granteeny

Granteeny wants you to know his mother is featured in Susnet Magazine's gift guide

2008-12-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

Gift guide: EvelynKate wipeable banana bib

BananabibIt's hard to say whether we love this bib more for its funky banana print or its complete practicality.

This $15 find is made by EvelynKate, an Olympia, WA-based outfit run by stay-at-home moms Michelle Penrod and Amy Grimm.

As far as practicality goes: It has a wipeable vinyl surface (with a cotton back, so it's easy on baby's skin.) The built-in pocket for crumbs ease clean-up time, while the sturdy shirt-like fit keeps it securely on. And, the whole thing is machine washable.

And fun? You can order it in sizes that will fit little monkeys 6 to 24 months.

Info: EvelynKate sells only through their Etsy shop. Order by Dec. 18 for Christmas delivery. Bibs are $12 to $15, and their "Daddy Duty" mini-diaper bags are $22 to $25.

The Road Trip Series

2008-09-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here we have a selection of photos from Granteeny's Road Trip Series. While these may look like Lomographs, they are actually digital. The artist used an old digital camera and iphoto to create these images documenting his recent trip down the Oregon coast. One would imagine the dramatic cliffs and crashing surf would catch the artist's attention, but his photos almost exclusively deal with life in and around the car.

Granteeny's decision to push these photos to near monochrome highlights the startling compositions and allows the viewer to approach the familiar subject matter with new eyes. The artist captures the claustrophobia and boredom that run as an undercurrent beneath the excitement of a road trip.

And we have a winner!

2008-04-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

Well, someone finally guessed it. And I use the word "guessed" very loosely. But, since there were no official guidelines to violate, we can have no disqualifications. Todd managed to make written contact with the artist(through IM) and found out that Grant would like to be "a shf" if he wasn't able to be an artist. Though he did qualify that with- "but I will be an artist".

Grant enjoys cooking with his mother and often challenges himself to make a dish with a random assortment of ingredients. Eggs, pepper, flour, salt, sugar, and blue food coloring are staples. His last experiment included oats, flour, salt, milk and food coloring. He then put it in the freezer for 3 hours and asked me to taste it. I'm afraid my pallet was not quite refined enough to appreciate it. Though it was some comfort to me when the chef spitting and crying yelled- "why isn't it tasty?!" after sampling it himself.

So Todd, please feel free to tell Grant what you would like him to make for you. You can specify color, theme, materials; anything you would like.

To the rest of you, thanks for participating and I am sorry you aren't as devious as Todd.

Hmmm

2008-04-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Well, no one won. I will give it another day while I think of either clues or a new contest.

The Great Granteeny Giveaway

2008-04-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Grant says it is time for another contest. The winner will once again be able to commission a work by the artist. Last time Grant thought of a number between 1 and 100 and. Iggy Enigma was our winner with a correct guess of 43. She challenged the artist to capture the end of the world as described in the Vonnegut Novel Cat's Cradle and received the brilliant "the World is Changing".

This time the winner has to guess which career Grant would chose if he wasn't a successful artist. Submit your guesses and we will announce the winner on Monday the 7th at 6pm. The winner can choose everything from the medium (collage, marker, crayon, or all of them together) to the color pallet and subject matter.

Good luck!

(one entry per reader)

I can do it too

2008-03-16T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here we have an homage to the artist's father. Grant has captured the shadow of a box of Kleenex on the dinning room floor of his home. He started with a fairly faithful representation of the shadow, but at some point seems to have grown bored and added a sort of arabesque.

Magic Carpet

2008-01-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

A cast-off piece of red wrapping paper and a few pieces of scrounged tape create a surprisingly poetic work in the artists home. At 67 degrees the furnace comes alive and the paper begins to billow, lifted by the warm air from the vent. It flutters for a moment until the thermostat clicks and the hum of the heater fades, then the red paper slowly collapses against the wall and shrouds the vent.

Grant is fascinated by the democratic nature of the Italian Arte Povera movement and often incorporates very humble materials into his work (also, he is 4 and doesn't have a wallet so oil paint really isn't an option). The beauty of "Magic Carpet" is that there is no illusion in the work. We see the materials and method for what they are; cheap and obvious, yet arranged by Grant's hand they provide us with a sublime moment.

Listening To See If Everything Has The Same Heartbeat

2007-12-31T16:16:00.000-08:00

In this performance the artist wandered the streets of downtown Olympia with a stethoscope. He would occasionally stop to listen to a window, a building, or a bench and then his own heart. After pressing his stethoscope to a rock, his sister and a rack of clothes he was asked to explain his actions. He answered, "I'm listening to see if everything has the same heartbeat, so I can learn." The artist then placed the stethescope to his sister's head and declared, "Hmmm....it sounds like a lightening storm!"

Interesting, but we still aren't getting a pet

2007-12-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking of an animal with a long tail and lots of fur.
-hmmm.... how about another clue?
It starts with a "g".
- a goat?
No, it says- ooooooooooooh!
-uhhh....
A ghost dog!

