Handstamp

80 Hands

I've got plenty of hands; no arms, shoulder or a head... just hands. The picture above shows off my output of about 80 plaster hands that I want to work into stamps. A couple of years ago I started with a few that I carved initials and dates into for "signing" work. Either a stamp of approval or simply... I better not screw around any more stamp. A few more were cast, painted, glazed or used in mixed media pieces and some given as gifts.

Personal stamps I use for initialing and dating

I had a bit of a fortuitous start on this project as the mold is actually a flea market find. I'm not even sure of the original purpose of the approx. 7.5 cm long hands. The two piece mold is cast iron that I simply coat with vaseline as a mold release and pour in plaster of Paris. They come out needing a bit of refining and I scrape them with a blade to bring out the definition of the fingers.

Cast iron mold for hands

I've long been fascinated with the seal stamps that adorn East Asian Art. The stamp can function as signature, a proof of ownership or an addendum to the work and its' strategic placement is highly considered. Many seals are rightly considered a work of art in themselves.

My "collection" of seals

Over the years I've collected several and received some as gifts. A typical Chinese seal is carved stone although other material including wood, metal even plastics can be found. The plaster hands I've been casting are soaked in a resin hardener to produce a more durable stamping surface.

Samples of seal prints

So while I'm working out some designs for the 2.5 cm oval bottom surfaces to the hands, I can use the tests to do some hand stamping on the mail art I owe. So, no major heroic artworks here, just little tiny artistic footnotes. (handprints?) (handnotes?)

Some Art I've Received By Mail ( ♡ ✍ ing )

"IPE AMARELO" Angela Ferrara

Mail Art from Angela Ferrara of Brazil; one of my new ABAD friends. Angela currently is exhibiting work in Biennale del Librio d'artistta.

"Alligators on the Prowl" mailart from Jennifer Zoellner

Mail Art from Jennifer Zoellner: Jennifer curated the Chromatophore Mail Art Show that ran from August 27th through Sept. 5th in St. Petersburg, Florida. She is, among other projects, compiling the first AbalCabal zine which I have submitted a page to. AbalCabal contains several of the artists who participated in ABAD. More info as it becomes available later this month.

"I Am Someone Else" Bibiana Padilla Maltos

Mail Art from Bibiana Padilla Maltos: Bibiana sent me a small limited edition book containing highlights of her works from this year. The 20 page book contains instructions for events, scores, illustration and more! Bibiana also helped our fellow ABAD artist Mara Thompson install the Otis College of Art and Design exhibition of A Book About Death; running through October 31st in LA.

"Emerge" digital collage ©evertson

The 50/50/50 Exhibition continues at the Eclipse Gallery. This exhibit features works from 50 artists from 50 states in 50 media. My piece "Emerge" is a digitally produced collage produced in an edition of 50.

Art To Do List

I'm so happy that Moma put my card on her refrigerator that I may never come down from my tree.

In the continuing incarnation of the A Book About Death, fellow artist Mara Thompson is organizing the LA version of the exhibit for Otis College of Art and Design.

With the fall frenzy of openings, exhibits and exhibits of fellow artists to attend calming down a bit, it is time to return to the studio for some introspection. The last month was a blur of inspiration that should come in handy as this falls studio work progresses. An added plus is the fact for the next several weeks I have a very valuable commodity on hand; actual time set aside for art.

While I still have the mundane "to do" list that seems the bane of every existence; I've worked up my art to do's and am excited about a few projects.

While looking over the work of artists in the 50/50/50 exhibition at the Eclipse Gallery I found that fellow exhibitor Jennifer Marsh has a very interesting collaborative project underway. Jennifer, founder of the International Fiber Collaborative is assembling artwork to be wrapped around a Saturn V Rocket in Huntsville, Alabama next spring. I've reserved a spot and have a 2 foot by 4 foot area to design, sew? and deliver by February.

Educators, groups and various individuals are invited by Jennifer to submit art the Dream Rocket project, which will be on Display at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center during May and June of 2010. the 30,467 square foot quilt to be fabricated from participants in the project will cover the entire 36 story Saturn V.

I've reserved the space under the auspices of Nightball International. From the darkness of beer halls and dance halls into the light of day, this eclectic, fluxable group whose uncommon passion for croquet played in the dark, with no discernible rules, intends to fabric(cate) a theme of international peace on their little patch of aerospace real estate.

