Materials and Processes

Image Credit: Mark Khaisman, Space of Suspense #2, packaging tape on clear plastic, 36" x 48", 2005

This week I have been busy working on a piece for an auction and was asked to work on a material that I have never worked with before - corrugated plastic. To compound the problem the piece needed to be waterproof. Since my main medium is photography this presented some unique challenges that had to be worked through, and while I cursed my fate more than once and actually had to start over - in the end, I liked the surface because it was light-weight, durable, and forgiving.

Which leads me to why I think getting a degree in art is such an asset to an artist in any medium. The under-grad experience in particular really pushes students to explore all types of mediums, concepts, and strategies; and to find solutions to a variety of problems on flat surfaces and in sculptural forms. This develops confidence in materials, forms, methods, and even in the use of power tools. Pushing students outside their comfort zone, results is a well-rounded knowledge of materials, an appreciation for other mediums, time-management skills, a good work ethic, and the ability to successfully work through an idea.

Nowadays the trend in education is to teach to the test. This approach fails to give students faith in their ideas, or to develop the skills necessary for critical thinking. In the study of art there is no correct solution to an assignment, but rather a multitude of approaches all of which can solve the problem successfully. Initially this can be confusing for new students, but it is the main reason that I am such an advocate of a degree in art. In order to advance as a culture we need innovative thinkers with the courage to explore new ground.

The artist that I have chosen to highlight in regards to the topic is Mark Khaisman a Russian artist who currently lives and works in Philadelphia. Khaisman's images are drawn with nothing but packing tape. I doubt that when he first started drawing this was his medium, however once the skill to see is developed an artist can draw with anything. Because the images are illuminated from behind, and can fit into light boxes originally meant for advertisements, he has been able to exhibit his "Tapeworks" in airports and other non-traditional sites (image of installation below). Breaking out of the confines of the gallery has made the work available to a much larger audience. I do not know which came first the packing tape drawings or a commission to do art on light boxes. But the resulting images are absolutely amazing no matter how the idea was originally conceived.

My piece is drying now, and I really like it. The solution to the problem came from my knowledge of a variety of mediums, something I learned as an under-grad studying art. Working with a new medium really fired up my brain cells, so all and all it was a good week.