Type/Print: Ad Infinitum and it's evolution / the lure of the skull

 

RTomens, 2025

Above is the finished Ad Infinitum. The title's taken from the sampled Paul Valery texts used. 

It began with this...

...which I typed on, thinking that would be the end of it...

...you guessed, it wasn't. Below is one several versions used to make up the final printed image.

I have to resist the urge to create too many 'skull pieces' because, like a Goth, I'm attracted to them. That is my only Goth inclination, I swear. Here's my favourite skull album cover...

TTN

Vispo (not typewriter art): I Don't Mind

RTomens, 2021

 

I've sometimes used the term 'Typewriter Art' to describe my work but that more commonly describes figurative content so I'm not using it any more. In my naivety I thought I could get away with trying to broaden out the 'meaning' but recently I received an email from an irate Typewriter Artist saying I should never use the term for what I do. He was quite irate. I clicked on the link he provided and looked at his pictures of a horse, his mum and Karl Marx, all done on a typewriter! I would have liked his art more if it depicted his mum and Karl Marx sat on the same horse, but it didn't. 

I made that story up. No artists ever email me. But I am doubting the use of 'Typewriter Art'.

TTFN

New Typewriter! Brother Deluxe 220 / Vispo/concrete poem: They Don't Exist / One of the greatest songs ever recorded

Look, I never set out to collect typewriters and haven't started now, honest. It's just that I spotted this in a charity shop in the week, in its case, which luckily for me is not the way to get anyone to buy it, obviously. If this little beauty was actually displayed I'm sure it would have gone by the time I walked in the shop. The price tag was £15 but even then I thought I shouldn't really spend anything in such an indulgent manner. But LJ suggested we ask if they can do us a deal so she did the asking and to our surprise they suggested £10. Er, OK! What a deal! As far as I can tell the Brother Deluxe 220 dates from 1969, although others have simply said '70s. To me it has the look of late-60s design. It's in a gorgeous red, I'm sure you'll agree.

The snap below is of the second try-out. So far all seems fine. I haven't finished a piece on it yet but only got the new ribbon yesterday.

Here's one I made earlier on the Remington, as they used to say on kids' programmes when showing us how to construct ...um...nuclear bunkers from loo roll tubes...or something. A light touch was deliberately applied to text in the carbon-marked area; nothing to do with an old ribbon. As you'll have worked out, being so bright an' all, it represents someone fading into non-existence. 

 

That's all for now, except to offer what I decided this morning is one of the Greatest Songs Ever Recorded...

Booklet/Typewriter art: Memorials of a Vanished World

Handmade booklet from 2012 which used text from a large collection of 'sampled' texts called Shadows. I've never been able to knock the 70-odd thousand words into a satisfying shape but have extracted sections since, as in Memorials of a Vanished World. 

Instead of pilfering my favourite sources for text to type (Sartre's The Age of Reason and song titles being two) it occurred to me to use Shadows, or rather, the booklet created from it. Whilst I've never been keen to use longer statements in my typewriter concrete poems, since the subject of the text refers to typewriting and the mystery of writing, word as virus, text as control mechanism, it seemed appropriate.

The finished piece at the bottom of this page was made this morning. Sometimes the figurative does appeal, so I try to integrate figures into the text. The Beast is currently playing up, hence reverting back to my first typewriter love, the trusty (just about) Remington. 

The Typewriter as Art / My New Imperial Typewriter / Concrete Poem: Bystanders

Olivetti ad, 1970

The typewriter as Art. Why not? Some of us do salivate over the best-looking ones. Looks aren't everything, of course, as I remind myself whilst looking in the mirror...every day. Take this Imperial 66. You can try to take it, but you won't get far unless you're very strong...'my Imperial weighs a ton', as Public Enemy never said. Someone kindly donated it to 'the cause' of Concrete Poetry having heard me complain that my old wide-carriage machine had broken down. Luckily he gave me a lift home, otherwise I could never have carried it to the station....

...I'm still feeling my way around the Imperial, but first impressions are good. It has a surprisingly sensitive touch for such a heavy machine. By sensitive, I just mean it doesn't require the keys to be hit with a hammer as I first thought when seeing it. It has a good feel to it. The slugs need cleaning, but I'm growing to love The Beast. Here's the third piece I made with it...

