Blog

Foucault

The photo above is part of a donation to the BOOKMEAT auction along with the upper book.

I’ve been rereading Foucault’s Discipline & Punish: the Birth of the Prison. I am only about a third of the way through it on this reading. I think this is a particularly good quote, although it does not apply directly to my interests.

“A stupid despot may constrain his slaves with iron chains; but a true politician binds them even more strongly by the chain of their own ideas” (102-3).

Similar to my previous post, the image below is a working image for an up coming painting. I intend the annular layout to references the panopticon that Foucault’s details in his book as proposed by Jeremy Bentham though never realized.

More CMUs

I’ve been shooting variations of concrete blocks for the last few days—sample above. I had the intention of the blocks alluding to the possible structures in which they would or could be built—specifically, the blocks referencing a Panopticon. Paintings of these images and of my notebooks are going to constitute the majority of my next solo exhibition.

Wonder Valley

I am planning to paint a few different views of this house. It is out in Wonder Valley where they have/had a homesteading policy for those who make improvements to the land (minimum $500 on a structure, i think). I like this building and how it sits on the land. it was mostly intact at the time I took the picture (almost one year ago 9/12/08).

this is 9 X 16 inches, gesso on paper.

a note on gesso:
I finally got some Earth Green gesso from Old Holland. It and the Burnt Umber are more stains (transparent) than covering type gessos which have proved to be better for what I am doing. I only used black and white in the painting above.

Postcard Design

Sarah Jorgensen Going Over Notes

i just sent this image to an online printer for a small run of postcards (25). it is kind of a test for a postcard set, and also a surprise for Sarah (she doesn’t read the blog).

Cored Bricks

This is the results of going to the brickyard today. I told the fellow behind the counter what I was planning to do and he explain the different items on the invoice so I could label them properly. This is really only for my own use, and not what I am planning to paint. I bought a couple of each kind to arrange like the CMU I have uploaded in prior posts.

Gas Stations

Above is a working image for one of the new paintings I am starting. These gas station at night (not that unusual for me) are a slight shift from the single pumps by depicting the entire station, the larger structure and the atomoshere, while still isolating it in space. I haven’t removed the waste container and window washing station in this image, but I don’t think I’ll include them in the actual painting.

Scenes From Vermont

Sarah was recently up in Weston, Vermont. She sent me some pictures she took, then I sent her out for more. Here is one of the pictures from her re-shoot after some of my photoshopping.

Les Paul – RIP

Les Paul with Mary Ford

Guitar Legend, Les Paul, musician and inventor dies at 94. Among many his many accomplishments, he was responsible for developing multi-track recording, overdubbing, the first solid body electric guitar, and is credited with creating the 8-Track tape recorder. He also had 11 number one singles and 36 gold discs with wife, Mary Ford.

Cinderblock painting — Concrete Masonry Unit

Gesso on paper, 9 by 16 inches.

I painted this yesterday. I am pretty happy with how it came out.

Building Panels

I should have posted these first. Cuting the wood for the panels.