Streaming down their cheeks

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Streaming down their cheeks

16.5 x 24 cm
A page from a book on Dresden that I found on the street, found black and white photos, graphite, felt

Consider the bizarre events of the 1962 outbreak of contagious laughter in Tanganyika. What began as an isolated fit of laughter (and sometimes crying) in a group of 12- to 18-year-old schoolgirls rapidly rose to epidemic proportions. Contagious laughter propagated from one individual to the next, eventually infecting adjacent communities. The epidemic was so severe that it required the closing of schools. It lasted for six months.
- Robert R. Provine, "Laughter", American Scientist 84. 1 (Jan-Feb, 1996): 38-47.

I was in the S-Bahn with F. while she was visiting and we were on the way to an opening. We were talking about this and that when we both spotted someone. Trying to be discreet - we both noticed that this person happened to have a big booger in their nose. I don't really know why things like that make one laugh but like school girls, we started laughing. The laughing did not stop. Because F.'s laughter is so infectious I continued to laugh harder. Of course as a result so did she. The tears started streaming down our cheeks. All of the commuters looked at us with blank stares - which of course caused us to laugh more. We got out of the train stumbling over ourselves laughing and behind us were two women who started laughing with us because we couldn't stop laughing. The absurdity didn't end as later we saw that person at the opening.

11 Skeans

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11 Skeans

23 x 26.25 cm

Found black and white photograph, wool ("Froehlich Wolle - Swiss"), pg. 141 from a book on Animals in their geographical environment, origami paper, found (black) paper from a photo album

Note: this work was a bit wider than my scan bed so the entire work is not shown. The part on the right extends out a bit more.


//


I started this work yesterday and last night had a dream about it...

The first time I learned how to knit I was working in a small shop in North Berkeley, right by the Solano Tunnel, called "Nine Patch". I have very fond memories of this time. Elaine runs the shop, (which is still around) specializing in selling quilts, baskets and knickknacks, including socks and stockings of all kinds. (I think that is when I got into patterned socks.) Needlesstosay there was a lot of down time. I sat in there with a colleague. Throughout the day with not much to do after the regular tasks of stocking and cleaning, my colleague was always knitting. She had a special knitting technique...she wrapped the wool around her pointing finger of her left hand (as Janice is doing here) - she said that was the "European" way of doing it. When I asked, she taught me how. Pretty soon we were both knitting together - drinking tea, and selling the occasional thing here or there. It was so very gemütlich.
Knitting has always been an incredible point of departure for me. I think because it is hard for me to sit still and do nothing - here was/is the perfect solution - I am forced to sit still but actually can be productive at the same time. And it is like anything you do with your hands - there is instant satisfaction. In addition it is a very meditative activity and everything around me always quickly gets covered up by the wool I am using.

Josephine's Aura

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Josephine's Aura

17.5 x 26.5 cm

Found black and white photographs, artist tape, origami paper, acrylic paint, found paper

The character - Josephine - comes off the edge of the paper - so her handbag is below the paper edge line. Hope that is clear in this scan.


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"In metaphysics, Aura refers to the energy field emanating from the surface of a person or object."

I have always wondered about auras. Mostly I think it would be confusing if you could see auras - I mean then you would see an environment of colorful light around not only people but also things - because everything has an aura. Maybe there are some people out there who can see auras. I imagine so.
But I think it would be a burden.

Nevertheless I thought it might be nice to be able to see Josephine's auras - so here they are, although of course she does have more (if you were wondering).

Pink wouldn't let her get closer.

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Pink wouldn't let her get closer.

21 x 30 cm
Found image from Polish fashion magazine (circa 1973), found image of a snow leopard, graphite and textile paint

A note about this image:
The right pant leg is hanging off of the edge of the page and there is a cut out space between the female characters two legs.
Pink is silhouetted and is also above the top edge of the page.

Even though there is only a vague connection here - snow leopard spots and a checkered pattern- I have been fascinated for ages by the way man adopts patterns, colors and shapes from the natural world - especially in terms of fashion. A few years back I was at the Natural History Museum in Berlin perusing the bird section. As I looked around I was convinced that a friend had taken inspiration from the bird exhibition and modeled his new hairstyle on one of the species I was looking at, at that very moment!

Nature is a beautiful and wondrous phenomena.
If only we as humans could be so creative.

p.s. I love her jumpsuit.

2008

This work has sold.

But there will another one next week.

2008

21.5 x 29.5 cm
Found black and white photograph, various pieces of colored felt, graphite and the foil from a beer bottle

Just for a bit of clarity - the foil goes off the page on both sides - and so does the lady who is awestricken.



I do like the new year in so many ways. It's a fresh start - a chance to get back to the things that we
didn't do the previous year (or years) and also a new chance for good things to come.
But that said, actually I am a firm believer that our real new year happens on our personal birthdays.

Nevertheless it is 2008 - and I wish you a happy new year.