Lesser known symbolism of the color yellow

2007-11-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

(Looking at a Mark Rothko)

Papa, does red mean Rothko is warm?
-Maybe
Does blue mean cold and maybe lonely?
-It can, yeah.
-What would you paint if you were an abstract expressionist?
I would paint a yellow painting. It means bananas and also you feel kind of weak.... or weaky........ or something?

Surrealist Poetry Night at the Cabaret Voltaire

2007-11-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

Papa, come quick!
My bathwater smells like diamonds!

Provenance can be hard to establish

2007-11-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

Grant asked me to take this picture to document what we assumed was an unknown Claus Oldenburg in Baker City, Oregon. It turns out that it is not one of Oldenburg's giant public sculptures of everyday objects, but an actual 20' tall swingset. Whoever designed this thing either shared Claus's interest in gigantism, or seriously has never stood next to a child. Do you see that the seat is at about the height of Grant's head? I tried it out and could barely handle the G-force generated by mellow swinging, so we hopped back in the car and headed for Olympia before any enormous Eastern Oregon children saw us in their park.

Girl With Hair Ribbon- after Lichtenstein

2007-10-23T21:16:00.001-07:00

Grant has been very interested in Lichtenstein as of late and is often found thumbing through his worn copy of The 20th century Art Book at night studying his work.

Here we have a study of Lichtenstein's, Girl With Hair Ribbon. Lichtenstein faithfully reproduced an image from a commercialy printed comic strip, down to the Benday dots. The artist's hand is concealed as much as possible, altering the original only by means of scale, method and materials. Grant however, starts with Lichtenstein's reproduction and deconstructs it, showing his hand at every moment. His Benday dots are random and distorted, nothing more than an acknowledgement of their presence in the original. The smooth and precise application of color is replaced with rough scratches of crayon spilling across the image. While Lichtenstein sought to elevate a cartoon to high art, Grant works backwards and takes Lichtensteins painting past its comic roots and back to the origins of the comic- grafiti scrawled on a wall.

Robot Music

2007-10-22T21:47:00.001-07:00

In this pencil on found paper drawing, three robotic figures amble across the page, their images are reflected in a mirrored surface below while energetic dashes punctuate the air around them. This piece was created while listening to Mike TV from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack. The marks were all made to the beat of the music. The artist drew until the rhythm was too much, danced for a minute or two then came back to the drawing before surrendering to the music several more times. Grant calls this technique "drawing a song".

The Competition Begins

2007-09-27T18:54:00.003-07:00

(Grant, while cutting white felt with little scissors)

I'm making better art than you.

-Really?

Yeah, because I'm making soap bottles for a brick house that no one is going to live in.

-So, that means you're better than me?

Yeah, because it's called "mantrees", that means it's kind of stretchy.

-Hmmm, that sounds kind of crazy.

(without looking up) My art will be the greatest!

(this was after viewing Jared's latest project.

Summertime Lyrics

2007-08-26T10:56:00.000-07:00

By request, I have tried to transcribe the Summertime lyrics to the best of my ability.
If you can figure out any of the missing lines feel free to submit them.

......?
......?
He hoped that ever would never end
and he hoped that summer would never end
It's summertime, summertime!
He'll get back as soon as he can
He'll get back as soon as he can
Oooh yeah, yeah he's (something ) the beach
.............?
He eats the food that he wanted
He liked that food that he wanted

It's Summertime!

2007-08-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

The other night the artist watched as I recorded a guitar track into GarageBand on the computer. I went downstairs and when I came back up I found him as you see him in the photo above; headphones on (plug dangling at his feet) and piano in lap. Grant had somehow figured out how to start recording and had added a track to my song. We sat together and listened and I was treated to a brilliant piece of low-fi avant-pop.

"He hopes that summer never ends, and he hopes that summer never ends", he sings over a manic toy piano and soft acoustic guitar melody. The artist pushes the structure of modern songwriting to its limits. After the guitar ends, the piano continues for several minutes before fading into a moment of silence and then the sound of a balloon being blown up for several more minutes, which is in turn followed by 2 minutes of dead silence and then a short conversation with the artist's teddy bear.

The Slippery Slide of Zoom

2007-07-21T10:29:00.001-07:00

A surprise visit to the artist's studio this morning yielded this gem. I was so excited that I rushed to get it online. It is a present for his mother on her 30th birthday. Knowing that the 30th birthday is quite a mile stone and a departure from youth, the artist depicts the excitement and magic of a playground slide to remind his mother of her younger years.

Bed-In

2007-07-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

Last night Grant informed me of his plans for a conceptual performance piece in Europe. He told me he was going to run away from home because I wouldn't make him a quesadilla for dinner.

- Really? Where are you going?

- SWITZERLAND! And I won't eat pasta EVER!

- What will you do there?

- I will stay in bed, and I won't get up EVER!

