Wednesday March 29th 2006, 12:52 am
Filed under: Art, Miami, Panels, Roundtables, and Conversations, The Skinny

Apparently, during the last infestation, the poker spam laid some eggs which hatched today while I was away. I fully expect more hatchlings to erupt from their vile dens. As I will be off to Boca tomorrow to better view M. Lautrec, Mr. Whistler, Mr. Avery, and Ukiyo-e, I must ask you, dear readers, to fend for yourselves. Try to ignore any poker spam which comes near you - do not touch it under any circumstance, as touching a poker spam only encourages it, and it may leave a nasty bite in your wallet.

While conscientiously ignoring the poker spam, you may like to amuse yourselves by considering this quote from a commenter named “realm”:

While you blog with self indulgence dreaming on heroic altruism, is your vanity (and others) what get the impact, not the community. What’s the whole point of having a voice if there is nothing to say but irony?

I’m seriously offering this as a point of consideration. I myself was musing on the question of whether or not my efforts, or those of the “others”, do in fact contribute to the art community or not. It will likely be one of the topics addressed at the upcoming panel on April 6, and I’m not sure that I have an optimistic answer to the question. I am quite optimistic, however about the positive contribution of negativity and hostility which our efforts seem to engender–that is to say, I think we’ve made schisms and negativity much more accessible. But then again, I’ve been huffing lacquer thinner today (inadvertently, of course).



For those who do not know why on earth I would be huffing nasty substances such as lacquer thinner, such toxic fumage is to be found in printshops, and is especially prevalent whenever anyone is performing a xerox-transfer. Xerox-transfers make huffers of us all, even with the finest ventilation.

In any case, I tacked some clusters of my current body of work up on the wall, and though the photo-quality is not my finest effort, I did snap some images for you to consider. These images may provide a nice counterpoint to the unthinking doodles. The works are all monoprints, and include silkscreen and litho, as well as the more typical ink-on-mylar/plexi monotyping technique.

21 Comments so far
Leave a comment .

i love the oven mitts hanging from tree branches. i loved your doodles from the other day. i love sketchbook doodling, period. and maybe even as much as sketchbook doodling, i love me some xerox litho. i always forget that you can do it without a big fancy press.
Comment by anonymouse 03.29.06 @ 10:38 am

yeah there is an inherent value to blogging like the log that it is so long as you get something from it even if it is not given. In other words, to appreciate art, you must be able to truly appreciate something.
on that note, get your mitts off my island!
in any case, use good ventilation practices please, for kids sake
Comment by jake 03.29.06 @ 1:11 pm

Re. Realm: pth. As you blog over time, the chances of Realm or someone like him showing up in the comments approaches one. Keep doing what you do, because you feel like doing it. The point of having a voice is to use it. Weak people hate that.
Comment by Franklin 03.29.06 @ 1:41 pm

Thanks, y’all. But I am serious about the question I [kindof?] posed concerning realm’s remark–I’m pretty much the last person who can know whether or not this particular blog is stimulating anything communal or non - virtual unless people say so, and the people who seem to be very likely to say something tend to be the malcontents (and the regulars, whom I know to be folks who, though they may read this blog, weren’t spurred by it to contribute in the real world - they’ve been doing that on their own, and have for a long time).

Content people seem to be content to say nothing, which is fine, but I’m certainly not in a position to know about it. And that may put me in a weird position on the panel. At that point, I should be asking the audience questions.

Regarding the xerox transfer-oil of wintergreen or an orange / citrus-based solvent with the back of a spoon and a lot of elbow grease will get you some good results. The trick is finding the right copier-it needs to be one which uses honest to goodness toner (itself carcinogenic) and not a laser deal.
Comment by KH 03.29.06 @ 6:30 pm

Franklin: The point of having a voice is to use it alright, but it should also be accompanied by the responsibility of using it properly - if wanting to have a responsible voice - understanding that when we refer to community, we refer to a complex and diverse system where every part has a function and collaboration and tolerance should be above competition and underestimation, unless the voices present agree that the point of being used is to say whatever they feel like. Then, you are right again, it is fine to share your impromptu among your pals. Weakness is arguable if we refer to a virtual voice. You would never call me “stupid” in front of my face just because you can use your voice, for that you will need more than the desire to do it, however, a dog would bark for no reason, but we don’t pay attention to barking dogs, do we? Usually, what it means is that we are moving forward.

KH, the simple fact that you are able to question what you do gives you a lot of credit. I think what you do is positive. However, to wait for the offline discussion is a crack in you blog project. It should be happening right here before anywhere else, then you’ll be able to tell if your efforts are really working out. Be humble and don’t please any ego (especially yours), underestimating others irrevocably leads to overestimate yourself. Later.
Comment by realm 03.29.06 @ 9:58 pm

Look, realm, I can’t instant message everyone who’s reading and bug them until they comment on my blog.