While more widely known for absurdest and situational dynamics of game theory, Nightball International is committed to the role of art in education. So with the actual prospects for world peace at apogee, I'll design with the hope that the international scope of this project will reflect well on the tradition of uniting people through art.

Mr. Wicket Juggling Peace (Mr. Wicket is the Nightball International logo)

Just doodling today and thought perhaps the Nightball logo (logo design by Teri Prestash) could juggle peace signs. Well, probably not... too obvious and there's no color. Stay tuned as I work out this and other art conundrums over the next month or so.

Some of my other Art To Do's include:

A Submission to Fluxhibition 4. An artist call for Fluxus amusements, diversions, games, tricks and puzzles. Perhaps a home version of Nightball. Prepackaged with safety tips of course.

A page submission to ABAL Cabal - and I can't say anything more about this top secret zine.

An edition of cast hand stamps. More pix and info soon.

Prototype for handstamp ©09 evertson

Six 24 x36 blank canvas's ready for some non-computer work. ⌷⌷⌷⌷⌷⌷

Eeeeeiiii - plus I think I signed up for the Art House sketch ✍ book project.

All will be thoroughly vetted here over the course of this fall: now if I can just back away from the computer.

50/50/50 Exhibit Opens

Emerge digital collage Bill Evertson

The Eclipse Gallery 50/50/50 exhibition opens Saturday 26th. The exhibit's theme features fifty artists from fifty states working in fifty different mediums. The show highlights the moving and often hard to define differences and intersections of fine art, craft and indie design.

50/50/50 Exhibition Opening Announcement

The show is curated by Sarah Elizabeth Condon who states, "I am interested in the intersection between art, craft and design. This exhibition will not only highlight the importance of all art disciplines but will also stress the importance of all working artists regardless of their location."

My work for this exhibit is a digital collage. "Emerge" was created both on paper and in Photoshop. I combined a series of photographic, scanned and drawn works to produce the piece. A deep sea divers suit I photographed at a maritime museum in Kingston, Ontario, sparked the original idea. I worked with a few other photographs of water and sky to obtain a setting for the divers encounter with the lotus. This is one of my occasional forays into Buddhist inspired art. My friend Ria commented, "love how the lotus flower (?) is reflecting in the man's (woman's ?) visor-wait maybe that's even the other way around,...mmm...from a Buddhist standpoint that 'll get me going on interpreting...;) Emerge...excellent title!"

I was pleased to learn that two artists who's work I follow via their blogs are exhibiting in this show. Jennifer Zoellner, representing Flordia and Corrine Bayraktaroglu from Ohio.

Rag Dolls Mixed media by Jennifer Zoellner

Jennifer Zoellner, who I recently met at the A Book About Death opening in NYC, curated the Chromatophore exhibition of mail art I submitted a piece to. Jennifer's unique rag doll creations for 50/50/50 seem to go beyond simple toys/keepsakes due to their idiosyncratic juxtapositions of textures, fabric and facial expressions. I'm a bit reminded of ritual objects from natural history museums in the way they address a particular culture. In this case our fascination with a folk art icon seen through a pop art lens. (Jennifer - feel free to correct my impressions)

The Prick Who Came to Dinner Embroidery by Corrine Bayraktaroglu

Corrine Bayraktaroglu, self described on her blog as a Jafa (just another #%!@&*% artist), works in a variety of media including embroidery, painting, knit graffiti and mixed media. Corrine's most recent work is embroidery based. Her piece for this show "The Prick Who Came to Dinner" is Corrine's commentary in thread on a rather rude dinner guest. She has a way with words and there is more to the story. Lately her blog has shared several embroidery translations from her sketchbooks. (the sketchbooks being works of art in their own right)

Part of the Eclipse Gallery's vision is to provide artists working out of the mainstream art hubs a venue for exhibition. One of the ways artists and curators like Sarah Elizabeth are able to connect is because of social networking via blogs and Facebook. Sarah's ability to seek out and curate for Eclipse exhibits via the social media outlets is a continuation of the historically recent advent of alternative artist spaces. Many artists (for a variety of reasons) are not exhibiting in the larger art markets, yet their styles of work lends itself to the more experimental nature of those spaces. Congratulations to Sarah for her hard work launching her gallery and for the courage to take chances on artists working in often hard to define and experimental modes.

Best wishes for the opening of 50/50/50 at the Eclipse Gallery. Reception, September 26 at the gallery located in Algoma, WI and running through Dec. 31st.