Then he walked off and went to sleep in the guest bedroom, apparently prepping himself for his slothful art in Switzerland.

Visiting Great Grandma

2007-07-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

A plastic tube snakes across the floor between a pair of sandaled feet and a green velvet chair. A woman's leg is visible in the upper right corner. Who are these people, where are they and what is their relationship? What is the tube connected to? The title mentions his great grandma, could it be the tube to her oxygen tank? Our perspective is the perspective of a 4 year old boy. We are left out of the conversation as he seems to be. He passes his time studying the minutia of the room; the texture of the chair, the mystery of the tube, shoes. The photographer seems to be more interested in the cramped composition and flat perspective than he is in the banal subject matter, but the fact that he is able to pique our interest in the scene is a testament to his skill and clever eye.Like William Eggleston, Grant takes photos of seemingly mundane scenes and imbues them with a sense of mystery and life.

...and this is your brain on art. Any questions?

2007-05-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

-Grant, please don't eat that candy, you haven't had dinner yet.

- But Papa, this is an art-lollipop, and art lollipops don't have sugar. They are tasty and sweet and they have colors and lines on them.

-You still can't have it.

-Did you know the Easter Bunny likes to hide ice-eggs?

- Are you on Peyote?

-Look Papa, it's sunny again!

Paint Them All and Let the Critics Sort Them Out.

2007-04-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

-Grant, what's that a picture of?

-I don't know, I just see paint.

The World is Changing

2007-04-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here is Iggy's request for her commissioned Granteeny-

"The contest came at a timely moment corresponding with the death of an
artist of a different genre: Kurt Vonnegut, who died this past week. I
would like Grant to draw the end of the world as depicted by Vonnegut
in his novel Cat's Cradle.

In the event that the artist and/or his dealer are not familiar with
the story, what it boils down to is that a scientist created a crystal
called Ice 9 which, when it comes in contact with water, immediately
freezes the water. Obviously it is very dangerous, but efforts to
control and destroy this crystal fail. At the end of the book, the
world and life in general are destroyed when the crystal gets out--
and all of the water in the entire world freezes in a spectacular
chain reaction, beginning on an island in the Caribbean. For colors:
Ice 9 is said to turn everything a freakish blue-white.

Grant is free to interpret the characters and imagery of this scene
according to his own genius, and the adding and mixing of colors is
encouraged. I am sure that Grant's portrayal of this literary
masterpiece will help us further understand its meaning, and
understand the life and death of Kurt Vonnegut in this time of tragedy
as we honor him. I am excited to see what I can learn from Grant about
this celebrated novel and author."

Grant could not have been more excited by this subject matter. He obviously hasn't read any Vonnegut; his parents think he is still a little young for that level of existential angst. While making this work, we both learned a lot about hot and cool colors. Grant learned that blues and greens are usually cool colors, and I learned that red is cool too, because; "yes it is!"

Grant calls this piece, "The World is Changing". The marker drawing depicts the Earth from the vantage point of outer-space. The Earth is encircled by a ghostly blue ring constricting around it. This is the Ice 9 as it reacts with the water. Frozen rivers cross the still green landmasses and the oceans turn eerie shades of blue and light violet. Rays of light bounce of the Ice 9, and the world becomes an icy prism.

And the winner is..................

2007-04-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

Iggy Enigma! The number was 43. I am shocked that someone guessed it exactly. Iggy, please email me (jrpenrod@gmail.com) and let me know what you would like young Grant to create for you. Please be specific, are there any colors you would like the artist to use? Imagery? Would you like one of his abstract works, or a portrait perhaps? Would you like him to draw while eating a popsicle, to maximize the staining possibilities?

Congratulations, and thanks for entering. We will get back to our regular routine of posting and critiquing, once Grant's sister is in college and I have something resembling free time.

Contest #2

2007-04-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

Granteeny has been in Denver for the past week or so. He was invited to speak at a symposium on the theme of "the Time Warp Trio in Contemporary art". Unfortunately, his grandparents gave him the Cars DVD and he watched it on repeat for three days straight, thus missing his time slot at the symposium.

In order to help the artist learn a little more discipline and follow-through, his dealer has asked him to take on a commission. This is how it will work; there will be another contest, the winner of this contest will be able to commission a work from the artist. You may choose the subject and overall color scheme. The artist will most likely ignore your requests and draw something about the Time Warp Trio in whatever color stains his clothing the most. You will accept this with with no right to sue for breach of contract and he will recieve no payment for the commission. Sounds fair right?

Grant is thinking of a number between 1 and 100. Submit your guesses, and whoever comes in closest wins. The winner will be decided on Friday afternoon.

2007-04-06T07:29:00.001-07:00

GRANT IS FOUR TODAY! This year for his birthday, Grant will recieve a Magic School Bus party, a bike (shhh, don't tell him), and I will play alligator with him until I throw up, he wets his pants from laughter, or one of us slips on the wood floor and has to get stitches.(alligator consists of me chasing Grant around the house screaming "chomp, chomp! I'm an alligator!) I wil also read him four books at bedtime instead of two. Happy birthday to the world's greatest living artist!

