Van Gogh on the essential in art

From a letter dated December 28, 1885:

“The only question is whether one should start from the soul or from the clothes, and whether one allows the form to serve as a peg for hanging ribbons and bows from, or if one looks upon the form as a means of conveying an impression, a sentiment—or again, if one does modeling for the sake of modeling because it is such an infinitely beautiful thing to do. Only the first is ephemeral, the other two are high art.”

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Brancusi in Plastic

Artist Mary Ellen Croteau is showing these columns made from recycled plastic cartons and lids in the window of the Columbia College bookstore on Michigan Avenue. They are a playful homage to Brancusi's "Endless Columns", with a serious environmental message for our times:

Mary Ellen also runs a wonderful experimental art gallery in a window space in west Chicago, called Art on Armitage. I will be exhibiting a mixed media piece there during August 2012.

Restoring my Printing Press

I've just finished restoring and assembling my large etching press -- a six week process involving lots of rust removal, scrubbing with steel wool, and repainting. Here is a photo of the same kind of press from the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative:

And here is a short YouTube video of me testing the press, making sure the motor still works after nearly seven years of lying in storage:

I Talk On Video

Here is a short video of me in my studio, talking about me, my art, and my influences.

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