MoMA has obtained A Book About Death

In other news: I learned that MoMA has obtained a complete set of the A Book About Death pages. I am completely amazed that somewhere in the depths of that giant establishment of the art world there is room for such an egalitarian project that sprang and grew from the world of artists networking artists. Again, thanks to Matthew Rose for his organization and to Deven Marriner for compiling the pages for MoMA. What would Ray Johnson make of this development? Further reincarnations of the project are already springing up. Bookmark http://abookaboutdeatharchive.blogspot.com for further developments.

One More Word

Ok - One more word on A Book About Death. Just because this is too precious not to share ;)

You Can Take It With You!

Bill at the A Book About Death Opening

** My “final” word on the A Book About Death exhibition – I am happy to be a page! The opening September 10^th was huge! It was crowded beyond belief plus a 400-person line to get in the gallery covered the sidewalk between Spring and Prince Street here in NYC. An inconvenience to those waiting, but a testament to the global, viral and ultimately egalitarian nature of the project.

Missed the show or the line was too much? Emily Harvey (537 Broadway, NYC) is open 1- 7pm Tue-Sat and the shows runs through Sept. 22nd; but plan to attend before the pages "expire."

Not in NYC - visit the blog or web wall.

Matthew Rose comments on A Book About Death

Before the opening of the exhibition I shot video of a few words by the very busy Matthew Rose who organized and shepherded the project to completion. “The only exhibition that you take with you” sums up a key point to the exhibit. All the artists involved in the project produced 500 postcards to the project. Gallery visitors are encouraged to take “pages’ with them to form their personal "Book About Death”

Scene from the opening of A Book About Death

As a tribute to the Ray Johnson the exhibit is purposely ephemeral. Best said by Christian Xatrec, NYC director of the Emily Harvey Foundation, “The developing mission of the Foundation, and Rose’s show, refuse the notion of hierarchy and the buttressing of institutional framings.” Indeed, many artists aided the development of the project in a 21^st century continuation of Johnson’s fascination with the distribution of art by correspondence.

Pages of the Book About Death waiting for a home

I personally became aware of the project through the social networking of blogging. ABAD gained a steady global following through Facebook, Twitter and bloggers. As the press release notes, artist from Spain, Belgium, Australia, Asia, South America; indeed across the globe contributed a kaleidoscope of works. Caterina Verde, artist and website designer of the “wall site” for ABAD commented that “to see the images submitted from around the world and cultural permutations of the subject, the variations of temperament, thoughts, aesthetics - is as we observe ourselves walking through life; Ordinary and Extraordinary.

I capture Charlotte Soehner as she greets the opening crowd in English, French and Chinese

I arrived early afternoon of opening night and was able to lend a hand making sure all the artists who submitted work were represented on the wall. While I had been fairly diligent in viewing work as posted on the growing virtual wall, I gained a new perspective from handling the art of so many people I had become friends with because of the exhibit.

Many new friends lie in repose here at ABAD

Well done Matthew Rose! I think Ray Johnson was with you.

ABAD Opening

A Book About Death Exhibition poster by Matthew Rose

** The A Book about Death exhibition open this Thursday in NYC at the Emily Harvey gallery. The exhibit, organized by artist Matthew Rose, is part homage to the influential mail artist Ray Johnson and tribute to the late Emily Harvey. The exhibition is envisioned as an unbound book with the contributing artists providing the postcard size pages. All contributions concern the many faceted topic of death. The artists contributing to the show have drawn deeply to provide visual exemplars of their personal experiences with a difficult topic. The variety of thought and approach to the topic range from feelings of ones own mortality to examples of personal loss to heroic struggles to philosophical musing on purpose and value.

All artists have provided editions of 500 of their individual page. The pages may be collected to form the book. The pages are free for the taking to anyone attending the exhibition. In keeping with the theme the book will disappear during the course of the exhibition. (Although by the very nature of the distribution there are certainly reincarnation possibilities)

My contribution viewable here as a prior post or on the ABAD blog (artist #38 way back when) contains an enclosed short story entitled Text Messages from the Dead. The 400-word story is viewable for a limited time in the right margin of this blog.

The exhibition opens this Thursday, September 10th from 7:30 to 11pm at Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery at 537 Broadway in NYC.

The press release for the exhibit contains a full listing of the performances that accompany the opening as well as a wealth of background on the concept and innovative organization of this type of project. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the project is the viral nature and global reach that found roots in the correspondence work of Ray Johnson.

Everyone is also invited to freely download the ABAD poster art available as high resolution PDFs at http://abookaboutdeath.blogspot.com. Posters by Hoffman, Mars, Touchon, Verde, Rose, Rager and Hertz are featured.