It's Just the Boys

2007-03-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

Three totemic figures stand side by side on the page. They are rendered in a neoprimitive style, like an ancient cave painting on notebook paper. The artist identifies the figures as the boys from the Time Warp Trio, but the religious motif is hard to dismiss. Are "the boys" standing in for Christ and the thieves on the cross? The figure on the right even wears a cross on his chest. Recent statements made by the artist also point to a religious interpretation; during his evening bath the other night he asked if anyone knew what the word "sacterfize" meant. Michelle asked if he meant "sacrifice" and he said, "no, sacterfize. That is when you put your finger in this tube (he gestured to the pump from a shampoo bottle he was playing with) and then Jesus sprays water at your bum." It must be a german word, they have one for everything.

You and Me Playing Catch

2007-03-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

This one is open to interpretaion, please feel free to analyze it yourself and share your thoughts.

Everything Gets Mixed Up

2007-03-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

"That's paint, it collapses together and makes new colors."

Three puffy dinosaur stickers are pasted over a background of washed out finger paints. The colors bleed into each other, the artist's small finger prints overlap the large prints of his father, and the dinosaurs wander through the middle of it all. The orange and the pink dinasaur walk together to the right, while the smaller purple one seems to sulk off to the left. Could they have had a falling out, some misunderstanding? Everything gets mixed up; age, pigments, communication and media all combine in this collage. Are we doomed to be misunderstood and mistaken? The ebullient colors suggest the artist believes there is some hope.

The Splat

2007-03-07T19:32:00.000-08:00

The Splat is a monochromatic exercise in mark making. Multiple deep plum splotches surround a loose structure that has been described in quick, light lines. The splotches seem to have been made by pressing markers down as hard as possible and leaving them there while the ink bled out staining the white desk top, upsetting both the artist's mother since she had to clean up the mess, and his father since those were his good markers. This is clearly conjecture, of course. I can say with some certainty that it is unlikely that the artist will revisit this style, if he knows what's good for him.

Candora is a robot and he has a broken foot and he had a big tube accident because he wasn't supposed to warp in there, he's from Egypt, Africa

2007-03-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Leaving the drawing aside for a moment, let us focus on the title. Grant often provides poetic titles for his work, see "When the sun grows up he'll get blue", or "A bear walks to food" , this title on the other hand is so descriptive and accurate that there is almost no need for an image. If you were to think of a robot named Candora, would you imagine him any differently? What would a big tube accident look like? I can't imagine anything other than a blue spiral shooting from a robot's trunk. He hobbles ackwardly in his cast through a sandy toned page, just as the references to Egypt, Africa and broken foot demand. His drawing trancends culture and experience, an eskimo and a wall street trader would call the same vision to mind upon hearing the title.

Endurance Performance

2007-02-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

In a performance reminiscent of Chris Burden's early work, Grant explores his own endurance by attempting to keep one hand on the wall while he sleeps. It is not known how long he managed to keep his arm outstretched and his palm against the wall, since the audience was tired and had to get up early for work.

Your kung fu is still no match for my color theory

2007-02-18T12:20:00.000-08:00

-What are you doing with your crayons Grant?

"When you put all of the colors together it makes a pattern, and that is called a language."

Tribute

2007-02-14T14:24:00.000-08:00

Grant did this tape piece after seeing my show the other day. He calls it a tape shadow, but I have to admit that I don't really understand what he means. It doesn't seem to represent any "real" shadow I could find. It's certainly not the shadow of my wallet. I'm afraid he is so far beyond me at this point that he is mocking me with my own ideas.

An Alien Named Can Penrod Chan

2007-02-08T19:24:00.000-08:00

This is a quick sketch the artist produced today. On the right we have an alien Grant has identified as "Can Penrod Chan". The green alien is also named Can Penrod Chan though they don't appear related at first glance. The green Can looks like a cross between a pig with a toupee, a spider, and Alf. The blue Can seems to be a raindrop/spider hybrid. Maybe Can Penrod Chan is like Smith on their planet, or maybe our idea of what relatives look like does not apply to their species.

A Message From the Artist

2007-01-31T07:37:00.000-08:00

There aren't any new posts because my dad is being selfish and focusing on his own little show. I'm still cranking out the work, I'm just waiting for someone to put them on the computer for me. So for now, here is a picture of me threatening my papa if he doesn't put my drawings on the internet.

2007-01-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

Granteeny will be back up and posting shortly. At the moment the artist is focused on personal matters.

And the Winner is....................

