The following artist statement applies to my two previous posts.

     Just before finishing my third year of schooling at University, I understood that the summer of 2011 would be my final summer break as I have always known them (time off in-between school years).  I’ve never considered it as a negative, mostly just different.  I have a hard enough time remembering life outside of the “school-break-school” pattern, and now I’m about to enter a world of my own making.

     So for this milestone final summer break, I created two projects that would work hand in hand to develop my work ethic, self-confidence and able-bodiedness.  Logger and Settlement.  These projects have provided me with structured activities to follow and complete during the occasionally-aimless summer months, and a series of challenges both mentally and physically laborious, yielding no other return than the sense of a job well done.

     The premise behind Logger was to find and cut down as many trees as I could with my trusty axe before the summer was up, and Settlement involved making camp in different abandonments for one evening apiece.

     The development, execution and presentation of both Logger and Settlement has allowed me to earn a series of truths through experience.  I tested my mettle against my own desires, and although I didn’t meet all of my goals, I’m satisfied in the effort I put forward.

“Logger and Settlement”
Completed Mid 2011 - Experimental Work - Shapes Industries

   Excerpt From A Settlement Trip

   “Tonight is the first night of Settlement, and I am camping on the roof of the abandoned Hamm’s brewery.  Most of my time has been spent rigging the hammock between a fallen vent and a propped up ladder.  My jerry-rigging efforts are slow moving, and have thus far been poorly rewarded.  When ever I crawl into the hammock, my head and feet are suspended in air as they should be, but my back drags along the ground, threatening to tear the fabric of my bed. 

   When ever I hear the slightest noise from below, I pause and listen as closely as I can.  When I’m satisfied that no one is attempting to reach the roof, I continue to prowl the night air naked, and look down on St. Paul’s lights with unbridled enthusiasm.  I don’t expect company on a Wednesday evening, but Hamm’s seems to attract unsavory characters regardless of the day.  As this is my first night in Settlement, every precaution has been taken to secure my physical safety by keeping intruders out.  Wooden planks and sheets of drywall have been placed over the roof hatch and surrounding holes, and in the rafters below, I’ve jammed a bit of wood in-between the ceiling and floor boards to keep the door shut.  I know these things wouldn’t keep the motivated trespasser out, but they offer precious peace of mind for when I plan on going to sleep. 

   Peace of mind seems to be the name of the game so far.  The silence is penetrating and has been maintained since I left my car.  I can hear the highway in the distance, and an occasional passing motorcycle, but I’m more focused on the dryness of my mouth and the current state of my racked nerves.  There is something to say about Settlement so far, and the way it’s made me feel.  There are times I forget where I am, being so completely focused on the task at hand, and there are other times when my heart hammers, my blood boils, and my mind creates awful things to think and hear.  I’m already waiting for sunrise, and for the light to fill every crevasse that during this long night has tortured my imagination. 

   I stand in the shallow waters of an island of silence, subdued electricity, quieted harbor of landscape.        

“Settlement”
Completed Mid 2011 - Experimental Work - Shapes Industries