Sketchbook Sunday #5

I continue to be super inspired by central and eastern European folk art and folk design.  For this painting I worked up a sketch from my sketch book onto a bigger piece of Bristol board and used my gouache paints to add vibrant color.

This process of digging deep and creating new work has been so rich and interesting for me because after, what my friend and mentor, Valerianna over at Ravenwood calls, "stirring the cauldron" or searching within for months and wondering what my next line of work would be, inspiration hit. 

Now that I have, what Twyla Tharp in her book "The Creative Habit Learn It And Use It For Life" calls,  a "spine" to my work I can follow ideas and play with inspirations that trace back to my Hungarian and Polish ancestry and love of this particular aesthetic.  The spine provides support and allows me the creative freedom to build from a foundational idea.

The best part for me is that despite having this new direction I see lines of connection in the way I've been developing as an artist all along.  Lines, shapes and symbols are coming out in my newer work that hark back to ideas and creations of the past.  This is a good sign to me because there is a creative thread being expressed that means I am truly being myself.

Soul

 "And like the sky my soul is also turning."

                                                                            - Ray LaMontagne

I've been having this feeling...just didn't know how to attach words to it.  In nine words Mr. La Montagne sums it up so poetically and perfectly.  Our souls are turning, moving, changing color, becoming light and dark.  The soul is vast, infinite and full of worlds and stars.

I want to share this song with you although it doesn't contain the above lyric.  The sound is Joni Mitchell meets Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and is wonderfully written and sung by Ray LaMontagne here in the 2010's.  It's a song about a soul longing to break free.

The Winter Party at the "Brush Club"

Two weeks ago the Winter Party took place at Sean and Steve's transformed work studio.   The space became a swanky 1930's style music club for an entire evening where around ninety guests were entertained by a group of musicians and a rotating selection of singers performing Cole Porter's music.  I loved that most of the guests played along and decked themselves out in evening jackets and cocktail dresses.  What a special and romantic way to spend the Saturday evening before Valentine's Day. 

I'd like to share some memories and pictures with you since the event was such a highlight for me, creatively and musically, this winter.  I only wish I have some recordings to share with you as well.  So here we go... the following is a visual stroll along with my memories of a magical event created by a group of inspired folks.

Our hosts, Steve and Sean, are the ones who are responsible for envisioning, organizing and creating a platform for these special, themed winter parties.  Steve, using his great eye, created the scene with a sparkly "Brush Club" sign (he said he used five pounds of glitter!), thoughtful lighting, specially designed invitations and show bills.  Sean picked out and arranged the Cole Porter music.  He also gathered and rehearsed a talented group of musicians and singers to bring to life an evening's worth of entertainment.  A number of friends contributed their energy towards a full bar, good food and colorful flowers.  Sean and Steve called the venue "The Brush Club" because their studio is in the Arts and Industry Building, in Florence, MA, which was once a huge toothbrush factory!

 

The stage is set and the musicians gather to begin playing.  Andy Lantz warms up the crowd, twinkling the keys of the piano with his selection of songs.  The Studio 358 Orchestra pick up their instruments.  We have Mike Pfeiffer on upright bass, Jared Libby on electric guitar, Chris Cappello on drums, Yanko Sheiretov on clarinet, Josh Relin on violin and Andy Lantz and Sean Mallari taking turns on the piano.  What a talented group of musicians (and they look great too)!

PJ Helmuth starts off the singing portion of the night with "It's De-Lovely."   He's a class act in his tux with arms raised as he delivers the end to the song.

 

I take the stage for the next song, "Let's Do It," in one of my costumes for the night complete with Darlene's mink and Heather's pearls.  All night long I got to relive the fun I had as a little girl dressing up in costumes to sing and dance.  I find that it's even more fun getting to dress up and perform as an adult! 

 

Whew, the mink is getting hot and it's time to switch gears for my next song.  It's time to "Begin the Beguine." I really like singing this one.  Melody wise, it is the most challenging of all the songs I sang and Sean's arrangement brings a sultry, slow, tropical quality to the music.

