Weave & Show

My exhibit of woven works opened this past weekend in Indio. I had a wonderful two day event and am still in the process of “processing” the weekend. I thought I would use my Artist’s Statement as my blog for this week to give you a feel for where I draw inspiration from recycled newspaper. Perhaps this will be a window into my creative process.

I am drawn to materials that become trash as soon as they are used. A newspaper is read; it becomes trash. In my early works, I used the newspaper strictly as material, choosing it for the quality of the newsprint rather than the printed news. The Wall Street Journal was a favorite simply because of the weight and size of the paper. I didn’t select the paper based on content; the paper became the content of my art pieces. In my later work, I begin to pay attention to the content of the newspaper as it relates to my art.

Newspapers have personalities. On many levels, the Los Angeles Times is not the Wall Street Journal. The look and feel of a newspaper is specific to each Newspaper. The layout of each has its own personality, its own style. Personalities in newspaper are what I look for in my art.

Newspaper is language. It is a dialogue between the writer and the reader. It is no accident that the opinion section of a newspaper is serious, the obituaries somber, and the comics bright. The want ads are busy, the movie ads brash and colorful while the stock market report is controlled and tight.

I weave these languages and personalities into a dialogue with the viewer. It is my palette. Personalities and languages are deconstructed and reassembled. Ubiquitous newspaper is reorganized into a different way of seeing language and dialogue.

Please take time to visit my website at www.JerryLHanson.com Take a look at my artwork. Contact me if you want to buy one of my works or if you have any questions about a specific piece. My contact information is on my website or you can leave a comment on this blog site for me to contact you (include your contact info!). You can e-mail me at JeryL@JerryLHanson.com or you can telephone me on my studio phone 760-992-3157. You can call me. I won’t mind; I’m hanging out at the gallery with nothing to do. That’s totally untrue. I’m weaving while minding the store.

Thank you for listening,

Jerry L. Hanson