Middle of the Week Already

Can you fricken believe that I am STILL sick?? I can’t either. I am going absolutely insane. Every time I think I’m getting better, it’s like it’s two steps backward. Overall, however, I AM getting better. If I compare it to how I was doing weeks ago, I am better for sure. I just don’t have the energy I want to have. I’m tried and run down. I am still coughing a bit, but nothing like I was. So I guess really, I should shut up and stop complaining.

I guess you can say I have been making a lot of plans, but not creating anything physical. I am on the computer here and there, doing a bit of sketching in the ole moleskin sketchbook, but nothing very substantial. Those etching plates are sitting in my garage just waiting to be scraped into. The hard ground was applied on one of my good days. I don’t think I can deal with the ferric chloride dip until I’m 100% healthy. So that artists’ book is on hold.

Something nifty though is that Bottle of Smoke Press produced these really cool bookmarks for me, which will now come free in my artists books. I am also offering a small edition of them that will be signed and numbered (just 30 of them) for 4 bucks, and that includes shipping!

bookmark

 

Also, in addition to winning the logo contest for the National Arts and Disability Center, I just so happen to be awarded a small grant from them to help fund my contribution to The Fiction Project for the Brooklyn Museum’s library. My book is called Inside/Outside and i will be creating it in Joshua Tree National Park from this house. This is a fusion of text and visual art that will be available online and also be traveling in exhibition across the USA.

Tomorrow, artist Arzu Arda Kosar is coming to pick out work for a group show she is curating at 18th Street in May. It includes three artists from Los Angeles and three from Turkey. She is curating this show from another artist who helped curate the Istanbul Biennial. I am very excited to be in this show.

Then Saturday I get to see my good friends from Chance Press, Jordan and Justine Hurder, who are coming down from El Cerrito in Northern Cali. It’s always wonderful to see them.

Plus this week I still have to ship off an All Done But None for a book show I am participating in in Denver.

So I am keeping somewhat busy, even though I am “taking it easy.”

Latest

I’ve been doing a lot of set-up work on my new artist book, Houses. It’s all planned out now. The pages are cut. Four pages are printed already. I just sent a box of cereal boxes and paper to the letterpress printer, who happens to be Bill Roberts. The pages that are printed are the digital pieces. I used Epson Ultrachrome K3 inks on Moab Kayenta 205 gsm paper. They turned out nice. I have 2 more of those pages to go. I also wrote the colophon this morning, which is going to be letter pressed.

Speaking of letterpress. I doing a giveaway! You know Dan has his own Facebook page now. So as soon as he gets 300 people to “like” him, I am going to pick someone at random and give them this little letterpress print of 16 Dans. Tell your friends to like him. Maybe you’ll be the one who wins!

Dan, the Existentialist

If case you were not aware, Dan has his own Facebook page. If you haven’t been there, you should go there and “Like” him. he really needs to be liked. He’s insecure like that.

Also, there is a discussion section about whether or not Dan is an existentialist. I guess it’s not all that interesting, but it’s there if you’d like to partake in the discussion. That is, if you feel so inclined.

I have been having thought of, get this, making a small comic book about Dan. Of course, it will come after this other ambitious project of my artist book, Houses, but I’d like to do a cheap comic book about Dan and all the places he likes to go and the things he likes to do because he is quite interesting. The more I spend time with him and the more I get to know him, I find him fascinating. I think other people will find him interesting too.