Bannister's Way -- contemporary romance

 If you read Desert Inferno, you will know that its hero, Jake Donovan, was sure Rachel O'Brian would fall for the handsome federal agent, sent to help shut down an important, smuggling operation on the border. David Bannister is handsome, blond, smooth, and brave as he tries to protect Jake from an enemy determined to kill him. That effort leads to the federal agent nearly being killed.

Bannister now shows up as a hero in his own book, Bannister's Way, where his assignment, now working for a private detective agency, is to solve a murder in a prestigious liberal arts university, just outside of Portland, Oregon. The local police have found no evidence. An important political man wants this crime solved.

 The book opens when David confronts his ex-wife where he'll be the model for her life drawing class in that university. This has been set up for him by his partner, Richard Vance, as his way to get inside to find evidence of the killer. Karen, who now calls herself Raven, is infuriated as they did not part on good terms. David, wants her back, hence, he has two purposes in taking the assignment and solving the murder is not highest on the list. 

However, he has no idea that a life drawing class involves nudes. He and his partner have enjoyed playing pranks on each other. David does not find this one humorous, but the only way out of doing it would be to give up this long-shot chance to get back with his ex, as well as find the motive of the killer-- a way to solve the crime with no physical evidence left behind. 

As with many books in the contemporary series, Romance with an Edge, a few characters pop up from an earlier book. This book though has many elements in it, all part of how life can be complicated -- to say the least.

Because I had taken art as a minor in college, I was familiar with life drawing classes. I also, have had an interest in art history, for how forgeries complicate that world. Having been a sculptor myself, with a lot of fired clay figures in my life as evidence, writing about a heroine, who did that work, added to the fun (the image alongside here is my digital painting with one of my sculptures being worked on Raven's stand).

Writing about a long-estranged couple, but where the sparks were still there added to this creation, which is fiction as is the fine art college. That house on the river though, that was real as I stayed in one like it when I was a kid and swam in that river. 

I'd mention all the tropes, which they say can attract readers (like friendship between two bros), and there are many, most off the lists, but I think are relevant to how detective work happens, art is created, people are treated or should be, and finally the beauty of that part of Oregon.

Since one reviewer at Amazon didn't care for the title, I should mention here that it fit David, who was known as a headstrong, risk taker--- one of the things Raven had disliked about him was a belief, it all had to be his way. David has emotionally grown since those early years, but his stubborn determination to do what he sees as right is still part of him and again could cost him his life-- hence the title that could not be changed. :) 

Check out the link to the book where you can read a free sample as well as an extended blurb. 

Bannister's Way 

 

Creative Energy can take many paths

This week, because I had been asked to answer questions, plus provide a few images for an interview, I went looking for some paintings I had done back when I was painting. When I came across the blog below in a site that is no longer public, I thought it fit well with this topic of creativity.

For many creative people, they go through various ways to express their ideas. The beauty of it is how each can seep into the other venues. The experiences I had while painting and waiting for Ranch Boss as he fly fished, an art form of its own, also gave me the chance to wade creeks looking for more round rocks, a hobby of mine. Did you know that all creeks do not produce round rocks? When they do, it takes looking carefully to see how round they are.

The main experiences of creativity for me, besides always writing, were impressionistic painting and clay sculpture. Those two plein air paintings are at the farm. I remember doing both of them as I describe below. As my tremors worsened, both became less feasible. I am glad though for the times I with those modes of expression. 

One thing I hadn't mentioned in the earlier blog is that when I painted at Slough Creek in Yellowstone, we also saw and photographed a grizzly. It had been sleeping on the other side from where I painted and Ranch Boss fished. 

We left that site to look for wolves and more buffalo pictures in the Lamar Valley, Returning, the grizzly had clearly waded the creek from the brush where he'd been napping and was heading out. Lucky for us, he crossed the gravel road, right in front of our vehicle. Then, he headed up the hill to a quieter area with tall trees and no fishermen. Ranch Boss said you can tell by the trail, that a bear knew it well. likely that bear.

While I was painting, a ranger asked if I had seen the grizzly. I described what we saw. He then asked if he had seemed aggressive. Absolutely not, he just wanted to get out of there. Too many people.