Vispo/Typewriter art/Drawing: You Make No Sense /ESG

RTomens, 2021

Another recent combination of drawing and Vispo. A friend rightly guessed the source of the title/text included. It was this No Wave Funk gem from ESG...

Typewriter art/Vispo/Drawing: Official Appointments / Cash for this London breed? / Artist's moral dilemma

RTomens, 2021

Wassappnin'? 

I've got not official appointments, except with the Man From The Gov checking up to see how I'm doing. I'm still not out of the running for one job at least. 

Artists in San Francisco are getting $1,000-a-month for six months - I must move there! On second thoughts. The Mayor is called London Breed? Am I reading that right? London Breed?! I'm a London breed of artist. I think. Gis a handout. I don't think I'd be deemed worthy, despite having been seriously affected by Covid. 

Support the arts! Trouble is, I'm reminded of when the USSR 'supported' its artists on the grounds that they would only create images that the State considered the 'right' ones. Strings attached. Even I won't be bought for the price of free expression. Believe it or not, I have some morals. Until I get a corporate commission from a filthy rich company whose politics I despise. Then I'll be in a quandary. Luckily, that scenario will never happen.

TTFN

Vispo/Drawing/Typewriter art: C Breaks Free / Be Thankful For What You Got?

RTomens, 2021

C Breaks Free was finished this morning since it was pure typing done a couple of days ago until I decided to add some ink lines. I haven't drawn a great deal on typewritten works but since thinking about it recently I'll be doing more. It's possible for a kind of tension to arise between the lines and typed letters, as well as lines enhancing letters, they could overwhelm them.  I shall be experimenting with the density of the lines. The background marks are from rain drops. When it started I thought, for a second, it would ruin the piece, but then I went with it, let it rain and smeared the drops. Turns out I like the effect.

*

'Be thankful for what you got' sang William DeVaughn in the classic of the same name. It's something I try to remember when I get fed up. We all should, but it's not easy, having to admit that whatever's wrong about your life someone is suffering more. As I thought about this today I compared myself to my friend who's been on the doles for decades, then compared him to a rough sleeper, then him to a starving African and finally I skipped across to a very rich but thoroughly unhappy man. Imagine being able to own everything but happiness? Down from him on the material ladder I could see an upper middle-class type who was never fully satisfied because with one more leap he could join the super-rich. 'Below' him are the middle-class masses but it's impossible to generalise about, or really surmise, their overall state of well-being because there are too many variants, likewise with the working class. Then I realised I was going about it all wrong talking about classes and groups because contentment and success are individual traits although any surveys done would no doubt reveal patterns, even patterns within patterns, such as working-class people in the North compared to the South and internationally one country to another. Now I'm regretting ever starting this comparative misery thing. Note to self: just be thankful. (This tune was always in my DJ box though the 80s and 90s. I liked to play it at the end of the night).

Typewriter Art/Vispo/Concrete Poetry: You Never Know / Thinking about thinking

 

RTomens, 2021

I was thinking about thinking. Now I'm thinking about thinking about thinking.

In bed this morning I thought it impossible to think about everything you say. Naturally? It's often advised that we should 'think before we speak'. A good idea, in theory. But I thought that if I thought about everything before saying it I'd become too self-conscious. Wouldn't we all. Granted, there are degrees of thought. A thought isn't a clearly definable thing with precise perimeters. Yes, we know what a thought is but can we define the nature of the thought? I mean the 'thing' we call a thought. We can barely describe what we think sometimes. 

It's best to think before saying anything on the social network. Yes, we've all been there; blurted something out and regretted it, then hit the Delete button. Sometimes it takes others to point out the folly of something we said. Then again, 'speaking' to names who are just names from all over the world is a weird phenomenon, isn't it? Who the hell is this person I'm getting into an argument with? Why do I care what they say? I'm often spontaneous in online conversations. I think that if I really gave it a lot of thought I'd never say a word. I'd be like those silent voyeurs.

Over-thinking is as bad when speaking or writing as it is in Art. That's easy for me to say since I work spontaneously, most of the time. I don't know why. I think it could be because I have to get the vision out of my system before it fades. By 'vision' I mean urge, really. I have these urges every day. I don't wish to sound...pretentious, but there it is - I mean, I don't like saying things like 'I NEED TO CREATE OR I WILL DIE!!!' That smacks too much of the notion that I am such a 'born' artist, you know? An artist to the core whose very being depends on making Art. I make no such grand claims.

