It is now confirmed, I will be returning to Philadelphia on te 9th of May. Germany has been phenomenal, people have been wonderful, Bavaria is beautiful.
I’m sad to leave but am feeling good about being back in Philly. I look forward to seeing everyone there in a couple of weeks. I am thankful to all of the amazing people in Kaufbeuren and the Allgeau, the FreiRAUM Kaufbeuren artists group and especially Annabell.
Thanks for reading and all the best wishes,
gtb
The ‘Planting Seeds’ series of paintings.
The metaphor of planting seeds for crops/ food is the underlying current of this body of work. One reason for this is that the series originated in Philadelphia before I came to Germany. they The first four paintings were begun during Annabell’s visit in August/September 2007. I brought them with me in winter 2008 and completed them here along with the rest of the paintings in the series.
Another perspective on the Planting Seeds metaphor is that of beginning a new life in a different country, speaking a different language and living by a different set of cultural rules and expectations.
One result of this beginning stage of a new life is a self-awareness and introspection that leads me into some very core emotional spaces and thought processes. This is where my mind moves while I’m working; recounting unresolved experiences and seeking some sense of where I fit in to the world and cosmos. The painting process mirrors the thought process. At first, emotion or thought is a chaotic, static force that essentially overpowers us, having no features, no distinction. My work, likewise begins this way; chaotic, unformed and hazy… a self-generated method of entering the unconscious mind. As I work in this way layer by layer, faint hints of form and atmosphere begin to emerge. The mind is able to see general shapes and movements in the dark waters of primitive thought processes. Successive glazes and opaque form building give substance to the mind’s movements. As the forms are solidified, so are the thoughts and emotions. It is a symbiotic exchange in which the painting process gives flesh and vessel for the abstract mind to come into existence. The force of thought and emotion fills the clay bringing it to life.
This process is the same as the biblical Genesis. The waters of chaos are filled with spirit causing distinction, clarity and differentiation to gradually arise into a world of varied living forms.
Seeds are filled with the life force. It is this force that is growing in its flesh of paint on the canvas. I cosider the paintings to be organic living things, material bodies within which the life force dwells, moves and grows.
We have not had too much snow this year. I have heard from the locals that normally Kaufbeuren and the Allgäu get a lot of snow. Either way it has been beautiful and cold.
Wertach Fluss partially covered with ice.
since I have been in Kaufbeuren this has been one of my favorite places.
Step-stone bridge across the Wertach.
I am in a group here called Frei-Raum Kaufbeuren. We are about ten people, mainly visual artists but also some who practice other creative pursuits. We put on a group show which opened December 13th and will close this Saturday the 24th, January.The exhibit is in my Gallerie, the Gallerie of Epi, which is across the street, and in the Atelier of Oliver Kromm, behind Epi.
installation view of my work, ground floor of my Gallerie
Installation view of my work, 2nd floor of my Gallerie
The photo-collage work of Doris Wenzel.
Paintings from Oliver Kromm.
After Saturday the work will come down and I will begin framing and hanging a group of drawings that I’ve been working on while this show has been up.
Next post will be a sampling of the new (and reworked) drawings.
Necronoclast is a black metal band based in Scottland. It’s actually just one man, named Greg Edwards. I had the honor of working with Greg as the artist and designer of the CD cover and interior. There is also a drawing in the center fold by ‘The Paint Distresser’. Here is the cover for this album,
Here is the original drawing that is now the Necronoclast symbol.
This was a good project and Greg was great to work with, seems these days the only time I do surreal/horror work (which is my roots) is on album artwork. I think this came out well and it was nice to bridge the gap that has long separated painting from design work.
By the way, Necronoclast is a fantastic band, the music is a writhing, visceral journey. I strongly encourage you to buy it!!
