I used drawing fluid and screen filler from speedball to do this test run. I’m going to keep experimenting till I have something I can use often. This type of screen would be great for paper works or ruff clothing printing. I’m looking forward to the clothing printing.

Creativity and Service

There is a quote by David Bowie where he says “Never Play to the Galleries”. In the context of the conversation about “who is the creative work for?” If you start to make work purely for the galleries, the critics, and the fans you’re  are doing your own creative work a diss-service.  There are those creatives that are able to make things curated to certain audiences. But what’s interesting and inspiring to me is when artists are able to give people what they didn’t know they needed by following their own curiosity and developing their own standards.    

I think it’s important to follow one’s own sense of curiosity, interest and inspiration. Being able to do something out of skill is cool. Though some of the best creative work I’ve seen has come from mixing skill and emotion. Some of the coolest stuff I’ve witnessed has come from a strong personal “why” behind the work or just having fun. Expression.

So often  I ask myself what energy are you exploring and trying to generate? When you start making art in order to try and gain others approval, it can become easy to lose your own sense of validation and taste.

The energy you feel, the thoughts you think, what you explore all affect the work. I assume or think that the audience of the work is intelligent, and often I’ve been surprised by random people and skilled artists picking up on intentions and the creative experience present in the work.

Ultimately a creative has to define their own work’s value. You gotta define your own value as well. That value can be and is more than monetary. I think you can provide value and  service for others regardless of skill when that’s coupled with enthusiasm and/or determination. I think that starts with providing value and service for yourself. Making Art can serve many different purposes and can also solve problems.

So when I’m working on pieces for myself or others I ask myself, “What do I want out of this creative work?” “What is here for me in this project to explore or bring out for myself?”

I often ask myself this when I’m working on commissions and also just for clarity in my own work.  Generating dialogue in this sense serves me to focus and hone in on the ideas and energies that I love in regards to whatever I’m working on. This way I can approach work with more clarity and intention.

I got a request to create a bong design from an old coworker. Honestly it took me a long time to get to. I wanted it to be simple and I also wanted to emulate the loose style of a local skate shop. I really enjoy wearing their shirts, they just feel simple, playful and loose. I was excited to finish this design because I got to incorporate halftones into the design itself. Printing came out just like the mock up.

I also took this as an opportunity to generate stickers from the design, cause I’m thinking about future drops and creating cool experiences for customers.

Just something fun.

Where this idea took me was thinking about when smoking weed was fun and it generally occurred with friends. I feel like people who smoke or have smoked all have that story of a hilarious or magical experience. Or just something really dumb that’s funny now.

What’s crazy to me is that people out here in Cali be rolling around with bongs in their passenger seats, taking rips on the highway.

Lol, beyond me.

I’m excited about how these packages turned out. Sometimes presentation adds that extra touch.

I came up with the idea to print the header and add texture from one of my previous designs while I was outside

These are the initial testers that I sent out to friends and customers. I put the design together using affinity and illustrator and then screen printed on some card stock.

I’m not sure how people will respond, but I think it’s a cool touch. Takes it in the direction of being official. Wanna look into more eco-friendly packaging cause just to see. Also thinking about looking into Japanese packaging design, because I think they do it well. I took me awhile to throw out just the box from my posca markers because it was designed well.

Simple touches.

So I’ve had an interest in using my photography in my illustration work and my collages. Basically I wanna draw on top of my photos in an analogue way. In screen printing you can use halftones to show gradients and different tones all while printing one color.

The issue for me right now is using photoshop to adjust the black and white of an image mixed with adding half tones. Because printing can add more ink to the image i’ma try lightening the image with my next attempt.

Unfinished Legacy has a decent video on YouTube if anyone is interested in the step by step process. I think if you type in “Unfinished legacy” and “halftones” it should come up in search.

I’ve also thought about different methods to just work in my sketchbook. Like using a thermal printer to print images, but then realizing that the thermal printing fades with time.

I’m going to keep exploring halftones and other print related ideas in terms of transferring photography.

I’ve been running into an artist I know and every time I see him out and about, he make’s a piece. He’s been making finished works with a travel watercolor palette and some pre-torn paper.

I’ve always wanted to be able to do field sketching well and draw people in public. Seeing this artist grow with his watercolors has been inspiring me.

I can draw well, I just consider myself slow at the moment. I get self conscious around people when I draw new stuff, easy to show people finished drawings.

But lately I’ve cared less, just being able make art in most capacities creates some sense of relief. Getting outside and being around others while taking photos and drawing is dope. I can get over those initial feelings of being self conscious and then I can flow more. Expression. When you watch certain artists paint or draw, the movement becomes just as interesting as the art. I thought Keith Haring was interesting to watch paint. I know several people that are fascinating to watch draw.

