NEW from The Trinity Series -

"Trinity #18 - Warners Road Readymade, Post Documentation Study I"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

In the short weeks ahead I'll be making a proposal for a public artwork that, if selected, will be another major public sculpture in downtown Syracuse, New York. Also during this time my collaborator, Mark Moncavage, will be replanting and shaping the topiary sculpture, Trinity #2, that was installed last year at the Inner Harbor. Thus begins the season for site specific sculpture, land art and walking art projects of which today's post is the first documentation of a realized, readymade. In the footsteps of Marcel Duchamp and that dadaist tradition, I post this study ... more to come.

Thursday Challenge: Broken -

"Broken"
manipulated digital photograph by Mick Mather

As today's title suggests, broken is the week's theme at Thursday Challenge. The subject is an old railroad bridge, minus the tracks, that once lead from a downtown rail yard to an industrial section of Syracuse, New York as recently as the late 1970's. It's also one of my favorite photographs taken on that part of The Creek Walk that has yet to be realized as an urban walking trail through the heart of the city. I have a series of documentation photographs that will, one day, be exhibited under the same title - "The Creek Walk".

Everson Unwrapped - December 5-14, 2008

"Through the Looking Glass, Installation View I"
stacked found glass sculpture by Mick Mather

As promised, here's an installation view of the glass tree I have on exhibit at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. The piece is for sale at $500 with all of the money donated to the Everson Museum for this annual holiday fundraiser. This is a bargain price, I can assure you, and if the piece should come back to me there will definitely be a mark-up somewhere between 50% and 100%. More details after this event closes on December 14th. I'll add another view tomorrow along with the exhibition statement ... please stand by! :)

Commission accomplished -

"Through the Looking Glass"
digitally manipulated drawing, post proposal study by Mick Mather

My proposal for a conceptual art piece to be displayed in the Everson Unwrapped event at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York made the final cut this week and I'll soon be busy creating two trees, if possible. I thought you all might be interested to see how that part of the process is accomplished and below is the actual proposal submitted:

• stacked sheets of found glass in the shape of half a tree
• installed against a mirror so the whole tree is revealed as a reflection of itself
• a round hollow feature midway between bottom and top is the single ornament composed of empty space
• when you bend to look into the ornament, you see your own reflection (the viewer is now the ornament)
  

A rough sketch was added, a nod to Lewis Carroll for the title and, voila! Another proposal completed and submitted.

Another beautiful day -

"Paige's Bridge"
stacked stone sculpture by Mick Mather

Today was tree planting for the the "Green Spaces Grant" that was awarded this summer to landscape designer, Mark Moncavage and I. As I may have mentioned before, my sculpture, Trinity #2, is scheduled for installation amid 5 flowering crabapple trees on the Creek Walk at Inner Harbor in Syracuse, New York. As soon as the piece is approved by the Public Art Commission and accepted by the Syracuse Common Council, Steve Cooper, my fabricator, will proceed to build and install it ... but, that's another story. My beautiful granddaughters, Leighlund and Paige, came to the planting and had quite good time. Later in the day the three of us went down the other creek - the little stream near Leighlund's house - to inspect "Leighlund's Cairn". Having suffered some bit of damage since I was there last, it had to be completely rebuilt. I'll be showing the new piece very soon, but here in today's post we have a little stone bridge that was suggested by Paige and constructed by all three of us as a team. I seem to have a pair of budding land art sculptors growing on the vine here and there's more to show you. Stay tuned!

Thursday Challenge: Pink -

"Pink"
photograph by Mick Mather

This week, the theme at Thursday Challenge is pink. After looking back over some recent photographs I spotted this artist's illustration of a new mixed use development project currently under construction in downtown Syracuse. Aside from having just the right shade of pink, I really like the fact that, instead of a boring fence, the developer went an extra 1/4 mile and had this vinyl banner made so we could all see what was coming. It's much better than a plywood barrier wall and what's not to love about the piece of construction material that came straight through one of the third floor windows?

NEW from The Toys Series -

"Toy Soldiers"
digitally manipulated tempera-on-paper painting by Mick Mather

I've fallen headlong into this body of work. My most recent notion, albeit an improbable one, is to get enough of these completed for my imminent 1-man show at The Weiskotten Gallery at Upstate Medical University here in Syracuse, New York. I don't have a problem with output and I'm certain I can accomplish 2-dozen new works without any problem; getting the digital work printed and all of the work matted and framed is a BIG issue. Anyway, I did mention that there was more to say on these paintings and manipulations, this was part of it. Well, back to work!