Heather Cupo becomes reflective as she asks herself "What Is This Thing Called Love?"

PJ Helmuth, Hank Bingham and I finish out the first part of the show.  Unfortunately, my photographer doesn't capture shots of everyone's performance.  I may get some more shots of the night and if I do I will add photos in the future.  "Let's Misbehave", "I Love You" and "Easy to Love" were performed by PJ.  Hank did a great rendition of "Night and Day".

 

 

Here I'm singing "Love For Sale" ... need I say more?

 

Friends and guests enjoy the show from their candlelit, red clothed tables.

The second part of the night is just as much fun as the first.  I sing "Anything Goes"and "Every Time We Say Goodbye" in my red polka dotted dress.  

I wish I had more pictures because Sean Mallari, Darlene Stone Adair, Hank Bingham, PJ Helmuth and Heather Cupo sing a whole bunch more songs...  "Just One of Those Things", "All Through the Night", "You're the Top","True Love", "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" and "In the Still of the Night."

"Experiment" and "So In Love"  are personal favorites of mine.  For "Experiment" Sean gets all professorial with glasses and tweed jacket.  "So In Love" has glorious three part harmonies sung by Sean, Hank and PJ.

Here's my husband, Josh, dressed to the nines with a top hat.  I'm relaxing and enjoying a scotch and soda after a night of performing.  I don't think the night could have been more fun.  Well, maybe if you were there too!  Cheers!

Sketchbook Sunday # 4

I spent the better part of yesterday trying out my new gouache paints here at my work table.  I'm drawing designs inspired by Hungarian folk embroidery and needed a bright pigment that had less variation and unpredictability then watercolor.  So far I like the results I got with the new opaque paints because the color more evenly saturates the mixed media paper in my sketchbook.  The black pens worked well over the color.  This week's goal is to continue designing these images and to practice a confidant line.

Tree Top Dance, Wild is the Wind

The wind pulled me from my dreams this morning.  I woke up, poked my head over the pile of pillows and peaked out the window to see the tree tops dancing in the wind.  How flexible and strong trees are!  Trees are a muse of mine; how I look up to trees.  Strong, rooted deep and grounded, flexible and bending to the wind and weather with grace even when the gusts whip their tops about, giving off life sustaining oxygen, creating beautiful green leaves that shade against hot sun, giving us so much valuable and sturdy timber to build with and energy to warm our homes and cook our food.  They take in the sun, the rain, the minerals, CO2.  The yellow birch, pictured above, lives on my land.  It is one of my favorite trees and I visit it from time to time.  It's a living, breathing, strong being that gives, takes and is what it is.  It is one of the oldest trees on our land.  When I woke up this morning I was thinking about this tree, where it stands next to a trickling, musical stream out back in the woods, bending, blowing and dancing in this wind today. And this song:  Wild is the wind...

Sketchbook Sunday #3

 

A few weeks ago I was at Forbes Library and this book by Bobbie Sumberg caught my eye.  It is called "Textiles:  Collection Of The Museum of International Folk Art."  While standing in the library paging through the book the above Hungarian ensembles and shoes mesmerized me and struck a deep chord of resonance.  Needless to say, the book came home with me. 

I love the organic, floral patterns and shapes which were hand embroidered on home spun fabrics.  Feelings of romance, story and familiarity come to me from the way these clothes are put together, designed and decorated.  How did these people wear the clothes?  How did they dance together at their wedding?  Are the flower patterns blooming on their garments mirroring the flowers that were blooming in their village gardens at the time?

These images have become a point of inspiration for me personally and artistically on many different levels .  I am of Eastern European descent on my father's side.  My grandfather was born in Ha'rsku't Hungary and my grandmother was born in Krosno, Polland.