Dodson and me have served as sounding boards to <a href=”http://gbrellochs.com”>Greg Brellochs</a> for the last few weeks as he composes statements and other materials for an exhibition at <a href=”http://a-x-d.com/gallery/current”>A-x-D Gallery</a> in Philadelphia, which anybody in the area should visit, and for a couple other endeavors. <br>
This has brought me to a realization in my own life and work. In Germany I have a hand full of acquaintances but only one really close comrade (the closest of course, Annabell). Frequent contact with Greg and Austin has kept me a float in many ways, so thanks fellas. This is not to complain, I’m happy as a clam here. My point is that this gives me a huge amount of time in my head. Couple that with the complete lack of translation of all my usual identity and ego tactics, my personality tricks and my well-worn self-caricaturizations and I’m left with being forced to reevaluate my core. <br>
I am aware of artwork and human beings that make artwork that operate purely at the level of “Human”, which I respect greatly. Taking on cultural, historical or political events and/or stances as a starting point. These fine human beings and brilliant artists penetrate into the collective psyche of others privy to the subject matter at hand. In ideal circumstances the subject matter is able to serve as a metaphor with which to deliver an even deeper, far-reaching message that transcends the limits of the terrestrial “Time, Place and Circumstance” of the metaphor itself. <br>
For some reason I seem endlessly preoccupied with my own mind. My own attitudes, beliefs and structures. The problem is that this is at its heart interesting to me alone. Yet as an artist I am compelled to share my artwork with the rest of the world, make an impact say something important and profound…<br>that inspires others, moves them in their core…<br>am I really that interesting to anyone other than myself?
a true conundrum <br>
but the extent of the subject matter is the stripping down of my own psychology. I have gotten to the point now where my psychological game is uncovering any and all self generated obstacles that keep my preoccupied with the past. <br>
what of the future? What of the relationship between my own psyche and the psychic state of the world at large? One of my actual core beliefs is that I am as an organism (or as an existential “thing”) a conducting rod for currents in the planetary energy field. Actually, my belief is that everything in existence is such a conductor of energies generated at many levels, many frequencies and many scales, as well as a generator of energies. Maybe this is the trick of scaling or ‘tiding’; energies multiply by putting to use the generative capacities of other conductors/generators in the immediate environment. Affect twenty and the tide grows by a factor of twenty, etc. I suppose this is a little bit elementary as with the rather well trodden metaphor of the ripple in water.<br> Damn, nothing profound taday…
For the very first blog that I will post on Writings I will explain real quickly the title.
But first, as an American living in Germany, I would like to extend my sympathies and condolences to all those who lost fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, children, grandparents, loved ones, friends, associates, comrades, partners, drinking buddies, coffee friends, livelihoods, dreams, ambitions, long term health, and anything else in New York City and around the world on this day in 2001.
Now then,
When I lived in Philadelphia I got my very first real computer (meaning the first computer that belonged to me). So all of the files and folders were created by me. At that time I was a prolific writer, shifting all of my dream journal writing, essays, poetry, jibberish (which is the runner up title for this blog), drunken rants and other less important thoughts to the typed word. The written word also holds great signifigance for me but, as with anything, shifting mediums accesses a different locale in the reservoir. Not just a different perspective rather a different mechanism of thought. Not a different slice of the pie but a different tool with which to slice. The pie is the same ( although in this case multidimensional and infinite) but the thing which accesses the pie will inevitably present a unique form when it is served.
The point being that in that first computer my folder for all divers written materials was, you guessed it, ‘Writings’. So here it is, the writings folder from my computer is being made public. To that end I will feel free to post older writings from my archives, type out and present older writings from papers, napkins, post-its, corners of books, sketch books, etc. (i will be accurate with giving dates, eras and location of origin).
There will be a lot of art posted here as well, there are some artists out there whom i admire in their use of blogging as a way to present works in progress, news, photos of projects not in like spirit to the portfolio website proper, etc. So, if anyone out there other than Austin (really, I am making this blog to learn Wordpress so I can make Austin’s website; his payment for my time and effort is that he has to read whatever nonsense I choose to put in here) reads this please visit somewhat regularly as I am going to use this as my link to the bigger world. There is a lot of potential… I have a lot to show, share and talk about. In honor of those other artists and what I’ve written here I will post a new painting (not complete but close).
Thanks for reading, GTB
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Icy rocks in Wertach Fluss.
