4 Dec 2011, Comments Off

The Art of the Frouds

Author: Katie

 

Spending time with the lovely Sarah Froud at the opening reception, photo by Ken Morrill of Yenra Photography

These past few days for me were filled with the enchanting art and whimsy of the Frouds exhibit at Animazing Gallery in Soho. Special thanks to Jeanette, Assistant Director of Animiazing Gallery for the invitations to the receptions, what a memory in the making it was to take my girl here, and get to bring a few friends along as well. What an incredibly breathtaking show, and fan of the Frouds is sure to be in heaven (or in Faerie) at this exhibit. What a stunningly massive collection including lost Labyrinth Concept art, such a great glimpse into the making of the film.  So for those not faerie obsessed or not familiar with the Frouds, Brian Froud was the concept designed on the Jim Henson Films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Brian is one of the premier faerie artists of our time, and along with Alan Lee inspired an entire generation of faerie artists starting with their book Faeries which first came out in 1978, and can be found in the World of Froud Amazon Store.

by Brian Froud and Alan Lee

  In fact it was this book that set me on my current path as a faerie artist myself. I first saw this book when I was in 6th grade and my school friend Jen had it. Immediately I was enchanted, and Jen and I would draw faeries and look  for them, we were fairly faerie obsessed at the time, and would watch Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal incessantly,  along  with Legend and other faerie favorites. We were convinced that there were unicorns in the Catskill mountains  of New  York. We would look for faeries everywhere we would go and I recall searching in Cape Cod near my parents’  house there and formulating our own ink out of berries in a random wild lot and sketching faeries, very magical  times  indeed. I owe a lot to Brian and Alan Lee, for I would not be on the journey through faerie that I am now if it  were not for Jen showing me this book back in the day.  Alan Lee is very well known now for his concept art for all of  the Lord of the Rings movies and is currently working on The Hobbit, along with conceptual designer John Howe.

But back to the Frouds, it was while working on The Dark Crystal for the Jim Henson company that Brian met sculptress extraordinaire Wendy, who sculpted “Jen” and Kira” for the project, and notably had also sculpted Yoda for the original Star Wars movie. By the time Labyrinth was in production Wendy and Brian were married and had a son Toby, who started his film career early as “Toby” the baby in Labyrinth. Well Toby has grown to be an astounding sculptor, stilt walker and performer, as they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and his work is also included in this spectacular show at Animazing Gallery in Soho.

So in my life there seems to be very few coincidences and many instances of synchronicity, and my being able to make it to the Frouds Opening Reception was no exception. Exactly a week prior I was at my sister’s new gorgeous house for Thanksgiving, and her best friend and family were coming for dessert. Well I had met her friend Dana many times, and even her little spritely niece, but never had I met  Dana’s sister Suzanne, mother of the sprite. Well we immediately hit it off and found we had many things in common, including a love for all things Froudian. In fact she and her sprite had been to a signing before and met Brian previously. Suzanne the Punk Glam Queen has already blogged about our adventures in Froudland, so if you would like another take check out her blog Idee Fixe Mon.  Turned out that Suzanne and her family live near NYC, and graciously offered for me and my sprite to stay with them, which is where I am blogging from now. So a week to the day of our meeting we were together again on our way to the Opening Reception at Animazing Gallery. The Opening was a who’s who of the faerie realm and I ran into folks I knew from as far as Faerieworlds in Eugene, Oregon, to Faeriecon in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and at the signing I ran into folks I knew from Wildfire, a fire spinning retreat in Ashford, Connecticut. I was also incredibly pleased that my friend and amazing storyteller Joseph Keane of Celtic Revival, if you are in NYC be sure to visit his booth at the Union Square Holiday Market! It never ceases to amaze me the power of Faerie to bring people together. I myself didn’t take many pictures, but if you want to see some amazing ones you can check out the picks on the Animazing Blog.

Upon entering the gallery you are entered into a world of whimsy and enchantment, it really must be seen, to be believed. Our first stop was for the coat check downstairs, and  was delighted to see the collection of the lost Labyrinth.  The chance to see the Labyrinth worm concept art in person was a personal high for me. Sorry for the blurriness of the photo, this one was taken by my girl ;-)

The art downstairs also included other amazing artists like Daniel Merriam, and Nicoletta Ceccoli. For those of you who made it to Mythic Faire this past March of 2011 you will remember the amazing art of Daniel Merriam,  as he was the guest of honor, and he and his wife Yulia made a stunning vision in costumes created by Vincent of Dreamhouse. Some of Daniel’s limited edition bronze cast sculptures were there, I want one! After checking out the art downstairs, we made our way upstairs into the throngs of the Froudian crowd.

 

Not sure who did these vases but the whole collection looked very Suessian to me…

Wonderful Labyrinth Goblin Rider sculptures were done by Toby Froud and are copyright the Jim Henson Studio

This amazing scene of Masquerade Dancers from Labyrinth were sculpted by Wendy Froud and are copyright the Jim Henson Studio,

and were rotating so the viewer can get a full view of the amazing artistry.

