Brian C. Moss

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}
2024, newspapers (including "N.Y. Times Special Edition,” 2008 (by The Yes Men), pigment prints, pigment prints on newsprint, graphite on vellum, architectural drawing hanger, 30 x 87 x 35 inches

This piece was part of the exhibition Survival Strategies: Teaching Artists at LMU, organized by Karen Rapp for the Laband Gallery at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024, newspapers, pigment prints, pigment prints on newsprint, graphite on vellum, architectural drawing hanger, 30 x 87 x 35 inches

The newspaper presents an endless variety of content. I have been using it as a source and a material since the 1990’s when I began drawing printed words from various sources and eventually shifted to tracing them on vellum. As a deliberate selection of a ‘small piece of the world’ around me and as time specific, I see these tracings in relation to photography. An aspect of this practice that I find appealing is the implied lack of talent or skill associated with tracing. Distinctions between hand-made and mechanically rendered, as well as the absurdity of drawing this common, mass-produced item is quite amusing, particularly in the way it questions notions of creativity. And having drawn the same 26 letters and 10 numbers so many times, I still find it amazing how each one —both the printed version, as well as my tracing of it— is slightly different.

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}
2024, newspapers, pigment prints, pigment prints on newsprint, graphite on vellum, architectural drawing hanger, 30 x 87 x 35 inches

detail of drawing from NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}
2024, graphite on vellum, 24 x 30 inches

I have noticed changes in how I approach tracing as I age. I now need strong magnifying glasses to see the printed type through the vellum. My hand and fingers get tired more quickly than they used to, so I need to take more breaks as I draw. While I am engaged in this painstaking and time-consuming work, I often wonder what scribes thought about while they copied the bible and other ancient texts. 

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024

 I still have the physical newspaper delivered every morning: it’s usually the first thing I look at. As I choose to read the particular articles that interest me, I often notice ‘connections’ between unrelated stories. When choosing what to trace, I try to focus on one paragraph that captures the essence of the story, but also leaves room for ambiguity and interpretation. As in photography, what is left out is important! While I often photograph the newspaper to help me remember which articles I want to re-draw, this is the first time I have included these images as ‘art.’

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024
on the right: "N.Y. Times Special Edition,” 2008 (by The Yes Men)

detail of pigment print on newsprint from NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024

detail of drawing from NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024

NEW(s), or con-TEXT {in honor of a certain presidential candidate…}, 2024