04-Nadja2
©2009 Craig Ashby
Mixed media on masonite.
7″ x 10″

Fourth in the series and second of Nadja Auermann. I tried to replicate the crosshatching layers of the second Agyness. It’s the last time I attempt it in this series.

The crosshatching failure isn’t solely responsible for all the problems in this piece. But it does help make it less loveable than many in this series.

What helps make it all work is that up and down of failure and success seen in the course of this series. It’s honest and like the rest of my life.

Things I do love in this piece. The chopped text is always a favorite. It recontextualizes language in the classic cut-up style.

The “NO” in her face is actually an upside image of a Patron bottle. And then RYORDS hacked into that acid yellow-green and red to the right of her face allows for a bit of mental gymnastics. Gematria anyone?

I also like the hidden white text under the black layer. It’s most visible beneath her hand under the fur hat. I have always been a fan of text in art. It’s a tool I utilize a lot.

Art is readable and text is readable but both in completely different ways. Utilizing them simultaneously causes the brain to switch between two modalities. More visual overload.