 

 

 

from 2010 Yellowstone -- grizzly -- second image on his trail-- Frankly, life for predators is never easy even though bears are omnivores.

 ~~~~

It seemed a good idea when making a trip to Montana and Yellowstone National Park that I would take several small canvases, my oil paints, and the new portable easel along. The truck had plenty of space although there was one difficulty in planning to sleep in the back while in the park. That meant packing light and I kind of thought I had... if I didn't consider the easel.

What I learned was that the easel was not needed and was in the way. It takes too long on a fast trip like that to get it out and set it up-- not to mention it was not necessary as I actually like sitting on the ground with a canvas propped against a rock and mixing my paints right on the canvas. So next trip, no easel unless I have a trailer along to carry the extra supplies and plan to spend more than one night in a location.

The other thing I learned was that wet oils are a problem to transport. The need for a small box that will hold the oils apart from each other and protect everything else from getting paint splatters is obvious.

I have to get used to the curiosity some feel when they see someone painting on location. I was asked by one man if I was a painter. How does one answer such a question? I said I want to be but thought that I need to decide if I am; or if I am not than what am I doing?

All in all I enjoyed the painting and felt good that I was able to do it in places I love very much while my traveling partner was fishing and enjoying his time also. First painting is at Rock Creek, east of Missoula, Montana. Second is Slough Creek in Yellowstone National Park.  Both are 8"x10" oils on stretched canvas.

 

What do they look like?

This blog will be carrying on the last topic about heroes. There, I discussed qualities of heroic men and woman. The code they live by is important in the book. Then, it comes down to what they look like where it comes to sales. Even if you use symbols or scenery, how will those impact the cover. Part of marketing is finding what will be seen. For some authors, covers happen before the book is written, for others, it's when it's finished.

When I began bringing out my romances as an independent author, I had to deal with exactly that since I wanted to make my own cover images for paperbacks and eBooks. I had described these characters in the stories, but hadn't tried to see them. as movie stars or people I knew.

To begin, I thought I could paint the cover images. After all, I was a sculptor and painter. Although I had also earlier written some historical romances, the ones I first put out were contemporary stories. It took time not only to figure out their faces but also their bodies. Sometimes, I wanted settings that fit the stories. Mostly, I did them in digital painting, something I'd been doing for a while. What could go wrong?

 

Turned out, apparently, a lot was wrong for readers. I was at that time in Amazon forum groups and learning more what not to do, than to do. The readers I talked to said they thought these covers looked too amateurish. I figured, since I was new to the game, that they probably knew better. 

 

To fit, what I was being told, was the beginning of my journey into the world of models for stories-- all kinds of characters but especially the main protagonists. It felt strange to be looking at faces and bodies while thinking-- nope not suitable enough or wow, that's the one!  I was rejecting people I would never know. It felt like a beauty contest. To begin, I didn't like it much, but I grew into accepting it.

Some of my characters had problems built into them. I had one heroine where she was no great beauty in the book, didn't care to be, and the images i found did not win favor when I used them. One of my heroes saw himself as ugly and had a very rugged look that the heroine saw as handsome to her. Now, I happen to know that to be true. People who might seem unattractive, based on features, sometimes have something that goes beyond that. Maybe it's charisma, but whatever it is, those kind of model images didn't exist unless they headed into villain territory.

 

Over time, I put together backgrounds with the closest models that worked for me-- kind of. I got better at the search as I went along... kind of.

 

 

How does one find that when what matters most for the readers will be some escapism? Sometimes they were okay with say a plump heroine but even then she had to be pretty. Ugly or plain wasn't good enough. While it works for life, not always for romances.

 

I recently read that Generation X (I think that's the right one), didn't like When Harry Met Sally because the hero wasn't good looking enough to attract the heroine who was more beautiful as a woman. As a much older woman, I have to wonder on that one if they had good eyesight. He was very attractive; but frankly looks aren't the bigger issue for many successful, romantic relationships. 

 

She's too pretty. He's too handsome. Come on, a lot of qualities matter far more in lasting marriages, but then that's not escapism, is it!

 

So,what I came to believe, is that for covers to attract readers, the models had to be ideal as a male or female type or forget the cover working. Interesting conundrum between the text and the images. Meanwhile, keep in mind why the readers need for what they are looking.  

 

When I began, the most difficult to find were blond males, who looked tough even to me. It's not like you can use a real movie star. I think there are more blond men now when I go to the sites, but I eventually found what I needed-- if not wanted.

 

