Watcher of the Night

From the earliest days until the present, in myth, legend and story, the hooded figure has been seen as a figure of mystery, a concealed identity and thus a source of apprehension. Only when the hood is thrown back and the identity revealed does apprehension turn to fear – or relief. Throughout the summer I’m going to be exploring the hooded figure in a number of different contexts, using individual and groupings as well as a variety of different materials and surface treatments. WATCHER OF THE NIGHT is hand built and raku fired paper clay. 7” x 2 ½” x 3”.

ON SUBWAY WALLS

Like …AND TENEMENT HALLS, ON SUBWAY WALLS is a colored paper collage which draws from the Simon and Garfunkel song The Sounds of Silence. While the materials and palette in both pieces are essentially the same (heavy paper/ thin cardboard – cut from advertising and packaging materials), changing the background from white to black and eliminating internal “negative space” darkens the tone and sets the piece underground. In the song, the phrase “on the subway walls” precedes “and tenement halls”, but for me, in doing the collages, the initial working image was of a cityscape and the subway developed as a companion piece. Matted and framed to 12” x 16”.

…AND TENEMENT HALLS

The title for my colored paper collage, …AND TENEMENT HALLS, comes from part of an iconic line in the Simon and Garfunkel song The Sounds of Silence; although my choice of palette is probably a more colorful and upbeat presentation than an accurate one. There is little point in having artistic license if you can’t abuse it now and then. Matted and framed to 12” x 16”.

THE GREEN MAN: WINTER

THE GREEN MAN: WINTER, the second in my “Seasonal Green Man” Series, like THE GREEN MAN: AUTUMN is a paper collage using paper that I specifically hand inked and hand pulled, this time to reflect the colors of winter – white, gray, blue and black. So while the primary and secondary contours of the image remain the same, the seasons have changed. Matted and Framed to 14” x 18”.

DARK MOON RISING

DARK MOON RISING is a 21” x 21” wall hanging consisting of 26 hand built and smoke fired stoneware tiles. The tiles were smoke fired over a 28 hour period using a mixture of hard and soft wood chips as the firing medium. The title, DARK MOON RISING, reflects my first reaction to the piece after it was completed

AN AMERICAN FACE #3

AN AMERICAN FACE #3, a hand inked and hand pulled collographic monoprint, continues the experiment of using hand woven paper as printing surface that I started with DANCE OF THE PENGUINS: SOLO # 11. It is part of a series of images designed specifically for hand woven paper, attempting to combine the angles and features of the human face with the textural aspects of the woven paper and a layered application of ink. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”.

EDEN’S END

EDEN’S END, drawing on the Biblical imagery of the Book of Genesis, while appearing to be hammered metal, in fact, consists of four pieces of hand built and raku fired stoneware secured to a piece of split and hand sanded cherry, by wooden dowels and epoxy sculpt. The legs are of various lengths to accommodate the unevenness of the base. 7 ½”H x 19”W x 7”D.

AN AMERICAN FACE #2

AN AMERICAN FACE #2, a hand inked and hand pulled collographic monoprint, continues the experiment of using hand woven paper as printing surface that I started with DANCE OF THE PENGUINS: SOLO # 11. It is part of a series of images designed specifically for hand woven paper, attempting to combine the angles and features of the human face with the textural aspects of the woven paper and a layered application of ink. Matted and framed to 18” x 14”.

Left Index

LEFT INDEX, a hand inked and hand pulled collographic monoprint, unlike the FOCAL POINT, CONTOURS OF FLIGHT, and LINEAR THOUGHT Series, uses irregular and non-geometric design elements and solid color blocks to create a somewhat more representational and less abstract image. LEFT INDEX is the first in a series of probably ten prints. Matted and framed to 18” x 14″.

SANTA MUERTE: PATRON SAINT OF WALL BUILDERS

One of the more intriguing developments in contemporary religion is the rapid, almost explosive, rise of the Santa Muerte (literally – Saint Death) cult in Mexico which bizarrely incorporates elements of Christianity, particularly Catholicism, with certain aspects of the Aztec belief system. Given that it is hard to think about Mexico these days without considering “The Wall” and given that virtually every activity has its patron saint, it just seemed appropriate to create SANTA MUERTE: PATRON SAINT OF WALL BUILDERS. Hand built paper clay, underglazed and glazed. 9” x 7” x 7”.

John Fansmith

Artist