Sigur Rós

Recently I discovered the Icelandic band, Sigur Ros. Here is what the insignificant & rarely used encyclopedia site known as Wikipedia had to say about them:

Sigur Rós (Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈsɪːɣʏr ˈroːus]) is an Icelandic post-rock band with melodic, classical, and minimalist elements. The band is known for its ethereal sound, and frontman Jónsi Birgisson's falsetto vocals and use of bowed guitar. In January 2010, the band announced that they will be on hiatus until further notice in order to pursue solo careers and to spend time with their families.[1]

Oooo-kaaay..., but what does their music sound like you ask?

You can listen for yourself. The music video below this post is a nice sample of their work. The music is LOVELY, plus the video was filmed out in the harshly beautiful, otherworldly, Icelandic landscape. The Icelandic children in the video look like a lot like my relatives of Norwegian & Swedish descent in living in Minnesota. I feel my inner child who loved wearing costumes, and who pretended she could fly when the wind blew strong  identify with them. Someone added biblical scripture that adds an intriguing touch to the video. The storyteller/artist part of me always likes to see text from all kinds of sources used creatively and artistically. Hopefully, all peoples of all backgrounds can appreciate the beauty and hope that live in the words, and how they are applied to the children in the film.

Hhhmmmnm....idea! I wonder if I could do something similar. I could make a series of still photos, or a short video that incorporates text from a classic folktale, thereby giving new dimension, depth, perhaps meaning, to a commonly known story. 

I will dream on it and see what comes...

Sigur Ros - Glosoli (with Scripture)

Where are you from?

When asked this question it always gives me pause. My childhood had a nomadic edge to it.

Today, I was visiting another blog and noticed how the author answered this question. I borrowed the idea and here is my response.

Where are you from?

I was born in Clearwater County, MN

Grew up small in many apartments throughout Minneapolis, MN

Grew into adolescence in Charlestown, SC and Quantico, VA

Entered my teens and grew into them theatrically in Lake Elsinore, CA

Late teens & early twenty something's were spent confused in Montgomery, AL

The rest of twenty's spent more happily in St Paul, MN

Grew through my 30's discovering my gifts in Panama City, FL

Currently growing and blooming through my 40's rooted in Plano, TX

Artist Encounter with Brian Fridge

Every Thursday night, The Dallas Museum of Art offers Artist Encounter events in the Center for Creative Connections. I try to attend as many as I can. I always learn something valuable, plus I've developed some wonderful friendships with many of the "regulars". Last Thursday, we met creativity expert Magdalena Grohman and video artist Brian Fridge. With Magdalena (who has a delightful Spanish accent) we did creative thinking activities designed to get us ready for Brian Fridge's portion of the evening.

When Brian's time came, we went to the theater to view a few of his videos. None are online, so I can't link you over to see any, but I can supply a still image from the video that most inspired me.

The video is very much like watching a galaxy of stars & mist swirling through the universe. Shapes appear, then merge into new shapes.

As we watched the video we were instructed to start writing anything that came to mind. In just a few minutes I wrote the following poem. I have resisted the urge to change even one word.

I close my eyes to see

my dreams...

They move like stardust

across an ebony sky.

Ah look!

The swirling stardust becomes

a woman dancing languidly.

With her every movement

She is transformed,

renewed,

reborn,

eternally alive.

Is it her soul that I am seeing?

Is She me?

Am I her?

I close my eyes to see...

Myself.

Merging Visual Art with Performance Art

How sweet it is to have the many opportunities, the creative freedom, to develop unique storytelling programs for the Dallas Museum of Art. The museum continually supplies me with a world of ideas for merging visual art with performance art. I thoroughly enjoy creating two and three dimensional artworks to accompany my tales. Not only that, some exhibited art has inspired me to put on a pair of tap shoes and dance my way through a tale, use lights to create cool shadows, learn African & Indonesian drumming rhythms,etc...all are so creatively satisfying and fun for me! I am super fortunate to have the kind assistance and support of their knowledgeable staff who are always ready to help me. Some of my programs have required lots of extra effort from the tech booth staff, and JC Bigornia who puts together my powerpoints of featured artwork. In the last several years, my storytelling style has become more improvisational and far more interactive as a result, which feels good and natural for me.

Recently I finished work on these two story visuals inspired by art at the museum.

 This is my Three Little Pigs collage. It took three months to complete. Embedded in it are old magazine & book images from the 20's, 30's and 40's, maps, and book pages. I made the wolf, trees and pigs by cutting them out of paper and doing color washes on top. There's even a chicken photo I took 6 years ago in it. The clouds are painted lace. I added dimension with oil pastels and attachable 3D houses. You may be wondering why the "brick house" is metal.  It was steel re-enforced to be earthquake proof. THAT is why it was so strong. In a fit of temper, the poor wolf broke all his teeth trying to bite through the house. He had to purchase false teeth. Do you see the ad for them?

 Believe it or not, this was the inspiration for the Three Little Pigs collage. It's called High-Speed Gardening. The artist is Micheal Bevilacqua, who began his career painting race cars.

Felty Trees. Lily and Jeff show how two volunteers hold up the ends for me. I hide behind it and put my glove-covered hands through two slits. The story is told using my voice and hands. 

This was my inspiration. It was created by Trenton Doyle Hancock.  He tells the story of the Mounds, half plant, half animal creatures, through a series of large felt panels. He is one of the artist's featured in the PBS Art: 21 shows.  

  

This photo was taken last Tuesday at the Dallas Museum of Art. I am set up and ready for my audience. We had a great time together, but since I was performing I couldn't take any photos. Maybe next time when Jeff goes with me.

Diary of a Tortured Artist: Decisions

Decisions. Decisions.  Decisions.

What idea is worthy of following through on to the creation phase?

What ideas will have to be put on hold?

What ideas are a complete waste of time and effort?

What do I need to give up in order to do this project? Will it be worth it?

Who will I tick off because I am immersed in my work and ignoring them?

What will be the rewards when the project is completed?

These are just some of the questions that I deal with on a daily basis as I pursue my passions in the world of art. I so love the act of creating. It is an adrenaline rush for me. I feel so alive when my mind, my body, my soul, and my muses are in harmony with each other. I have no problem coming up with projects for myself. In fact, I have the opposite problem. I come up with too many. This leads to overload.

Thus, the tortured artist enters the room.

Decisions.  Decisions.  Decisions.