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The Meaning of L

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Artist: Ty Joseph

If you are reading this, it is nearly miraculous – a consequence of chance or luck. But that is just one way to look at everything, isn’t it? You are holding a very limited volume, the product of my first attempt to embellish a publication with my recent and first oeuvre (a word I would recommend using only in type). Like most of my first attempts at anything, this one surly does not fall short of utter imperfection - something I learned to l... more >> If you are reading this, it is nearly miraculous – a consequence of chance or luck. But that is just one way to look at everything, isn’t it? You are holding a very limited volume, the product of my first attempt to embellish a publication with my recent and first oeuvre (a word I would recommend using only in type). Like most of my first attempts at anything, this one surly does not fall short of utter imperfection - something I learned to live with, while always craving perfection.

It is a short version of a possible long and refine version – the one that will take the reader through a horde of slopes before genuinely discerning the ‘meaning of L’. Here (and this is part of the luck), I am going to cut through the chase and lay it out before we even get to a third paragraph. Without knowing the full extent of the meaning of L myself, this could be regarded as another subtle imperfection of a half-cocked teaser version.

In a hazel nutshell, the meaning of L is the discovery of endless possibilities by creatively applying meanings to a pre-determined source. Take astrology for example and think about the essence behind it. The application of meanings to the formations of starts has made an arresting impact, arbitrarily as it is, and can guide people through life. To guide myself through life, I am using the same principal with art. I am simply taking pre-determined symbols, with pre-determined connotations, and applying them in such ways that I hope would generate meaning and beauty. I am also using a personal approach – one that applies to my identity as an artist and derives from my experiences and thoughts. I will admit and say that the L’s that I use in my art were arbitrarily sketched at first and did not mean anything other than the visual impression I observed as I was sketching. But my discoveries later (to some you will be exposed later in this book), had formed many meanings along the way and opened the door to an infinite amount of possibilities for creating more art.

I am making this special (and short) first edition primarily to accompany a series of shows and art events I am participating in during the months of December, 2018 and January, 2019. The shows in alphabetical order are: Aqua (Miami), LA Art Show Contemporary + Modern (Los Angeles), Scope (Miami), Spectrum (Miami), The Meaning of L – solo show at GDCA Gallery (Los Angeles). In the chaos amidst preparing for the shows, my limited time has only allowed me to produce what I call a teaser version, or a pilot, for a book that would otherwise cover a larger array of insights concerning my art. Nonetheless, I included in this version a documentation of the bulk of the visual work I have created during the two-and-a-half years of making art. I have also included a photographical documentation of the many people who I have been surrounded by during this time. It has been indeed a very exciting time to be an artist in LA, and a very big part of it relates to the people who inspire me with their ambitions, fashion, creativity and the philosophies.

The text that did make the cut in this teaser concentrates more on my past - as the present is still being carefully examined (an excuse I use to explain the loose ends in this volume). Exploring the past is something I rarely do as I tend to always look forward. I feel, furthermore, that in setting the record straight, and documenting my past experiences, I will have even less need to look back. I do not think my biographical past amounts to an extraordinary narrative, nor is it too banal either. It is very much possible that my past is right in-between extraordinary and banal. In this book I chose to share parts I thought would be constitutive for setting the stage to the period in which I transitioned into becoming a full-time artist.

If you have reached this far, it is probably no longer a consequence of luck, and I am very grateful for that. My main objective in creating art is to reach and inspire people, the same way people reach and inspire me. It is my way to interact and be part of an interesting milieu here in LA, but also a way for me to broadcast my experiences into the entire world. I hope you find inspiration in this book, or really, in anything, just as I find mine.


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