The patterns and colors feel so right, so attractive, so lovely, so full of story.  I am becoming deeply curious about my ancestors, their life, art, song, story.  I want to draw and sketch patterns that are inspired from the folk arts of Hungary and Poland.  So I am doing this now, working in line with a rooted feeling of inspiration.  Here are some very recent doodles and sketches the seed of which comes from Eastern European design, yet I look forward to letting the patterns flow and become something personal and rooted to who I am now.  I'll be taking an art class at the Springfield Museum School on the folk arts of Poland starting in March.  I believe there will be lots of digging and learning happening in the coming months...traveling through books, music and stories and maybe planning a real adventure, traveling back to Eastern Europe, only this time spending time in Poland.  I am dreaming of inspiration and adventure.

 

Sketchbook Sunday #2

 

In keeping with my goal to publish posts from my sketchbooks on Sunday... here are two recent pen, ink and watercolor sketches made in January.  

Yes, it is Monday but I can pretend it is Sunday, right?  The weekend got away from me and this amazing winter weather we are having here in New England is making time flow in it's own particular way.  So for these moments, before I head off to bed, I can steal away on the computer with my blog and imagine it's Sunday.

This winter I continue to be fascinated with imagery of openings...doorways opening and beckoning, light streaming through clouds in the sky,  a river covered with layers of snow and ice occasionally opening to show the dark, cold, fast moving current beneath the still, sparkly, crust of white on top.

These doorways draw me to their threshold, through to another room, another idea, another experience, another creative thread, another moment.

Sketchbook Sunday

...hope you enjoy these excerpts from my sketchbook which were done over the past 6 months.  I was inspired to start a regular post called "Sketchbook Sundays" this week after visiting a blog where the artist posts images from her sketchbooks every Sunday.  I think it's a great idea to post recent work regularly.   The past six months I've been drawn to work more with pen, india ink and watercolor.  This creative thread started with these drawings and  quick sketches late last summer/early fall.  The quick sketches on the newsprint divided in quadrants came first then the india ink drawings.  Look for more from my sketchbooks every sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!

A Cole Porter Singing Day

Today is going to be a singing day.  I have a rehearsal coming up this afternoon that I'm really looking forward to.   Lately  I've been writing a lot about snow, visual art and the creative process but have neglected to share things about my musical side.  My intention when starting this blog was to write about my creative life so now it's time to balance out the visual with a little sound.

I was asked this fall to sing a collection of Cole Porter songs for a cabaret themed Valentine's Party.  My friend and his partner put on excellent themed parties centered around live musical performance.  They transform their large studio space into whatever environment fits the theme of the party.  My friend picks and arranges the music and gathers many musicians to collaborate and partake for the sheer fun of it!  I can't wait for this year's party!  The space will be transformed to a 1940's style cabaret with rich fabric curtains, tables, drinks, candlelight, art and music.

I've really enjoyed this new and different musical project for a number of reasons. Up until now  I haven't really sung Cole Porter's material and have only dipped my toes into jazz singing and musical theater.  I love new experiences and learning so this project has been perfect.  Also,  I've been nervous about memorizing all the lyrics and pulling off the material in performance because some of the songs are so wordy and tell a story... like "Let's Do It" and "Anything Goes". I have it though, I know the lyrics and it only took a few weeks of consistent repetition to feel like they are really up there in this brain of mine.  I love working with a new group of musicians and singers and enjoy the comradery and team work that's involved with getting ready for the performance.  Finally, I get to dress up for the part...which to me is great fun!  It's all about make-up, clothes, and transforming myself into a sultry cabaret singer.  I found a great evening gown at a thrift store for 10 bucks!  ...and it fits like a glove....I just can't eat any extra helpings of ice cream or mexican food if the zipper is going to go up without a hitch on February 12th.

So far, my favorite songs that I will be singing that evening are "Begin the Beguine", "Love for Sale" and this one as done by the great Ella....  enjoy.