When you write your book, you might create the cover first. It might even help you develop depth with the protagonists. I know those who do it that way as inspiration. 

 

Oh, add to that, getting the right fonts can be as important as the characters. Readers are quick to find something that makes them not bother to even try the book sample.  It has been claimed that potential readers only look for 2 - 4 seconds and go on-- hmmm.

 

Of course, many writers pay someone to do their covers and there are good sources for that. I personally wanted to do mine and still do, even if it loses some readers. To me, the art involved in a cover is part of the whole creative process. It expands the complexity of getting into it all. 

 

The images here are some of my original covers, all for my contemporary novels, which for a long time, have only adorned my computer. You know rules and marketing ideas have changed with time. I am reconsidering if maybe, for my contemporaries, which by the way aren't selling well anyway, these may reappear. For now, the current covers use models, you can find those with a search for Rain Trueax books, from contemporaries, to historicals, to paranormal/fantasies. If I make a change, with my editor's agreement, it will only be to the contemporaries. The others have sold pretty well.. for me. 

 

What got me was when I looked at the current cover for From Here to There, I expected to find a cover I didn't like as much. I liked this one better than what I had created and was considering changing-- which I didn't share above. 

 

This is a bit of a complicated story, with two love stories, one today and one in the past, the bigger one a love of the West. but still, now what to do? Maybe nothing, but this is the nature of writing and then publishing-- when it's all your choice. This one uses a model with a background photograph we took on one of our trips through the mountain west.

 

As a writer, what I like about using covers that I painted is they are not someone else's. They are the imaginary people I created. I like that. I do not want them to be a movie star or model. I want them to be these characters, the ones my imagination brought to reality, the issues they are facing. This one though does not tell you what she looks like, just her life.

 

Here's the big key to writing, in my opinion. Be flexible and aware of what works for your own imagination and muse. Trying to follow someone else is not being creative. It might sell, but it's not the joy of being a writer, not for me at least.

Needed distractions sometimes

 In a time where we might find ourselves on the brink of a third world war, when we discover there is so much hatred in the world for one ethnic group, and yes, i mean Jews, where most of us thought a civilized world was far beyond such thinking where it comes to bigotry. The worst being how it has shown up on our major university campuses, it's hard not to be really depressed.

If we think those wars will be far from us-- there are reasons to believe that is not true. One, many of us have offspring of an age to be called up as happened in previous wars; but with a frighteningly open border, there could be many who have entered our countries with not the purest of purposes.

What do we do? Well be informed is important but not to a ghoulish fascination; but  we need to be aware and that means around the world. So much of the violence that strikes is random. Being aware of our surroundings and world is key.

Sometimes, however, we need to look for ways to uplift ourselves. For me, I found one with this article on a creative painter I have long admired as it goes into her life with what I considered to be an uplifting documentary of Georgia O'keeffe. If you have liked her work and read all the books you could find on her life, you won't find a lot new in the video. If you have never heard of her, I think you'll find a good exploration into a creative life.

It is about an hour long and takes you to a different time and place. I hope you will give it a try.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DMMWaGm4jU

I will post next week on the subject of aging with my thoughts on it as I see it in my own life. I want some time to think more deeply on it. After all, it is the one given in life. We do age

Beltane

 by Rain Trueax

Despite the calendar telling us that summer doesn't begin until the Solstice, in the Pacific Northwest, it begins May 1 with Beltane. Celtic festivals follow nature and reflect it unrelated to religious demands-- pagan or otherwise.

Beltane

For Beltane, there used to be the May pole to dance around but not sure many still do that. Where I live, and in the lands where the Celtic religion originated, it is the time of hills turning green, trees in leaf, wildflowers everywhere and gardens full of color-- although times of drought tend to dampen the colors.

No matter what the dryness, the days are growing longer; the birds are building nests. It is a time for eager anticipation of summer weather when we can swim in rivers and hike in mountains that winter denied us (unless we snowshoe). It is a time to celebrate the renewal of life. It was the day in 1910 when my father was born in South Dakota.

What I hadn't known about Beltane, until I researched, is that it is also the time of the coming together of the god and goddess, of male and female.

