To the Bride 1 To the Bride is a little accordion book that uses images I made in collaboration with the fabulous Wayles Hanes. The poem, from a 1956 book of advice for new brides, was discovered after the images were made.

To the Bride 2 on Flickr.

To the Bride 3 on Flickr.

To the Bride 4 on Flickr.

Antennae on Flickr.

Collaboration with Catherine Mueller.

Some images are premeditated. This one was pure improv.

Tiptoe Past the Tea on Flickr.

On our recent weekend at Makehouse artists retreat in Vernon, NJ, collaborator Catherine Mueller and I worked on a series of images.

EVERYTHING IT TAKES TO BE AN ARTIST

Once you state what art is you immediately have to state, directly or by implication, what art isn’t, or more to the point, what isn’t art. I kind of hate that. Who am I to assume that authority? And I don’t want other people deciding for me, either.

But here’s a story:

I once watched as my dog Sugar spent five minutes pulling a limp old shag rug into a rosette shape with raised sides and a flattened middle. Once she was done she stepped into it, settled down, and took a nap. She had custom-designed a bed for herself. I have no problem saying that Sugar was an artist. She was engaged in an intentional act, she made something that wasn’t there before, and the result even met a particular aesthetic standard. I knew that when she started snoring. 

 

The Joys of a Woman on Flickr.

This must be what they call “artistic collaboration.” Thank you, Wayles.

Haiti: “Christ est la reponse” Taptap on Flickr.

Taptaps are the independently-run trucks and vans that provide public transportation in Port-au-Prince and throughout Haiti. Each one is painted to stand out from all the rest. Some feature religious slogans and images. They are like speeding icons. Given the potholes, overcrowding, and low safety standards you may need all the heavenly intervention you can get!

Matt Winter Improv: Numb on Flickr.