graciela: i'm a paper cutter

So a little bit about me...
I'm a graphic designer and so I use the same design tools I work with at my job to create my artwork. I did a collection of digital prints on canvas during the last Concordia/Discordia show but I wanted a change this time around. I wanted to create something that was more tactile, with mistakes, cheap to make, but stunning in composition. So I basically desgined a whole set of patterns, printed them out, cut them up, and reworked all the scraps into collages. I also integrated pieces of cloth, plants, buttons, and vellum into these pieces. I've always liked collages but I didn't want to take someone else's work and reinterpret it into a collage. I wanted to commit myself to creating every element on the scraps of paper so it could truly be my own.

My inspiration for the collage idea came from the person I love. It's a cheesy motivation but what else is there to inspire us than love? The piece I did about him is built on a pattern I created using his name. That idea lent itself to creating patterns for all the people I've loved. It was fun for me because I consider myself a type-lover but I'm also very conservative with the use of typefaces in my design work. But here, in trying to create patterns using names that were indistinguishable I got to use fonts I'd never dream of using in design. The end result is a visceral reaction to shapes and conversations of color.

Here are some teaser close ups of the first 5 pieces I did.

Richard: Coffee & Pigment Series

I drink too much coffee.
Way too much, in fact for someone who claims to be sensitive to caffeine.
(on a side note; I'm probably not really senseitive to caffeine)

For this show, I was looking for a way to visually quantify my coffee consumption in a way that a pie-chart just couldn’t do. So I combined my love for the aesthetics of a good stain with my love for coffee, and ended up saving half of my morning coffee and pouring it on a canvas.

I really liked where it was going, so I started adding raw pigments to my left over coffee.

(click to make these bigger)

Notable Lantern Eve

So I don't want to give too much away.
But here's how we came up with the name for this show:

Graciela: Hey Richard,
I got your text message the other day. We do need a
name for the show. I have no clue. I don't think our
work is even relatable in any way this time around.

Richard: as for a name
how you would you feel about an anagram?
notable latern eve
is an anagram for "not even relatable" (like our work)
so is
benevolent latera

Graciela: Aw. I love, love,
love, Notable Latern Eve. That's my vote.

Richard: That's actually my vote too.
it has a name.

Graciela: You know what I just realized, Notable Lantern Eve has
3 N's where as Not Even Relatable only has 2. Is that
still an anagram?

Richard: so it's an anagram for "N Not Even Relatable"
who cares?
no one will know but us
& it's still a cool name


Niandra La Des is suppsed to be an anagram for Aladdin Sane but it doesn't really work either.

concordia/discordia blog

this is the inaugural blog post.