"Handfastings (Pagan marriages) are traditional at this time. It is a time of fertility and harvest, the time for reaping the wealth from the seeds that we have sown. Celebrations include braiding of one's hair (to honour the union of man and woman and Goddess and God), circling the Maypole for fertility and jumping the Beltane fire for luck. Beltane is one of the Major Sabbats of the Wiccan religion. We celebrate sexuality (something we see as holy and intrinsic to us as holy beings), we celebrate life and the unity which fosters it. The myths of Beltane state that the young God has blossomed into manhood, and the Goddess takes him on as her lover. Together, they learn the secrets of the sexual and the sensual, and through their union, all life begins."            From  The Shaman's Well, link above

Romance is the bread of life. Love is a worthy of celebration as artists and writers seek to capture the elusiveness of human reasons for mating.
 

I love thinking of Beltane as a not just a celebration of spring but one of sexuality and love. It is what the continuation of life is all about. And it's not all about opposite sex relationships as love between adults is love wherever it's found. And love, for those who have found each other through all the pitfalls (and there are plenty) is always a precious thing to celebrate.

When I painted, I liked to paint emotional connections between people. When I did sculptures, I looked for poses that illustrated the same. Now it's books; but it's always what I am drawn to capture whether in clay, paint or words.

The sculptures are all fired clay. If I get back to painting again, I hope I can do more couples in various poses reflecting love's moods.

changing times

 by Rain Trueax

 

'Tis the season for holidays. A good time of the year, if you can forget about politics and just concentrate on your own life. It though also can be dicey if family and friends are a long way away or in a time of plague. Some families are broken apart and even before politics got into the mix. When things aren't all as one would wish, the need is to go deeper into making our own little piece of earth better.

Bird watching is always good when the weather cooperates. I can spend several hours just watching them as they interact. We have a fence between us; so that our cats can also be outside but not bird hunting. The fence makes photos trickier but takes away none of the joy of hearing and watching. I love having the cats with us but safe from bobcats and coyotes as well as being caught up in cacti barbs.

Thunder Moon

by Rain Trueax

July's Thunder Moon

Because of our times, I wanted to put a warning here. I am going to discuss some cultural issues in this blog. It will appear negative to some. After that will follow what I believe we can do about it, which involves my home. So forewarned is forearmed. If you've had it with negative talk, come on back when Diane posts and next week I'll try to stay away from what is darkening my days. :) Sometimes though, a person just has to voice what they feel about what's going on. It's called venting...

Opportunity

by Rain Trueax

the Strawberry full moon Friday morning.

I woke up Friday morning trying to decide what to write for this blog. We are in such a troubled time and my thoughts went many directions. The words that were running around in my head were opportunity, choices, consequences, results. They seemed too many to write a reasonable blog. When I got up, I went to Facebook and it was as chaotic for opinions as my head had been. That's when I thought-- I can't write on it right now.

So, I am only going to write about the gallery show that was intended for people to see from their cars. One of Tucson's resorts, Hacienda del Sol, had set aside one of its parking lots for what was titled The Nation's First Pop Up Drive Through Sculpture Show. I had read about it Memorial Day as one of the safe things to do in Tucson during the lock down. It ran through the 31st and that was the day we drove there.

by Diane, Fundamental lessons from studying painting at Portland State College during the '60's

At Portland State College I was given important lessons in practicing art. They were to look and see for yourself, have confidence in your instints, and be an engaged citizen.

        Painting Professor Richard Prasch recommended before starting a painting, reflect on what you want to acheive and list them on paper. So the past 54 years I have kept a record of my goals in one large binder. In that binder I found a 1975 letter to the editor.

        




























Over the years there is a thread of consistency at Portland State College then and now Portland State University.  Paintings with social conscious content was praised and recognized.  The department provided programs for students to  reach out to the public like participating in the formation of an art gallery that had drew in participants from other disciplines at the college.
     I have dropped in to see thePSU art department several times over the years. With the retirement of the ceramics instructer, Ray Grimm, the ceramic studio  became small classrooms without natural light and offices for  instructors.  The central lounge  dissapeared.  The department office was moved over to what had been a basic design class. When Heidel was there, a large tapestry adorned the space behind a desk. Then during the 80's the painting studios were moved to an old commercial building. I can't imagine how painting in a low ceiling studio with artificial light would have been inducive to  the almost like outdoor painting problems. Sometimes I even painted from the balcony giving an Olympian view of the subject. Not to mention that the new cramped space would have fumes that would overwhelm me.