Caterina Verde has also designed a companion website with the art visible as a mosaic wall or individually.

See you there!

By The Way

For those in the central Connecticut area, I'll be participating in an on the green show in Glastonbury, Ct. this weekend. The show (surprisingly titled On the Green) is this Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 5pm.

Nightball

2009 Nightball T-Shirt

** Once again I have been chosen as the official T-shirt designer for the International Nightball Tournament. This year's design features a juxtaposition of a 1950's croquet rulebook with a brush wielding hand emerging from a serpent's mouth producing some graffiti. (blame my fascination with Mayan art for the latter)

Nightball, a lawn game using a standard croquet set is played during the night with balls and mallets on fire. The croquet set is usually consumed during play.

This years shirts are printed with pride by Curt Prestash of Curtcorp.

More on (de)clutter:

Ria's original mail art - awaiting collaboration

Additions to Ria's original

Last post I mentioned clutter and several comments were concerned whether I found any treasures. One major item was Ria's mail art (Ria of Painting2Cancers) which I had to finish my collaboration and mail off to a third party. My contribution was to add a bit of three dimensional fun to the piece and now it is safely in the hands of the postal service. On to a fellow mail artist for further modifications. When I spot it on FB or another blog I'll be sure to share.

Catch and Release

Piles of trial proofs ,documentation, collage material, proposals and random paper

** This summer I've been contemplating clutter. Specifically the capital "C" clutter and accumulation that resides in my art-making locations around the house. Accumulation with the intent of a future use or recycling of objects into art. The accumulation is difficult to categorize as much of what I collect seems to have no specific context as it is collected; it simply "is". I have no preference in mind as it is collected, although there are unformed themes jotted in sketchbooks that may influence what is collected.

The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful? And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.

John Cage

Perhaps the gathering of material is a form of map making in which I accumulate the possibilities of alternate paths. An alternate route of different or no preference.

Sometimes the objects find their way into a mixed media piece or onto a scanner bed for reference, but more often than not they eventually find their way back to insignificance through neglect.

Earlier this summer I was inspired by a terrific piece on this topic; the Song Dong installation at MoMA. Song Dong has installed the entire contents of her mother's house on the second floor atrium. While more about transience, the contents are transformed by their neat arrangement as artifacts for us to observe. Culturally our disposable world seems at odds with the mothers waste not want not collection of possessions.

Confession time. I probably shouldn't call my studio a specific space. Art making seems to manifest in different locations around the house and property depending on the the particular spatial demands of the Art.

One of my favorite rooms for art making is an office size room with my computer, scanner and printer; as well as several tables and flat files. The way I use this office-like room has necessitated moving anything having to do with office-like activity OUT. Bills and bill paying has migrated to the kitchen table. (consumption area?)

This was the room I had to de-clutter this past weekend. My art work with digital collage depends to a large extent on scanning a variety of found objects and digitally recombining them with my photography. The tables tend to fill with "stuff", either waiting scanning or never disposed of. (attachments?) Plus a fair amount of trial proofs lie around in piles. Add to the mix the paper, adhesives, paints, inks...well... Eventually it gets to the point where I'm reminded that it is impossible to thiiink. So a scorched earth, nothing is sacred attitude is adopted to clear everything to bare surface.

Longing - observing - collecting - processing - art making - purging. The Cycle.

Worktable empty! After latest purge.

This accumulation/purge theme must be in the air because I visited blog author's Rosie Kearton's Ruminations-Rambles-Reflexions site to follow the packing and moving of her studio. A visit to her blog (she also references the Song Dong piece) contains a link to artist Michael Landy, the British artist whose latest work consisted of destroying everything he owned.

So while it was cathartic to clean out this one area, there is still the shop where I do mixed media and and my basement framing area. Plenty of clutter (or unmanifest objects) to occupy myself until the impulse to purge overtakes me once again. Alternatively, I can take comfort that on the studio clutter scale not many can compare to painter Francis Bacon.

Francis Bacon's Reece Mews studio

(uncredited photo from 2 coats of paint)

Lazy Summer?

Wish You Were Here - digital manipulation of photograph - evertson ©09

** Lazy summer days? Not a chance! this is the summer of too many irons in the fire and studio time has taken backseat to long neglected projects and promotion. But the work of art is not standing still and continues on slow boil. September is right around the corner and I have artwork in several group shows.

