Market Weight Pull Toy…

…is finished. On display at the Art Lofts Gallery as part of our 3rd year (MFA grad student) show! Opening this Friday night, Sept. 3, 6-9pm. More info here at the UW Madison Art Department.

"Market Weight Pull Toy" • 5ft x 8ft • woodcut prints and paint on feedsacks; wood, cardboard, training wheels, rope (hog side)

"Market Weight Pull Toy" • 5ft x 8ft • woodcut prints and paint on feedsacks; wood, cardboard, training wheels, rope (pork-cuts side)

“Consumption”: The critics speak!

Well the reviews are mixed regarding S.V. Medaris’ Master of Arts exhibit, Consumption. Here’s a reaction to one of the large-scale pieces (*hint* click image to enlarge):

The Magnificent Seven

Boy critics voice opinion through interpretive stance, in front of "The Magnificent Seven", a 14ft x 9ft mixed media piece (acrylic and printmaking on canvas and feedsacks) by S.V. Medaris

(click on any photo to see larger version)

"The Magnificent Seven" by S.V. Medaris • 14ft x 9ft • Mixed media (acrylic and printmaking on canvas and feedsacks)

And some more photos from the closing reception:

"The dark M&M's are terrific!"

Young girl poses for camera, ignoring the hogs closing in behind her.

I ♥  Chicken

Looking through the window, into the interior light of "I ♥ Chicken."

Here it is, closed:

"I ♥ Chicken" by S.V. Medaris • 12in x 8in x 4in • found objects, light, recycled prints, acrylic on specimen box.

…and open:

Interior of "I ♥ Chicken"

The Meat Locker

Approaching the Meat Locker (a tunnel book):

Closed:

"The Meat Locker" by S.V. Medaris • 10in x 10in x 12in (deep) • tunnel book with hand-colored lithographs and inkjets on watercolor paper

Open:

Fight or Flight

Another opinion via interpretive stance by the boys for "Fight or Flight," 8ft x 8ft, acrylic and monotype and relief printmaking on watercolor paper, feedsack, and canvas.

"Fight or Flight" by S.V. Medaris • 8ft x 8ft • Mixed media (acrylic paint, monotype and relief printing on feed sacks, paper, canvas)

A Wisconsin Tradition

Yes, the dark m&m's were a hit.

"A Wisconsin Tradition" by S.V. Medaris • 8ft x 6ft • acrylic paint, relief printing and lithography on watercolor paper

Close up of "A Wisconsin Tradition." Kitten is hand-colored lithograph. This image is from a moment during a deer-processing on a nearby farm.

Closing Reception (main exhibit):

At the Art Lofts. "Consumption" closing reception, May 20, 2010

If you missed the show and want to see most of the work in person (including most of the large-scale works), come to the Spring Art Tour this weekend (June 11, 12, 13). Maps to the studios and more info at Mount Horeb Spring Art Tour.

and Studio 1134 (the second gallery):

Inside Studio 1134 (Gallery 2)

The "Corn King," a woodcut character made for the "Consumption" show (on child's XS t-shirt) by S.V. Medaris

Corn King apparel available at the Spring Art Tour this weekend.

Inside Studio 1134

Prints and t-shirts, including diptych of "The Stalking of the Great White Pyrenees"

More grad school work: prints, broadsides and mixed media

The Meat Locker

Finished the basic book. Need to figure out outside container/walls. But for now, here’s some shots straight through from front–a tunnel book–Stretched out to about 12 inches deep in the last photo.

The Meat Locker
Tunnel book, hand-colored inkjet/litho onto watercolor paper
8″ x 8″ x variable depth

Closed:

Partially open:

Open:

Color litho “Sus scrofa” finished…

"Sus scrofa" • color lithograph • 18" x 18" • editioned

First color litho done. This is the first in the Bestiary: A Study Guide to Animal Taxonomy.

This fat little guy was the lone male in my group of 8 pigs I raised 2 summers ago. He and 3 of his sisters were from a herd of a wild-type hybrids bred by a neighboring farmer. The farmer breeds these hogs to survive out on a huge pasture, with little supplemental corn. They’re typically very thin, lean, and survive on whatever they can find out on pasture. Well, when we brought them home to our little pasture to be raised with 4 little pink piglets (typical, white, hybrid–probably Yorkshire, Landrace, Hampshire crosses), they made themselves at home. Since they were older, they quickly showed the little pink piglets how to cool off in the mudhole, where to find the waterer, where to bed down, etc. They were great older siblings to the pinkies.

