Neil Spiller

I excitedly returned home early from work today for the long Thanksgiving weekend with a million ideas and plans spiraling around in my brain.  In the course of fooling around with Instagram, photographing work, and tightening up website images and looking through old files, I was excited to unearth a photocopy that I remember making years ago in my college library.  Although I had been thinking all this time that these were sketches by Lee Bontecou, I realized upon further inspection that they are in fact by a Neil Spiller.  I researched him to discover that he is a British researcher specializing in architecture and digital theory.  More exploration revealed a treasure trove of inspirational drawings.  Explosions of ink layered with well rendered amorphic forms and structural grids.  So glad I have left myself a trail of crumbs leading back to the deep-seated a priori thing that made me want to make art in the first place...

About

Yesterday after work, I met with Shannon for a phone chat about my website. Before we got on, I started stressing out about the "About" section, as I she had been gently coaxing me to try to have something prepared.  I have gone back and forth about Bio/no bio, Artist Statement/No artist statement, Cv-I do not have enough shows or professional experience to compose a proper Cv, etc.  What I do have is a number of years of making my way artistically which has not followed any traditional trajectory, but which has lead me to where I am, for better or worse.  So in the 15 minutes I had before our phone chat, it all kind of came out in a flurry, and I found myself pleasantly suprised.  I ended with a quote from the great David Foster Wallace, and another by Milan Kundera which addresses the slippery slope of art interpretation; my sneaky way of avoiding an artist statement.

In other news, one of my coworkers called me a "cunt" yesterday. I am having a very hard time shaking this off.  The day was sunny, and we had a great detail.  I grabbed the drawings and did my best to facilitate the work and be a supportive gang member.  Then at the end of the day, I grabbed an impact gun away from another guy not realizing how much he needed it, and so he called me a "cunt".  I am doing my best to blow it off, but I find that no matter what i am thinking about, this memory is lurking close to the surface.

At the end of the day, I received some tutelage on Instagram.  Apparently, my technique needed some tweaking.  Its a little overwhelming, but I know it will be lots of fun when I get the hang of it.

Jamais Vu

11/12/17

Just coming down from the show our little incipient art collective put on this Saturday.  The evening was a success;  The Skunk sold some work, Dorothy managed to get her wonderful surprising piece up on the wall, Rosanna's sculpture was excellent.  I was so relieved to just see my work up and displayed in proper lighting, somewhere other than the hall outside my apartment!  Collaborating with my old friends was great fun, and it was  interesting seeing how other people approach the little problems that arose.  The winding conversations we had about art and philosophy made my blood pump with renewed vigor.

"Is that for sale?"  I both love and fear this question.  Although I was warned to have some prices in mind, I completely neglected to do so, and therefore the few people who asked were left guessing.  I want to hang on to each piece until I truly feel its resolved, and only to let it go to someone who meets a certain criteria.  Then, they have to stay in touch with me for the rest of our lives, and send yearly photos so i can see how the piece is aging and know it is still alive.  Also, I get visiting rights.

I was fortunate to use the services of Unique Framing in Sunset Park for a few simple black frames.  I learned a few things about presentation while hanging this show.   Do not use plexiglass for displaying art, only for protection. The glare was too much.  Also, the piece, "Flight" I was determined to get framed and then serendipitously decided against it at the 11th hour due to cost.  This piece deserves to have a creatively handmade frame, and not glass, the way I had planned. Glass flattens, and the sexy texture is lost.  I love the idea of frames as art and framing in general is a satisfying piece of closure.  I wish I had a little wood shop where I could make them without fear of getting sawdust in my food and paint.  Yet another thing to dream on.