
No. 8 in the crime scene series, this time on a ship in deep space.


Art is my Joie de Vivre.
I was invited to participate in a diorama project called The Yonder Cabinet by Kelley Bell and Melissa Penley Cormier, where “a card catalog reimagined as a collection of artists’ interpretations of their favorite literary places.” I received a box which can fit inside a retired library card catalog.
I had a hard time choosing what illustrate. Wandering through my favorite books, I came up with several great diorama scene candidates.
Hopefully you get the idea.
I chose a passage from Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I love this book, and Clarke’s approach to magic.
In this part of the story, Mr. Strange walks into a mirror, and travels on the King’s Road to a woman’s sitting room. This road belonged to John Uskglass, also known as the Black King, the King of the North, and most commonly, the Raven King. He was the ruler of Northern England for over 300 years and is accredited with bringing magic to England.
I made this diorama from memory, as I couldn’t place my hands on my old copy of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I mistakenly remembered the Mirror being over the fireplace. I only realized the error after it wad complete.
I enjoyed making this very much. I believe the final catalog will be on view at Maryland Art Place.
Sometime in the summer of 2019, I discovered The Wrong Heaven by Amy Bonnaffons. I went to the book’s website, and discovered her other project, 7×7.la.
From the 7×7 website:
Launched in 2015 to facilitate a new kind of interdisciplinary collaboration, each 7×7 invites one visual artist and one writer to engage in a two-week creative conversation. The format, inspired by Surrealist games of the early 20th century, challenges participants to improvise, in their respective disciplines, a spontaneous story that pushes into ever-wilder imaginative terrain. Every finished 7×7 is singular, unclassifiable, and wholly original.
http://7×7.la/about/
Finding Surrealist games irresistable, I signed up.
Beginning March 1st, Olivia Kingery and I began to volley work back and forth for 14 days. The full results of our collaboration can be found ______. It would be inappropriate and a copyright violation for me to share the completed game here, but I can share my side of the road.
I went first.
If you like this sort of thing, go check ’em out.
I saw a call for entry at nefarious contemporary in Baltimore on Instagram:
Our February exhibition is now open for entries! BO/DY was thought up as I and many of my beloved friends have experienced extreme body trauma and abuse in our lifetimes. The body is something we shame, we neglect, we criticize, we oh-too-closely compare to other bodies. In a time of revolution, such as the one we find ourselves in the midst of, the body is starting to receive more love than it has in a long, long time. And we want to celebrate that. This exhibition will open on St Valentine’s Day and serve as an online and zine exhibition. Which means that each applicant, regardless of their acceptance, will receive a complimentary zine once it’s published. Tag some of your favorite artists below working within themes of body to let them know they should apply! And feel free to shoot us over any q’s you may have!
This exhibition is US only due to funding restrictions.
My girlfriend and I were experimenting with cyanotypes, and I made this.
As a kid, I was always self conscious of my weird, awkward ehlers–danlos syndrome-ish body, especially my feet. Well, NO LONGER! I learned to….
18″ x 14″
Cyanotype on cotton fabric with acrylic paint and embroidery.
Probably my favorite 3D scan, I present the Sidekick! I sculpted this character, made a mold and then scanned it. I can print them in brass, silver and various plastics and in various sizes.
FOR SALE
I have one red prototype for sale – 2.5″ x 1″ high, with silver nails. If you’d like it, send $45 and your address (US only, please – if outside the US, please contact me jim.doran@gmail.com).
I plan to print more of these, including pairs, for the shop. If you’d like one, please email me.