Stop making sense -

"Searching for Brice"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... painters are amongst the priests – worker priests of the cult of man – searching to understand but never know ..." - Brice Marden

Return to productive use -

"The Sculpture Studio I"
digital collage by Mick Mather

When traveling, be it near or far, around my own home or in other cities, I'm always looking at old buildings. I see them as live/work spaces and always imagine myself building sculptures inside them. At the same time, I see them as sculptures unto themselves.

Weary -

"End of the Day"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... I would go to the deeps a hundred times to cheer a downcast spirit. It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary ..." - Charles Spurgeon

Illustration Friday: Magnify -

"In Her Reading Room"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... every person who knows how to read has it in their power to magnify themselves, to multiply the ways in which they exist, to make life full, significant, and interesting ..." - Aldous Huxley

Thursday Challenge: Tranquil -

"Tranquil"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

"... we are great fools. 'He has passed his life in idleness,' we say. 'I have done nothing today.' What! Haven't you lived?' That is not only the fundamental but the most illustrious of your occupations. 'Had I been put in a position to manage great affairs, I would have shown what I could do.' Have you been able to think out and manage your life? You have performed the greatest work of all. In order to show and release her powers, Nature has no need of fortune; she shows herself equally on all levels, and behind a curtain as well as without one. To compose our character is our duty, not to compose books, and to win, not battles and provinces, but order and tranquility in our conduct. Our great and glorious masterpiece is to live appropriately. All other things, to rule, to lay up treasure, to build, are at most little appendices and props ..." - Michel Montaigne

Ticket to ride -

"A Traveler's Red Bag"
digital collage by Mick Mather

Just puttering around here ... old methods, familiar tools, having some fun. Go do likewise.

Another DisCo image from the vault -

"Stimulus Package II (A Mother's Arms Version)"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

I was just reviewing the recent work files that resulted in my submission to Seth Apter's Disintegration Collaboration Project by way of this FREE down-loadable PDF artists' book, "From the Proverbial Ashes". While there, I found a few alternate versions, like today's post, that I thought I might offer up.

She were mine -

"That Woman Across the River"
digital collage by Mick Mather
- click on image to view size -

I was just fiddling around with this one ... there are some things I like about it and some things that I don't. Regardless, here it is.

I changed the number -

"Rediscovering Jane"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather
- original photograph by John Mora -

First, many thanks to my good friend and outstanding artist, John Mora, for blanket permission to use some of his photographs. Second, the woman reminds me of Jane, an old girlfriend from close to thirty years ago now. Every five years or so, lovely Jane would give me a call to see how I was doing and to catch me up on her own life. Somewhere along the line, many moves and changes in telephone numbers finally put that to rest I'm afraid. I have a series of such images and if I have the strength to run through some very old archives, I may post them again at an opportune moment. Til then, have a peek at the before & after of this piece at No Matter What Shape-The Archive. Enjoy.

Again, a blast from the past -

"Lemon Sky Over Strawberry Fields II"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

I stumbled upon a set of photographs by Henry Cozad recently and was blown away. I'm not certain what he was doing here - they're terrific! - since other sets of his work are quite different. Be that as it may I love them. At the same time it occurred to me that I have a piece similar to his so I dusted it off, shined it up and here you have it.

Illustration Friday: Caution -

"Caution"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... action makes more fortune than caution ..."
- Charlotte Whitton

Thursday Challenge: Curved -

"Curved"
digital photograph by Mick Mather

The theme this week at Thursday Challenge is curved. I was able to get this close-up of a teasel head a month or so ago and have been enamored of all the ovoid shapes in this fine specimen since that time.

NEW from The Trinity Series -

"Trinity #20 - The Black Hats (Alternate Version II)"

manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

This piece actually predates The Trinity Series by a few years but when it comes to seeding one's thinking, it's surely part of the process and therefor part of the series. At this point, I'm not even certain that the original sculpture exists. I'm even wondering if this doesn't fall under the category of book arts as well. If I ever find this in one of my archive boxes, a shadowbox frame will be the final step.

Good morning sunshine -

"Sunrise, Sunset"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... he who binds to himself a Joy
doth the winged life destroy;
but he who kisses the Joy as it flies
lives in eternity's sunrise ..."
- William Blake

Private investigations -

"An Obvious Clue"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... Dalton made his decision. No one noticed him on the street anymore. Every sort of greeting was ignored in turn. Distracted gazes omitted his presence and he was able to move about freely with neither fear nor question. While curious, he was going to use this unexpected anonymity to good advantage and become ever more an invisible man. Even so, the feeling of being watched made him uneasy. Then, after exiting the old movie theater, a sign. What appeared to be a period art deco design on the marquee made that spot between his shoulder blades ping. There was no mistaking it! Suddenly the personal classified ad in the morning paper, circled in red ink and shoved beneath his office door, became less cryptic: BEWARE THE DIAMOND DAGGER! ..."

Before -

"She Has an Overbite"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... Americans may have no identity,
but they do have wonderful teeth ..."
- Jean Baudrillard

Walking the line -

"Parade Ground Cowgirl"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... and when it rains on your parade,
look up rather than down,
without the rain,
there would be no rainbow ..."
- G.K. Chesterton

Illustration Friday: Wrapped -

"Wrapped"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

"... old roses, heads still high,
wrapped in sunbeams
of an afternoon sky ..."