That's what I think, anyway.

TTFN

Typewriter Art/Vispo: Exit / (Almost) The great escape / Fight club

RTomens, 2021

 

He's back! Who? The Marching Man, of course. He's a recurring figure in my art. Also known as The Walking Man, although the original figure is a soldier so 'marching' is, in that sense, more appropriate. He is, of course, everyman. This morning he almost escaped since I was working outside. Carried on a gust of wind, thankfully he only got as far as a pot, where his progress was halted by the plant stems. He actually landed upright, which struck me as funny, so I photographed him. 

Art is often called a form of escapism and I suppose it is. For a while I'm only in the world I'm creating, be it in the form of typed letters, collage or drawing. During this time, all worries cease to exist. Not that I'm a great worrier, although the result of the Chinese virus has tested my resolve to the max (yes and everyone else's, I know).

Recently, I've felt a strong urge to escape (you too?), not just from the confines imposed by the government, but the city, even the country. Leaving London is not an easy decision to make, for obvious reasons. Under normal circumstances, we have so much to see and do here, whereas once in the country, or a smaller town, there are limitations. Trouble is, lockdown's effects are heightened in the city. The shop/café/pub closures are many and amplify the situation. Whereas in a village, I doubt things are much quieter than normal.

I grew up in a Buckinghamshire village. Until I got well into my teens village life seemed fine. We had a disco in the hall regularly. Some nights there wasn't even a fight. I say that today as a positive, looking back through peace-loving, much older eyes. But back then fights were good entertainment. We always avoided getting into trouble, mostly thanks to protection from older lads. The main threat came from boys from nearby villages. It was all very territorial, very tribal. Fights between lads from the same village never happened. 

Well, the 'outsider' in me grew as I aged. The village could no longer supply what I needed so I left for Aylesbury, the nearest large town, where I discovered that fighting was an equally popular pastime. Ironically, it was when I moved to London in the late-80s that I saw less fighting. Meanwhile, my poor old Mum was under the impression that my life was constantly in danger, bless her.  Little did she know that whilst still in 'the nest' I encountered violence on a regular basis and the chances of me being a victim were far greater.

It's strange to think that the soldier in the photograph I used as a cut-out would have seen a great deal of violence. It was not my intention to talk of such things but now I come around, back to 'war', wondering if he was killed in action or survived World War II. Stranger still, he could never have imagined that one day his image would live on. 

TTFN

10 Ways To Succeed As An Artist / 10 Ways To Remain An Obscure Artist

 

How duplicitous of me! I'm sorry, but I'm desperate for visitors. You know, the amount attracted by headlines like '10 Ways To Increase Blog Traffic', '10 Ways To Become Rich Quick' and '10 Ways To Be A Secret Trump Supporter' - that sort of thing. If I'm honest, I could write a genuine '10 Ways To Remain An Obscure Artist' post. In that, I am an expert. 

Apart from you, I do have one regular visitor. They frequently post comments about a service they offer but since I don't allow advertising I never publish them. Their thumbnail image shows a scantily-clad woman with what is, I must say, a very neatly trimmed beard. I'm sure 'her' service is a useful one. I feel a bit guilty since 'she' is so persistent...and beggars can't be choosers, but I have my limits.

I now feel inspired to provide an essential list which, I'm sure, will attract many visitors...

10 Ways To Remain An Obscure Artist

1. Be eclectic. By varying your styles and media people will not know how to categorise you and may suspect you of being schizophrenic.

2. Instead of painting, type Concrete Poetry. No-one understands it. And it's not Art.

3. Write about Concrete Poetry, Vispo, Typewriter Art.

4. Don't give useful tips. You don't have any anyway.

5. Don't obsessively post on Instagram. This, with the correct tags, can attract more followers.

6. Don't post much on Twitter either, not that Art gets much attention in the shadow of all-out warfare between SJWs and everyone else. 

