shitisfuckedup (Andrew Carnegie)

Charcoal Drawing
42"x48"

With this piece I was further exploring the use of propaganda posters. With this piece I was playing with the idea that propaganda is designed to be a low level process, and appeal to a subjects laziness in terms of thinking. The layout is designed to look like a tribute to Carnegie, while the content quite clearly is not. The text as well requires some secondary thought to realize the theme I was dealing with was "The Ends Justify the Means".

The inspiration for this piece came from discussions in high school and reading about Andrew Carnegie online. It drives me nuts that Andrew Carnegie is revered as a great and philanthropic American. Certainly I cannot deny that he did some great and noble things with his fortune, but that does not excuse the horrible things he did to acquire that fortune. Thanks also to The Offspring for the inspiration.

Synesthesia Series

Intaglio Prints
8"x12" each

1.These Amps Go to 11
2. Bananas
3. Just Out of Reach

This series of prints was inspired by the psychological condition known as synesthesia. Synesthesia is an overlap of two senses due to too many neural connections. I used drypoint etching for the figurative aspects and a la poupee to selectively ink the plates.

The first print is dealing with the concept of sound-color synesthesia. In which the subject gets color activation in their visual field from hearing certain tones, in this case some metal.

The second print, deals slightly more with the continuum of synesthesia and how most people demonstrate evidence of synesthesia. For instance when cheese is described as sharp, people understand the meaning of that phrase even though "sharp" isn't technically a word that applies to the sense of taste. With this piece I tried to create a visual connection to the taste of bananas.

The third print dealt even further with the fact that most people display synesthetic tendencies. Both physical and emotional pain are described in the same way, i.e. pain. In fact they are both also processed in the same area in the brain. This piece was trying to put a visual representation on an emotional pain, when love is just out of one's grasp.

Print Propaganda!

Intaglio Print
8x12in

With this piece I decided to take a comedic look at propaganda posters. Trying to keep in the simplistic style of such posters I took on a comically light concept. I think I would really like this in a huge poster size format. This piece encourages printmakers to joing an Atelier, a printmaking workshop where people learn and teach one another, much like how the printshop at UW-L operaters

The Death of Patroclus

12"x18"
Multi-Plate Intaglio Print.

I finally have a picture of this print! I Printed this back in December but now I finally have a good picture of it to upload. So, this print was addressing the issue of loyalty in life, more specifically brotherhood. I've always been interested in Greek mythology and the story of Patroclus and Achilles always stuck me as an amazing story of the importance of brotherhood. Basically, in the Trojan war Achilles is refusing to fight. Patroclus, who is like a brother to him asks if he can wear Achilles' armor in battle as it will boost morale for the troops and maybe be just what they need. Achilles allows this and tells Partoclus to merely fend off the enemy, and not pursue. Well that doesn't happen and Patroclus is killed by Hector. Upon discovering this Achilles basically goes nuts, gets his armor back, kills Hector, and desecrates his body. Achilles had been warned by Athena that if he went into battle he would not survive, so the decision the avenge Patroclus was also a death sentence for him. While it seems a bit brutal, I kinda get it, you don't mess with the dudes family. Anyway the figure in the print is supposed to be Achilles, immediately after finding Patroclus, that's him in the background. Achilles is real pissed and going to go, well lets just say wreak havoc. "We are nothing without brotherhood, and brotherhood is nothing without your brothers."

My Little Panda

woodcut print
2"x1.5"

So I've always been attached to the idea of ridiculously tiny (and large) pieces of work, especially prints. Tiny pieces seem like little treasures, something to be cherished. We'll this idea came as a valentines present. I think my girlfriend is certainly someone to be cherished. My pet name for her (amanda) is panda. Pretty simple....it's a panda.

Cardinal

5x5 muti-block woodcut

Heyo! multi-block woodcut! this is my first one ever! I finished this one up right before the end of J-term! it turned out pretty well overall i think. i just like the image of a cardinal hanging out on a branch in winter. This basically stems off of an obsession with birds thanks to mom and dad. This one just got put in the juried show in the UWL gallery. so thats pretty sweet.

"Peaceful,Pleasant,..."

Woodcut Print
4"x6"

I don't really have to much to add about this print. I saw a watercolor of an outhouse at a friends house and thought it would make a pretty cool woodcut. I guess so cause a couple of people have wanted to buy this one. On that note, for some reason outhouses are a pretty well covered topic in some forms of art, they're viewed as rustic, and peaceful in a way....and we poop in them. Just struck me as comical.