One thing drastically changed for these wild guys when they moved to our place–they suddenly had free-choice hog feed (corn and soybean mix) from a huge feeder, open 24/7. They ate ravenously. Never before had they had access to this type/quantity of food. They began to swell as the weeks went by. They didn’t really grow up, but rather, out. They became enormously fat, and this guy here in the litho, swelled up like a watermelon. I thought he would burst. the little pink piglets however, grew like typical, white, yorkshire-cross hybrid American hogs–up and long and lean. They grew to enormous proportions–long, gently arching backs–looking like walking mountains from the side.

These wild guys ate very messily, food flying everywhere as they would grab a mouthful of feed, then whip their head out to look for predators–that part of their behavior stayed the same–they were always looking out for potential danger. When they whipped their heads up and out of the feeder, the grain literally flew out of their mouths and through the air as they munched with mouths open (as pigs will do).

Well, fall came, and they went off to the butcher. When we got the meat back, the white hogs’ meat was lean, and huge cuts (porkchops the size of dinner plates and all that), while the wild hybrid’s meat was heavily marbled and the cuts were tiny. The porkchops were actually cute–tiny little things–looking like baby porkchops. The bacon was the opposite of what you’d want in bacon–it was white, with a light marbling of meat!

So, they aren’t the best hogs to raise when you have free-choice feed available if you want lots of meat. But, if it’s lard you want, these are the hogs for you!

The series is inspired by my Zoology 335 class (Animal/Human Behavior with Patricia McConnell). More in this Animal Taxonomy series will be produced throughout the rest of this year, and then printed in artist’s book form (the Bestiary) as well as separate, framed prints.

Peter Singer on Colbert

So, we (Zoology 335: Animal Human Behavior class) get this totally awesome link from one of our classmates about one of the philosophers we are studying in Patricia McConnell’s class. Not that I’m a convert (still raising hogs/pork), but OMG what a great way to remember this guy–Peter Singer–for the next exam!! Humor. Man, if only we had this sort of media for every scientist or philosopher we had to learn, I would totally ace the class….

Peter Singer on ColbertNation

Favorite line:
Colbert: “But if we shouldn’t eat them,… why are they so delicious?”

New litho series

A Bestiary or “Study Guide to Animal Taxonomy” (not sure of title of series/folio). But here’s the first drawing on the first stone in the series, Sus scrofa:

Lots of litho crayon (#4) work, water tusches, etc. This will be a color reduction print, but first doing some black-inked ones. The stone is about 20″ across x 16″ high.

Here’s from the first batch of black-inked images. This one on Rives BFK tan:

And a detail, showing the reticulation in the water-mixed tusche:

Thanks to Jack, the etching of the stone and the detail captured is amazing.

The Stalking of the Great White Pyrenees

The Stalking of the Great White Pyrenees
10″ x 24″ each panel
Hand-colored linocut

New Work
Originally created for a folio exchange organized by Melanie Yazzie of University of Colorado, Boulder, called “Los Animales Cute.” Each print measures (image size) 24″ x 10″ So, x 2 = 48″ long total prints. For the folio exchange, the parameters were: 24″ x 10″ print, folded down to 10″ x 8″ so I printed both sides–part one and two of “Stalking….”

For future print editions, I’ve printed each panel separately, and will mat/frame each. So hanging side by side, framed they should look sweet. Framing some up within the week….

The subject matter–dogs, here, on this farm–they’re a laugh-a-minute. Soooo serious, calculating, predictable, and utterly unique even though they’re the same species. So…with subject matter like this, and totally “braggin’ on” my muses, the blocks practically carved themselves.

Dexter (top) is in stalking mode, focused 100% on Ivan. If you were to call him now, he wouldn’t hear you. He’s getting ready to charge. Zuzu (foreground) is excited and upset. She’s barking and digging in snow and knows what Dexter is going to do and doesn’t like it. She will eventually jump on Dexter (after he attacks Ivan), dominating him, to make him stop.

Each 10″ x 24″ (Two-part print)

Ivan is smiling. He loves it when he is chased. He turns into a big, goofy, bouncing target. Leaps into the air and runs and runs and laughs, while Dexter growls and bites and throws himself at him. Ivan is anticipating the chase here–knowing that Dexter is getting ready to charge. He weighs over 100 lbs, so with the “littles” at 14lbs each, he really has nothing to fear–thus the smile and the fun of being chased.

Thought about it for months. Took about a week in terms of planning, drawing, cutting, printing…. Printing: a 3-6 hours for each side of 20 or so prints. Hand-coloring of all happened in another night. “Night” translates to about an 8 hr stretch that sometimes happens in day (2p-10p), or 10p-4a or just whenever I can fit it in around a full-load of classes (including 2 academics–yikes!), 1/2 time day job (web designer/illustrator for The Why Files), farm life, making prints/art for benefits and own business…. Not sleeping much these days (2 hrs each, 2 nights in a row…yuk!!!!…paying for it now, but took a nap and now I’m functioning again).