I’m doing a good deal to foster collective communication here - sure, it’s not a forum, but my readers already told me that they are not interested in a forum. So. I’ve got comments set so that they are completely anonymous, email and registration is not at all required (causing me some p*ker spam problems) - people are free to invent whatever nutty pseudonym they like (as long as it does not involve either the words p*ker or c*sino), and say whatever the heck they feel. Some do. Some don’t. Some tell me to get a real job.

Essentially, I think that many people are just not commenters. There are actually a lot of blogs that I read and do not ever comment on.

I don’t know.

Dissent seems to bring people out of the woodwork. I’m not keen on dissenting all the time; it’s not progressive. I actually like A.T. and no matter’s comments and discussions quite a bit, and still, even I don’t respond to them enough, sometimes simply because I lack the time to do so.

Argh! Now I’m totally rambling. This comment probably ought to be its own post.
Comment by KH 03.30.06 @ 12:34 am

They are going somewhere, I think.
Comment by pulledbynumbers 03.30.06 @ 9:11 am

Actually, Realm, if you deserved it, I would totally call you stupid to your face, but that’s beside the point. Saddling KH with responsibility to the community is misplaced. She’s writing because she feels the need to, and she leaves comments open because it’s interesting. I know, because there’s no other reason to do it. Eventually that draws criticism from people who do nothing to open forums and nothing to maintain them, who nevertheless feel obliged to come by and call people out on vanity or disservice to the community or whatever perceived wrong is on their minds that day. A “responsible” voice is not going to try to nurture everyones’ interests - it’s going to speak clearly and truly in an interesting manner. People who don’t feel that their interests are being served are in turn invited to open their own forums, and use their own voices, which they will find is far more difficult than complaining.
Comment by Franklin 03.30.06 @ 9:34 am

Boy is it ever more difficult! I had an awesome gig as the resident artblog.net voice of “Pomo”*; practically all I had to do was say “hi” and I was in the game. Now, though, have to create Content for everybody to consume, and that’s definitely not a cakewalk.**

*Use of the word “Pomo” not sanctioned by TNFH.
**This whole comment is tongue-in-cheek

[But it is actually much more difficult, as well as occasionally heartrending]
Comment by KH 03.30.06 @ 10:52 am

F: Generally, I agree with your comment above. Btw, KH, I wasn’t “Pomo,” but I’ve got my share of inane invectives at artblog.net. But I think that the idea of community is important (forget realm). In a blog, content (good content) is crucial and one really has to take care of that. I disagree with F. in that building community is not divorced with having a unique voice or even stimulating engaging exchanges. Would that makes me less of a subjectivist and more of a communitarian? Peut-être.
Comment by A.T 03.30.06 @ 11:17 am

They’re not divorced, but I learned the hard way from running the MAEx site that it has to happen organically - one person puts his or her voice out there and an audience gathers around it. Self-conscious efforts at community like the MAEx tend to devlolve until only its most active members are left, leaving you with the situation that you would have had at the beginning if you had just started with a forum for those members.
Comment by Franklin 03.30.06 @ 12:45 pm

It’s interesting that you bring up the idea of organism. I remember when I reviewed that space and recommended it to a broad audience (was it 2003?). At that point, artblog.net was a forum where people would come and talk and (yes, there was your voice running the whole show but) there was actually a diverse discussion. Obviously, the more points of view and the more to argue about, the richer the discussion becomes (richer, in the sense of community as well). Then, there’s a second phase, right or during the time of your Street articles right around our criticism panel. The comments got harder. Surely, Darby led the pack. He’s a skilful arguer and knows about art history. But it was theoretically one-sided and (though some in your blog would claimed the opposite) of the kind that appeals more to intransigence than rigor, and male camaraderie than diversity of opinion and validity of arguments. The routine was that if you didn’t agree with some hard-core tenets, then you are the enemy (theoretically speaking of course). I fathom that at times you didn’t know what to do with that, but you went along with it (loyalty?). KH appeared with her dissenting voice and insightful comments. The difference (with the predictable rest) was that she was patient, resilient and had a sophisticated style of argumentation. It raised the bar, but was short-lived and appreciated only by a few (you included). The dissenting voices left and you ended up with a predictable pack.
Comment by A.T. 03.30.06 @ 1:29 pm

Franklin, I’m sorry but that’s exactly the point. You would never be able to tell if I deserve it, neither you will stand in front of me, nor is for you to judge what I deserve. So, to end the “stupid” issue, you will never call me that in front of my face. I second A.T on his last. If what a blog owner wants if to say what they want and be heard, it has to be prepared to hear others. To listen has been always difficult, especially if an ego problem is in charge. Isn’t the case with me right now? did you think on the relevance my comment may had before desperately coming to KH rescue? I think KH has showed it can speak for itself. Plus, KH do mind community, and show obvious leadership aspirations, so KH must be responsible.

