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify
grind / cut / repeat
recent activity in the studio
breaking things down to build them back up
I am currently under the impression that some of this is leading to the completion of some new work, but I am often wrong about these things
“Wave to Otherland”, billboard tarp, packing plastic, plastisol, and polyaspartic on wood, 87x84”, 2023
This piece from a few years ago taught me a lot. I’ve been revisiting some of these elements recently, and have been thinking a lot about discovery.
To me, discovery means chasing moments. When the cut, the burn, the pull, and the scrape uncovers layers to reveal what’s underneath... those are the moments I live for when I’m in the studio.
I want to seek and I want to be surprised by what I find. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I know when it appears. On this piece, it was the moment the grid from the weave of the tarp began peeking through.
I was at a meeting recently discussing a certain set of steps (12 to be exact) with some friends. We talked about the seemingly endless number of layers within us that we get to mine for growth. There’s always more waiting to be discovered. Sometimes it’s ugly. Sometimes it’s beautiful. Sometimes it’s both. These layers tend to require some uncomfortable excavation, but that’s the only way to uncover the beauty underneath.
To be continued…
alchemy
“My work is like a dialogue between me and unseen powers, like alchemy.” -Cai Guo-Qiang
From our new episode of Just Make Art Podcast @justmakeartpodcast with @jeff.musser.art , in which we discuss quotes from Jenny Saville, Julian Schnabel, Kerry James Marshall, Ai Weiwei, Lisa Yuskavage, Gerhard Richter, and Chuck Close.
Watch / listen now on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify
the 10,000 hour rule
It’s been said that it takes 10,000 hours to acquire mastery of a skill. I don’t know exactly how many hours I’ve spent experimenting with coroplast as an art material. It’s definitely less than 10,000, but it’s more than any other material I use in my work. The smallest change in size, shape, pressure, heat, or gravity has a significant effect on the result. I’m not particularly interested in mastery, just reckless curiosity.
to be continued…
dissect, dissemble, alter, assemble
Current works in progress using packing crates- one of my favorite repurposed materials. It’s likely the cheapest and lowest quality pressed wood product in existence- only meant to be used once and thrown away. Once harvested and dissected, they reveal layers and layers of gorgeous pink and salmon tones that I adore.
This is a fully renewable resource, reclaimed from the trash and reborn into something new. To be continued…
