I’ve just had the most bizarre experience. Last week I was emailed by a student from St Louis, Missouri, she wanted to interview a printmaker – she had googled print studios in St Louis and came up with the name of my studio: Atelier St Louis, named after the village in which we live: St Louis in France. I explained and then jokingly said that she could Skype me – which is exactly what she just did.
I gave a 15 minute presentation on the techniques I use and also the theme of my subject-matter, I explained about Rivesaltes. The group was really interested even though this was their first class of the day, whilst I had just swallowed the last mouthful of my evening meal. The lecturer likened my work to Kiefer who has two pieces in St Louis Museum and offered me a Steichan (or was it a stipend?).
They’re going to read this blog, so hi St Louis.
http://www.jonathan-moss.com/
I’ve been working on a series of line paintings (similar to the aluminium works) for the past two years; based on a video again, but I struggled to find that ineffable something that a painting needs. Well I found it today – perhaps it was the gorgeous weather we’re having here, perhaps it was the sound of crickets, or that my wife could look after little Emilie allowing me to ‘get dirty’ and not worry about having to change a nappy . . . whatever it was, I’m glad they’re finished after 2 years of dabbling, wiping away and thinking they’re finished whilst not being convinced that I could ever show them.
Today I basically glazed over a texture of lines (which I’d built up methodically over weeks, maybe fifty layers) and manipulated the drips. The fluid paint has now sunk into the textures which has emphasised the lines. As a result of the wet paint the surface seems to have great depth which will probably disappear when they dry; I’m reluctant to use a gloss varnish, so I’ll do some experiments.
There is little I can do in the studio, that is, until I can move the paintings, which is good as I’ve got some reading to catch up on; I recently received in the post an M.Phil thesis written on the most active and shocking years of the camp, 1941-1942. Morbid, but interesting, are photos of the incinerator (still standing but undiscovered by me) and Jewish tombs in the cemetary in the town of Rivesaltes. It looks like I’ll be making another visit soon.
http://www.jonathan-moss.com/
This weekend I’ve been a little disappointed that I couldn’t attend the Video Art Festival in Athens (too short notice), I decided to throw myself headfirst in to making some prints, which I’ve put off for a while.
Mid print-run, I heard the postman knock at the door – the “Place, Identity and Memory” catalogue had arrived. I have a book of prints in the exhibition which starts next week in Dumfries. My book is based on the ‘Rivesaltes. Shoah’ series of videos, see Post 8. The catalogue is a thing of beauty, hand-bound with origami-style fold-outs showcasing each of the 70 books. Unfortunately I couldn’t hold the catalogue immediately as I was covered in ink.
The few days printing were tiring, but rewarding. I made four plates, carborundum on aluminium – printing on Whatman, which is always exciting as the ink seems to ‘enter’ the paper which still remains luminous. I was most pleased by the prints which were totally dark (‘RSA. PI.’), the delineation of form is dependent on the contrast of the carborundum lines (the ink rested on the surface of the paper) with the spaces in between (ink which was pressed into the paper).
Once the print-run was finished, I decided to turn the plates in to finished works – the results being much more visually dramatic than the prints! Both the plates and prints have their own merits though. This week it’s back to less exciting work, cleaning the prints.
http://www.jonathan-moss.com/
