Michael Deyermond

thoughts on my life and art

i dont know why people think being an artist is so much fun
does trying to save your life everyday sound like fun

not being understood and feeling out of place in the world makes me sad and lonely.
the words i employ and images i conjure in my work are my only chance for salvation.

because i am unhireable my commitment to art is unwavering

while the whole world is trying to think outside the box, live off the grid, do something spontaneous and live a life of adventure i would give anything to be safe inside that box with a little bit of heat, something to eat and a smidgen of routine security.


xo md


Nancy Monk

BRASS (or the order in which they present themselves)

While on a road trip in Minnesota, I found a brass elephant in a second-hand store. It spoke to me like objects tend to do on occasion. The elephant traveled with me back to California and years later initiated the Brass series of 18 X 24" paintings. The brass objects appear to be on a horizon line or a tightrope. One view is grounded where the other view is precarious. Initially I did not see the elephant painting as part of a series, but new brass objects keep appearing, like the brass Magi. He is part of my nativity scene that friends bought in a hardware store in Mexico. I unpack the scene every Christmas. After Christmas, I repack the decorations for storage. Somehow, the wise man fell on the floor and didn’t get re-packed with the group. I imagined that he is the one carrying the gift of gold. After I painted the Magi, a brass pig appeared. While visiting my brother and his wife in Sun City, Arizona, I found it on their bookshelf. Their granddaughter had wanted a real pig as a pet. As an alternative, they had bought her the brass pig.


NINE BY TWELVE

For me, the ink has an expression of exploration and mystery when there are chemical reactions that can surprise. This moment can then serve as a background or an incentive for a narrative or subject—the subject being a vessel for a particular moment. It was my intention to commit to the 9 X 12 format so as not to be distracted by choices of scale. The seasons in which the ink paintings were made are reflected in the colors. Copper in fall, blue or grey in winter, pink in spring, gold in summer. Gold always.