Dennis Hollingsworth

The Other Night

This is the view out the window above the door.

This was in the middle of last week, middle of the night. I was working with colors that dry faster than 24 hours... or at least form a skin. Alla prima with a faster timer.

I changed up the project and started differently. Many hours were expended to monad (the sea urchin like paint objects) the surface in the beginning... nothing too hectic, but a little time consuming. I flashed on the convention of working with assistants. I could train an intern to make the monads. I could task them thusly and head out for a drink... or even do something responsible. But the placement, color and magnitude of each would be made with another worldview... and no matter how well trained, it wouldn't be my attention that structures the painting.

I hear Jonathon Lasker has assistants to execute his preparatory sketches (meticulous plans scribed on index cards with office depot type equipment). But it would bug me when the assistant would inevitably insert a foreign sensibility into even the most minor application of paint. Jeff Koons has an office pool sub-contracted to paint his work, the remote hand that he's proud of. His authorship takes form in what seems -from this distance- to be an overbearing managerial style. I'd hate to be "the hand" with his hot breath over my shoulder, micromanaging me into his art history glory.

No. I don't see how I could use an assistant. Maybe to label my slides. I hate doing that. Yea, I could use an office assistant instead.