Counting.... Lists & Cats

I'm starting out the New Year with counting. I have reached my cat quota and now I must purchase a new scanner since the one I have can't update to Lion. 3670 cats here I scan. Many thanks to gifts like this appearing randomly in my school mailbox:



and those from a stranger whose name I couldn't read (friend of Amelia):



The update on the lists that I keep collecting (for reasons which I hope unveil themselves soon):



Certainly 2012 will bring more additions to this stash.

"Something Between Want and Desire" Turns One!

Jodi Bieber, Sunday School, Nababeep, Northern Cape, 1998-99

I moved all the Nine Fake Cakes and Nine Bodies of Water posts from In Search of the Center to this site. Now it looks like I've had this blog for over a year but 29th December 2010 was indeed the first day Something Between Want and Desire went public. I haven't grown bored yet with this blogging business so here's to another year of seeing, creating, and thinking about art. Thank you for following!

Two Artworks that Sum Up the Day

Judy Dater, Ms. Clingfree, 1982


George Maciunas, Solo for a Sickman, 1962

An Eggleston Photograph for 25th December

William Eggleston, Memphis, Tennessee

Off for a couple days...

Thomas Prior, Approach

Ed Ruscha: Hmmmm...

Ed Ruscha, Yes


Ed Ruscha, No


Ed Ruscha, OK, 1990


Ed Ruscha, I Think Maybe I'll... 1993

Some Inspirations for this (long overdue) Self-Published Book I Must Make This Week

My Nine Fake Cakes and Nine Bodies of Water self-published book is now five months overdue. Here are some artist's books that have inspired me in terms of materials, layout, and presentation.


Stephen Shore, American Surfaces, 2005


Daido Moriyama, Bye Bye Photography, 1972


Lorinczy Gyorgny, New York, New York, 1972


Sophie Calle, The Doctor's Daughter, 1991


Paul Eluard and Man Ray, Facile, 1935

A Sneak Peek at Chris Toalson's Postcard Collective Challenge

Hopefully this task will be completed over Winter Break. Details upon completion of all ten prompts.

Working on an Exhibition Proposal (featuring lots of paper bags)

View from Hannah's studio:



David's new paintings:



Hannah's new painting that has nothing to do with this exhibition proposal but reminded me of hay bales behind an electric fence (at a Midwestern penitentiary filled in H):



Hannah and David sorting through work to be photographed:



Writing a proposal (if Jen wasn't sitting against the window with poor lighting conditions, I would have sneaked an image in of her too):



Here's to hoping something materializes (soon).

Autobiography: A Paragraph (not quite artist statement)

The ongoing series tentatively entitled Autobiography utilizes objects to chronicle the passing of time. Autobiography monumentalizes the mundane, elevating sagging swimsuits and stained lunch bags into chronological markers that define a life. A significant move is indicated by the changing collection (each city lived in requires a different object collected for that time period). Other important elements include: changes in employment, the bridge from adolescence to adulthood, and hereditary comparisons between generations.

Printing on Very Little Sleep

I spent yesterday prepping for the meeting with Hannah, David, and Jen today to discuss a potential show centering around "containers." I made working prints of all the lunch bags, clear water samples, and 5 objects photographed before thrown away. This morning I am running around collecting 3-D materials to bring as well. Not sure if I am fully prepared to think about this series yet but it's moving forward whether or not I am ready. I have a very good idea what it is about and will be posting that paragraph shortly.


Each were printed at 8.5" x 11" but the choice for which one to print large at various sizes was in between these two.


11" x 8.5" or 19" x 13" or 30" x 20"? I can't lie. The big one wins first place for me but that may change if I'm displaying them in a grid of 12.

Glen Ligon's "Graduating Girl (Version 2) #1," 2000

Glen Ligon, Graduating Girl (Version 2) #1, 2000

This sums out how I really feel about attending graduations. At least today marks the end of the semester! Winter break at last.

Autobiography: Bookmark Used for 27 Years

... before a cat extracted it from a novel and chewed it to pieces. Gift from Aunt Lesley.

Mark Flood (No Lace)

I've been thinking about Mark Flood's paintings lately (above: Wait Here, 2010). I was happy to see him return to humor that isn't indicative in his lace paintings of the last decade (although the lace black panther I once saw in his studio remains one of my favorite pieces).


Mark Flood, Another Painting (Leaves), 2009


Mark Flood, 25 Additional Paintings, 2009

His overt text references sum up how I feel right now after grading and grading and meeting and meeting and grading students for what feels like every last minute of the entire month. Sometimes it's great to have it spelled out, especially at 1:39 AM.

Mundane Tasks: Answering Email & Wrapping Presents

I spent many hours of my evening attempting to get my inbox down to a manageable size (under ten). I failed but there is still tomorrow. When Google searching "answering email," the following image pops up (which is appropriate in a bizarre way):



Image via.

I certainly fail at this in the 32 Most Important Email Etiquette Tips:

#6. Answer swiftly.

Ideally it would have been nice to finish wrapping presents instead. Photographs by Sarah Hobbs always are appropriate in times like this.


Sarah Hobbs, Untitled (Overcompensation), 2006

More Mountains

Because it's that time of year when all I can do is post other people's art because I have no time to make my own AND mountains represent escape (and home and and and).


Beth Hoeckel, Cream


James Luckett, Kamakura Mountain, 2011


Lucia Ganieva, Dreaming Walls


Jeff McLane, From New Promise Land


Jeff McLane, From New Promise Land


Sherwin Tibayan, Best General View


Deborah Hamon, From North


Clay Lipsky, Between Here and Nowhere


Henri Cartier-Bresson, Werdgasschen, Zurich, 1966


Matthew Rose, Alone, 2009


Sonja Braas, Forces #32, 2003

Baked Goods with a Concentration on Doughnuts

Donut Queen, Link courtesy of Amelia


Martin Parr, From Mexico, 2006


Martin Parr, From Mexico, 2006


Martha Rich, Chocolate Electric


William Eggleston, From Before Color, 1965-73


Sandy Skoglund, Cookies on a Plate, 1978


Daniel Stier


David Politzer, Baked Goods Docent, Canfield


Rebecca Sittler, Donuts of Long Beach