2007-01-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Here is how the winner was chosen. I called Grant at his studio and read all of your names to him. Actually, he ran from the phone so his mother read all of your names to him. He was then asked to select the name he would like to send a drawing, and he chose BEX! Everyone put in a valiant effort and their were some very persuasive arguments, but in the end it came down to the whim of a three year old. I should disclose that a couple of years ago, Rebecca gave Grant a Wiggles tooth brush and he still remembers it. This may have been a factor in his choice, but the official rules do not prohibit bribery (especially when it shows so much foresight). Please email me your address and your choice of artwork and your prize will be sent of post haste.Thank you for your participation in the 1st annual (or bimonthly, who knows?) Great GRanteeny Give Away.

Time Sensitive Material Enclosed

2007-01-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

I will announce the winner of the Granteeny drawing at 4pm Pacific time today. So far as predicted, there are only 3 people in the running. If you would like a contemporary masterpiece by a child prodigy you need to comment in some way shape or form. I might chose the winner, Grant might chose the winner, or long suffering wife and mother, Michelle may chose the winner. Either way, I promise it will be fair yet completely arbitrary. 4:00!

Act Now, Our Operators are Standing By

2007-01-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

Grant is tired of only seeing his work in museums or in private collections, so in an effort to get his work out into the real world where it can be appreciated on the walls (or fridges) of fine homes like yours, we hereby announce a contest. The winner will receive in the mail, an original Granteeny drawing or painting as yet to be determined. The only catch is, I can't really think of what the rules should be. Maybe the contest should be whoever comes up with the best contest parameters wins the contest. Or....maybe whoever gives the most compelling reason for needing to own a Granteeny. OK, it is basically open season. I will chose a winner based on undisclosed rules and reasoning. So, make up some rules, make up a reason, tell me where it would hang, if you comment in anyway you are in the running and then I will arbitrarily chose a winner (if the past number of comments is any indication that leaves about a pool of three possible winners). Maybe I will chose the best comment, the comment from the farthest point on the globe, the tallest commenter, the closest blood relative; the possibilities are really endless. How does that sound? I've just upped the ante, the winner gets to chose which piece they would like (unless I really, really love it and then I will say it is already in a private collection and is unavailable). Perfect! Game on. Oh, the winner will be chosen on Friday.

Hey! It's a mustard wall......and a ketchup booth!!!

2007-01-09T15:18:00.000-08:00

The young artist refuses to take a break from his work even at meal time.

Fluxus Performance #2

2006-12-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

Here we have photos documenting another of Grant's recent performance pieces. This piece began at 10PM with the artist calling down the stairs, "Uh Oh! I think I have a little problem!" When his audience arrived he stated "I think I used too much lotion". This understatement was the core of the piece. The artist had slathered lotion on his left leg to the point of absurdity. He trailed it across his bedroom, his hands held so much lotion that they appeared mitten like, and his stuffed pig had lotion on its snout. This excessive use of a product designed to return the appearance of youth to the skin, on the perfect skin of the young artist skewered the adult fear of aging and our drastic yet ultimately futile attempts to fight it. No amount of chemicals, lotions, or surgeries will ever erase the signs of age and the artist mocks our useless attempts to recapture our youth.

This performance recalls an event Grant staged in January of this year (2006). Again, no warning was given that a performance was going to take place, the audience assembled after hearing a strange slapping sound coming from upstairs. Upon their arrival the viewers witnessed the artist spreading large circles of Eucerin lotion on his bedroom wall. When pressed for an explanation of his work, he replied, "I'm making marshmallows". Unfortunately for Grant, his art was not appreciated by the critics and he was given a time out and had his trains taken away for a full day.

It's all who you know

2006-12-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

"Before I was born Jesus told me to go to an art show."

- Really? What kind of art was it?

"It was...uhhh.....kinda a kid one. Jesus came too and he told me I had to be a good little boy and no yelling. The door was up really, really high and I had a special ladder, but I can't find it now."

The Color Mixed Together When a Little Boy Drawed it

2006-12-18T22:14:00.000-08:00

In this marker on paper drawing, the artist shows an Albers like interest in color. But, where Albers approached color carefully, like a scientist, Grant attacks it like an animal. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty in his quest to learn its secrets. He will either understand it or destroy it.

A Picture About When Someone Got Darker and Darker.......or Something

2006-12-18T22:12:00.000-08:00

The ambiguous title captures the mysterious feeling of this drawing. A delicate structure of red, blue, and purple intertwines and overlaps. The red and blue lines resemble some sort of vascular system that seems to be failing, collapsing under its own weight.

The drawing is reminiscent of Terry Winters' recent paintings, but while Winters explores similar ground, Grant's work is fresher and more organic. His work is imbued with a sense of humanity and life. There is always a hint of some sort of narrative in Grant's art that we can't quite grasp, as if we walked onto the set just as the actors left. Winter's structures come across as a bit cold and mannered in comparison.

When the Sun Grows Up He'll Get Blue

2006-12-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

The first tinges of blue have already started to seep into the sun's core, sapping it of its warmth. Its last rays hurdle off into space. Is this a depiction of the sun's eventual death; the slow transformation into a black dwarf? Or could it be a metaphor for that particular form of teenage malaise that is so prevelent in small towns? Either way, it is a weighty subject for a 3 year old, but it is handled deftly.

