All prints 17" x 22"

Sharpie and Reclaimed Epson Ink on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Paper

TODAY I GOT UP is the latest iteration of my ongoing project, RESIDUAL INK DRAWINGS, a series that utilizes reclaimed ink from empty ink jet cartridges. This new project chronicles the front page of the New York Times noting the font size of the main headline. This work has two parts; a monthly calendar and a weekly rendering.

In the monthly series, a tally mark is hand painted with black ink each day the main headline appears in all caps and exceeds 30 points and in red when it exceeds 36 points. If neither occurs, no mark is made.

The second part of this work examines a week of headlines. Using the same criteria, I select two words from each headline and place on a page creating a sort of concrete poetry. The ink seeps and soaks through the paper rendering the words, at times, unreadable.

The ink in both cases is applied from the rear (uncoated) side of photo rag paper. The coated side resists the ink when applied in this manner and exhibits a trace or shadow of the mark. For me this application mimics and visualizes how our daily experiences are layered, absorbed and stored within us as we wait for the future to arrive.

How news and information is shared, distributed, consumed and understood has been a long- standing interest of mine. I find that as I move through these difficult times I often feel saturated with the data and statics that pour over me day after day. As one day blurs into the next, comprehension often seems just beyond my grasp.

This project pays homage to the seminal works of On Kawara, “Today” and “I Got Up”. These works affirmed his own existence and in return, ours. It is my hope that this series might offer similar reflections.

This is a work in progress and I intend to expand the time covered from November 2016 through January 2021 for the monthly series. There will be 51 prints when complete.

The weekly series will cover the dates of November 19, 2019 through January 21, 2021. There will be 53 prints when complete.

RITA MAAS

RITA MAAS