A paper weaving and a painting on woven linen

click on any image to view it larger.

Gun violence in schools.

I've made so many pieces about gun violence in schools. Here are a few of them from my upcoming exhibition "Youth culture in America" at the Smart Clothes gallery. 

A phenomenon I've experienced with some of these pieces is that they seem clever and appropriate right up until the time of the next tragedy at which time they are hard to look at, their mere existence almost an embarrassment for their inability to capture the ghastly horror of the latest event -- right now it's the massacre at Newtown, CT.

Roger Ebert: "In short, I said, events like Columbine are influenced far less by violent movies than by CNN, the NBC Nightly News and all the other news media, who glorify the killers in the guise of "explaining" them." -Roger Ebert, excerpted from his article:

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/12/the_newtown_killings.html

"COLUMBINE"Not yet created     Packing tape, wall

Dimensions variable


This is a piece I'm eager to see installed.   Years ago I saw a graffiti artist who had "tagged" some construction site in Times Square with translucent scotch tape.   Viewed head on, you saw nothing.   Viewed at nighttime from the right angle, the non-reflective background disappeared into blackness and the tape glowed out the letters of his name: YITO.

So it goes with the shooting at Columbine and kids' gun violence in general.   They slip away into the background until another shooting happens and then we can't see anything elst.

I would tape the letters of the word "COLUMBINE" on that gallery wall.   When viewed from one angle, it will appear there's nothing there.   From another, the letters will catch and dazzle your eye with their reflective glow.

Plant alphabet

Special prize!

OK, yes.  I'm kinda excited to have won a special "Juror's Choice Award" from juror David Ross at the Woodstock Artist's Association Museum's exhibition "Far & Wide" for this marker.  For more information on WAAM and the exhibition, click here.

Waiting for Godot! So exciting!

They cast 2 Pozzo's.  We're splitting the run.  Should be fun.  It's an amazing play and you'll enjoy it whenever you see it, but if you wanna see me acting my little heart out as the tyrannical Pozzo, come on one of the dates below.

SpOok at Oo Gallery

Opening party Friday, October 28, at the Oo Gallery in Kingston, NY. from 8 to 12.  Come on down and check out my painting "A sense of economic loss." (below - click to view larger)

For Oo Gallery information and coordinates, click here.

Unghie dell'artista

Some people have asked to see the sculpture I made for the "SpOor" exhibition.  Here it is: a reliquary holding a salt shaker containing my fingernails.  The gallery provided this definition of "spoor" in their call for entries: 

spOor

noun \’spur, ‘spor\ plural spoor or spoorsDefinition of SPOOR

1 : a track, a trail, a scent, or droppings especially of a wild animal

2 : a trace by which the progress of someone or something may be followed

I immediately thought of a piece I'd done years before.  A salt shaker filled with fingernails.  Maybe 20 years ago.  I'd created it back then as an absurd object, a Dada sculpture.  But now it seemed a strong representation of what it means to be an artist, to share parts of yourself with others.   To leave a trace of yourself out in the world.  Spoor of the artist.  It also brought to mind Piero Manzoni's famous canning of his own poop, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist's_shit) "Merda d'artista" and so, in respect and reference to that iconic work, I entitled my sculpture: "Unghie dell'artista".  Fingernails of the artist.