A.T., yes, community is important, as important that we should “forget realm”, which is the reason of this discussion in the first place. Some solidarity, fine. Despite the hostility, I must agree. Most important thing is that now KH is openly asking the readers what they really think. hey KH, a thanks will be appreciated. So, be A.T last an example of how egos could get in the way, an offline panel will always be interesting, if is not about all of you having your five minutes glory. Otherwise, “The dissenting voices will leave and you’ll end up with a predictable pack”. Good luck.
Comment by realm 03.30.06 @ 4:43 pm

Realm, I didn’t mean it that way. I was addressing an interesting tangent in F’s comment. Yet, I find these assertions: “hey KH, just in case you don’t know Internet blogging is history. Get out and get a real job!” and “be humble and don’t please any ego - especially yours” baffling. Sorry, if I offended you.
Comment by A.T. 03.30.06 @ 4:58 pm

Thanks A.T. I’m not offended. There is always a possibility that KH asked for it. No pain no gain. There is a historical relationship between privileges and responsibilities in leadership. If someone is able to gather people around its deeds, it should also be able to watch for its own integrity. And this is very important for whoever wish or have the need to have a public opinion. There is a lot of claim of community impact in this blog. Too pretentious for my personal taste but is fine. I was just pointing it out. And you see…Later
Comment by realm 03.30.06 @ 5:53 pm

I would never be able to tell if you deserve to be called stupid, Realm? I can tell that you’re not worth having a conversation with.

AT, I don’t like talking about Artblog.net too much here at TNFH, but let me just say that my understanding of what has unfolded there differs from yours in some respects.
Comment by Franklin 03.30.06 @ 8:24 pm

realm. I certainly did not “ask for it”. That kind of language / statement is insupportable; you are wrong to say it. I also feel that you are taking the shield of your anonymity a little too far. For someone who speaks so highly of responsibility, you seem to exercise none.

On the matter of ego, both commenters and bloggers alike fall prey to the pretentions of ego-initiated conversation, as I’m sure you are well aware.

It was always my intention to open discussion about the panel; in fact, Franklin started it around the time of the first announcement. I preferred to wait until a week before the event.

Critique is quite easy. Please try to propose an alternate vision instead. For example, what are you imagining the role of a blog to be?
Comment by KH 03.30.06 @ 8:36 pm

I must disagree with you in many aspects, but that’s alright. I’m not a blogger, but I know that my identity shouldn’t be an issue. I’m questioning the role of TNFH because there is nothing wrong with that, as you are able to question others in your comments. I’m sorry that you find my language unsupportable. I have read worst in TNFH before, I’m sure you are aware. But those things were not the only things I said.

From my understanding, I have done nothing but to lay a couple of ideas here and there that I though could be of interest, hoping to be provocative enough as to bring some attention to those issues. I have no doubts about your intentions to open discussion about the aforementioned panel prior to my comment. Actually you mentioned at the beginning - I myself was musing on the question of whether or not my efforts or those of the “others”, do in fact contribute… - but you also quote me first. KH, no pun intended, I was being sincere.
Comment by realm 03.30.06 @ 10:28 pm

i am not a regular, i am a periodical, for my own reasons too long to discuss (unless you ask), and my opinion is pretty irrelevant. i have found this out the obvious way in that, the way “you guys” refer and address each other, you are people, not commenters, in effect the forum most of these blogs deny being. I don’t read other blogs regularly, i read (red) local miami blogs because that is where i was (not there anymore). now i look in because of an issue or other, in this case the upcoming panel, where i will again be underestimated and ignored. that’s fine, i don’t feel camaraderie for a slew of reasons, but i do feel “responsibility”, that i don’t like, but i deal. reciprocity is a natural rule. I know i may be dense or cryptic, but understand, to me, so are you. there are so many points made which seem so forgetful that, i say something again.

So if you do continue beyond the prompt closing time, i will be there.

Yes i like to let you think i am some sort of shady type, why you think that is the best part.

so toodles,
jake
Comment by jake 04.01.06 @ 12:17 pm

Jake, I don’t think of you as shady. I do find you to be somewhat cryptic, but I just take it as meaning that we have different communication styles. I’m not adding any value judgement on top of that.

When I use the word “forum”, I’m referring specifically to a type of webspace thing (as opposed to a blog); I’m not using it to imply inclusion or exclusion.

Sometimes I don’t feel much camraderie around here either, and also, like you, I sometimes feel a responsibility that I don’t like. C’est la vie, man. :\

We’re still working out the details of the afterthing. But it will happen. So, see you then.
Comment by KH 04.01.06 @ 9:40 pm

to be continued
Comment by realm 04.02.06 @ 10:42 pm

Taken from http://www.thenextfewhours.com/blog/?p=194 on April 2nd, 2006. Offered by Miami Art Guide Magazine under Creative Common License. Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5. Full legal code of License can be found here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/legalcode