Two Boys on a Bridge 2011

At my local favorite thrift store one Sunday afternoon I discovered 20,  8 1/2" x 11", 50 count, unopened boxes of ink jet transparencies.  The IJTs are clear acetate sheets with a thin coating of some chemical which allows them to go through an ink jet printer without rubbing off.  Once in my studio, I began to experiment, printing out different photographs on the IJT, then figuring out ways to adhere them onto my painted surfaces.  I loved the way the images floated on whatever I put them on, revealing what was underneath--unlike anything I had ever seen.  I began using using the IJT exclusively, and decided to buy an Epson 3880 so that I could make larger prints(the Epson 3880 is a huge desktop printer that takes up lots of room and isn't cheap).  I also invested in more boxes and several rolls of larger IJT paper, in all different sizes.  There were lots of finicky problems that developed in working with the IJT,  and I realized I was clenching my jaw so hard that one morning I woke up and found I was having difficulty opening my mouth. However, not really a problem--money, health, whatever-what do they matter when you're an artist and you've discovered something new?

The first part of Boys on a Bridge was done in 2005, when I was making the transition from photos with paint on top to the reverse.  It was about two boys playing/struggling on a bridge, one just about ready to go off.  Although I was pleased with the painting, it was a transition piece, and sat in my studio for six years before I decided to try laying the IJT images over the boys and the bridge, in this case a photo of an old, soft doll along with one of trees full of black birds. The image became about a bad event where the birds exist as bad omens of what was about to happen, and the doll is a witness who has shared some similar, terrible fate.  Once the piece was finished, I had it up in my studio for about six months, but decided that because of technical problems the painting had to go and I took it apart.  It no longer exists.  I'm still working with the IJT, but without quite the same fervor and excitement.  It's better for my jaw this way.