Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Paper Process: Dots, Dashes and Mark Tobey



Composition With Confetti And Thread, c Wm Cook 2012, 12" X 18" 


Bits of thread, confetti and whatever else fell into the mix,
 sort of totaled itself up into this piece of paper.  The method of dots and dashes
to record field notes from life has been explored elsewhere on this sight.
Whole sheets of marks laid down at "random" have also been presented
here as visual meditations.  Those took many hours of repetitive
mark making to occupy the consciousness in an attempt to get at
subconsciousness levels while still awake.

So there is precedence in my work for this kind of composition.  What
sets this apart is that it happened quickly. I like the freshness of the presentation.
My usual patina--probably a function of the natural contamination
of the substrate that always fascinates me--is missing.

I actually paid no attention to the composition at all.  The paper was
freshly drawn from the water as an eighth in thick sop, still in the deckle/frame.
I was engaged in snipping off bits of thread and paper strips and letting
them flutter down into their own arrangement.  The final pressing and finishing
of the sheet is what sets the piece into its final state, and after two days of drying,
this is the result.

So, is it art or not.
You know, there's a way to create a beautiful garage floor that's similar.
On the other hand, Mark Tobey (1890-1976)  lives on.        
  

Mark Tobey, Universal City


\\///\



3 comments:

Linda Roth said...

A sound yes. Bill you bring up the most interesting topics. I 've had that same thought to paint whatever popped to mind over a period of time on the same canvas--sort of like daily graffiti. It did occur to me though that at some point I would have to going into it consciously and assert uniformity. I've yet to try it. Good for you--and I do like this piece.

William Cook said...

Thanks Linda--I do like "daily graffiti" conceptually. I've been intuiting that too, and you've brought it forward. It would end up being quite a diary as long as older layers still show. Starting to sound like a challenge? I've been meaning to tell you that I've been finding myself staring off into bare twig matrices like in your work. It's a lot like scribbling isn't it? Always a pleasure.

Micros said...

Yes.

In answer.

That and more. Everything seen and unseen can be determined to be art. . . and science, literature, philosophy. . . etc.

The pundits and critics have their own line drawn in the sand as to what is or isn't art. Sometimes they wear blinders, but that's open for another discussion.

However, this comment is about the beauty and integrity of your work and exploration. The more we discover (as you already know), the closer we get to where we want to be.

Micros