Let There Be Light

Let There Be Light | Piece 1/27
mixed media

Hey y’all (and yes, as a Texan I can say y’all now),

Been working on this idea for an art series for awhile now. It’ll be 27 +1 pieces (if I ever finish) and will tell a story about tech, science, zen, humans, nature, and ultimately man’s search for god. It’s broken into 3 acts, each act with three chapters. Each chapter is 3 pieces of art. Each piece is designed to work as a standalone with its own meaning, and also as part of the larger storyline (super easy to do, don’t ask). The art style is inspired by modern design philosophy, readymades, and finding commonality in contrast.

Why am I making it? Because life exists.

Once I started seeing it come together though, I felt the work deserved to be shared out so it could have a life of its own. I would use instagram, but honestly that place now has the same vibes as Times Square on new years eve: a once cultural establishment turned into a simulation of itself for profit.

So, and I really do mean this sincerely, thank you for letting me send it to your email inbox instead :)

Now that we’ve covered some context, onto why I’m here: the completion of the first piece! Each chapter starts with a poem inspired by zen koans.

Along with sharing the piece, I’d like to share some of the meditations that were working through my mind as I made it. For this one, a specific Rick Rubin quote stood out to me:

“When the work has five mistakes, it’s not yet completed. When it has eight mistakes, it might be.”

Going from computer design (where perfection is expected) to a real piece of art for the first time was an exercise in translation, and I found mistakes (or happy little accidents according to zen master Bob Ross) to be a helpful guide. I accumulated much more than 8 during my process, but for the sake of brevity, here are my favorite 3:

Splatter

Trying to spray paint the frame black, I grabbed an old canister off the shelf. Despite the can being black, there was gold paint inside. Not only was the color off, but somehow a portion must have gotten caught by the wind and taken across my room to the piece. Created by accident, it added a touch of luxury to an otherwise stark piece.

Stroke

On the last night of my holiday vacation (that I had dedicated to getting this piece finished) I still hadn't painted the circles. I had forgotten to get small brushes at the store but I was determined to find something that would work so I used a toothbrush instead. The rough edges and splatter effect added so much more depth than a normal brush ever could that I found myself actually preferring it. Experimenting from a place of necessity led me to a completely new art style I wouldn't have otherwise considered.

Support

So for a while I had no idea what I was going to use to paint on. It needed to be custom sized, cheap, and accessible with limited equipment. After much research, I learned that Home Depot can actually cut wood for you. Here you can see my boy Kenny (Home Depot Employee) and his work. The marked line is the length at which I wanted it cut (he missed it). It’s the epitome of comedy: unintentional humor. Plus, now Kenny got to unknowingly be included as a coauthor in the final piece. There are so many people who help create any kind of art (make the paints, code the software, work the stores, etc) and I like the idea that someone else’s hand got to make its mark on this piece. Evidence of the spider web of society behind everything we ever do.

Mistakes are a window into the process behind the art. By noticing them, something else can be teased out: the humanity within. It’s the evidence of having been through a process and of having grown in unexpected ways.

Next piece coming whenever I finish it...