On Convenience | Paper 25

("Gas stations, robbing the world of mystery")

On convenience and the problems it presents to us in the end; on convenience and what it robs us of. Following a discussion of how we can never truly be "lost" these days.

From the collection of Original Little Pieces of Paper. 

Context: Picture the gas station for all of your road-traveling needs. From a fancy piece of cheese, to the modern ATM. From water with air, to the exact directions you need when you're lost from point A to B to D and back on track again, recounted to you by the gas station attendant who's using the iMap on their cell phone (since yours is charging in their wall), and not using their local prowess. Everything you need conveniently put there for you.

(This is true story.)

This is a true little piece of paper.

Note* This is also the description of a modern convenience store that also happens to sell petrol, not a dusty, broken-down, picturesque gas station. 

Convenience stores: robbing the world of mystery. 

When we rely only on what is convenient, we may be lead down a path of suffering so great that we don’t realize it is happening.

Visionary Museum Part 4, The Roof

Hello Baltimore! We are now on the roof. The fourth and final phase of the mosaic project and the 20 year anniversary of the American Visionary Art Museum entails the crowning and covering of the small rooftop surface (upper skylight shaft) visible from across the Inner Harbor, and most visible from Federal Hill Park.

Like always, this is a proper mix of manual labor construction, and fine art. In November we spaced and hung the steel struts and installed 90 cement board panels, then de-installed to take back to our studio for design and mosaicing. Late spring/early summer look for us up in the lift piecing together the final glitz and glam. PS even when icy cold, the view is worth it.

Why Not..

24"x30" acrylic on OSB

From here to there. Highway inspiration. Of course there are dozens of explanations, but it may have been stolen (the irony) because it's not there now.

Ai Weiwei: According to What?

China's Ai Weiwei, now at the Hirshhorn (but only until the 24th of this month). A sizable exhibition that brought about a little sorrow, contempt, delight, and "hell yeah!" Delighted may not be the best word due to the weight of some work, but being charmed by the color and visuals could mask some of that material just for a second. 

Above on the ceiling, you can see the tiniest portion of Snake Ceiling (hundreds of backpacks in honor of young earthquake victims). 

According to What? (Installation of retrospective photographs)

Straight (20ft/38 tons of straightened rebar gathered from 2008 Sichuan earthquake wreckage.)

[The tragic reality of today is reflected in the true plight of our spiritual existence: we are spineless and cannot stand straight. -Ai Weiwei]

(I had a little variation of this sentiment not too long ago: see Paper 17.)

He Xie (porcelain river crabs)

Bowl of Pearls (Enormous porcelain bowls of freshwater pearls)

Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (photo triptych) & Colored Vases (yes, millennia-old vases.)

Here's an emotive and informative piece from NPR regarding the exhibit. 

A fascinating day, and I never thought I would get to see Neolithic vases covered in such pretty paint. 

Paper 4

("We don't want cloudy heads")

"Go out and kidnap someone TODAY!" (Paper 3)

"...the exact chance

in your real life face"

"...[where are the multitudes]

of scenes from life"[?]

-written on the back of this print-

http://scbaker.com/artwork/297592_A_Scene_from_Life_Instead_of_a_Scene.html

Beach Drawing

I came across Jim Denevan in this month's issue of Reader's Digest while I was trying to find one of their post-article snippet's called Have I Got a Deal for You! It was here they listed that on Ebay, "a jar allegedly containing a ghost" was bid to $50,922. (their source, pigjockey.com). But then I saw a photo of Jim Denevan's work in their BEST OF AMERICA articles. Ephemeral art; landscape art; site specific art. Impressive. So is that ghost, and I hate ghosts.