day 13 at ox-bow

when i came into the studio this morning one of the stacks of bags had toppled over and i thought that was interesting
so i stacked it back up and waited for it to fall again and caught it on video this time

So i gave my little talk last night along with two other artists. One was this faux naive painter john parot, and the other was a korean painter named chae eun rhee. The night before was a talk by a self described conceptual artist named artur silva, and another chicago faux naive named rob doran. The longer i stay here the more i am learning about the chicago art scene. There seems to be a real penchant for “expressive work” coming out of chicago. Or more accurately work in the style of expression. Many of the artists make their work as a therapy or way to air the dirty laundry of their personal lives. They feel it necessary to present themselves as outsiders and damaged goods and use their artwork as a vehicle for expressing their perceived flaws. The work presents itself as if it is a uniquely personal work or approach, but in fact the work is highly stylized and composed and borrows form some of the most academic techniques and approaches known to art making. I mention this because for me art making is an activity, I prefer to express my personal anxieties in other arenas. I enjoy discovering new materials, and processes and enjoy making objects and images. I say all this because after i gave my talk and realized that everyone else who gave their talk talked about how their personal lives and a sense of being damaged goods, trying to express their discomfort with the world, that i was just sort of happy go lucky(i mean i ended with a fart joke...which i guess is expressive on some level). I like my job as an artist, but I can honestly see myself moving on in a couple of years. Being here at ox-bow, surrounded by painters who are trying to express themselves, has made me aware that there is a limit to my commitment to the myth and role of the artist. I say all this now, but it may just be because i have work up in three group shows right now and i am about to start a really difficult site piece in sumter in 2 weeks and i just sent off 3 more applications and in november i am going to the vermont studio center so i may just be feeling a bit of justified anxiety. Oh well maybe two more weeks at ox-bow will help me sort this out.