Introduction
How things changes over time... As an artist I consider it essential to view and review the works of other artists, particularly those with whom I share some affinity, some connection however weak/strong. When I first started this blog in 2010, my viewing style seemed to be quick-scanning. As the process has continued to refine itself, I find myself seeing less and getting more. Less is more. While not completely surprised by this focus (to use an optical term), I appreciate how things change over time.
Primary View (Eye)
Just as it’s an important component of my work, it’s important to view things as primary, that is say with as little mediation as possible. So, there is value in a direct view.
Secondary View (Camera)
At the same time that I have been photographing works with handheld (pocket) devices, I have been also discovering a process of refinement within the technical, technological updates. So, the quality of the images has improved in terms of light and grain. If that were not enough, I have also been discovering how my composing and framing with my assisted readymade (the digital camera, its circular lens and subsequent rectangular frame) is evolving according to my distance, position, and perspective.
Synthetic View (Eye and Camera)
How eye and camera influence one another... How this looking syncs with my own art practice, is an increasingly complicated one as I think about how my own artworks are photographed and considered, that is to say trafficked more in cyberspace (hyperspace) than the site of completion, private (studio) or public domain (gallery, arts center, etc…). If that were not enough, everywhere is a photo studio these days.
The Words/Conversation (Mind)
Sometimes I go with first thoughts, the stream of consciousness thinking in the primary viewing. Sometimes, I alter the first impression as second thought. Sometimes, I use both. Sometimes I don’t use either.
Critical Judgement (Eye/Camera/Word/Mind)
Not about current events in but rather critical reflection... Not promotion but rather an archive of some kind...
Conclusion
So, not only can dayoutlast come to be seen as some kind of localized archive of LA art, but, more importantly, it can be used to track the improvement of my own looking as it has aligned/misaligned with technological advancements over the years. And now, with slower more carefully considered looks, the content is shifting slightly from straight document to something else. Lighting is still a problem with digital cameras, but the immediacy of assisted looking is immeasurable in terms of frame as structure.
