Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Prayer Flags... Set 3


This is third finished set temporarily installed in my garden. You can see a few structural changes. I won't get into the technical parts of it here though. This set depicts Japanese temple bells and trees. Should the person who gets it decide to re-assemble the flags they will find a landscape print. And again I will get this set out for some person to claim or receive.


Returning to Velvet Pelican Projects after too many years has been very exciting. Thankfully, Stacy has been highly supportive with my job change. This has allowed me to produce my first finished work in years. At first I was not certain what to do and this hit me like a brick on the side of the head.

Many artists work with what the purpose of their work is and what to do with it. With returning to Velvet Pelican Projects and getting the work out to the world I have accomplished what the purpose of the work is and what it is. These flags are a good start. Reminding people that yes, we live in very troubling times but here is a reminder that there is good will and wondrous stuff still out there in the world.


And that is the purpose and mission of the work. I will be collaborating with a goof friend soon on a project we are hoping to get out by August. I will fill all in more as it becomes more developed. This set of flags will go out this week. If you are the one to claim it or snap a pic of it please send me a notice at the email in the header. I would like to post it so that a good archive can be made here.



I will be adding interesting blogs here soon. Thanks to Gordon Arnold for his kind invitation as well.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Project 1

For the first project I/we worked with the idea of Tibetan prayer flags. The dimensions were variable, about 17" deep by 20 feet long. Each individual flag in the line was either 10" x 16" or 17" x 20".
These were silkscreened onto kitikata rice paper and then separated out into separate parts.  The images are of single trees printed repetitively until a landscape pattern was realized. Perhaps a bit of abstraction but a little work on the part of the audience.
Should the recipient of this project choose to unassemble the prints and reconstruct the original format they will find three prints of a landscape nature. Now remember the intent is for the general populace to take and enjoy them. A few more of this sort of project will be coming out soon. This particular one was place in Beverly MA. at the local library. It disappeared pretty quickly. These photos are taking from my yard while test driving the project.

How this will work out better in the future will be developed. I will keep people advised here as to when and where these will be popping up in the future. For the person who took up the initiative to acquire this first project... enjoy.

Velvet Pelican Projects

Greetings,

Welcome to the Velvet Pelican Projects blog.

What is Velvet Pelican Projects?
This is a printed matter project, mostly silk screened, of work that is intended to go out to the general populace and be consumed by them for free.

Why?
Over the course of my time making art I have come to the conclusion that I want to address the world at large in the most effective and productive manner possible. I highly appreciate the work in museums and galleries and have worked with them, but I find for the kind of work produced through Velvet Pelican Projects for this to be the best avenue.

Why the alias?
This is simple. My ego is already big enough. The importance of Velvet Pelican Projects is the intent of the work. Also, as in the past with Velvet Pelican Projects I do like to collaborate with other people.

What has heppened over the last few years?
Again simple. I had a job, which I loved dearly, that was very time and brain consuming. After five years of it I have chosen to work elsewise and focus more effort on Velvet Pelican Projects.

What kind of work was done in the past?
For the most part Velvet Pelican mass produced small books that were given out to the general populace though different means. galleries, stuffed in newspapers, mailed and any other way I could get them out regularly. Largely speaking they addressed contemporary world issues and daily life. About 50 editions were silkscreened and sent out. This was usually in a print run of two to three hundred. Over the course of the next month I will post some of these as I pull them out of the flat files.

So what now?
I will pick up where I/ we left off a few years back. Politics has fallen by the way side though. In our times we need reminders that the world is a pretty good place with many good people and places in it. I/we will move forward with this as the guide line. Produce printed art and matter for the general populace to consume and take at their leisure.