Jeffrey T. Baker's photostream

Here then is an utterly unencumbered picture of death the likes of which only a nature outside of human sentiment can conjure.

Haystack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

Throwing the solidity of geology out of focus.

Miasma
acrylic, toner, watercolor, graphite and wax on panel
6.75" square, 2011

This was not the image it was intended to be, but many creative acts often diverge from the staid safety of intention.

I allowed things to get a bit messy. The powdered graphite seeped into glazes of acrylic and reactivated a buried layer of watercolor. What was supposed to be a simple plume became a noxious spill into the majority of the composition. Like most of my forays into color (which have been increasing of late) I find myself disillusioned with any color that is too easily named, so I allow dry mediums such as pastel and charcoal to push them into powdery tints and tones. Obviously, there is a correlation between an image of particulate haze and the application of that haze with a powdery particulate.

Pythia's Prospect
acrylic, toner, conté crayon, and wax on panel
6.75" square, 2011

What began as a process experiment took on a peculiar gravity as I proceeded to obliterate, and then bring back, the wind strewn hiss of a geyser.

I will make the assumption that the source material is from Yellowstone, but that is my default answer for any photo I own that contains geysers (and yes, I have found many more than one such image). Nevertheless, it was the thought of someone holding their head over such a noxious orifice to obtain insight into the fickle nature of the gods that most captured my imagination.

Hence the (rather heavy-handed) title.

The Act of Disappearing Completely
acrylic, toner, watercolor, powdered graphite, and wax on panel
24" x 18", 2011

This seemed an appropriately titled image for the final weekend of my exhibit at the Oregon College of Art & Craft. I have heard from a number of folks that they've made it up into Portland's West Hills to take a look, and I want to thank you all for your support.

"The Act of Disappearing Completely" has stirred up more response than any other work I've completed these past months. In the show it is housed in an antique frame sprayed down with a thick coat of oily black lacquer. I believe that this finish contributes a tremendous amount of additional resonance to the work. It is one of those instances where the frame is designed to be a part of the piece, not simply offset the image.

Originally I had titled this work "In and Under," because I was convinced that "The Act of Disappearing Completely," which had been kicking around in my head for months, was the title of a Radiohead song. I finally dug through my albums only to discover that the song in question was actually called "How to Disappear Completely." If you listen to it, I think it would be easy to draw a few parallels. . .