Showing posts with label arthistory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arthistory. Show all posts

Monday, July 25, 2022

Saturday, March 12, 2022

Thoughts and wonder.


                                 Ink drawing/ enhanced digital image from Graphic Fairy web site.


                             "Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Monday, March 7, 2022

Head with steel worm.

The (Gun) Worm that Turns

Soldiers once used “gun worms,” metal claws mounted to the end of wooden ramrods, to clear bullets and wadding from the barrels of muskets that had failed to fire. The curled tip inspired the winding shape of a corkscrew, once known as a steel worm.








                                 "Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.



During one of my treks through Afghanistan, we lost our corkscrew.

We were compelled to live on food and water for several days.

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Bee symbolism.








Bees are the connectors between the spiritual and material realms. ... The fertilization of flowers requires the work of pollinators, which is the role that many types of bees fill. Because of this, in many contexts, bees can spiritually represent fertility, birth, growth, new beginnings, and new life.

"Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Thursday, February 24, 2022

Geometric/Organic tile.

Acrylic tile. 4" X 4" canvas boards and Posca Pens

What is geometric and organic design?
ORGANIC: shapes, often curvilinear in appearance, that are similar to those found in nature, such as plants, animals, and rocks. GEOMETRIC: any shapes and based on math principles, such as a square, circle, and triangle.























        POSCA 8-Color Paint Marker Set, PC-5M Medium

                          "Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Friday, February 18, 2022

Plays at Belleville East.


I began my twenty-eight year teaching career at Belleville East High School in 1966. It was a new school and several of the campus style buildings were still unfinished and the art room was not equipped  and ready for use. Art classes were held in a regular classroom without art tables or supplies. We were told that everything should be ready in a few months; t was about three months before we move to the new art building. Those three months help form my teaching philosophy at Belleville East. My mantra became manipulation of materials at hand and creative problems solving. We made projects out of building scraps and and found objects. We used copy paper and number two pencils to created our art work on typical school desks. Those early exploration into creativity continued even after all the equipment and supplies arrived. 


In addition to teaching art I began to work on school plays. I was the faculty technical director for over fifty productions. My skills manipulating materials was really challenged. The beautiful new school did not have an auditorium or theater. There was a building  used as a lecture hall that could be divided into three separate areas and it was used primarily for study halls and meetings. It had a few theater type seats and a raised lecture are made of concrete. The space was about  twenty by thirty feet with no wing space, curtain or back stage areas. It also had to wall on each side that narrowed the space even more. This remained as the only performance are until after I retired when a new theater was built. A few plays were put on in the gym until the principle asked me if I could use the lecture space for productions. That first play was a challenge. No lights, no curtains, no dressing rooms, no tools just a bare concrete area. I purchase a portable light dimmer and had it wires to a small utility room. The dimmer had to sit in isle and was operated without a booth. We bought a few lights and the custodian attached a pipe to the ceiling and we had minimal lighting. We also bought a follow spot and positioned in the back of the room.  I built flats in the hallway and made a few sandbags to support them. It was lucky that the first play was  “A midsummer nights dream” and we got by with a few flats and some platforms. The student bathrooms in the hallway served as dressing rooms. I owe a lot to that first play and it taught me the value of creative problem solving. For the next thirty years I technical directed over fifty plays. Each play added more creative additions to that lecture center. The wall were removed a wood floor was added a light booth was build. I watch a small unusable space become an intimate proformance area. My only regret is that I did not get the opportunity to use a real theater.


Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Sunday, February 13, 2022

From the expanse of space to the microscopic view of structures.

The primary influence on my work is the natural world, from the expanse of space to the microscopic view of structures.  I am not interested in reproducing what I see. Instead I am seeking a way to go beyond the world  of nature and into the place between what we can see and what we cannot.

My interest, at either end of this spectrum of this reality, continues to feed my imagination.



"Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Friday, January 21, 2022

From the Brad Wisenstein collection


Watercolor and India ink. Circa 1990



                                                       Airbrush on wood collage. Circa 1990



                                                         India ink on paper. Circa 1990

                              "Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Monday, January 17, 2022

Natural world


The primary influence on my work is the natural world, from the expanse of space to the microscopic view of structures. 
I am not interested in reproducing what I see. Instead I am seeking a way to go beyond the world  of nature and into the place between what we can see and what we cannot.

My interest, at either end of this spectrum of this reality, continues to feed my imagination.




"Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Isom Symbolic Art prints


Prints of art work posted on this blog are available for purchase. Please email if you are interested.


The prints offered for sale are printed on a HP Envy 5420 in house on 8-1/2” X 11” paper.  For all practical purposes the prints are artist proof’s and printed in limited numbers. The prints are not archival prints but printed on good quality bond or photographic paper.  The prints are signed/dated and make my work available to a wider audience and serve as an introduction to my work. 


What is important to note is that the artist proof prints are of the same quality, type, media etc as the regular edition (unless of course the artist declares otherwise). The only difference between them is the restricted quantity of prints bearing the A/P designation. Traditionally, the artist was very involved in the printmaking process. As the first “proofs” were either pulled or printed, the artist would work out the color and quality issues as they came out of the press.


Note: Signed and numbered digital prints on archival paper are available at my gallery.  They are generally printed in editions of ten.



Definition:

Modern printing methods such as laser and ink-jet printing are known as digital printing. In digital printing, an image is sent directly to the printer using digital files such as PDFs and those from graphics software such as Illustrator and InDesign. This eliminates the need for a printing plate, which is used in offset printing, which can save money and time.


Without the need to create a plate, digital printing has brought about fast turnaround times and printing on demand.


Instead of having to print large, pre-determined runs, requests can be made for as little as one print. While traditional printing techniques result in slightly better quality prints, digital methods are being worked on at a fast rate to improve quality and lower costs.


"Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Sunday, January 16, 2022

Earth poem



The Isom Asemic Code Cipher is a cryptogram code system. This form of cipher embodies geometric and organic shapes. Because it use basic shapes it is an economical and effective method of transmitting confidential information. These devices were often employed by the ancients or by the Medieval philosophers and alchemists. The mystics of the Middle Ages used a system of cryptography which concealed the secrets of the human soul. The Isom Asemic Code Cipher can only be decoded by individuals versed in the deep philosophic principles upon which many mystics based their theories of life. Much information relating to the invisible nature of man is hidden under what seems to be mere scribbles and unrecognizable organic shapes. Every student of symbolism and philosophy should be acquainted with the underlying principles of cryptography. This art furnishes a fascinating method of developing an acute mental awareness. Discrimination and observation are indispensable to the person seeking knowledge, and no study is equal to cryptography as a means of invigorating these powers



"Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.

Atemporality

Today’s Hand Mind Internet Vocabulary:  Atemporality 


“The concept of internet-induced "atemporality" was coined by science fiction writer William Gibson, author of the cyber/adventure novel Neuromancer. Gibson reasoned that the internet made time disappear in a way, since all periods of history (or art history) are immediately available to anyone cruising the web.”


http://www.nj.com/entertainment/arts/index.ssf/2014/12/art_review_forever_now--contemporary_painting_in_an_atemporal_world_at_the_museum_of_modern_art.html




"Things hidden in my head" Copyright 2013 © Ronald D. Isom, Sr.