The two recent series I published, subtitled Clouds and Wounded, were yet another stepping stone in my journey to get my in-house studio rolling smoothly. It has been a rough couple of weeks. I’m proud of my work, but I am frustrated. Prior to construction I felt like I was ripe with ideas and images to embark on and, now that everything is in working order, it has been malady after malady in the process.

Time to burn the sage, again.

But, let us discuss the outcome of Series 200 and Series 210.

The sequence of events leading to the production of Series 200 began as an attempt to do a large format color chart. Once I had the layout and design planned and committed, I serendipitously ran out of printer toner in just the right spots. Voila. Something else to work with for that week. Of course, I attempted a reprint, so I then had two non-images to work with.

And maybe my frustration all stems from my own expectations, but the image to the left, for example, is my favorite of the whole run. It is what I call a “strike print,” or one that is intentionally attacked in a manner to create a significantly different image than the rest of the series. I enjoy how when juxtaposed against the full run, the base images are now contorted in to a whole other line of perspective. Different amounts of space are created and there is a greater contrast of the colors used. This particular print has a much more imperative emotion to it like the red of a stop sign that stands out even in the darkest of evenings.

The beauty of art stands on the fact that ultimately the viewer has the final say on the interpretation of works. I think few artists reveal the ’stories’ to their works, or define what they are about or what they really mean. In fact, my impression has always been that more artists talk about what it isn’t, or how in their final states works have non-meanings. They just are what you see. I don’t think this stems from fear of being incorrect, but, more as a concession that one the works leaves our hands, it is in the care of the viewer, meaning (or non-meaning) and all.

Provocation is important. The method in which one is provoked, though, can be vulgar these days, with so much attention placed on celebrityism and excess sexuality. To be labeled provocative is a marketable asset. Art provokes in different ways even though some of the best art is also sexual or loud. I personally find weak inspiration in the Hollywood glamour teens when placed next to something as quotidian as a subway map.

With an inspired rush of energy, I was provoked to reprint a new series in a differing color scheme. I took the same screens, used similar registration, changed the order and final effects used in the process, oriented them diametrically, and employed the same tactic of putting light-hued ink in a portion of the prints. While some of the prints may look very similar, there are minor differences. The first run employed the use of violet ink while the second run used blue-violet. This creates perceptible but not-as-contrasting differences between the two series.

The subtitling of the two works seem to have no relevance to each other; how does one connect the word clouds to the word wounded. There is no clear answer to this question and, as the interpretation of the images themselves, is best left to the opinion of he who ponders. Much like quotidian subway maps, the reader interprets their destination and the fastest route to where, if anywhere, they want to go.