Josh sleeping, study number 5, Lindsey Muscato, graphite on paper, 2011

“For as long as man has painted, he (and it usually is a he) has painted his lovers. Look at any of the great works of Western art and, chances are, you will find a mistress, girlfriend, wife or prostitute centre stage.”  — Kathryn Hughes

Greek language newspaper from Cyprus, printed November 1967

news papers in a window, DUMBO Brooklyn

news papers in a window, DUMBO Brooklyn

The main issue I came up against on this trip was time: there wasn’t enough of it. I had to ask myself what it means for me to show work that is half resolved? Is it better to be bold and experimental, or better to start from what I know, even if the result is humble?

Page from the Cyprus Weekly

When we arrived in Cyprus, much of the original intentions in my proposal were put on hold, although now that I’m back to my own studio, I look forward to returning to some of those ideas. I was surprised at how uninspiring the printed media in Cyprus was. It made me realize how beautiful The New York Times is as a reference material – the only one I have been using through the spill series prior to Cyprus.

spill of coffee on the Cyprus Weekly

Cypriot coffee

The traditional style of coffee prepared in Cyprus is what we usually think of as Turkish coffee here in the states. It was difficult to use for spilling over the newsprint, mostly because of the grinds.

The other kind of coffee that everyone drank was instant Nescafé, and that was actually a beautiful alternative for my purposes. The Nescafé has a rich color and nice glossy finish when it dries.

"slow," Coffee Spills in Cyprus, in progress

Above is my first rendering in progress. It is not my favorite drawing, but in many ways a surprisingly good learning experience. The process of working under the gun, with an imminent exhibition, with so much to think about and so little time to actually ingest or assimilate the experiences brought up a lot of questions for me. How dose one make a thoughtful and developed work in a matter of days?

How can I adjust my materials and output to convey ideas without the slow translation of rendering? Are time and process always important and defining aspects of my work? Without the tedium and translation, what is specific about my work and point of view?

"advocate," Coffee Spills in Cyprus © Lindsey Muscato, graphite on paper, 2011 (detail)

For the show in Cyprus, I realized I was not using text as much to describe the newspaper as a object, as in the original New York Times series. Instead, I was more interested in re-contextualizing the original text, and using it to describe my own thoughts and impressions from the time I spent there.

Greek language newspaper from 1967

One of the participating Cyprus based artists allowed me to borrow and document a beautiful old Greek language newspaper from November, 1967.

I’m really looking forward to working with it in drawings to come.

Alana Kakoyiannis of CCMC and artist Christine DaCruz in Nicosia's old city

New News is Old News went to Cyprus in collaboration with the Cyprus Community Media Center, the European-Mediterranean Arts Association, and the Rooftop Theater Group. Thank you to all the sponsors and to all the donations that made this trip a reality! Here’s a few links for images and news about the program:

To view posts from participating artists and curators visit New News is Old News Wonder Women blog

For details about the exhibition, view the press release attached here as a pdf

Images of the exhibition opening through Wonder Women here

And images from curator Doris Cacoilo here

Greek Orthodox church across from the youth hostel, old city Nicosia

the youth hostel

Turkish flag on the northern side of the buffer zone

the buffer zone

New News is Old News, Cyprus Wonder Women poster

the artists and curators of New News is Old News

The first exhibition of New News is Old News opened at Gallery Aferro in Newark, NJ on May 7th. Beautiful installations all around, and everyone is looking forward to the second showing of the work this July at the Williamsburg Arts and Historical Center in Brooklyn.

There are more images of the NNON opening at Gallery Aferro on the gaia studio’s flickr

Spills on The New York Times series, installation at Gallery Aferro

"events," coffee spill on The New York Times, study #5 © Lindsey Muscato, graphite on paper, 10 x 8 inches, 2011

I was one of 10 artists posting to the 365 Days of Print blog through the month of March. To view all the posts I contributed here

"blowouts," Spills on The New York Times, #6 (detail) © Lindsey Muscato, graphite on paper, 2011

"limits," Spills on The New York Times, #4, graphite on paper, 22 inches x 24 inches, 2011

"grapple," Spills on The New York Times, #5, graphite on paper, 22 inches x 24 inches, 2011

The scale of the drawings are 22 x 24 inches, to match the scale of the opened broadsheet. I am working at two speeds, using coffee to quickly spill onto the newspaper, and then translating the spills and underlying print into graphite renderings. The spills become small windows, framing fractions of the newspaper. I am interested in finding the line between abstraction and familiarity of the language and content of the printed news through these limited glimpses; each word either weighted with more meaning as it stands alone, or interrupted and left empty without context. I am interested in drawing the newspaper as both proverbial and ordinary, while also being painstakingly specific: a specific stain of coffee, on a particular printed page of the daily newspaper.

"limits," Spills on The New York Times, #4, detail

"the Gulf" Spill on The New York Times, #1, graphite on paper, 17 inches x 12 inches, 2011

These are the first three drawings created during the _gaia Wonder Women 6, New News is Old News residency.

I was exploring my formal approach in these first pieces, layering coffee stains over pages of The New York Times. One or more of these drawings will be shown at the small show & residency closing party at _gaia in Jersey City, NJ on Friday March 4, 2011.

"wheat farming," Spills on the New York Times, #2, Graphite on paper, 17 inches x 12 inches, 2011

"local police" Spills on The New York Times, #3, graphite on paper, 17 inches x 12 inches, 2011

Caprol Suite, #1 © Lindsey Muscato, graphite on paper, 11 x 8 inches, 2010

Caprol Suite, #2 © Lindsey Muscato, graphite on paper, 11 x 8 inches, 2010

Caprol Suite, #3 © Lindsey Muscato, graphite on paper, 11 x 8 inches, 2010

Capriol Suite trptic appeared in the 365 Days of print show in October, 2010, at the Embankment Gallery in Jersey City, NJ.