In November 2016, a historic event occurred. Not the one I, and many others, were expecting.

As I followed the events as they unfolded, it was not difficult to become overwhelmed by the daily deluge of news. It was then that I decided to chronicle the front page of the New York Times, observing the font size of the main headline.

In this, the monthly series, I make a visual notation of each day the main headline is printed in large type. Working with the grid of a monthly calendar I make a hand painted tally mark in black ink each day the main headline appears in all caps and exceeds 30 points and in red ink when it exceeds 36 points. If neither occurs, no mark is made.

The ink is applied from the rear (uncoated) side of photo rag paper. The coated side resists the ink when applied in this manner and exhibits a blurred trace of the mark. For me, this application visualizes and mimics how our daily experiences are layered, absorbed and stored within us as we wait for the future to arrive.

How news is told and sold has been a long-standing interest of mine. I find as I move through these difficult times that I often feel saturated by the data and statics that pour over me day after day. As one day blurs into the next, comprehension often seems just beyond my grasp.

This project pays homage to the seminal works of On Kawara, “Today” and “I Got Up”. These works affirmed his own existence and in return, ours. It is my hope that this series might offer similar reflections.

The monthly portion of “Today I Got Up” covers the dates of November 2016 through January 2021, the inauguration of President Biden. There are 51 prints.

"Today I Got Up" is a body of work within of my ongoing project, "Residual Ink Drawing", a series that utilizes reclaimed ink from empty ink jet cartridges.

"Today I Got Up" was named a 2021 Finalist in the 95th Annual at The Print Center by David Campany and Larissa Goldston and was included in the exhibition "Fit To Print" at The Print Center curated by Dr. Ksenia Nouril and Lisa Blas. The work was also featured in Musee Magazine Issue 25.

The Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University featured this series in a solo exhibit in 2022 as part of the Frances Nieder Artist-in-Residence program.

RITA MAAS

RITA MAAS