What Came First was a collaborative art show between Jack Watts and Tanner Ramsey. The show took place from 16th September – 15th October 2023 at Wants/Needs Gallery in Ventura, California. The work on display included Paintings, Collages, Sculptures and Photograms.
Tattoo Signs 2023.
Before the 1980s, it was common for tattooists to operate out of their houses, in mobile homes, double-decker buses, arcades, and behind pet shops. They often hung hand-painted signs outside to attract customers. Drawing inspiration from the aesthetics of beautiful barbershops in Africa and signs at dentists’ offices in India, this collection of signs pays homage to this historical tradition.
Found Object Photograms 2023
A photogram is made by placing objects onto a piece of photographic paper which is then exposed to light. For non-transparent objects (where light is unable to pass through) the effect is a white shape in their place. If the object is partially transparent, there will be more depth to those white shapes. This process leaves you with a finished image of white shapes and a dark background. Shown here in this Found Object Photograms series, are the original (negative) images next to their reversed (positive) images.
Game Boards 2023
These game boards all have different rules, none of the rules make sense, but nor do the game boards.
Blackhole
Roll the dice to move your spaceship down the lines to reach the blackhole in the center. In rolling numbers 1-3, you will take 1 step backward. In rolling numbers 4-6, you will take two steps backward
Feed The Donkey
Move diagonally from the corners into the center square by counting the dots. Once in the middle, collect the dots to bring back to the donkeys next to the corners. When the donkeys get full, rotate the board and start again.
Froggy
Start with your frog in the corner circles, roll the dice to move onto and around the checkerboard road. Once you’ve been around the entire board 3 times you can advance to the middle circle. To win your frog must catch a fly.
On The Right Track
The goal of this game is to slide your train token along the black track until you reach a circle. If your token overshoots the circle you lose immediately. To win, your token must turn into a plane.
Star Hop
Each player starts on a different star and they take turns rolling the dice. If a player rolls any number from 1-5, they will remain on their star. If a player rolls the number 6 they can rotate to the next star. The winner is the player who gets to the black circle in the center of the board first.
Automatic Drawing Tiles 2023
Automatic drawing is a process that aims to suppress rational thought, allowing the subconscious to take control. This spontaneous approach is associated with Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism.
Egg Boy 2023
Mixed media sculpture made with whimsy.