7. Never use the word 'practice' when discussing (if you have to) your work.

8. If you went to Art college, pretend you didn't. Erase any sign of authority from your bio.

9. Avoid spreading your 'love' all over social media by 'liking' and gushing over every artist you happen to know even when you don't really like the piece they just posted. Such displays garner you 'likes' in return and could result in edging closer to recognition if, by chance, one such artist is connected to an influential curator. In other words, respond honestly, which means not responding.

10. Say you're a Trump supporter. A risky strategy because you may attract abuse, but you certainly won't be invited to exhibit...or dinner. You'll probably lose most art-friends too. 

That's that! You're welcome.

Typewriter art/Vispo/Concrete poetry: Ghost O Zone

RTomens, 2021

 

Ghost O Zone was created on the Remington Portable. The marks were made using carbon paper. I don't normally work on white paper but such are my finances, having no money coming in, I'm conscious of how much ink I use. The choice is usually between working on coloured paper or colouring it myself by printing the background. Today I thought it best to start working on white. Coloured paper is more expensive. 

TTFN

The Return of the Remington Compact Portable!

Yes! The Olympia, which I only bought in October of last year, is kaput. Considering what it cost it's not worth repairing. So I'm glad I kept the much older (1930s) Remington. Besides, the font on the Remington is much better. Now I just have to get used to using it again. On the minus side, the Olympia had a wide carriage, big enough to take A3, whereas the Remington is standard size, which means manipulation of an A4 sheet is limited. No matter. Necessity is the mother of invention, eh? 

I did bid on another model last Sunday but lost out. I do wonder what the winner actually wanted it for. To decorate a room? Probably. Bastard! Us typewriter artists deserve these old machines. We actually use them! Huh! At the last count, there were only three typewriter artists in the whole world...and I'm one of them. That's not true, of course. Some people are probably still creating portraits from typewriters. Clever that, eh? I'm jealous. They get commissions. People look at their work and go "Ooh, look, all done on a typewriter!" They look at my concrete poetry and go "Eh?" Ha-ha-ha-ha!

My last book is still available from here. Help an artist out - I'm struggling here!

Vispo: I'm Not Sure / Visual Poetry On The Page exhibition, Norman, USA

 

RTomens, 2021

I'm not sure. About what? Vispo? Sometimes. You know I'm not keen on the term. I only really use it because it's popular and will attract enough people to make me a famous typewriter artist, as opposed to an elitist, a puritan who only calls his work 'Typewriter Art'. Ha-ha.

Concrete Poetry/Vispo is definitely on the up in terms of recognition. Take my word for it. I know. That's not wishful thinking. This year I expect major galleries around the world to have displays of contemporary typewriter artists.

Talking of galleries, here's my work currently on display in Norman, USA...

I hope it gets home safely. 

Typewriter art for sale: Keeping Out Of Mischief

RTomens, 2020

 

This typewriter art is for sale. price: £55 + £250 postage. A4 size on matt coated photo paper (120gsm)

Another in the 'precision' series of visual poetry typewriter pieces. As much as I like to improvise, let the words evolves under my loose guidance, I'm becoming more enamoured with controlled creations. Perhaps the title is apt. I'm acting as if I'm...in control? 

I do my best to keep out of mischief but, you know, it's hard. Part of me still wants to knock on doors in our street and run away, as we did when we were kids. Trouble is, these days, with the amount of gentrification around here, they probably have cameras. So I'd be walking down the street and someone would say "You knocked on our door and ran away!". Imagine the embarrassment. 

Typewriter art for sale: Rack My Mind / Precision in art (and life?)

 

This typewriter art is for sale. Price:£55 +£2.50 postage. Size: A4 on matt coated photo paper (120gsm).

Please note: the real colours are slightly different to those in the photo and scan. The deeper red in the framed shot is truer, the background is actually off-white.

A while back I began to explore a more precise way of constructing shapes with letters including simple geometric shapes. The circle is eternal, isn't it? I keep on returning to red too. The circle and frame are printed and their clean precision, in a way, set me a challenge of getting closer to precision myself. You know, in retrospect, this series could be a subconscious drive to create order in my life. By which I mean that somewhere inside me is an orderly, organised person just crying to get out? Maybe!

