matching movies to my artwork
feeling empty of ideas in the summer chaos
Hello there! It's Jocelyn Mathewes from my studio in Appalachia. I’ve been thinking a lot about what my tastes are and how that may (or may not) be reflected in my art. As an exercise, I set about comparing some of my movie tastes to pieces that I’ve made in the past.*
Decadron (Hypervigilance) = Koyaanisqatsi
My sketchbook practice = Voyage of the Rock Aliens
What I notice is that I there are some very serious influences and some very silly ones included in my collection of Taste It's helpful to see how what I consume that resonates can filter into my work. Reconciling the playful and serious in my work feels difficult when they “code” in such visually different ways.
Ultimately I have to make in response to my own curiosity and humor; nothing else will seem genuine or hold my focus long enough to bring it to completion.
*This list was inspired by Rick Ruben’s The Creative Act & The Book Pile's episode about it (listen here).
in the studio
Work continues on my summer print pile with weeds casually hanging out in my driveway like they’re having a beer together—
Big failure with my edition of nests!
I'll need to re-coat the paper and use it more promptly. I should have known better; certain papers and inkjet negative prints in and of themselves are less forgiving than my usual messy process. Lesson learned—or maybe I give up because it’s not really my style? What do you think?
Getting real here: it's been a wild summer. Keeping up with making has felt exhausting. I feel empty of ideas, and want to stare into space somewhere in nature.
Maybe ithe state of the world (which I've intentionally been ignoring quite a lot recently), or maybe it's how unexpectedly chaotic our family's summer schedule turned out to be. Probably both.
Given I have a big show coming up next year, I'm trying not to panic about feeling empty of ideas—panic and fear are the enemy of creativity! (John Cleese said so.) Plus, ideas ebb and flow like the ocean or the seasons.
And speaking of ebb and flow, we’ve passed the summer solstice mark! This means that my days of outdoor printing are numbered. Embracing seasonality can feel fun when you’re at the beginning of a fresh season, but staring down the end point is a whole other feeling — a little wistful, a little sad, and more of that panic.
in the community
The 3rd and final Yard pARTy is coming up soon on the 25th of July! I'm terrified and excited. There's a pretty great lineup of people, and I'm praying/planning for good weather. I had an absolutely overwhelming deluge of responses — four times the amount than last year. It's a delightful problem to have.
After that event, GENERATE a curated exhibit at 123 West Main Gallery comes next, opening August 1st. Spawned from the overflow of Yard pARTy applications, it features ten artists and celebrates the collective creative power of the regional artist community in and beyond Johnson City, TN.
I called this group exhibit "GENERATE" because it's a reflection of what is true, and a call to action. I believe it is true that human artists contain immense generative power. I also believe human artists each have a calling to contribute the distinct and vital element that is their self into the community. I hope that this show reveals and inspires us to generate what is next.
a list of beautiful, good, interesting, or useful things to consume
Legal Structures for Creative Practices is a zine for creative entrepreneurs that takes you through different legal structures to find the one that best suits your unique practice.
Classic books I've read recently: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, Candide
Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and The Firebird Suite for some classical music throwback.
The absolutely unhinged journey of a fictional professor had me laughing so hard.
Happy summer! 🌞
xo,
jocelyn
see my work on my website
connect with me by sending me an e-mail
find me elsewhere - instagram | facebook
You have chosen difficult media but you have the faith and resolve to succeed.