ARTWORK BY MATTHEW BACHER
  • Works
    • Exuberant Body
    • 2020-2021
    • Discontent
    • Pre-Pandemic
    • Averill Park
    • Performance
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A nonlinear rambling, as I locate myself within the art world...

Thacher State Park

9/15/2018

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As my time winds down here at Arts Letters & Numbers, I’m taking a final survey of my environment in hopes of getting any last inspiration. I am currently working on a piece where I reinterpreted signs found in parks that warn about tics and lime disease.

Today I ventured to Thatcher State Park where I walked along an Indian trail that traced the contours of a breathtaking escarpment. The limestone and shale rock glistened with moisture as only dreamscapes do. Looking east, back toward Albany, off the side of the large precipice, I could see the beginnings of small pocks in the form of farms, spotting the viridian landscape. On this primal trail, waterfalls sprout at each turn. It was by far the best hike that I have been on since being back in Upstate New York. After figuring out the math on my steps for the day and successfully planning each following step; I made my way back to the car and went to Albany to meet with a few residents who were interested in an opening at the Albany Center Art Gallery.

The exhibition was a series of photographs of a woman in her 60s taken by her husband who clearly had no boundaries. None of our group really liked the show but we spent 45 minutes talking about it anyway just to make sure there weren’t any unturned rocks. “He’s objectifying her and not even in an interesting way,” “I think they’re all supposed to be landscapes,” and “The artist needs to think more about material” were just some of the comments my new colleagues chirped about once we were out on the street. I left them and drove back to the house to help out with the communal dinner.

Dinner was orchestrated by the two Korean residents were making bibimbap. The dinner ended up being amazing. I was given the larges bowl because behind my back all the residents had decided that I eat a lot.

​After dinner I three–way-called my wife and mother. Apparently this is what you do when you’re newly married.

It's late in the evening now and I just got in from attempting to find a pair of owls that have been haunting the woods behind the house. So far no luck but I did manage to find a frog. I grabbed it and went to show it to the other residents but it bolted out of my hands into some ivy. I left it for a few minutes and chased after the calls of the owls again. After, I returned back to the frog and shined my light onto the glistening patch of green where it had landed. Its body reflected the light back at me like a mirror. When I went to reach for it the frog’s body lengthened more than that of any frog I had ever seen. I crept closer and it bolted out of the foliage toward me. Screaming and pulling back I realized that it was a snake. Not just any snake but an Eastern Ribbon Snake. This trip has really kept me guessing. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy.

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Show and Tell

9/6/2018

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Hey Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a good holiday. My thoughts go out to the victims that were in the shooting in Cincinnati. I'm so thankful that my extended family who live there are safe.

 
Last night we went through show and tell with some of the new residents. They all had extremely impressive practices which humbled and inspired me. One of the residents named Wolfgang, built a house in a day and another, named Karen, organizes feminist rallies for artists in Australia. Karen helped me explain to the other residents Justine's and my view on the importance of supporting female artists versus supporting artists solely based on merit and skill. Once the systems are more equal we can talk about meritocracy. Right now, I am doing some bookkeeping. I'm sending emails to artists trying to score studio visits. I even managed to upload some photos from the Opening Reception of our show last Sunday. Check them out and thanks for reading!

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#WIP Open Studio Exhibition

9/3/2018

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​Last Sunday we had our #WIP (work in progress) Exhibition! There was a great turnout and halfway through everyone listened to a reading from one of the residents. I gave a little speech that introduced the participating resident artists and thanked the community for their support. I also had the chance to meet an ecologist who looks for endangered and rare plant species in New York State. We are going to meet for an educational nature walk within the next few weeks. Last Saturday we also participated in a workshop that a resident hosted. It was a body mapping exercise, where we lay down and were traced in chalk. After being led through a meditation we filled our bodies with the visuals that came to us while scanning our bodies. It was interesting, but I couldn’t help feeling like I had done something like it in grade school. It’s always good to check in with your body though. My legs wanted to run, my stomach wanted food, my back and arms wanted a nap and my head wanted me to quit drinking coffee. None of my body parts were able to come to a consensus. I guess that’s democracy.
Today I woke up at 7am and did community service at a local organic farm in exchange for information and the possibility of a unique experience. It was interesting to see how much plastic organic farms use but I learned that it is the tradeoff for using fewer pesticides. We harvested tomatoes, zucchini and cantaloupe. I was able to walk around and take photographs of the workers and animals as a loveable pup followed along, peeing on ripe crops as we went. Afterward, I met up with my fellow residents in Troy, N.Y. to say goodbye to our beloved resident writer. She works at Columbia and apparently knows the translator of the book I’m currently reading: Memoirs of a Polar Bear.
After returning from Troy, I worked for a few hours setting up my new farm painting before being asked to go to the lake for a swim. I was in need of a break. The studio was boiling and Van Gough only worked 6 months out of the year so why can’t I take 90 minutes. At the lake I was asked by the group to read from my book. They loved it and now they’re all hooked! Below I’m attaching photos from the farm, workshop and some beautiful clouds with a rainbow coming out of them. I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. Next time you see your local farmer tell them you love them. Stay posted for photos from the exhibition, which I will upload tomorrow. 
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When Nature Calls

