One of my artist heroes, Mark Bradford

I’ve been working on a few projects inspired by the art of Mark Bradford whose work is currently on exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art.

To learn more about Mark Bradford visit this website: http://www.pinocchioisonfire.org/  I attended one of his talks when the exhibit opened. He came across as a thoroughly likeable, humorous and gentle soul. A TALL one too, he stands at 6'8". This might explain why he often works on such a grand scale.

I find his work super compelling. His use of incorporating found objects and non-traditional materials into every piece of art provides a wealth of texture, lines, layers and mystery.  He has referred to his work as a series of "negotiations". Brilliant!

While looking at his work questions arise. “What is that? How did he do that? What does this mean? Is that what I think it is? What does he want to show, tell us with this artwork?

His work draws me in, I want to look closer at it. The closer I look, the more surprises I see hidden in the layers.

I delight in finding surprises!

I would compare it to the same sense of a delight an anthropologist feels when discovering a relic left behind by a passing culture. (By the way, I considered briefly majoring in Cultural Anthropoly while in college.) Mark’s work provides this for me in spades. Plus, his work is thought-provoking in meaningful ways that lead to discussions about current, yet ageless cultural issues we deal with daily as human beings.

His techniques, his creative processes, intrigue me a great deal. I have experimented with some of his ideas and like where it has led me. That is, after dumping the first two failed attempts into the trash! I finally found my way though. This is my first finished effort titled, “The Talkative Turtle”.

His shell is cracked because he couldn't keep his mouth shut long enough to be carried

through the air by two geese. (He was holding unto a stick with his mouth.)

Close veiw of the distressed surface.  The embedded lines of yarn were laid out over a map of the DFW area. It's fun to point out the major highways and roads to young viewers.

My second piece was an exploration of another technique. I call it "Dream". I have the word stamped into it in several places. One has to be observant to see it. One little boy found it right away without my telling him it was even there.

I have actually altered "Dream" since I took this photo. I like the newer surface better. I'll see about getting a new photo of it. Still this is very much like the final one.

Up close view. The colored squares are dyed and cut coffee filters. The idea is that each square represents a thought, an idea. They are floating about, clustering together in my dream landscape. I wanted to capture how my imagination works when I'm coming up with new ideas.

There is one other Bradford inspired work in process. I'm attempting a 3D concept. I expect to finish it. WHEN is the question at this point! I'm needing to do some experimentation with materials and haven't found the best solution yet. It'll happen though, I'm sure of it.

How do I know? I've already named the artwork. It was named before I began! It wants to be born.

A GOOD omen.