Abstraction

I don’t show a lot of my abstract work. Despite loving making it, the form is one I often struggle with when looking at other artists' work and my own.

Earlier this year, I had a chance to show a few portfolios of work to a curator for the now postponed show I mentioned in my last post. It was a great meeting, and she liked a pair of abstracts that I had nearly left out of the work I brought. I worked on getting a set of abstract photos together, and hopefully the show will be rescheduled when the current crisis is over.

I’m keeping the pieces selected for the show private until the show happens, but I have quite a few more that I could share. I’d love feedback, on this piece or abstraction in general. This is one that got culled, but I still like quite a bit. What do you all think?

Jeff Mack - Artist

Art During Covid-19

We are two weeks into social distancing here thanks to the Covid-19 virus. It seems strange to suddenly have nearly infinite time available to work on projects. I’ve been an artist with a day job for a long time. Sheltering in place wasn’t the foray into independence that I had expected. The show I had been looking forward to in early April was postponed, and now I’ve got a blank slate. So, what’s an unemployed artist to do with the gift of time and the curse of no show opportunities? I’ve got thoughts, and hopes.

I’ve been meaning to start playing with a YouTube channel. I started one in college to park a couple class projects. Soon I’ll remove those and add the first of a new set of videos about what I do. This first video is an introduction to cyanotype photograms. I’ve really enjoyed the large cyanotypes I put together for my Conditions show. The process is pretty straight forward, and relatively safe as alternative photography goes. 

That reminds me; read and understand the safety implications of any art process you try. Most manufacturers have MSDS reports available for their products. Read them. Understand them. A lot of art materials are toxic. There is a movement for reducing the toxins we are all exposed to. Read all you can on being safe.

In the last post, I mentioned playing with some printmaking. Before the beginning of the social distancing reality that we now exist in, I was making good headway into doing some photopolymer gravure. The picture above is one of the first plates I created. Still some things to dial in exposure wise, but it was a lot of fun to experiment with. Hopefully, this fall I’ll have some time to return to the co-op and get the process refined and get some editions printed.

Jeff Mack - Artist

Welcome

Welcome to my blog art fans. I’ll be discussing my art, events, and related things here.As I write this, the website is beginning a refresh. My updated CV is posted on the About page, and I’ve been working on getting some recent work photographed for you all to see.

This year is off to a great start. My first curated show, Conditions, at the Little Gallery in Benson, was well attended, and generated my first radio interview. Also, my work is on display in the Omaha Mayor's Office conference room for the next month.

The Conditions show was over a year in the making. With so much of my focus on that project, I haven't had a lot of brain space for experimenting in the studio. February is going to be a fun break from building shows or bodies of work. I’m planning on getting back to some printmaking and trying some new techniques.

For what comes next, I’ve got some ideas in the early stages of being realized. Video, printmaking, photography, and maybe more are all on the table. Speaking of printmaking, I’m in the market for a small printing press for doing relief and intaglio printing. If anyone knows of a press in the local area, I’d love to hear from you.

Jeff Mack - Artist