      An appolgy:  This blog is unfinished.  I intended to finish  with an explanation of how the Art Department's Graduate College of Art + Design had a cord growing out of the objectives of Heidel and other department heads in the 60's. Due to my roll as a care giver to my husband, I have yet been able to take up the invitation of Associate Director of Development and Alexandria Cleasby the Development Coordinator of PSU Arts. They offered to take me on a tour. With the slow progress and new issues in my husband's health, I do not know when I can take up their offer.

       

nature's gifts

by Diane and Rain
 

 Arizona sunset 12-4-19

With Diane taking a break until 2020, due to her need to be there for her husband healing from major surgery, her hanging a new show at her town's library, and computer problems, I will be posting all the blogs until after the New Year. I'll keep a regular one on Saturdays, as always, but the others may vary for which days or some might just be photos, such as the one above.

It turned out that sometime back I had put in a Word doc what Diane had written about a small stone she had given me and a painting she had done inspired from it. I instantly loved the stone, loved to touch it for its shape and smoothness. Of course, I had to buy the painting. With it she gave me a poem she had written. The stone and painting are in Oregon. I had taken photos of them thinking someday I might use them in a blog.

This seems the perfect time and season for the words and images.

serendipity and a sculpture

by Rain Trueax

Now and again, I talk about serendipity and how I welcome such times. Well, everybody welcomes such times since it means an occurrence or series of events that play out in a beneficial way. Kind of a lucky chance. Serendipitous times are nothing I can predict, nor will I have done anything to make them happen. Often they are little things.

Transitions

by Rain Trueax

Rain Rock Casino-- Yreka, California

Holy Mackerel, what is going on with time? It seems we just got home with a blog to share but now, time to write another one. Ack. 

Mostly the days after we got home have been about unpacking (a lot goes between homes) and then rearranging the house. When we are gone (with current agreement), our son lives here sometimes with his boys. He takes care of the livestock; and although in town, he has a duplex, he tends to be out here the most due to the needs of the animals. He then, of course, arranges things to suit himself. We come home and have to arrange it to suit ourselves. This business of sharing a home may not work long term for him or us. We are all feeling our way through it. One way or another, change has to come.

by Diane : The value of art to me and quotes

My personal story:

I learn positive values of aging from my art making. 

My golden years are an empty canvas or book

that I fill with nurturing care for myself like I care for my paintings.

 

 

Art is a license for me to play, fantasize, and be young at heart.

 

Art is healing was the most compelling theme in a book I read recently. Since last week's post which was a review of "Disturbances in the Field", a novel by Lynn Sharon Schwartz, I am looking for more stories of  the art's power to impact the quality of our lives. One of the secondary stories within the novel was about the main character calming herself by coloring in a children's coloring book after two life tragedies. She hid her coloring books under couch pillows when family and friends came unexpected.  During the eighties adults would think she was digressing to childhood. Today public opinion has become more accepting. Big chain stores like Target, Fred Myers, art galleries, craft stores and even grocery stores market adult coloring books. Artist friends of mine are not ashamed to say at times they find coloring books soothing. Art permits us regardless of age to play.

 

Art saves lives. Practicing an art improves quality of life making living joyful and rich. For example this morning at breakfast I watched the swallows in flight, a couple of foxes hunting and the lighting on the field and woods changing color with the heat of summer. I was looking with the interest of an artist preparing to paint. Seeing like an artist is enough to enhance living. But I wanted more. So I rushed outside to paint. My iphone camera doesn't capture my excitement or how I see the colors. Selecting what I paint from the landscape is empowering.

 

My experiences are reflected  in quotes my sister-in-law Debby Wenzel gave me.

An hour a day of art makes me happier. An hour of art per week reduces depression.


In art as in life much can be forgiven if your values are right. Experiencing the world my values have changed over the years. I would rather buy art supplies than most material things. I see beauty in people and the environment in unconventional ways.

Art humanizes people. One example is children learning to play musical instruments and playing in a band or orchestra. Another is the art of cursive writing helps to develop a child's brain. Art is the sublime manifestation of the human spirit. Henry Louis Gates Jr.

On the internet I found this quote shared by Donna Watson.
Art is not just ornamental, it is an enhancement of life.
It is a path in itself, a way out of the predictable and conventional...a map to self discovery.  Gabrielle Roth

