October 31, 2009
mud stencils rule
these days more and more artists are coming up with new media and materials to create art that is unique and unexpected, so it was only a matter of time before artists started working with mud. but jesse graves, an artist based in milwaukee wisconsin, has taken it a step further by using mud to create stencil artwork that puts environmentally conscious messages in public spaces…so in his own way, he’s using earth in order to protect the earth…which is a very cool concept, i think.
msr = mud stencils rule.
according to jesse, “i use mud or earth because it is a fundamental life-giving substance, logical for my messages. mud stencils are an evolving medium, intended for art and social justice, not corporate advertisement. i see preserving and improving the environment we live in as all encompassing. the world is composed of interconnected systems or cycles. everything is connected, and every choice we make matters.”
here’s a look at some of jesse’s stencils and the meanings behind them.
"to me, industrial farming means agriculture on a massive scale that typically includes the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, genetically modified foods, erosion, and soil degradation. industrial farming is happening worldwide, it is reducing crop variety, eradicating traditional farming methods, and harming the health of animals (including humans). this mud stencil is a call to action. beat back industrial farming by supporting small sustainable farms and gardens."
"my original idea for this piece was to relate it to growing your own food. i enjoy gardening, and i want to share the joy i find in the sustainability of growing my own food. i considered writing “garden” with the plant letters, but eventually decided on “grow”. i wanted this piece’s meaning to be more ambiguous and personal to the viewer, instead of a bold statement like some of my other pieces."
"wild food is plants and animals that are not farmed, grown, or raised for human consumption. wild food is nutritious, and finding it makes you more aware of your environment. wild food is all around us, even in urban environments, most just overlook it and disregard it as weeds and nuisances."
"to deal with the infections cows are fed antibiotics which end up in the milk and meat produced by industrially raised cattle. this is just one of the many problems with industrial farming. corporations do not care about the health and well-being of the animals they imprison or and people that eat those animals."
"why do people drink bottled water when perfectly potable, perfectly healthy tap water is readily available? in places without clean drinking water, bottled water makes sense; everywhere else, it does not. it takes oil to make the plastic and packaging for bottled water, and even more oil to transport them. more oil is used to recycle the plastic, unless the used bottles are filling up landfills instead."
"free can mean a lot of things. hopefully this stencil means something to you. to me this piece is about how great it is to ride a bike. for myself commuting via bicycle means i am free from oil and free from the confinements of an auto. sadly while biking in a city i am not free from rude motorists, and the exhaust autos spew."
i like this last one…obviously, the notion of freedom is something that we feel strongly about here at free people :)
to learn more about jesse and his mud stencils, visit his website: mudstencils.com
October 24, 2009
nature prisms
one of our new features on the blog is all about artists we love...whose work strikes us in a certain way and inspires us. this week i stumbled upon the work of joe ryckebosch, who uses found images of nature and wildlife and overlays them with brightly colored lines representing patterns he sees in nature that are invisible to the human eye.
joe answered some questions for me about the thought process behind his work...check out the interview and some of his artwork below!
"discoveries"
where are you from?
i live and work in portland, or. i’m originally from a small town in southern california. i lived in the san francisco bay area for several years and it was there when i discovered the shapes and patterns that make up the work i produce today. my wife and i lived in nyc for a short spell, but it really didn’t work out very well (living in nyc). we moved to portland in 2007 and the change of scenery really inspired me to start the nature paths and wildlife analysis series in my art.
"radiant jay"
what is the inspiration behind memory screens of things seen and unseen?
i wanted to try and convey the idea that we sometimes remember or recall things a certain way and our minds have this strict idea of exactly how we saw it or perceived it, but that sometimes is not the case and these things, such as nature and wildlife, are not exactly that way and the entire time they had this sort of aura or life force surrounding them. in my work this life force becomes palatable in the shape of colored lines and patterns.
"panthervision"
where do you find your nature imagery?
ahh, well i find these things all over the place. i like to take little trips on saturday morning up and then back down 82nd ave. (in portland) and stop at all the thrift stores along the way. there are about 4 of them and in my “rounds” i usually end up with a few good finds.
"lupine shine"
how do the “unseen patterns” come to you?
they just sort of pop out of an image as soon as i see it. It’s funny, i will walk into a place and see an image just sort of staring back at me. i instantly know if i can work with it and perhaps, hopefully, remix it to the way i see the patterns emerging.
"forest relics"
can you explain the phrase “nature authors nature”?
well, i can provide an example: the water flows down the stream and feeds all life in its path. what if the water was really this colorful life source surging forth? it is not really a liquid anymore but rather a source of power, a necessary thing that will ultimately sustain life. nature then edits the way things really are, nature’s unseen editing will dictate and govern how things should and will be. i try and bring that to the foreground in my work.
"spectral falls"
who are your heroes?
hamish kilgour, jack k., william b., the ether spring, david r., jonathan ames, sara bir, and tony turano.
"majesty tree"
what does “free people” mean to you?
free to choose, free to live, free to think. un-inhibited and never afraid to try new things, despite oppressive factions and dictatorships.
memory screens of things seen and unseen is on display at half & half gallery in portland through november 1.
October 17, 2009
gimme shelter
yesterday we told you about a show taking place at johnny brenda’s to benefit the philadelphia independent artist collective vox populi.
i went to their website to check out some of the artists and I was inspired by these paintings by local artist kate stewart, who’s work explores notions of escape and shelter.
check out her website and more of her work here.
