Waiting for my ship...

Things not to do:

You should probably not be a student in a foreign country unless you are absolutely sure of the facilities and faculties of those in charge. As it stands, I spend half my time either waiting for instruction or facilities, like a computer, or a printer, or some other piece of frustrating, unreliable technology.

I know I'm not the only one. As I'm writing I'm watching my instructor hurry around the room trying to help six different people at once while also trying to clean the only good ink roller, and explaining over and over again how to make solar and lithography plates. He didn't know what he was getting into, signing up for this, and neither did I.

I'd try to come up with someone to blame, but around here if something goes wrong or is inconvenient the general consensus is that it's supposed to be that way.

It's supposed to be that way.

...

Respectful to toward all who prescribe to some sort of organized religion, I am one who leaves very little up to fate. Death sure, even love when it hurts is better left in the capable hands of time. But school supplies?? Fuck no.

Other than that, and a small bout of insecurity driven depression, this has been one of the most provoking experiences I have ever had. Not only am I in another country, sampling all the goodness my meager pocket can manage, I am on the cusp of a new phase in my life. The time I've had here perusing the architecture and eating gelato has given me the opportunity to sort out some very important guidelines that should pull me through the next year or so. At least, that is the hope.

In any case,

Here's to it and to it again. If you don't get to it when you come to it, then you won't get to it. So here's to it, and to it again.

Killing mosquitoes

So I'm trying to be less of a failure. Here is an example of that. I made this in photoshop, tomorrow I'll shoot solar plates and make a print with ink and paper. I like this; photography made out of ink and paper. It speaks to me. Yeah.



Anyway, Italy is hot and one thing I can't do here is sleep. It is currently 1am and my roommates and I are camped out around the dinner table telling stories from behind our computers. Tomorrow I'll get back to it. I should really go to bed, sometime.

The House of the Rising Sun

What have I learned so far...

It's hard to make art without communication +

I am painfully but unabashedly an English speaking American +

I am not an artist without words which means visually, I'm shit =

I am a shitty American artist

Frottage

N: a technique in the visual arts of obtaining textural effects or images by rubbing lead, chalk, charcoal, etc., over paper laid on a granular or relief-like surface.

AKA, not the middle school version of the definition.

In an effort to get myself back on track with this printmaking gig, I decided to go back to basics and follow my instincts, my mentor would be proud. I've been following this street artist named David Baptist Chirot for a minute now and recently had the pleasure of making his acquaintance in my home-base. He's an interesting sort, you can find his blog here:

Anyway,

he uses several different processes to accomplish his pieces, including making prints using a variety of stamp techniques and rubbings. I dig this low tech method, as I dig all low tech methods and I decided to give it a try.

I chose a variety of infrastructure emblems (they're so cool here!) and juxtaposed them against one another with a little momento mori just to keep perspective.

This is just the original collage, the real deal will be in print later today:


Cheers and beers to the American way, I'm going to visit a cemetery today.

Results to follow...

FLORENTINIAN STREET ART

I promised myself I'd get better at this. Good thing I'm more patient than I am active, I guess.

Here I am in lovely Firenze, Italy, spending the month of July (Luglio) getting fat and taking an art class. I'm determined to make the most of it. Somehow I ended up in a photo printmaking class, when I know nothing about printmaking. I can do photo fine, but the facilities here are kind of hard to access and get around and well, I'm just not a printmaker, not in this sense.

Anyway, I'm playing with this printmaking stuff. It's ok on the surface, I just lack the finesse and I can tell the instructor is getting as frustrated with me as I am with this class. I intend to make some darkroom prints, tracing certain elements of those images onto polyplates and making collages. Sounds rad, but so did the last idea I had and that might as well be at the bottom of the River Arno.

Current score is: Printmaking 3, Me 0

Upside of it all is that I'm taking way more pictures and that always makes me happy, even if I can't use them. This city is full of art. Every kind of art. Check this out:



This kind of thing is illegal where I come from (for some reason). Sorry for the blur, one day I'll either be a better or artist, or start selling insurance.