A guy that didn't want to wrote on his pants

2006-12-18T22:09:00.000-08:00

A hirsute fellow hides behind a mask as he forlornly gazes downward. As the title suggests, he was unable to resist writing on his pants and is ashamed. A trail of tears runs down his cheek, escaping from beneath his mask and betraying his humiliation.

The Preschool Project

2006-12-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here we have a photo of the artist posing as a preschool student. Like Nikki S Lee, he has transformed himself in order to infiltrate a unique social group and document his new identity. The artist spent months studying groups of 3 year olds on playgrounds and in playgroups. He learned their mannerisms, their unique style, and habits. He ate what they ate and used 3 year old slang. Notice the attention to detail; his "picture day" outfit is spot on, something a mother would swoon over, but his hair is tousled to capture that fresh from the playground look.

Rain Cloud

2006-12-06T20:35:00.000-08:00

"It's a rain cloud and it is raining out the people that were in it"

A swirling brown mass hangs heavily on the page. Several dripping lines and dabs of color escape its belly. A red smear seems to fall into the page in the upper left corner. This work was created after a two week long rainstorm in the artist's home town of Olympia, Wa. Like Jonah escaped the belly of the whale, the people are spit out from the depths of the cloud. They are represented in bright reds and yellows, capturing the hope and joy of a rare sunny day in the midst of a Northwest winter.

A Guy That Doesn't Want to Crash into That Star

2006-12-06T20:31:00.000-08:00

"He just wants to see the star, not crash. His name is Cackle and he lives in his bedroom"

The star in question is a small cut-out shape on the far right of the page. "Cackle" seems to be headed eagerly towards it. The artist has explained that the small circles running along Cackle's jaw are "curls". Under no circumstances are they to be called a beard, as this critic learned the hard way. The antenna like shapes on top of the head are "uprights" and the large circles on either side of the head are his ears.

The frantic rendering energizes the work. One can almost feel Cackle's enthusiam as he rushes towards the star, even his hair seems to reach out in anticipation. He may fear crashing into it, but that worry seems no match for his desire to get a closer look. It is interesting that the artist depicts the star as a void. It is a chasm pulling Cackle into its depths. Though aware of the danger, he rushes on. The artist was recently told not to play with the plug for the Christmas lights. He was observed attempting to remove it and then reinsert it into the outlet. Grant was warned of the dangers but five minutes later was once again caught in the act. When confronted he said, "I shouldn't do it because it will 'lectricity me." The next day he tried it again. Like Cackle's star, the plug drew Grant in despite his knowledge of its dangers. Its beauty was apparently worth the risk.

2006-12-05T19:57:00.000-08:00

In this untitled abstract work the artist explores his interest in entropy. Anyone that has seen his playroom has noticed his experiments in disorder. The artist prepared his paper by placing it under several previous drawings and allowing marker to seep through in a random manner. He then let these random marks inform his final colored pencil composition.

Gloomy Bear

2006-11-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

Here we have a sketch of the artist's constant companion and muse, Gloomy Bear.

Alien

2006-11-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

In "Alien", Grant continues his exploration of "the other". His work is often populated by figures marginalized by skin tone, single giant eyeballs, multiple limbs, or extraterrestrial origins. This interest in outsiders may stem from the artist's own diminutive stature, as well as his inability to tie his own shoes, conjugate verbs correctly, and make it to the bathroom in time if he is having fun playing with trains.

In this drawing, we see a hot pink, cycloptic alien tumbling out of view. A portion of his head has actually left the page and his body seems set to follow. This unusual composition brings a certain tension to the piece, though it remains delicately balanced and pleasing. Grant captures the action of the alien, but does not explain what has caused his fall. We know that the artist has an intense aversion to the attention of strangers. Perhaps the alien is his surrogate, dodging our judgemental gaze.

An Alien With Banana On His face

2006-11-28T20:39:00.000-08:00

It is the urgency of Grant's drawings that makes them so compelling. There is something almost desperate about them: as if the artist was creating them out of absolute neccesity, or maybe trying to put off bed time by cranking out drawing after drawing.

Grant explains that this alien is from the next door neighbor's house. I will have to monitor them a little more closely and make sure they are not stealing our bananas. Bananas are not cheap this far North and if Grant's drawing can be trusted, they are wasting them.

2006-11-28T12:56:00.000-08:00

Grant wanted me to let you know that he will have more work soon. He has been at an artist's residency in Vermont and is anxious to get back to the sunny climes of Olympia.

For Your Consideration

2006-11-16T16:27:00.000-08:00

Poke Tree by Grant

Coronation of Sesostris by Cy Twombly

No Room For A Skeleton

2006-11-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

Instead of describing the image we are seeing, the title describes what we won't find in the drawing. It apparently represents what the artist had in mind but did not produce. The title also begs the question: why was there no room for a skeleton? Assuming that there is no preset size for a skeleton and the artist was only limited by his fine motor skills and the bounderies of the page, why couldn't a skeleton fit? Could he not have scaled his idea down to fit the page? Could we really be talking about psychic space? Perhaps the limits of the page were such that they could not contain Grant's idea of a skeleton. Better to abort the idea than dilute it?