Meditations in the Snow

I've been taking walks and snow shoeing in Northampton while staying at a friend's apartment and taking care of her two adorable kitties.  I found a path by a stream, behind the houses that make up the lovely neighborhoods surrounding Smith College.  The path has shown me many of it's secrets which gives me feelings of peacefulness and delight.  Some signs, perhaps coincidentally or not, came to me on my walk.  There is a spiraling labyrinth under a thick layer of snow with colorful Tibetan prayer flags hanging over it, made by a small community of three neighboring families.  It's a space tucked away from it all where you are invited to walk, reflect and say prayers.  Although I was tempted to go into the spiral, the smooth, beautiful whiteness of the untouched snow as it contoured over the spiral was so pure and poetic that I couldn't disturb the image with my footprints.  I want other's to have the opportunity to stand and admire the spiral's shape in the snow and reflect.

I've been reading "The Way To Freedom: Core Teachings of Tibetan Buddhism" by His Holiness The Dalai Lama and thinking about Buddha's teachings and instructions, and the law of karma or cause and effect.  Coming across these spaces unexpectedly while I was on a quiet walk to get fresh air, exercise and let my mind wander was an interesting and synchronizing way for the physical surroundings to affirm my state of mind.   Later as I came out of the woods that followed the stream on to Smith's campus I found a sitting pagoda with Japanese style gardens around it and a Buddha peaking out of a snow drift.

Shadow Shapes on Snow and Ice

One of my favorite things to do in the winter, after the snow falls, is to look at the shadows cast against shades of white snow.  I love the blues, purples and grays that appear in abstract and recognizable shapes when the sun or moon comes out on a clear, cold day or evening.  I walk and look for interesting things that happen when light plays against objects and textures.  The subtle ridges and lines created by wind over the surface of a field of snow and the play of light against these surfaces can make for some interesting abstract images.  Trees show another side of themselves as their mirror image is cast in shadow on the white covered ground.  Snow, light, wind, cold, ice, trees, plants make some nice art during the chilly days and evenings of winter.

A Path With Shadows and Light

Here is the third india ink painting I made recently.  I finished it on Monday and am happy with what it shows me.  This world is full of light and shadow both outwardly and inwardly.  We all must navigate territories which are full of light and shadow.  The path is our life as it unfolds before us and fades away behind us. 

New India Ink Paintings of Winter Trees And Thoughts About My Creative Process...

I painted these two pieces with india ink and water on newsprint with the intention of loosening up and with the hopes of  feeling less attached to the outcome of the creative process.  The images are 18" x 24" and a bit bigger than what I've been producing.  There is something freeing in knowing that if you do not like what you are making you can just crumble up the paper and throw it in the wood stove.  There is also something freeing about producing more work and focusing on the practice rather than focusing on the result or product.

I am becoming aware that I need to practice freeing up my creative process.  I have the tendency to move slow and put a lot of energy towards individual pieces, exercises and materials.  It's almost like I'm too focused on the end results.  I'm realizing that this kind of approach to my practice whether it's making visual images, practicing the piano or singing makes the flow more cumbersome.  To get better at anything you have to exercise the brain and muscles and therefore repetition is the key.  Yet I am fighting this habit/personality trait of mine.  I become attached to the idea that the end result should be good or interesting.  Notice the phrase, "should be".  These words and thoughts are rarely helpful. I expect too much and put pressure on myself.

What's really interesting is how this edge is continually coming up for me, even as I try to do a sketch, a doodle, a drawing, or a painting a day as a practice with no expectations.    Last night as I produced my sketch of the day I squirmed as the image came out.  It was an image of a female figure and, man, I quickly judged it as "eww, ugly, yuk, why am I doing this!?" Yes, it really is not very good but I need to get comfortable knowing that some drawings, exercises, work, sounds, ideas are just going to be that way.  I am quick to judge myself.  I'm getting to know this side of me.  It's there. Maybe this tendency of mine will always be there but perhaps I am capable of living with it more comfortably by gently steering my focus towards strengthening the muscles of detached productivity and repetition.

I have a third "Winter Tree" composition which was made around the same time as the above two. I just put some color on it and I also made some value adjustments.  I will post the third piece later this week as right now the water color is drying and I am not with my home computer to upload photo's of the new image to this blog.