These Little Things

October- a month of change, decay, and murder ballads for...

Wed, 10 Oct 2012 09:47:00 -0400

October- a month of change, decay, and murder ballads for children.

We’re going to make plans We have plans to make plans...

Thu, 20 Sep 2012 21:23:00 -0400

We’re going to make plans
We have plans to make plans
We’re going to do it right
We’ve locked it in our sights

Making some small changes this fall. Born Ruffians may help.

Here is the rough cut of my artist’s profile, filmed and...

Sat, 26 May 2012 22:25:00 -0400

Here is the rough cut of my artist’s profile, filmed and edited by the very talented and generous Tom Mull. There will, hopefully, be more soon. But, I thought I’d offer a sample of what’s to come and a bit of my thesis process. Thank you, Tom.

More photos to come. Photo Credit: Rebecca Wolseley

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:56:00 -0400

More photos to come.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Wolseley

Photos from the Barrington Gallery exhibition. Photo Credit:...

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:55:07 -0400

Photos from the Barrington Gallery exhibition.

Photo Credit: Rebecca Wolseley

These collages and mixed media images by Beth Hoekel, and...

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:54:00 -0400

These collages and mixed media images by Beth Hoekel, and others, capture the bizarre, the beautiful, and grotesque.

Pieces of What

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:39:00 -0400

Son of man,

You cannot say, or guess, for you know only

A heap of broken images

The Waste Land, T.S. Eliot

Always looking to become his own god, man denies his inherent weakness. Never allowing for relief or reality, this denial and desire for control creates violence and frustration for one’s self, which then translates to the violence and oppression of others. Myopic creatures, we overlook the beauty that lives within dysfunction and disorder.

We are uncomfortable with ambiguity or paradox. We are uncomfortable with ourselves. Instead, we prefer to dichotomize in order to make things more manageable. What a painful irony then that in seeking to ignore our brokenness, we cause further damage and alienation toward the self and others.

But, what if humans were to acknowledge their frailty and lack of control? How would perceptions change if we were to hold in tension disparate ideas, rather than discarding one or the other? This is where, I believe, real healing and truth lie. In my work, I create abstract paradigms in which this wrestling between extremes, self-denial, frustration, and reckoning interact.

This work has been much more about an intuitive process and discovery then the means to a resolution or a finished piece. Using simple, almost trash like materials I hope to accentuate the commonplace vulnerability and imperfection of body and self. I have sought to balance the possibly disturbing tones in my work with an aesthetic sense of composition, color, and movement that allows for both attraction and repulsion.

-Maia Mattson

Kiki Smith

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:23:00 -0400

“Our bodies have been broken apart bit by bit and need a lot of healing. Our whole society is very fragmented…everything is split, and presented as dichotomies- male/female, body/mind, and those splits need mending.”

Annette Messanger

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 19:12:07 -0400

                                       I stick eyes back on
                                            I unstick ears
                                   I cut off fingers
                                   I tear off a breast
                             this is my law of exchanges
                                                I carve up
                                      I pull to pieces…
                                  I give birth only to chimera

This is the latest piece I am working on. The idea is body as a...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:14:00 -0400

This is the latest piece I am working on. The idea is body as a cage (enter Arcade Fire here). It is obviously unfinished. I am looking to add more color variety, close the bottom rectangle with wire, add a bit more wire bars, and possibly a shoulder somewhere. again I’ll move from new to old.

This is one of my most finished pieces. Here I hope to convey a...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:59:00 -0400

This is one of my most finished pieces. Here I hope to convey a sense of convergence between body and emotions. There is still tension and struggle, but also, hopefully, relief. I’ll move from most recent to the beginning.

In this piece I hope to evoke a sense of disconnect between body...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:47:00 -0400

In this piece I hope to evoke a sense of disconnect between body and person. The back is cracked open as if the self has escaped and there is only the body left to experience. I am planning to rework the hand, paint the piece a greyish blue so there seems to be a more removed attitude. Anyway, here is the process…

Here are some of the rest of these small rectangles, and a few...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:32:00 -0400

Here are some of the rest of these small rectangles, and a few shots from the studio.

I am considering using these little vignettes somehow in my...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:25:00 -0400

I am considering using these little vignettes somehow in my show. These are mixed- media collages on homasote. These pieces were simply a starting off point, where the only guide line was intuition and the general rectangle of homasote.

A Bit of an Introduction

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:03:03 -0400

Essentially, there are about two weeks left until the gallery opens on May 5th. Here are some of the pieces in progress. The idea of the show is a bit confusing still for me to clearly articulate. I don’t have my soundbite ready yet. However, I will do my best to clarify the work.

I have been using pretty simple, almost trash like materials, to create the work thus far. The base or canvas has been homasote for all the pieces. Homosate is basically papier-mache compressed under high pressure to make cheap, fiber boards. It is an easily manipulated substance, that can create hundreds of textures. I have also been using plaster casts, chalk pastels, charcoal, dirt, wire, water color, glue, chicken wire, newspaper and sawdust.

The concept is one of tension between body and person/emotion. It is basically a personal narrative, in which each piece represents an abstracted memory or paradigm where the two (body and emotion) are presented either in absence of one another, in conflict, or in some state in between. I don’t hope to create a sense of resolution in any of the pieces, instead tension and struggle pervade each.I approach the pieces with a particular concept in mind- regarding the emotion, the physicality , the situation and hope to translate those as best I can.

Especially at a place like Gordon, where redemption and resolution reign supreme, I know these pieces are a bit affronting in their poses of turmoil and frustration. I am aware of their repulsive nature and possibly disturbing qualities. I don’t wish to avoid that. However, I definitely do not want to exploit the viewer in any sense. I also do not feel that these pieces are devoid of redemption. I think there is some peace and promise within the self’s struggle. As an artist, though, I am much more intrigued in these areas of tension and conflict. Again, none of these pieces are completely finished. Any feedback and criticism is welcome.

This is the progress made on my second plaster piece. With more...

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:50:00 -0500

This is the progress made on my second plaster piece. With more color and overt figure it’s easier to make out, I think. Trying to put in at least 35 hours in the studio this week. So not finished yet, but a start….

A early sampling of assemblage work, done with mixed media on...

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:25:00 -0500

A early sampling of assemblage work, done with mixed media on homosote.

It’s been a while, and I have temporarily abandoned the...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:40:00 -0500

It’s been a while, and I have temporarily abandoned the dollhouses, their project, and any pictures associated. I don’t think it’s over- but school is beginning again and I don’t know if my entrenchment in a tiny world will help me escape my classes faster. But, I have been doing a lot of reading for those classes and getting me by is one of my favorites- So, here’s some whimsical electronica for you.

We greet you...

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:43:00 -0500

We greet you in peace.

...

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:42:00 -0500

Hello Monday…