jewelia (jewelia@erols.com)
Mon, 22 Feb 1999 14:43:44 -0800
so i've let my fingers blabber away for a lil better than a week now. no,
if you are wondering, can she really go on forever? sorry-- i got too much
to do -- have to shift writing styles to the scholarly and write a little
criticism on semiotics and culture, diversity in art, contributions of art
and artists into the political culture, slide presentations, lecutres
serious and funny to ready for several personas, gotta get my nails done,
buy a new dress, etc....and then i need to finish remodeling my own studio
to prepare myself better for the rest of my life as an artist--dismal as the
prospects are too often for artists in the context of the plethora of career
choices and rewards our culture offers, and i gotta PRINT and do those other
art chores around the house. i'll try not to disappear entirely if i can
find the time to purge the mail once a day--without getting sucked into the
fray--the latter will be the harder part--its lonely being an artist
particularly when you a gender dysfunctional artist living in the midst of
an isolated, conservative defense community. you all can be distractingly
fun! if i unsubscribe in a week or two or a month--it will be just because
you are simply too irresistable!
so what has been the point--well mostly to say hello -- to connect with some
folk, to experiment with digitial media--the list--in a way --like early
photo much of what i have read here is an argument about its form (i sort of
go for the free flowing side and think that we just shouldn't call each
other bad names or modifiers)--in the process perhaps another art persona
was born--a bit louder than the usual jewelia i would say---but one who can
speak out humourously in rather plain, sometimes very bad, grammar in a sort
of free flowing digital chatty way with invisible strangers. got to think
of a name for this dramatic pseudo??? writing for the list is certainly has
been a lot more fun than those endless scholarly drafts i sometimes write (i
tend to ignore academic boundaries and worm my way in to all sorts of
cloistered fields to theorize it as an art form and show my misfit self--i
think of expanding our audience and will do most anything to show my art to
anyone i can get in front of--what an ego--fun--and what a way to meet
guys!) and printing and showing and exposing can get you way too far into
the serious zone sometimes--so as for humor--humor is a good thing to use to
keep things in balance and has a long tradition within the arts--including
visual fine art. just my idea about this---> arguments -- bound to erupt
with more than one artist in one place-- so what? -- its part of the long
history of art and there are lots of communing reasons that are good to have
a list. minding the list? behind the terminal you are in total
control--you own a delete key and like what you do inside your car--no one
is watching! me--personally--i look forward to lots of chances to say "take
that you fiend!!!" (and they can't fight back cause they don't know...na!
na! n-n-nana!)
so i've made an effort to introduce myself to you--share something of my
work, researches, and life--a few of you i knew already--some of those i am
now closer too and have made some new acquaintenances as well. i look
forward to continuing those relationshps with those i have more in common.
i've learned some things that are worth knowing whether i ever get to use
them in my short life and career or not--have some more "to-dos" on my
list--as if i needed more. the gender thing--well its a big part of my
life --just going to the store is always an adventure in my life now and
being "out" has affected my work -- not only am i free to talk & make images
about this part of my life now -- being somewhat a so-called "freak" -- but
there is a dark side too -- i really can't work the same i used to -- i tend
to have these uninvited incidents when i try to work in the
landscape--rather too regularly they do seem to occur--there are a lot of
places i would be afraid to go, can't carry the 8x10 like i used to, can't
sleep on the side of the road like i used to, can't photograph at night as
easily as i used to. and then, within the arts--its tough to maintain your
status as an artist if you are also an oddity for reasons other than your
work. many constraints just like the processes we work with that i tend to
see as having personal value as metaphors as well as ways to do things.
some day--why i print with uranium, why use alt-processes at all, why be an
artist--got to think of some reasons first though--.........--ha!ha! got
ya!
during the last several years--i've learned--now i do what i can to get
everyone i can sort of used to the fact that there's at least one sort of
another somewhat "special" person out there in alt-photo land--just get
that part over with so i can go on with or about the art (i would guess
there are a few people who would rather this wasn't the case and want to
push her out and i can tell you that their are schools of thought that try
to pull me in for the same reasons to make the opposite point--they tend to
think i am wasting my talents as an alt-photo person--e-media is it these
days for them--i wonder about such distinctions and was glad to see the
digi-talk pop up on this list for a while myself. i always thought art was
about expressing yourself--and all too often i would guess the realization
of this ideal depends on who you are--...
so welcome to my life. i'm not a lurker--got out of the closet years
ago--don't need a new one--but it's time to shift priorities again. hope to
see some of you at apis in santa fe this july and well, now that you know
who i am, maybe we can argue about sulfite papers and edges in person? til
then, i'll do my best to stay in touch, make a comment every now and then,
and keep up the off-list conversations. thanks a lot you alt-folks.
later--jewelia margueritta cameroon
jewelia@erols.com
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