So, what was there room for? A tornadic form funnels our gaze to a pale glow at its center. A dark shadow falls to the lower left. We are gazing out of Plato's Cave towards the sun in our climb towards enlightenment. The form of the skeleton that could not fit on the page casts its shadow on the cave wall; a pale imitation of Grant's perfect idea.

A Skeleton Thinks About Preschool

2006-11-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

A blue skull wears a concerned expression on his face (or lack thereof) as he floats isolated in a white void. There is no hint of context, just the skull confronting the viewer with his worried gaze. We learn from the title that he is ruminating on the subject of preschool. We do not know who the skull belongs to, though it does seem probable that it represents the artist, since he is currently in preschool. Is the skull an omen? Is it a metaphor for emotions laid bare?

In a recent interview, Grant stated, "I go to preschool on Tuesday and Thursday. Is it Thursday? Is Thursday tomorrow? Will I go to preschool tomorrow. I'm going to play with the train table." Preschool seems to stir a nervous energy in the young boy, an energy that is translated into his art.

It's All the Magic Schoolbus

2006-11-02T22:30:00.000-08:00

Another in The Magic Schoolbus series, "It's All The Magic Schoolbus" shows the bus once again spinning into action. Critics often fawn over Grant's facility in mark making, and here we have it at it's most dynamic. His lines are almost electric; they pulse with energy as they pull the viewer into the vortex of his composition. When asked why he so frequently includes the bus in his work, he answered, "Because I do." When pressed to elaborate he covered his mouth with both hands and left the room.

A Halloween Guy and a Bat and That's His Bag of Candy

2006-11-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

Here we have a lovely drawing documenting Grant's recent performance piece, "Halloween". For the performance, the artist dressed as a train conductor, complete with whistle, hat, red scarf, and "soot" on his cheeks. He then proceeded to wander the street asking neighbors for candy. The the performance continued and he began to repeat, "more candy, more candy, more candy" under his breath. As he knocked on doors asking for "treats", he seemed to gain momentum until he was dashing from door to door nearly yelling, "more candy, more candy!" He then returned home and ate as much candy as he could before collapsing on the living room floor from sheer exhaustion. Grant had transformed himself into a metaphoric "runaway train" of consumption in a biting critique of man's inherent greed. At the end of the performance, the artist literally had to be carried up the stairs and put ino his own bed, too spent to even change out of his costume.

Sound and Fury

2006-11-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

Itsy Bitsy Spider

This is one of the artist's earliest video works. Like a Mauri warrior, he squares off with the viewer, shouting the lyrics to a children's song. Through posture and tone the artist subverts the traditional relationship of the child performing for the adult; instead of cuteness there is ferocity, instead of entertainment we find fear. We do not wish to pinch his cheek, but hope that he will not pinch ours.

A Poke Tree

2006-10-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

The artist makes no attempt at naturalistic representation. The trunk is a hurried brown elipse; the foliage nothing more than a slash of green, almost an afterthought. Grant is clearly only interested in conveying the extreme pokiness of his subject. The branches are violent slashes; the crayon dripping with emotion. Haunting.

A ladder you climb up and once you get to the top you just walk in there.

2006-10-30T19:52:00.000-08:00

Grant is obviously channeling Jackson Pollock's Number Seven in this drawing. Does the ladder in the title refer to the ladder Pollock employed in creating his paintings, dripping and pouring paints from its heights? Or, could this be a commentary on Pollock's climb up the ladder of the art world and his fame, ego, and alcohol fueled destruction? Either way, the young artist has out-pollocked, Pollock.

2006-10-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

What's this a picture of?
-he traces the drawing with his finger, "it's a picture of this."
But what is it?
-"Marker"
Are you saying it is art about art? Is it a metapainting?
-"I bet you can't lift me up!"

Bat Cave

2006-10-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

When it was pointed out that there are no visible bats in the painting, the artist explained, "You can't see the bats because they are sleeping behind the painting." The bats are sleeping behind the painting. Grant, having resolved the two dimensional plane of the work with a furious series of monochromatic strokes, addresses the space behind the work. Lucio Fontana attempted to bring this same space to our attention by puncturing the actual canvas, Grant punctures our understanding with a single sentence.

Some Popcorn Came Out

2006-10-24T21:57:00.000-07:00

I spent several days last week in New York, searching through the galleries of Chelsea and Williamsburg for some piece of art that would move me, and then I came home to this.

After World War II the center of the art world shifted from Paris to New York. I believe my friends, that we are about to witness it shift to Olympia, WA.

2006-10-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

I spoke with Grant yesterday, and it seems the new art will be posted soon. In fact he has promised that we will love it, because, "you haven't seen anything like this before!"