Typewriter art/collage: Symbolic Distraction / Political Online Warfare - Psychic Damage / J.B. Priestley's Summer Day's Dream and the Romantic Utopia

 

RTomens, 2021

It is raining but it's not cold and I do feel like an actor...in something written by Beckett and Pinter...

Will we ever be able to awaken from this lethargy imposed by domestic imprisonment, I wonder? I type to keep busy, I make pictures to keep busy...nothing new there, perhaps, but doing so now feels like the work of someone constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

If the 'action' taking place out there in The World seems crazy, home as the refuge feels more like a fragile construction, barely able to withstand the onslaught of mediated information we invite in via the internet - the world as a car crash we can't help looking at - so we watch and listen compulsively whilst knowing it's not doing our mental health much good. Unless, that is, you are some kind of 'warrior' for a cause, engaged in online battle. In which case, despite your 'victories', I suspect they may still prove detrimental to your state of mind. 

Lockdowns have increased online engagement tenfold. Whilst some of it is no doubt beneficial (fitness classes, yoga, learning new craft skills etc) the battle of ideas and opinions has also grown. The Devil will find work for both idle hands and those working from home but constantly checking online to see if anyone has reacted to their political post. 

Whilst it was once suggested that nobody talks politics over dinner, doing that today is almost impossible; firstly because we can't have dinner guests and secondly because Politics seems unavoidable. Whenever I spend a while watching something Political I reach a breaking point somewhere around the hour mark. Enough! Too much of it and I feel I need to cleanse myself by escaping into film, preferably a good Western, Film Noir or historical drama. 

We recently watched an adaptation of J.B. Priestley's Summer Day's Dream. Despite (or because of, if you share Priestley's anti-progressive philosophy) the message, it's an enjoyable watch, if only to see Priestley's beliefs acted out by an impressive cast. Many of the lines are absurdly over the top romanticism to the point where, as the end nears, they sound like parody. But the topic is interesting since it questions the wisdom of science, along with 'progress'. In an age of Extinction Rebellion and new Green agendas, the question of how governments should manage industry and science is pertinent. What once looked like admirable causes in the name of cleaning up the planet have evolved into more -far-reaching beliefs that would drastically shape how we all live. There are now agendas behind the agendas. 

Still, in Priestley's eyes, everything would be better if it were possible to live simple lives, reading Shakespeare, listening to bird song and dismissing 'progress' in favour of building a romantic, rural utopia. In such a world there would be no computers, smartphones or televisions. Since all three are the means by which governments dictate, perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing after all. 

 

Book: If You Don't Mind (concrete poetry, vispo, typewriter art)

 

Collage/Vispo/Mess: The Time Has Come

RTomens, 2020

 As I just said to LJ: "Well, they can't ALL work!". And that's the truth. I wouldn't normally post what I consider to be a failure....but what the hell. Is is a failure? It didn't work. I couldn't rescue it....it's an abandoned puppy never to be found by the RSPCA...poor thing. It started fine...paste the girl's head....then start typing....then, typing done, realise that a white background is boring but it was too late to add something other than a kind of filling in...which started with carbon marks in blue...terrible...then black...black lines....then more black smudges...heavier and heavier as if trying to obliterate the whole thing which, in retrospect, I probably should have. Oh well, move on!

Typewriter art/Collage: With Open Eyes

RTomens, 2020

 

The collage above is a version of an original piece which featured typed text. This is it...

Whilst it was interesting to type alongside image and I was quite please with the results I thought it needed more. Images and type are no stranger to me. It's fair to say I'm obsessed with both. Well, images? Naturally. But also text. You may have noticed.

I'm tempted to say that most image-makers are also avid readers but that ain't necessarily so, is it? I was mistaken in thinking that most readers would be interested in art, as I found out during an exhibition in the basement of Waterstones book shop, when more book-lovers wanted to know where the toilets were than took an interest in the pictures on the wall. People, eh?

There's a third version of With Open Eyes, which I'm saving for a book of printed work which I hope to have finished by the end of the year. That will be the third book I've made in 2020. Yes, thank you. Between raging over the lockdown, then cultural mask-ism, amazingly, I've found the willpower to keep on creating. The obvious point to make is that, yes, all that 'creating' probably saved me from jumping into the Thames, but then, I could say that about any year.

Wherever you are, whatever your circumstances, I hope you have found ways to stay sane during these insane times.