8/31/2018

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Hey readers,
Thanks again for following me through my texts. Yesterday morning I woke up at 4:30 to use the bathroom and the next thing I knew I was getting out of the car at Dyker Pond, the education center I had found a few days earlier. I needed to be there earlier than the earliest bird getting the worm or trash or whatever the hell they're eating now. I did my effort to clean the paths of spider webs. Here they are, they're in my mouth. I ended up walking for 3 and a half hours through swamp forest regions in the Rensselaer Plateau. This group of forests is the 6th largest in New York State and provides enough space for larger animal to roam, like moose, bear and coyote. Today was especially magical due to the massive amounts of juvenile red backed salamanders littering the forest. In swampier areas it was almost annoying focusing on where to step. These excursions have been fueling me to create new works. Below I am posting a picture of the new sculptural piece. I cant wait to see what the birds think!
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Open Studio/ Exhibition Update

8/29/2018

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Readers,
I just got back from "T" time where members of the community served us tequila and also tea but mostly tequila. It was hosted by a local molecular physicist at his house/ tree-house hybrid. We were throwing back tequilas and then a fellow resident and I climbed to the top of the tree house, which is around 50 feet. My art has been going amazingly well. I have found that I am less obligated to be detail focused and more gestural and able to take chances due to my haste and the abundance of wall space. The residents and I are now setting up an exhibition for the 1st of September! I will be presenting a bird seed cake that is in the shape of my face with my tongue out (see photo of me with mold on). One of the pieces that I feel strongly about is a painting of a salamander sitting in a pair of hands with too many fingers. This was born from our group trip to Dyken Pond Environmental Center where I went salamander hunting. We also took a group trip to Albany and Troy, NY where we visited an art store and a farmer's market. At the art store I reunited with an old co-worker. It was an old manager of the art store that I worked at in Rochester! Tomorrow we're supposed to go to ping-pong with the community but I really just want to hang out at the lake because it is going to be 92 degrees. I hope you are enjoying my posts and your summer. I have three more weeks to go!
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Arts Letters & Numbers

8/21/2018

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Hey readers,
I finally made it to my residency at Arts Letters & Numbers. Let the four weeks of productivity begin! I borrowed Steve’s (Justine’s uncle) car and drove up on Sunday from Brooklyn. The ride was great besides the fact that the car had trouble above 45 mph. It was rumbling a bunch but eventually stopped. I’m taking this as a good sign. I’m here now. Sorry, that I didn’t get back to you in a few days. I guess I was a little embarrassed and a little shocked about my first reaction to the residency. At first, it wasn’t what I had expected. I pulled up to a massive white mansion that sat on a hill. The closer I got the more thrown off I was. I could see that the awning to the side entrance was a blue tarp draped over the original beams and their were diy tables on the deck. No one seemed to be here. I walked around for a few minutes before seeing two people emerge from the house and greeted me in. At first everyone seemed super shy and quiet which made me even more nervous. The house is nice but has this strange patchwork type quality to it. The beds are single mattresses on planks of wood. To the east of the house is the barn and workshop and to the west is the old mill which is currently closed for renovations. On the opposing south side of the street there is a huge warehouse with different businesses. The top floor is where I set my studio space up alongside three other artists. There are currently four residents, including myself, along with 5 fellows and the director occupying the house. Now that I have sunk into the groove of working and gotten a chance to get to know the others I feel really good about my decision to come here. But sadly, my feeling good doesn’t remedy my stress regarding my work. I am trying to meet with community members. I need people who don’t mind opening up to me and letting me see where they live. I want to draw my work from the locals and how they use their environments. I found a book on the geology of Albany; maybe I can find something. Hopefully I will figure something out. I was able to meet a few community members last night at Ping-Pong. Yeah I said it, “Ping-Pong.” The community plays Ping-Pong here every Monday night and moves to different houses each Monday to play it. That means that several people in this community have personal Ping-Pong tables in their houses (crazy). I have been painting a lot. I finished the first layer on a brand new painting where I am trying to turn the immigrant farm laborer into an animal and draw parallels between him and the livestock. I don’t know if my message gets across. I am also sending emails to a few artists, attempting to get studio visits with them before I leave back to San Diego. I think I will stop for now and try to give you more frequent updates within the week.