by Diane Widler Wenzel:The Art of Entrepreneurship in Being an Artist

 

Exhibits at the Corvallis Arts Center open up fascinating Lunch Box Artist Talks facilitated by the talented curator Hester Coucke. January 31st, Pete Goldlust and Kristy Kunn were interviewed.
 Both after much living are successful at supporting themselves with their art. Both achieve their desires from a long journey including preparatory business experiences combined with various learned skills which ultimately help to shape their art.

           Their similarities mostly end with their entrepreneurship skills. Pete originally wanted to be a commercial artist but his teachers stirred him away and he studied fine art at two prestigious art schools. His formal art training was with teachers who were encouraging to his outsider tendencies. He retained his own playful, intuitive, imaginative imagery for making art.  He made work only for his own satisfaction for many years. An example is a very large scroll painted over many years. It is a detailed colorful painting of his imaginary world crowded with detail.
           Kristy had no formal art training. She studied engineering until she found she would not be doing any hands on building. Woodworking was her first passion. She then went to work in a California furniture workshop featuring natural woods and fibers. She married a manufacturer and learned the business end of a craft industry. After separating from her husband on her own, she made a living by starting her own business of importing art supplies for her children's school. One supply was wool fleece for felting. For only the past three years she has started felting and promoting herself as an artist and art workshop instructor. Her techniques are self taught. Interestingly my first response is wonderment at how she engineered perfect right angle joints in felt. The mystery of her work methods is bait for students to take her workshops.
          Pete, after years of making art that was not marketable, he finally just a year ago found a satisfying approach to being economically viable as a full time artist. Some of his work lends itself to designing it while leaving the labor of making it to others. His biggest commissions are his drawings enlarged to gigantic proportions by commercial vinyl laminators. Also on exhibit are his small Sculpey clay animals he hopes will be commissioned. He envisions them as monumental bronze sculptures. His diverse directions include some hands on art work like his delightful colorful "Jellies" that are made of  found plastic kitchen containers purchased at thrift shops.  He screwed them together to look like jellyfish. The "Jellies" were commissioned by a charter school and a dentist.
           Kristy Kun's method is tactile. She has a very general idea when she starts and is open to having a conversation with her materials, interacting with them as she works.  Her work is intensive but never a labor because of her love of the wool. There is nothing she rather do than work on her art.  When a problem in handling the material occurs, one of her approaches is to take a short 5 minute nap. After separating her mind from the work, she wakes up with an idea on how to solve the problem.
           Pete loves the business end. The first work he does in the morning is business.  He spends 90% of his time doing the records and applying for public commissions working in partnership with his wife who polishes his proposals. Pete Goldlust, like a commercial artist of his boyhood dreams, made proposals showing exactly what his piece will look like. Those who commission work want to see what they are buying and no doubt his explicit proposals were a prerequisite to success. When proposals are accepted most of his work is already done and the actual making of his huge wall hangings is done by the vinyl laminators. His challenge is to research the needs of the projects and come up with ideas before the deadlines.
           I asked Pete when during the day does he get his best inspirations. He immediately said happy hour. After a good laugh by the audience, the conversation was moved towards questions of who in his past inspired him. I am left with a vision of him drawing on cocktail napkins while socializing  with friends and family.  Maybe the joyous feelings of the occasion transferred to his drawing late into the night.
         I imagine that if an artist is spending most of the time on business the intuitive subconscious would not be easily stimulated to produce ideas. But Pete's early practice continues to enrich him while he meets the demands of  seeking commissions for public art. To Pete's advantage, he has kept a scroll of tiny imaginary beings and environments which could inform him for years.
          A period of freedom is very important in an artist's early development away from the demands of the marketplace.  My professor Frederich Heidel at Portland State College told me I should keep my early work and not sell it. Having early work as a reference is vital in having a rich art development. I took slides of my work but that is not the same. Interestingly Frederick Heidel and Pete Goldlust studied at one of the art schools in Chicago, a savvy oasis for steering students away from the pit falls of marketing and encouraging the intuitive? My Woodrow Wilson High School art teacher, Henry Heine, said art making must be fun. When making it is not fun, people quit making it.  He also went to the same art school at the same time Heidel studied there.