The Emily Harvey Gallery is home to the "A Book About Death" project. Organized by Matthew Rose, this group exhibit invited artists to contribute a page to an "unbound book" on the subject of death. The exhibit is both homage to artist Ray Johnson and tribute to the late Emily Harvey. All "pages" are in postcard format and each artist has produced an edition of 500 cards to be given away over the course of the exhibit. My piece is a reproduction of my digital work "Wish You Were Here". The postcard has been modified to contain an enclosure for my short story Text Messages From The Dead. The show opens September 10th and runs through September 22nd at Emily Harvey Gallery at 537 Broadway, NYC. The A Book About Death blog has previews of the art as well as downloadable posters for the exhibition. The ABAD wall is viewable as a slide show.

Eclipse Gallery - Contemporary Art and Handmade Design

50/50/50 Exhibition Sept. 15 through Dec.31

The recently opened Eclipse Gallery is hosting an exhibition called 50/50/50. Fifty artists representing fifty states in fifty different media. The exhibit is curated by Sarah Elizabeth Condon, artist and owner of Eclipse. I will be representing Connecticut with one of my digital collages created in Photoshop. The gallery, located in Algoma, Wisconsin, is dedicated to contemporary art and handmade design. The exhibition runs from September 15th through the end of the year. A visit to the Eclipse website will provide a nice overview of Sarah's completed vision of establishing a venue for exhibiting the work of evocative contemporary artists.

Artist Jennifer Zoellner has spent the last year soliciting and organizing an exhibition of Mail Art. The exhibit, titled Chromatophore, opens September 27th at Studio 620 in St. Petersburg, Fl. Photos of the mixed media piece I submitted was featured in my recent post on July 30. Be sure to visit Jennifer's blog to preview some of the great snail mail pieces included in this exhibit. The opening includes US postal artifacts, live music and interactive art activities.

Finally, I will be exhibiting a variety of my digital collages at the Glastonbury, CT. "On the Green" show. The open air exhibit is Sept. 12th and 13th and features juried artists from throughout New England.

Sun Holding Moon - For Rachel - evertson ©09

I've been exchanging more and more Mail Art with contacts from across the web. A recent post featured art received from Rachel Freeman. The piece I returned to her was a small silver solder work that continues to explore freehand "drawing and writing" with this molten media.

Mail Art received from Ria Vanden Eynde

with instructions to modify and pass on to another artist.

Last, but not least. I received mail art from artist Ria Vanden Eynde of Belgium. Ria has asked me to colaborate on the piece then pass it on. I've been procrastinating a few days until a few of my other projects were under control. Last night I started sketching out a few ideas for my contribution. I'll post my alterations to the 10" x 10" piece above when I finish. Ria's work can be found on her blog, Painting 2 Cancers. Ria's blog documents her artistic work as a survivor of both breast and thyroid cancer. Her output and insights are inspirational!

Link Arrested!

Author before arrest as a young and unwelcome hippy

** Last week I never would have believed I would have anything I wanted or needed to add about the Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley dust up and Obama’s unscripted characterization that the police acted stupidly.

BUT

I was extremely hacked off to read this morning that one of my “links” was arrested in similar circumstances in NYC recently. Ravi Shankar, poet, professor at Central Connecticut College and editor of Drunken Boat was arrested as police were on the look out for a 140 lb white male. Shankar, whom I met recently at the Wesleyan writers conference, happens to be a 6’ 2”, 200lb Indian man. The tale of his ordeal in police detention is worthy of clicking over for the brief read.

While charges were dropped in both cases no one should be surprised that racial profiling is alive and well in America. Shankar, while of Indian origin, appeared somewhat Middle Eastern and was referred to as a “sand nigger”. As I’ve read various accounts and opinions concerning the Gates/ Crowley incident I find that every black author has a similar police experience to relate. Not so with white commentators who seem to focus on whether Obama should have reigned in his thoughts until all the facts were in.

My own dust ups with the law concern mostly protest rally incidents although I did have a dubious but frightening arrest in North Carolina in the early 70’s. Pulled over for “crossing a (non-existent) double yellow line” I was held overnight in county jail until money could be wired to pay my fine. Although I was just an unwelcome long hair hippy to shake down, this did give me a vicarious taste of profiling and marginalization by authority.

I wonder if the White House Beer Summit really did any good. Gates may have been disrespectful, but Crowley used his authority to prove he could make you have a really bad day. Race or testosterone? I’m thinking a bit of both, but it’s foolish to believe we are in a post racial America.