Invader Tim

Well, it’s been a job of work, but I’m done, as done can be. I finished all the images that will go in the 2020 visions show at the Rockford Art Museum. Want a sneak peak?
I lie a bit--still got a bit to do. I have to go fill out some forms on how much the stuff is worth, and I have to give them my artist’s statement. Nope. I tried, and there really is no NOT pretensions way to say that. Speaking of work, I have to thank Jim J. for helping me frame my stuff. By help, of course I mean "do almost entirely." I did the clippy things. Don't discount the clippy things! It's all about the clippy things, man.
So, the show’s on the 18th, and goes ‘till May 1. You should stop out. On opening night, you’ll get to see that rare flower that is my getting drunk out of sheer nervousness.
Or Not. Wait. To be clear: no negotiating the drunk thing. I’m going to be partaking in a big way, but whether I’m nervous or not remains to be seen. I’ve thrown a lot of work out there to the universe, and I’m pretty thick skinned. When people speak negatively, I realize that they are talking about the work and not the man. Mainly, because it is impossible not to like me. Come on! I’m totally likeable. Downright adorable by some accounts. But this is my first museum show, my first serious foray into still photography (I usually like those pictures to zing by at 29.97 frames per second). So it’s new. And New is exciting and exhilarating, and there’s a big side order of “scary as Hell” in the mix too. This isn’t news. Everyone knows the unknown is just soooooo…unknown. But when the new and the unknown come home to roost, it’s a thing of reality instead of theory, and it directly applies to you, thus: nerve wracking.
But then there’s the whole “I can’t change anything at this point” vibe. So (shoulder shrug) what the hey! I’m looking forward to it.
Here’s what I do know: I will gain some notoriety, but I’m not going to come out a rock star; some people may think my stuff is kind of racy for the museum, but most will respect where I’m coming from; some will get what the pieces are about, some will either underestimate, overestimate, or provide what can at best be called a “radical interpretation of the text” or image, whatever.

So you want to read my artist statement? Believe it or not, I come off glib.

The series, rockford: Small City, Snapshots of an Apotheosis, is a surreal, whimsical, look at the downtown area of Rockford. Rockford is not a city of quantum leaps; frustratingly, our beloved town sometimes seems as if it barely progresses at all. For a big change to occur, we need something, well, big. In a satirical, Modest Proposal sort of way, I guess towering, 500 feet tall women would be a viable engine of change. But mostly, they would be just…fun. That’s what this series is about, really: fun. What’s more fun than taking models who are local Rockfordians, who work and play in the downtown area, and making them towering goddesses? In addition to hanging around downtown, many of the models have a connection to the scenes in which they star. These giant women appear playful—if you consider property damage playful. Sexy. Awe-inspiring. Empowered in a tongue-in-cheek way, but more the realm of fantasy than manifesto. There’s a carefree spirit, throw in some femme fatale, and what looks almost like innocence…and then imagine the point of view of a hapless bystander…just walking along. Snapshot. In addition to the visual, you can throw in some questions about one-way attraction. You know—that moment when you notice someone across the room who doesn’t notice you? Or about wanting what’s dangerous for you. But, mainly, like I said: fun.