Some creatives who influence my work include:Jessica Stockholder, Yayoi Kusama, Richard Tuttle, Helen Frankenthaler, Jen Stark, John Cage, David Shrigley, Bobby Baker, Miranda July, Eva Hesse, Ian Davenport, Spencer Fitch, Anya Gallaccio, Joseph Havel, Mona Hatoum, Janine Antoni, Gaston Bachelard, Matthew Barney, Amanda Couch, Tara Donovan, Richard Long, Irving Penn, Nicholson Baker, Conrad Shawcross,Tim Knowles, Phydilla Barlow, Anne Bean, Cornelia Parker“Found objects are massed and lyrically intertwined with vivid color” Stockholder"Art is in the ability to make unpredictable associations and connections, making ordinary things seem extraordinary." Unknown“Even though I make discreet works, i like to consider the way in which everything works together as an ensemble so that there is an accumulative effect, so that not only the work will have a specific intention or construction or some specificity, but the whole group of things will build to one kind of idea” Havel
artist
Art, Drawing, Process, Text Project, Thoughts
Text Project version 2
An idea, researching now, experimenting too.The idea of being part of one of the Bristol arts trails next year, North, South or West, either. Showing and selling a series of repetitive works, the kind I love, the 'serious stuff', full of compulsion, happy accidents, flow, doing the same thing over and over and really boring myself, like a factory worker. I love the task ahead of creating a large body of work. To frame and exhibit and sell. Then I imagined the space and all this seriousness. There's lots of beige and white.I realise there is a bit of a schizophrenic within my artist self. One half the above and one half fun, fancy-dress, silly things to make you smirk, color and vibrancy. It would be good to see the two sides represented in an exhibition, but perhaps under another name. The things I want to make as this second half are usable, aimed at adults, for adults to play. And at the same time being things for the cool kids to have. Pop-up signs, elaborate wigs, old man masks, vegetable and weather fancy dress, fake poo's in different colours. All of that and more.So I'm starting with lettering, making words on sticks for people to spell out different words. I like the idea of them being 3D, but this is proving impossible to find on the internet. All I found was this one guy's attempt: (see his blog here)
but as he says, the curved letters are near impossible, and it's all very fiddly. More searching found me this...
A wonderful person made a font! Free and downloadable from here: at DaFont He's got around the issue of the curves by making everything not curvy.(This font is a set of cut-out layouts with which you can build 3D pixel style letters. They should all work. Just cut along the solid lines, fold along the dotted lines, put some glue on the shaded flaps, stick them together and there you go... If you want to use this for commercial projects, please contact me: tobias (dot) sommer (at) gmx (dot) ch )No printer here, but I'm going to copy down the net onto cardboard and have a try myself, get that trusty old scalpel out.Here's what I'm trying to make, but in 2D version. I couldn't find any thing stick-like in my studio, (and I just had the idea that using an actual stick, painted...Would be really nice) So I've used a dental mirror. I came across these at a strange market stall selling mostly nuts and bolts. They are extendable and have a tiny rounded mirror on them.
Recent Sketchbook Drawings
I have been doing some drawing in parks, on pavements and at the harbour. Using this lovely ink - Encre Sennelier: "shellac based ink with a transparent satin finish". bought on the Graphotism website, which i really recommend for any kind of art material.
They have lovely color-wheels to help you select color. I use a squeezy pen - a caricature artist at a wedding gave this pen to me after I enquired about his pen - kind chap. It has a long pointed brush which fills with more ink when you squeeze the pen.
The cartridge is filled with black ink, but I dipped the end in the yellow ink, allowing the black to seep through a little.
Music to work to
Hello Easter break! I have been enjoying having the long weekend off, and now I have another week 'off work' (ie. no Light Box work, just me in my studio making stuff - which I have not done in months) I'm really enjoying it, and I have a week's holiday abroad to look forward to as well.Today it's just me in the studio, sorting some pens and making some stuff. Bliss.Music to work to today:
It's The Motherf**king Remix - The Rub (download volume 3 here for free!)
You Make My Dreams - Hall and Oates
Spirit Lake - Coco Rosie
Greatest Hits Vol 1 - The Eagles
Alphabet Street - Prince
U Got the Look - Prince
She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
BBC Radio 4's MedMatters podcast
Brick House - Commodores
Greatest Hits - Herb Alpert
Yo La Tengo
Studio pictures
Christiana Acouceiro
Image copyright, Cristiana Couceiro.
This lovely image just appeared on my screen. Cristiana Couceiro's
is great, you should look at it. And her
too. She is an illustrator living in Lisbon.
Her work is mostly computerised collage, and I love her appreciation of color. This piece is the start of a new project based on memory and time. everything she churns out is admired by me!