Thursday Challenge: Rare -

"Mystery Dance"
photograph by Mick Mather
- click on image to view full size -

The theme at Thursday Challenge, rare, was tough for me even with all of the usual terrific alternatives that Dale Hudjik offers. When I stumbled over this photograph the words of Elvis Costello came to mind as I studied the twists and turns of a wild vine with added decoration by some enterprising spider:

"... Why don't you tell me about the mystery dance
I wanna know about the mystery dance
Why don't you show me
'Cause I've tried and I've tried, and I'm still mystified
I can't do it anymore and I'm not satisfied ..."
- Elvis Costello

I put a spell on you -

"The Talisman II"
digital collage by Mick Mather

If I'm not careful, another series could be in the making. Not long ago I posted this piece for the theme, talisman, at Illustration Friday. Well, I don't suppose one can ever have enough magic in their life ... although, we might want to be careful what we wish for.

Sweet William's Farewell -

"Black-Eyed Susan"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... all in the Downs the fleet was moored,
the streamers waving in the wind,
when black-eyed Susan came aboard ..."
- John Gay

The block is cut -

"Salt and Pepper (Artists' Proof)"
erasercut by Mick Mather
- click on image to view full size -

More than a few folks whose blogs I visit or make comments at same, are talking about printmaking. Lisa Sarsfield did a lovely cut of some teasel that I particularly enjoyed. A few months ago I, too, was cutting a block for the first time in years and today's post is the result using the reduction method to get a print with more than one color or hue. To reach this point you begin with a drawing on the block (see the original sketchbook drawing here) and begin cutting. After inking the block in black and laying it to a piece of hand-made paper I ended up with a white-line drawing (the white paper serves as the second color). Next the gray areas and a line frame were cut. The block was inked again with dark gray and, using a registration template, laid to paper a second time to get his three-color print.

Remembering old friends -

"My Photograph of Chun"
digital collage by Mick Mather

I'm still playing around in the new toys wing of the Secret Visual Laboratory. This particular piece is a fictional character but as I so often wonder, what will you folks come up with for the story of our precious Chinese beauty?

Where day and night are equals -

"A Night in the Tropics"
digital collage by Mick Mather

It's been a long time since I've installed new software at the Secret Visual Laboratory and I'm still in the playing around mode with it. Much of the work posted over the past few weeks has been passed through the new tools and is showing good potential. Here's another.

Illustration Friday: Impatience -

"Impatience"
digital collage by Mick Mather

"... I wish, and I wish that the spring would go faster,
Nor long summer bide so late;
And I could grow on like the foxglove and aster,
For some things are ill to wait ..."
- Jean Ingelow

Thursday Challenge: Artificial -

"Selfportrait of the Artist So Plastic During the Summer of Love"

digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

The weekly Thursday Challenge theme is artificial and as luck would have it I get a 2-for-1 post with this new addition to The Selfportrait Series. Even those of us who came of age but don't remember the 60's - proving that we were there - partied with more than one over-30 straight dude sporting threads like these. Man and suit, oh so plastic! Before going back for another look, get out the bong, fasten that headband and put on your Nehru Jacket.

Julie's gone -

"La Paloma Roja Proclama 'Que Está Ida Julie'"
digital collage by Mick Mather

At first, I was thinking that Sister Existence had made another appearance but it was not to be. Instead, one of my neighbors who happens to be moving, cut into the line. The red dove knew it all along and now we know it too ... Julie's gone.

You're so square -

"Young Girl at the Streamliner Diner"
digital collage by Mick Mather

As I was working on this piece it took a fast right turn into cubism and futurism. A simple setting this, a small table at one of those old fashioned diners full of chrome detail inside and out. I'll have the chicken-fried steak special and gravy on the fries ... thanks!

After the storm I went walking -

"A Walk in the Park II"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

An earlier version was posted in late February of this year during a particularly miserable series of snow storms. At the time I was torn between that image and the one you see here. As is my wont, I tucked it away for a rainy day and here you have it.

From beginning to end -

"Lamp & Glasses"
digitally manipulated drawing by Mick Mather

I was going through some old sketchbooks as the winter past was edging toward spring. I show the original 1994 sketch here at No Matter What Shape-The Archive with a bit of insight as regards this particular period of study and effort. What you see here is the manipulated version. Yes, after shoving it through the super secret array at the Secret Visual Laboratory.

Disintegration Colaboration: "From the Proverbial Ashes" -

"Stimulus Package II (Thumbnail Set)"
detail from an Artists' Book by Mick Mather

Once again, here we are with a BIG reveal for Seth Apter's way fab Disintegration Collaboration Project. Today, many of us are posting what we've created from the remains of our original works. As can be seen by the image above, for me that wasn't much. Even so, I pressed forward with what I had to create an artists' book called "From the Proverbial Ashes" that you can download for FREE as a PDF document at MediaFire (a file hosting service). Have at it!

Redflag: Inadvertently, I failed to title the print on page 7 of the PDF - the result of Stimulus Package II (Original Photograph #4) - it should have been titled "Stimulus Package II (Birdhouse XVIII Version)". Hmmm, this correction is a bit of a puzzle in and of itself, yes?