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You are here: Home / Archives for New prints by Iskra

The Water Tower Project from Iskra Fine Art

July 12, 2020 by Iskra Leave a Comment

All that is Solid print by Iskra
“All That is Solid….” limited edition archival pigment print ©Iskra Johnson

The Water Tower Project

It might have been enough to face off with a pandemic. But the center does not hold, “all that is solid melts into air,” and across the world cities are aflame with protest and an expanding movement for social justice. As structures of order crumble, as statues are de-platformed and sprayed with graffiti, as the jails and hospitals overflow, we huddle in isolation, transfixed by news that is alternately exhilarating and disturbing. Can you blame a person for looking for something to hang onto?

In the chaotic urban environment, the water tower shines for me as a beacon. I think of it as the German Shepherd of architectural structures: noble, tastefully proportioned and faithful to its purpose, which is to gather the heavens in a bucket and gift it back to us glass by glass. It sits high atop the city, merged at times with the clouds, and calling down from the heavens a very practical benediction. It is a usually hand crafted vessel, built from wood, using a method little changed from the 1800’s. Water towers are rarely defaced by graffiti, but any totem of neutrality invites our projections.

The Water Tower Project looks at this iconic structure from many different perspectives. In some cases I have located the tower in an imaginary landscape, complete with horizon line. At other times it serves as an emotional vessel to express the clamor and heartbreak of the streets. I am offering this series through the #ArtistSupportPledge, which is a global initiative to broaden the circle of art appreciators and create a circle of generosity. The first two prints in each edition of 35 are priced at $150, half the usual price of $300. When I have earned $1,000 from the sales I will then purchase the work of another artist for up to $200. At the end of this post you will find the collection of 16 gathered as a jpg that may be downloaded for reference. In the week since I have been posting these to social media I have sold three, so if you are interested in the PandemicPrice you may want to move quickly. The blog software allows me to show images at their best quality, so I will post the entire set here (click below the fold) for the time being rather than my portfolio. I am offering these through direct sales rather than through my shop, so please reach me through email if you are interested.

Each Water Tower has a story, and if you are interested in the narratives I suggest following along on Instagram.

Angle of Repose Water Tower by Iskra
“Angle of Repose,” limited edition archival pigment print ©Iskra Johnson

 

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Filed Under: Architecture & Sense of Place, Art Sales, The Water Tower Project Tagged With: architectural prints by Iskra, Artist Support Pledge, New prints by Iskra, Urban landscape, Water Towers

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Sunday studies of motion and emotion. I’ve been Sunday studies of motion and emotion. I’ve been in an obstinately “unproductive” space this past week, but used my time well. Motion: I went swimming for the first time in 5 years; in the autumn’s holy light, the lake is a sacrament. Emotion: I watched three years of The Split in four days. Cried my eyes out. In awe of acting and a script this good. Sometimes you just have to take a vacation from yourself and let other people do life for you. On Hulu, BBC possibly the best relationship drama I have seen.
I’ve written a wild-mind sort of blog post in wh I’ve written a wild-mind sort of blog post in which I let the story of place, museums, witness and culture unfold as it wishes. It’s an old-style post before I had “newsletter consciousness.” (Sigh….when you send out a post with one image and a show announcement and maybe five more words and someone writes, “perfect length to view on my phone” you may be tempted to perform more of the same and forget the original muse, born long before success was judged by how well thoughts fit within 2x5” square inches. A few excerpts here and first link in bio to read the entirety. Witness and elegy is where I seem to live. Painting is acrylic ink on panel, a piece I have yet to resolve but like to see into for the next step.
If you are born on 9.11 take back this day. It’s If you are born on 9.11 take back this day. It’s still yours! Yesterday I started early and went to an island in the middle of the blue sea to be in beauty and celebrate life. As we walked the beach we met a young boy also born on 9.11. His parents had brought him to Vashon for the same reason, and he had found a perfect moon shell for his own birthday present sent from the sea. It was such a lovely moment, to remember the world is young no matter how old we are.
Taking the last golden days of summer for study. T Taking the last golden days of summer for study. The Volunteer Park museum has an exhibit showing the influence of the Edo arts in Japan on Toulouse-Lautrec and I went to see it last weekend. As you can see from these images, I seem to have no interest in Lautrec— True! But these details of woodcuts and paintings on silk fill me with a quiet rapture.
Walking Meditation Walking Meditation
RIP Brian McBride, The Stars of the Lid RIP Brian McBride, The Stars of the Lid

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