​Thanks again, readers!
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Goodbye Justine, Goodbye California!

8/16/2018

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I'm listening to Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye." I'm going to miss this beautiful Southern California summer. I'm going to miss Justine lying out on the beach where I can see her from the water. She isn't watching as I drown, attempting to buggy board. Shes just relaxing, probably scorning herself for not bringing a book to read. I wonder how many she'll read while I'm away. Probably all of them, all the books. Today started out great. I'm tired from last night's game night. Ryan and I played 5 tribes and ended up joining a scientist and a school teacher in a bluffing game of skulls and roses. It was nice but I really hate being out past 9pm now. Hopefully this residency is run by respectable citizens and not the degenerates who I associate with. Today I woke up and hung out with Justine in the garden. After taking an inventory of our plants and measuring their daily growth we made french press Colombian coffee from @cyclistcafe. The cafe's owner has never owned a license or a car. For the perfect brew of counter culture you steep for 5 minutes before serving. Today was special because Justine got to "work" from home. It was plant store, beach, and now we're back. Our monarch butterfly hatched and I had to go to the gym to weigh my luggage (9 pounds over). I'm trying my hardest to finish my share of the food so that it doesn't go to waste while I'm gone. I've eaten 3 grapefruits and a pint of ice cream. It reminds me of the story of the artist that said she was inspired by everything to justify indulging in excess. We can't all be hedonists, can we? We sometimes have to turn away from things that we love. I love you Justine and I'll miss you so much. Goodbye.
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The First Post! Two Days!!

8/15/2018

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Hello World,

I want to use this blog to keep my friends and family informed about what I'm attempting to do with my life. Not being sure myself 100% of the time, this blog is an attempt at helping me process some of my thoughts. I'm starting this blog in part because I have an artist residency coming up this Saturday in Averill Park, NY near Albany @artsletters&numbers. This blog will be a written documentation of the work that I produce at the residency as well as my experiences in between my busy hours. For new readers (everyone), I should give some exposition as to who I am and what I do already, but maybe I can slip the history lessons into future posts when I'm feeling nostalgic. Before I digress into random thoughts and rants let me outline what it is that I'm doing (or want to do) at this residency. When applying for this residency I proposed that I would scour the rural neighborhoods looking for unique environments where humans interact with nature. My focus lies within micro-environments that humans create which allow different opportunities for the natural world. Do you have a koi pond in your backyard with bird friends or is it a dumpster full of raccoons? I don't know, but I want to! I want to meet the people who occupy these spaces and hear their thoughts and experiences. Will they let me paint in their backyard for a day (en plein air)? I also want to meet with naturalists and environmentalists in an attempt to get a larger picture of what's going on. I was considering looking into deer populations and also tics and lime disease but I am open to anything that presents 
itself within the first week of the residency. Did I mention that the residency is 4 weeks? I proposed that I would work on 3 new paintings and several charcoal drawings as part of my ongoing series. This is my first residency so I am playing it by ear. I am open to collaboration with other artists, poets, musicians, or whatever other vocation there is that refuses a life of actual work. I'm excited and slightly nervous. There's a part of me that's sad that I will be leaving my newlywed wife for the month (Just married July 1st). But they say time apart makes the heart grow fonder so I'm hoping that applies to this case. So let's get started with the rambling! My flight leaves on Friday and I just received a text message from the airline saying that if I wanted to, I could get my money back for the ticket because there are weather warnings and possible delays. I'm off to a great start! I spent the majority of the morning updating my website and editing recent photos of new paintings. I also replaced the bearings in my skateboard and went out for a ride just to find out that I'm getting old. Tonight I start packing and after hopefully I can persuade Justine (wife) to join me and a friend for game night @tigertiger; 
some hipster bar in North Park, San Diego. It's not all bad, it has vegan eats and freegan eats if you're willing to wait until someone throws out a fresh plate of nachos (just kidding, this isn't high school and people don't want to hear about my dumpster diving days.). Tomorrow is the last day to spend with Justine and with the beach so I will probably do both between packing and panicking. Any who, I think this is a good place to stop. Stay tuned.

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    Matthew Bacher

    A San Diego based artist originally from Rochester New York. I'm new to blogging and want to use this to connect with friends and family. 

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  • Works
    • Exuberant Body
    • 2020-2021
    • Discontent
    • Pre-Pandemic
    • Averill Park
    • Performance
  • Contact
  • About
    • Blog
    • curriculum vitae
  • Shop
  • Interview