A page from a new mini of mine, Portrait of a Temporal Progression as a New White Wall, inspired by Emmett Williams‘ novel, E, and the discussion in this post.
But if that left you feeling a little bit empty inside, then enjoy a couple of pages from my mini, Dies Irae:
*click on thumbnails for larger images.
Mae Mai 
>You could be the Robert Ryman of comics…Check out this: http://www.guggenheim.org/exhibitions/singular_forms/highlights_5a.htmlLooks familiar, vaguely.
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>Link again.Ryman painting.Is it a comic?!
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>I don’t know I have the art terminology to describe this, so forgive my fumbling.Looking at the Ryman … I percieve it immediately as a whole, singular image. However, due to my learned response to sequential art, I initially see Portrait of a Temporal Progression as a New White Wall as a series of images sharing a page. (To a certain extent, I’m being led there by the title, as well.) Actually, the definition of the gutters makes me see it more sequentially than I see Dies Irae. I respond to that as a single image. I wonder how I would respond to that when in minicomic form … how would format (down to page folds and staples) influence my reaction?I mean it with complete sincerity, Jon: Thanks for making my head hurt. These past few posts of yours have really made me think.
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>Good point, Mark. We don’t see Ryman’s work as consisting of separate images.Similary the Deus Irae…. while I see the separateness of the images, I don’t see them as clearly connected except by space. They styles and subjects are so varying that out of any context they don’t seem like a comic as much as the white wall.In book I just read (I’m working on a post about it), Thierry Groensteen (French comic theorist) gives his base elements of a comic (he avoids definition for numerous reasons) as a group of images that are separate but also “formally and semantically overdetermined by the fact of their coexistence in praesentia” (my translation from the French, except for that latin part which comes from Saussure).In our case Ryman would fall the first criteria and Deus Irae perhaps the second (though in the context of more pages perhaps not).
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>Derik–that Ryman work is an interesting and wonderful example. Given that we’ve been discussing picturless comics my initial impression was that it was some strange experimental/minimalist take on Indian poster comics–but then in reading the description, now I wonder if the acrylic is white paint covering the totality of the surface of the handmade paper then pasted on larger pieces of foamboard. Or is the paper fitted to the foamboard and the white portions the acrylic.Not enough detail in the photo to really tell-though I would warrant that it’s the latter.But I agree with you Mark, it does look like a whole, and yet it isn’t really.To a certain extent, I’m being led there by the title, as well.Right-and I’m glad that my illustration from the post I linked about how titles can shape contexts, or a “horizon of expectation” to view things in a certain way. Had I left it untitled, who knows how much more ambiguity/vagueness there might be in interpretation.Actually, the definition of the gutters makes me see it more sequentially than I see Dies Irae. I respond to that as a single image. I wonder how I would respond to that when in minicomic form … how would format (down to page folds and staples) influence my reaction?That’s my impression as well. I think the expectations we have for certain well defined forms (like comic books as a form) can shape how we interpretate things.Obviously I enjoy fooling around with those expectations by decontextualizing the forms.Thanks for making my head hurt.No offense taken, Mark–I hope to continue doing that in the future. ;)Similary the Deus Irae…. while I see the separateness of the images, I don’t see them as clearly connected except by space. They styles and subjects are so varying that out of any context they don’t seem like a comic as much as the white wall.That’s interesting to me, Derik–as all the images that I used in the whole mini, Dies Irae are collaged from separate finished (or unfinished) illustrations spanning a duration of about 5 years. And to tell the truth, “Dies Irae” is only a working or provisional title, as the title of the work on the cover of the mini is just an excerpt from a music manuscript (which just happens to be from the hymn, Dies Irae.All the balloons contain only musical notes excerpts.I really need to read more French bande dessinée like Groensteen–some of their work is incredibly complex and interesting. I look forward to that post, Derik!
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>Color Field Comics!
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>Excellent! Sorry about the word verification thing–but this page got hit by three spam posts in a row earlier today. Sheesh.
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>Hello, I am interested in hearing from others
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