Time to study and sketch and study….

Zoology and Art History….

Now, studying for Zoology exam (and making a series of linos based on a “study guide” of the scientific classification or taxonomy of animals in this class. I think). More on this soon, as I have to draw them out today!

And then there’s my wonderful (though super-time-consuming) art history class on Japanese Monstrosity…

Utagawa Kuniyoshi
(1797-1861) Japanese artist working in the Edo period.

Working out an outline for art history paper about Kuniyoshi. Check out the google image search. Doesn’t get much better than this for woodcuts (although he didn’t actually do the cutting, he did the drawing–he was “the artist” …so yeah, he had amazing woodcut carvers at his disposal). His imagination and draftmanship and sense of fun are out of this world. His drawing ability just blows me away. Sooooo inspiring.

Octopus Games, 1840-42
Full image here.

New work (Gallus…)

Gallus americanus obesus
7 1/2 ft x 6 1/2 ft
mixed media

Now on view at 15 seconds, at the Art Lofts.

This big guy is modeled after one of my broiler chickens. For those unfamiliar with chicken breeds, there are different types of chickens for different purposes. All hens will lay eggs, and you can eat the meat of any chicken, but some breeds are made to excel in different ways. The Broilers, or Cornish-Cross, or Jumbo Broilers are bred to have big breasts and lots of meat. They grow quicker than other breeds, sometimes (as with the Jumbo) freakishly so. Unless you restrict their food intake, the Jumbos can have major leg problems (legs facing other directions or legs unable to withstand the weight of the chicken’s body… Yes, it can be horrific). After one season of raising these Jumbos, I swore “never again.” I still grow chickens for meat, and usually I do get chicks that are Cornish-Cross, or Broilers, but not the Jumbos. If managed carefully, they can grow up without leg problems.

But they still grow amazingly fast. And huge. I’ve got some 14 lb. broilers in the freezer (that’s 14lbs. dressed). I grow them because I’m a lazy cook. I like to be able to take one chicken and make literally weeks worth of meals out of the one bird (freezing dishes for later, etc). I also love the taste of fat chicken–the fat is what makes the meat (and the dishes) have so much flavor. Granted, moderation in eating this type of food is key, but I’d much rather eat a small amount of fat chicken than a “normal” or large portion of lean.

This said, I must say that there is something freakish about these birds, and stereotypically American about them. Supersized. In contrast, the French have these petite little 5lb Crevecoeurs, Mottled Houdans and the 6-7lb Faverolles. Those are their utility birds–for eggs and table. We have Jumbo Broilers. In 6-8 weeks they can weigh 4lbs and can be butchered then (or at the other extreme, wait till the end of summer and butcher at 20 lbs.). They are huge, white, obese things and to me, mirror the current culture and our struggle against human obesity. There’s no mystery here though–their genetics are such that they are always hungry and will eat continuously. Who wouldn’t be obese with those kinds of genetics? Also, these are sedentary birds. I raise them on pasture, but the extent of their exercise is to waddle out in the morning and plunk themselves down in front of the feeders and start scarfing down. This is what they are bred for–their genetics make them always hungry and thus they just pack on the pounds almost literally overnight. I have to take the feeders away during the day so that they don’t have leg problems, or keel over from heart attacks when scared (this did happen that year with the Jumbos…. I’d have to softly talk when I approached the barn in the morn to open up, otherwise, if I opened the door and they didn’t see/hear me coming they would startle. A couple of times, a broiler was so startled it just fell to the ground and died–perfectly healthy the night before).

So, this piece sort of encapsulates the essence of the American broiler chicken, taken to extremes (and allowed to grow older than the typical processing age of 6-8wks)–huge, obese, sort of freakish, a bit scary, wider than tall, good eatin’….

15 Seconds (now showing)

Show of 2nd year MFA candidates.  More info.
1.30.10 – 2.10.10
Gallery open M-F, 9-5

Art Lofts Building and Room map
111 North Frances Street
Madison, WI 53703

All events are free and open to the public.

Opening Reception:
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Including work by:

Walter Brown
Roger Cleaves
Sam Isham-Schopf
Ted Lott
Ginger Lukas
Justin Maes
Arnold Martin
S.V. Medaris
Andrea Miller
Josh Nemec
Dyani Reynolds-White Hawk
Amelia Toelke
Chinn Wang
Julie Insun Youn
Hongtao Zhou