        I come away from the Arts Center feeling like celebrating the importance of these two artists being in a sweet spot where their original desires are satisfied. They are making art that is true to themselves and are solving the dilemma of being true while making a living.

by Diane Widler Wenzel: Power of Agnes Varda photos and film, "Cinevardaphoto"

Cinevardaphoto is the second film of Agnes Varda reviewed here. The first was "The Gleaners", December 12.  As the words "cine" and "photo" suggests in the title, this Netflix DVD is actually 3 short films about the power of  photography by Agnes Varda.  The first is a documentary about a collector, artist, and curator, Ydessa Hendeles who made a photo art installation called the "Teddy Bear Project" first presented in a Toronto Art Museum and with a second viewing in Berlin. The project was installation included  two stories with a room on each level connected by a winding staircase. From floor to ceiling are photos. People of all ages, doing all kinds of things in all kinds of places but in every picture there is at least one teddy bear.
 Ydessa said her exhibit is not a theme show. The whole show include other rooms as sparse as the two exhibiting photos is crowded. The exhibit challenges the viewer. Ydessa connects on an emotional level with the viewer.
Included in Varda's film are the responses of the people viewing the actual exhibit, "The Teddy Bear Project".  Walking through the entire exhibition, the feelings of the spectator changes for the photos of people with teddy bears. After seeing the almost emptiness, they go back through the rooms of photos with teddy bears that previously gave them warm fuzzy feelings of connectedness. Now most felt the photos made them painfully sad.
But the way the film was presented, I felt uplifted with confirmation that all people are essentially alike including everyone. But I might be projecting my own beliefs into the deliberately understated theme.

The second film, "Ulyssis" documents Agnes Varda's photography after World War II.
The third was a documentary of 1950's Cuban revolution and the Cuban arts. I enjoyed how  a group of still  photos taken in succession were used to create the illusion of a motion picture.

Creativity is taking two or more ideas and combining them to make a new not obvious realizationship. Agnes Varda believes all aspects of making a film should work together to communicate the theme without anything to distract. 

by Diane Widler Wenzel; Review of Agnes Varda's film, "The Gleaners and I"

Gleaners are everywhere sifting through harvested fields and looking through dumpsters to name two gleaning sites. But I had not thought about them until I watched a Netflix video. Agnes Varda's "The Gleaners and I".   It was filmed in 2000 when she was 72 years old.  She is well known in France as a pioneer in the New Wave films. She is a feminist and activist. The theme of the "The Gleaners and I" was our society is wasteful of food, manufactured products and without words she communicated that she felt she was a discarded senior.
In Oregon the art of gleaning is an art in the best of health.

Don gleaning firewood from dying trees  about 8 years ago

About 19 years ago Don chopping wood  gleaned 
from neighbor's diseased trees.
 

Varda believes all roles in making a film should work together. Cinematographer, screenwriter, director, etc. working simultaneously to create a more cohesive film, and all elements of the film should contribute to its message. at first I was puzzled by what appeared to me as disconnected.She combined pictures of her old hands and gray hair with interviews of people from all backgrounds eating and collecting agricultural waste and urban garbage. It was a real stretch for me to associate Verda with societies discards. She intended to say society makes older people discards and that she proves how wrong society is?

 But what was most interesting to me was the creative process of some of the gleaners who were performing or visual artists or lived creatively.

It is fun picking up glass and other micro-trash on our neighborhood roadways and then make an assemblage.

a work in progress

by Rain Trueax

Do you think about how the world is doing? When you read the papers do you lose hope or feel more optimistic? I do a little of both with articles that make me feel positive and those that cause me to lose faith and see instead a future for humans that might be dystopian. 

Except, in our daily living, for most of us, our world goes along smoothly. Not to say, we don't know pain or dissension. But we don't suffer what the people did in Paradise or the ones who went to a restaurant/bar for a nice evening and found a nutcase with a gun because his life hadn't gone as he had hoped (I know it could be a her but normally it's not).

Painting after cataract surgery

The removal of cataracts is rejuvenating my vision and I enjoy more beautiful, bright vibrant colors. 

The future holds some welcomed challenges. One challenge is painting color expressive in new ways to me.

At the Oregon Fall Creek Fish Hatchery and Research Center's Art Festival, Saturday, November 3rd several days after the surgery I demonstrated painting process. During the lunch break I went outside to watch a pair of spawning Chinook. I did a quick sketch on my watercolor paper. 

 

 

 

Then inside I began the watercolor. Even in the early stages, I started painting dark that soon covered too much of the painting. One reason may be that color now looks lighter with my cataract free eye.

 