Moody Monday: Organized -

"Selfportrait of the Artist at an Organized Marquee"
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

As I've said now and again, it's always a treat to be able to work something new from The Selfportrait Series into one of my weekly meme sites. At Moody Monday this week, organized is the theme and there are more than a few references that apply beyond the arranged, organized letters on the marquee. Hang on, we're going to take a thrill ride on a series of non-sequiturs here. For example an arrangement of pyramid skylights for the underground parking garage and the total, combined effort of nations during World War II ... this photograph is of the War Memorial in Downtown Syracuse, New York. C'est la guerre, c'est la vie, c'est l'amour de liberté!

Thursday Challenge: Shopping -

"The Little Bridal Shop"
$50 Unframed - LUCAS GALLERY
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

Shopping is the week's theme at Thursday Challenge. I took a number of photographs this summer in the boutique shopping district known as Armory Square. This bustling little 4-square block area of small shops is a wonderful example of mixed-use development that includes residential living as well small business office spaces above the retail shops, restaurants and pubs. The bridal shop seen here is located just down the street from this lovely summer scene of al fresco dining that is part of The Candlelight Series of Concerts during the summer months. Bon appetite!

Thursday Challenge: Broken -

"Repairing the Dome"
$50 Unframed - LUCAS GALLERY
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

Broken is the weekly theme at Thursday Challenge and this photograph of the Old Courthouse in downtown Syracuse, New York seemed fitting. As part of a Historic Preservation Initiative , it's undergoing quite a bit of repair work. I can almost hear the workmen hammering away as two of my teeth throb in unison ... that's right, I'm on my way to the dentist in a short while. Not short enough, considering the pain I'm in. We'll chat later!

Thursday Challenge: Transparent -

"Transparent"
photograph by Mick Mather

Transparent is this week's theme at Thursday Challenge and, once again, I've chosen a straight photograph with no manipulation. This was taken at Rick Destito's building, known as "The Gear Factory", that houses studio space for artists, rehearsal rooms for musicians and a long range plan to rehab the upper floors into live/work space. Before I dash off for a well deserved nap I recommend clicking on the link to have a peek at what some of the young, movers and shakers in Syracuse are making a reality. Zzzz-zzz-zzz-zzz! :)

Thursday Challenge: Autumn -

"One Early Autumn Day"
$50 Unframed - LUCAS GALLERY
digitally manipulated photograph by Mick Mather

A relatively simple theme at Thursday Challenge this week, autumn, with hundreds of ideas and directions to take. Oddly enough, I happened to be out with the camera during the very first few days of Autumn this year. I eat lunch, as often as I'm able, in this little park Downtown in the Armory Square District where this photograph was taken. Gosh! Look at the time! Lunch! :D

Crazy Ivan -

"Two Women"
digitally manipulated torn paper collage

In Tom Clancy's novel, "The Hunt For Red October", there comes a point where Jack Ryan asks if the Russian Captain has pulled a Crazy Ivan yet. In military gamesmanship, this refers to a sudden 90-degree turn meant to discover and discourage another submarine from being a successful shadow. As it turns out, I did a Crazy Ivan of my own last night when I spotted some scraps of torn newspaper in the recycling bin - left over while clipping out a recent article in the local papers regarding the Totem Project in downtown Syracuse. Anyway, they were begging to be tossed onto the scanner bed and then run through the usual array here at the secret visual laboratory. It was fun, relaxing and it is what it is. It also happens to be exactly what I needed at that moment.

Not quite a new series -

"Architecture of Her Fancy Step"
$50 unframed - LUCAS GALLERY
digital collage by Mick Mather

Over the past two years I've had a few images brewing, waiting to see if a series developed. It's a simmering stew, come to that, and the jury is still out. Tentatively called "Architecture and the Modern Woman", at least two images for this possible series were previously posted. One from last year can be seen here and the first from around October of 2005 reposted here at No Matter What Shape - The Archive. For the moment, this new piece seems to fit into that body of work and the old wheels are spinning. However, it's a beautiful day for a wedding, or to attend the New York State Blues Festival, which is about to kick off in Downtown Syracuse at Clinton Square this weekend...dude, gimme a pork chop samwich and a bucket o' beer! :D

NEW from The Making Faces Series -

"Dark Thoughts"
montage by Mick Mather

Sometimes the pieces that result from this series have a will of their own and they simply appear at some point during assembly. I was really just fiddling about last night, not particularly expecting anything worthwhile, when the image took charge and, honest, finished itself. Okay, okay...so I did a little more tweaking and layering, but you know what I mean. Anyway, I'm posting rather early in the day since I'll be serving on a Public Art Panel later this evening and won't have any time to create let alone chat. I hope to have more to say about this Public Art project, especially since one of the sculptures is my design and it was installed over the weekend. What? You demand to see it now? Alright, you'll find the details and two photos here. Just the pics, please? Okay, go here.