Michael Andrews An Artist’s Statement

1092 Loma Drive, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254 apeiron@beachnet.com http://www.beachnet.com/~apeiron/ 310 374-7672

photographer, poet, writer, limited edition fine print publisher, artist books, portfolios, letterpress, digital imagery, pigment prints, exhibitions, readings

My artistic goals and philosophy are best described as to be able to present my world view in the way that William Blake would create it if he were alive today, utilizing the most currently available tools, combining image, poetry and voice in a variety of media including prints, books, portfolios, readings, CD recordings.

As a photographer my interests relate to wonder, to ephemeral beauty, the eternal moment and documenting the world as I have found it.

Subject Matter: Over forty years of photography including other cultures: Vietnam, Iran, The Mid-East, South America, Europe. Adventures, such as river runs, riding a motorcycle from LA to Peru, several wars. Archeological Monuments; Machu Picchu, Stonehenge, Tikal, Palenque, Taos, Cahco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Troy, Delphi, the Acropolis, Sechin, Paramonga, Monte Alban. Other interests include natural landscapes, the forests, deserts, flowers, still life, roads and highways, urban landscapes, portraits of children and human character.

Style: Almost exclusively color, with a distinct inclination for strong geometry and saturated color.

As a poet, my work can be best described as narrative; that is it is accessible and not formalistic, often with a narrative structure, making use of dialog, of a prosody based on the natural voice, music that includes alliteration, and an emphasis on metaphor and the image. The individual poet is unique in what he has to say, and how he says it. The ultimate subject matter is always my examined world view.

As a book artist I find the ultimate expression of the artist’s world view in the hand crafted, limited edition, fine print portfolio/book. Although the individual pieces arising in the two preceding media must be of value in and of themselves and must be able to stand alone, it is only within the context of the book that they achieve their highest expression. This includes the book as sculpture, both tactile and visual, the feel of the pages, the design and execution of binding, the presentation of the entire package including the slipcase, the design and layout of pages, the integration of text, typography and image into an harmonious whole.

Materials, Techniques & Processes

Photographic Prints

Cameras: Film only, utilizing either a Nikon 35mm, Pentax 6x7mm or a Calumet 4x5 inch view camera

Film: Either positive or negative film, usually Kodachrome or Fuji Velvia.

Image Manipulation: A PC based computer is used to scan the original with a Nikon 8000, or, in the case of 4x5 or larger a Microtek flat bed scanner. The image is fine tuned with Photoshop. Most often the image is a straight replication, but sometimes manipulated for color, saturation and balance; and occasionally manipulated into extreme forms of abstractions and/or water color, linoleum or wood cut type objects.

The Print: The final image is printed on various sizes of Epson inkjet printers. All prints are on 100% rag, archival papers using the most permanent pigment inks.

Sizes: Prints range in size from 8x10 to 44x70 inch prints. These are matted on archival board. Depending on the venue, they are often framed.

Other Formats: Photographic images are also utilized in other formats including broadsides, posters, artist books and portfolios.

Current Tools: The demanding skills of scanning and the digital manipulation of the image using the computer allows the photographer the opportunity to portray what it is that made him click the shutter in the first place. It requires control of the complex variables involved with drivers, inks, papers and printers that result in the final print. The computer permits me to transcend the limitations of reproducing the photograph merely as a faithful replication of the world. It now allows me to paint the world with photographs.

Poetry begins as the midwife to words; the assault on the blank sheet, the challenge of the empty screen, the taunting of the keyboard. This in turn becomes the endless obsession with revision. Ultimately the poem is manipulated, stored and printed from the computer. Often, the final poem is not defined until a public reading, and finally, it is submitted to journals for publication and eventually is incorporated into a collection in some form of book.

The Artist Book/Portfolio include the above disciplines of poetry and creation of the photographic image but, in addition, it also demands techniques of typography and the letterpress; the design, cutting and gluing of the binding; the skills of woodworking, sawing, fitting, gluing and finishing. Ultimately, the hand made artist book becomes the perfect blend of content and form; the poem, the image, and the world is integrated with the book as a tactile and sculptural object.

Most importantly, the monumental task of assembling the contents, poems, photographs into a complex and interrelated whole, results in a synergistic work that far exceeds the artistic impact of the individual components. The computer permits me to integrate word and image on the same sheet of paper with the creative power of a William Blake. It allows for the first time for an edition of work to evolve, so that the higher number becomes more refined than the earlier number. It permits the artist the freedom to create numerous projects in a more economical print-on-demand environment, and to not be limited by the economic do-or-die duress of having all of the artistic eggs in a single basket. The materials and techniques often include:

· A Vandercook 232 proof press · Numerous woodworking and binding tools · Archival rag papers · Pigment inks · Mat board, binding board

· Linen, hand woven Guatemalan cloth · PC tools; Photoshop, Ventura, Word, In Design, Premiere, etc

· Glues, sprays, tapes, finishing oils · Plexiglass/Glass · Hardwoods; rosewood, maple, teak, mahogany, poplar, oak, cedar, redwood, walnut, padouk, cocobolo