The Bus Does Things It Can't Do

2006-10-12T22:03:00.000-07:00

In the past few weeks I have received a slew of negative letters regarding my recent statements in Art in America that Grant is the greatest artist working today, if not the most important artist in recent history. I have been accused of being incapable of separating my role as a contemporary art commentator from my role as a father (of the greatest artist of our time). I think this drawing does more to defend my views than anything I might write (as brilliant as it might be).

When It Twists and It Shooks

2006-10-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

What is "it": that is the question. We know "it" twists and is also capable of shooking, but what happens when it does? No answer is given.

A unique iconography seems to be developing in the young artist's work. Disembodied heads, blank eyes, swirling masses, and anthropomorphic pigs populate his drawings like remnants of half-forgotten dreams. Grant clearly owes a debt to the surealists, but his art seems to be more directly influenced by the urban art scene of today.

If the left don't getcha then the right one will

2006-10-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

Grant, why do you call your hands "Thomas and James"?
"Because they love everything."

A Bear Walks to Food

2006-10-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

A found bear sticker sits in an empty expanse of paper; the bear plods forward with his head down, never leaving, never arriving as he searches for sustenence. The human condition masterfully captured with one orange bear sticker.

The Magic School Bus Spins into Action

2006-10-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

"The bus is bibrating, that means it's getting smaller." The Magic Schoolbus spins in a red blur in the upper left portion of the page as a green monster watches apprehensively. What "action" will the school bus bring? The monster appears to be clutching a purse to his chest. Will the bus attempt to rob him? Grant identifies the red arabesque at the bottom right as a "number panic", perhaps that is a clue. The monster is green, he is finance incarnate. He clutches a change purse to his chest symbolizing greed. He is menaced by the specter of a gallows to his right as a "number panic" closes in. What seems to be the source of all this upheaval?- a school bus. Clearly, the artist feels that shrinking education budgets will somehow cause the stock market to crash. Don't go selling your stocks or anything though, he's only three, what does he know about the market? Or education budgets for that matter. Plus, that really doesn't even make any sense if you think about it. The kid's in preschool for Pete's sake, he shouldn't be commenting on the financial world in the first place. I'm going to go give him a time-out.

*I know it looks yellow on here, but I swear he is green in the original.

A Stamp on His Head

2006-10-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

This is the artist's first known mixed-media piece. A figure flanked by a puma and a bear grins, his gaze hidden behind a stamp placed on his face. Is this actually a cyclops, Polyphemus perhaps, the stamp over the eye a metaphor for his blinding at the hands of Odysseus? Does the bear at his feet act as a stand in for the giant's treasured flock of sheep? When asked for some sort of insight into this enigmatic work, Grant explained, "Candy is tasty".

Your Kung Fu is No Match for My Color Theory

2006-10-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Grant and I were trying to decide who liked the color blue more. Grant explained, "I'm hungry for blue. I am going to eat it tomorrow. It's like frosting." Defeated, I said I would settle for green. "Green is like climbing a wall", he added.

A Parable

2006-10-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

"When I was a Papa, I had a big scar on my chest too, then I washed it off and now I am a little boy."
I asked him how he washed it off and he said "oil and water".

2006-10-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of new art. Grant seems to be suffering from a small case of artist's block.

Time Warp Trio

2006-10-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

"Weltschmerz" is the word Grant uses to describe the emotion caught on our time traveling friend's face. Having seen what humanity has to offer through the ages, he is unimpressed and world-weary. His blank eyes convey an ennui magnified by the realization that he can never truly go home.

Door Full of Paint

2006-10-02T20:26:00.000-07:00

This is a drawing about a man who opened a door full of paint. The paint is the swirling orange mass in the upper left corner. You'll notice how perfectly the artist has captured the look of surprise and consternation on the man's face as he takes in the situation. There is no escape from his messy orange fate.

Pig Going For a Walk

2006-10-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here is another pig. This one is walking past a train. I just asked Grant to explain this one to me and he yelled, "No! I have to go to the bathroom!" and raced off. He has no time to explain his work to neophytes.

The Number One Place (with juice and lemonade)

2006-10-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

I asked Grant what he drew and that is what he said. So, if you ever wondered what the number one place looked like, this is it. Also, I hope you like juice and lemonade, because it's apparently full of the stuff.

Pig

2006-10-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

This is pretty clearly a pig head to me, so, if you can't see it you may want to get out and look at some more pigs.

It's Just a Picture

2006-10-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Grant was actually annoyed when I asked him what he drew. "it's just a picture". Ceci N'est Pas une Pipe. Well played little man.

Thomas the Tank Engine

2006-10-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is Grant's favorite drawing. It is Thomas the Tank Engine barreling down the track. You'll notice how Grant intentionally used crude lines and distorted the form to suggest energy and motion, capturing Thomas at his most dynamic. He tore up his first few attempts, the draftsmenship was impeccable, but he felt they were too static. I think he just needed a nap. Kids!