Working from memory at home the painting lost the flow for me. So I washed most of the paint off  by dunking it in our bath tub then sprayed away the color with warm water. Working over the washed painting, I started wishing the Chinook covered more of the painting surface.  The finished piece needed cropping.

I find many happy surprises looking at my paintings done before the surgery. But some tempt me to change them. It would be a good idea to wait on changing work until I get used to the way the world looks now. But on an acrylic painting, "The Painter at  the Beach", the color just does not match the emotions I want to portray, so I decide to touch up a few places.

The purple on the sky popped and looked too saccharine.  As usual I deceived myself thinking only a few brush strokes would make this painting better express how it felt outdoors that Autumn day on the Oregon Coast.
 

I never learn that going back into small areas usually means the surface becomes a mess of strokes showing awkward indecision   Somehow the grays of some clouds had nice line but were dark and foreboding. So I needed to wipe it all off.  I summonsed my courage to be more direct. I made most of the sky a thin wet tint and brushed strokes of grays close to how dark they appear.

I started a new painting as a test because I feel uncertain of using a new surface until I learn how my eyes work. So a $7.00 Habitat for Humanity 54" x 42" lightly used canvas is a bargain giving me freedom to paint freely.  On top of this discarded painting I am responding to what is on the canvas. The all over random criss-cross heavy broad stroke texture and pastel palette allowed my addition of  an imaginary powder blue sky.  Then I had the freedom to further assign vertical whites to reach high. The title in marking pen was on the back - "Another Spring". It is still "Another Spring".

Struggling is good in the painting process for several reasons. One, the positive outcome of a struggle means I appreciate all the more the success at learning. Two, I always anticipate that there is more to learn.
 

Limited to brilliant masters or all of us are artistst?

In general an artist is defined as someone recognized as the maker of art. OK? Well no!!! Several problems occur to me in this definition. This definition infers art is a tangible product. What about performing arts like music and story telling, and  humor? Second, the maker must be a publicly known.  This definition does not include people who identify themselves as artists but do not show what they do. Is it enough for an an individual to identify himself as an artist or should others  bestow the title upon them?

When I was a child my art work was recognized by my parents, teachers and peers. Except for an exception when a high school teacher thought I was not good enough to pursue art and I should take home economics instead of art classes.

Currently I identify myself as an artist because this creative practice laps over into all aspects of my being. As a maker of paintings, my experience of life is enhanced with the joy of seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching. Creative problem solving is useful in how I see relationships and determine such things as choices in spending money. I like shopping for art supplies better than shopping for clothes.

 I view my paint palette like a kid in a candy store.  I hear the beat of the brush on canvas or board. The rhythmic sound tickles my movements dancing across the surface. Like a kid I like new toys - the cake icing spatula. It's twang when applying buttery oil colors makes me feel jazzy so I add a little secondary surprise.

 

So when did these simple joys begin?  Childhood! So there is an arguable case that I was always an artist. We all can have these simple joys if we practice. Humans are by nature curious and playful and happy when they are in awe and involved in something they love..

When I was about 10 at Christmas time, I was on a San Francisco childrens' program, Captain Fortune. The show began  focused on a group of children decorating a tree. I was very caring about how my ornament was to be placed.  I tried it in several places before settling on hanging it.  The camera man zoomed closer focusing on my hands. Even then I arranged things with loving care. Loving care makes us all artists. Love is important in making things by hand such as a painting or a ceramic pot because in most works there are uncertainties and problems which take love to resolve. Love is important in creative activities like cooking, arranging furniture or nurturing a garden. So all of us are creative and how much of an artist we are is to the extent that we put our heart into our doings.

Some media is considered a higher art form than others. Like oil painting is a greater art form than pastel painting. Landscape painting is a greater art form than book illustration. So an oil painter is more apt to be considered an artist than a pastel painter and a landscape painter can call himself an artist but not a book illustrator. Ridiculous, in my way of thinking!

 The question one of my peers proposed is: "Shouldn't there be a word for those practicing the art  that distinguishes their commitment to being highly skilled and expressive beyond the norm?" By those standards only the most outstanding and most historically influential should be given the title.  If not just plain artist but something like "practicing artist" or "master artist"?

This is my own opinion of what it is to be an artist but I know there is much difference of opinion and other valid takes on what it takes to be an artist.