I’d like to get to that point where I’m using more of my body to draw. And that just comes from doing the reps and using pockets of time to practice.

A lot of my work goes down in pre-planed stages. Making things on the fly strengthens different kinds of art muscles and decision making abilities. The consciousness and perspective of how I draw will change as I make more stuff. My intention is that I can get faster too and just make pieces with a few simple tools, anywhere.

01.10.23

06.10.2023

I’ve been working on this commission for a few weeks now. The client requested that I take short stories and generate illustrations from the stories. Those illustrations were to be used to make an art piece that collaged the illustrations together.

I think when doing any client work it’s important to discover what the artist can get out of doing the work. It took me a while to realize that I wanted to make an object and that I wanted the object to reflect some of the themes presented in the short stories.

Working on it earlier today I realized that the piece is sculptural and I have to physically modify it to get what I want out of it and keep experimenting till it feels right. So it can be the best piece I can make.

06.05.2023

Sometimes it’s all about presentation. Context changes pieces and can elevate them or change the energy.

I’ve struggled with presentation in the past due to feeling like I couldn’t afford frames or having unorthodox pieces that were hard to put on a wall.

Now I’m taking the time out to frame the work and sit with it . Really get a sense of the energy and see how the pieces add to my environment. I’m in the process of making better work and I wanna see if it can move me, before I see if it does something for someone else.

Also it helps me enjoy the work.

I just finished reading this book and I think it’s great in regards to client relationships, creating a direction for yourself, and valuing your own work.

Lately I’ve been busy at my main gig, doing screen printing. When I work on things typically I don’t like to document the process, but I’m starting to make myself. I decided that I need to be more consistent with my social media posts. I think showing people process let’s them know that maybe they can make that too or give more insight. I’ma try this manager out and see if it helps me, who likes to keep my social media off my phone, engage more with people and be more consistent with my posting. Part of what I’m doing is selling clothing and with that aspect I have to be more strategic to build anticipation and value for clients

Just finished pulling a print that I printed by Spoon. Been a minute since I’ve printed any relief blocks

Usually I don’t like to share in process posts, but I’m gonna try changing things up. Here is a piece where I just finished inking all the line work and adding a little bit of color. Next come color flats which is new for me, but I do think it’ll help me streamline making pieces

Took some time out to print this pattern with discharge paste on cotton. I’m working on the shirt an hour at a time. Basic pattern should be done in a week or two

The past two weeks I’ve gotten back into cutting hand stencils. It’s time consuming, but what’s great about it is that it’s very similar to printmaking. I’m using stencils to apply patterns to clothing. I’ve been using a variety of mediums in association with the stencils. Fabric paint, spray paint. The fabric paint is turning out to be too costly. The spray paint i’m only using with the denim. I know things will change as I scale, but it’s good to get back to some basics. Improving Foundations. I should have a video about stencils, mesh stencils, and stencil cutting in general for those who like to look at my techniques. I’m on YouTube under TayTay Pierre, there is also a button at the bottom of my website. The other aspect I’m excited about is that stencils can grant me the ability to do larger layered 2 dimensional art work.

Dec. 9th 2020

This piece is untitled and I think it’s more interesting left unexplained. I believe energy is important in whatever your making. Most of this year has been about explaining difficult and complex feelings and ideas. Heavy emotions and pushing through. I always thought a real artist could make use of whatever materials were at hand to make something good. Recently I’ve been researching materials to find supplies that are just fun to use. I love these Posca markers I just bought. Making the process fun for yourself is becoming more important to me. Positive feedback loops, so i’m Spending more time in the process. Absolutely there are artists that can make great art out of anything. How I’m thinking about it now is “ what are the right tools for me, right now?” Another way of saying that is “What is making this process fun and exciting ?”

-Dec. 4th 2020

Some times I think about Japan’s Lost Generation. The concept of millions of people jobless and single has been with me for awhile. The effect of Japan’s Lost Generation gets touched on in Anime and I love Tetsuya Ishida’s paintings. The Loneliness is relatable in a strange kind of way. Since quarantine in America has started and continued I’ve thought about this group of people often. Many people who have homes and jobs are isolated with the Internet being the main connection to the outside world. I think more people understand the patterns and lifestyles of introverts and hermits more than ever before. Often some could arrive to this pattern by unforeseen circumstances. I wanted to make a piece which is really about Isolation and thirst for connection more than anything else. I feel as if this type of Loneliness was already present in American culture and was amplified by quarantine. Now it really is on the Internet for people to connect with each other. Going forward I wonder how people can truly use the Internet for personal connections that go beyond the light of the screen. For me I notice how much more I appreciate random small conversation with people.

How can the Internet be leveraged for better relationships?

Lately I’ve been doing daily sketches on my tablet in photoshop. Here is a sketch that I particularly enjoyed.