Here I am with Wendy Froud, amazing shot by Ken Morrill!

Left to Right is Heidi Leigh (co-owner of Animazing Gallery), Toby Froud, Brian Froud, Wendy Froud, Jane Henson, someone’s feet, and Cheryl Henson’s shoulder. My daughter took this shot as well ;-) At this point they were about to auction of Brian’s Tinkerbell, which was a concept art piece for Peter Pan, all proceeds to benefit the Henson Foundation which funds artists working in puppetry, mostly puppetry for adult audiences.

Sarah Froud and I hamming it up for photographer Ken Morrill of Yenra Photography

My little sprite and I talking with Brian Froud, photo by Suzanne Reinhardt Kuhn.

As always it was such a pleasure to see and mingle with Brian and Wendy, and Toby and Sarah, and it was most lovely to meet Jane Henson. She asked me if I belonged to one of these sprites, and I confirmed that indeed I belonged to the purple one, and that Suzanne belonged to the striped one ;-) Jane went on to say that the girls looked like they had stepped right out of one of the Froud paintings, and went on to say that actually, Suzanne and I did too! What an incredible compliment, and a wonderful way to end the evening!

 

16 Oct 2011, Comments Off

Occupy Boston: October 15th.. Occupy Movement goes International

Author: Katie

Well this time it isn’t 3am, not even 10:30 and I just returned home awhile ago from another visit to Occupy Boston, this time with my 9 year old in tow. Got into town later than I had hoped for as home responsibilities kept me busy, so We weren’t in time for the marches (there were 2, one was an anti war protest. Probably just as well as I heard the march was pretty long and I would have ended up piggy backing my girl quite a bit, and with recent back issues that would be unwise to say the least.

First we set off to meet up again with my friend Kathleen, who once again donated all sorts if goodies. Found we have yet another thing in common, we are both packrats! (and live thrifting… This could be dangerous!

While trying to find her Kai and I ran into an old friend Woody whom I hadn’t seen in years. He was very pleased to report he had been performing earlier in his guitar and sang Bob Dylan’s Tamborine Man almost seamlessly. I took lots of pictures this time, so to put faces to the names check out my twitter @crowfaery or my Facebook (www.Facebook.com/crowfaery). Typing all this via my iPhone (ugh!) and can’t get wordpress to upload and photos through the usual methods for some reason. Also in our quest for Kathleen we ran into Flat Stanley! A treat for Kai indeed. Also the lovely Stephanie whom I had danced with the night before, as well as covered her with mud at her request, and hung out in her tent to warm up yesterday. She is a student with UMass Journalism, and was schooled in journalism at the Natuve American Academy of Journalism (at least I think that is what it was called) who are sponsoring her to be there with a press pass. She is involved in the starting of the Occupy Boston Globe Underground Newspaper. I will blog more in that as it develops.

Kai and I made our way first to the library tent as I had 5 books to donate for the cause (Creative Visualization and Living in the Light (2) by Shakti gaiwain, The Way if the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman, and The Way of the Wizard by Deepak Choprah). I was anxious to get this errand out if the way as these books were waging down my bag, but like any good packrats I had to leave with something as well, an Unabridged Mr. Poe book whic took up more room and weighed more than my 5 books combined… Ohweekl!

At this point we got a text from Kathleen stating she was by the drums near the South Station side of the encampment, so we threaded our way through the throngs of people towards the pulsing drumbeats again. Right in front of the drum circle were 3 folks meditating in lotus-like positions.. Meditating among the masses, tahr is a feat indeed. Kai was enthralled by the colorful camp nearby complete with rainbow decorated wheel chair, giant fuzzy pink peace sign, and a great large trike also bestriped and bejeweled, but I think she was most taken by the two tiny digs who called this colorful tent their home (at least for ge time being).

Finally I spotted Kathleen, and we had a lively reuniting complete with dancing and getting some free dinner from the food tent. Occupy Boston actually has a surplus of food at the moment and tried to give some away free via Craig’s List, but apparentLy the post was taken down and flagged as inappropriate.. Curiouser and curiouser! So after some dancing and dining we took a walk around the full camp, saw some live en plein air painting by a few artists with acrylics and a family with some watercolors. If all goes as planned I will be doing some live painting there on Monday.

Not long after our tour of the camp, including a visit to weird street, it was time for Kathllen tonged out. She has a vehicle there so Kai and I bummed a ride to Copley to check out the Boston Book Fest in Copley, this was around 7pm. Well it looks like wither my info was incorrect (it said the fest went till 8pm, or they decided to close early. All I know is when we got there there was nothing but a bunch of people breaking down scores of ex-ups. So, our gracious Kathleen brought us back to Occupy. I mistakenly showed Kai the giant Hood Milk Bottle to orient her to where we were since it is in front of the Bosyon Childen’s Museum. So age had it in her head that she wanted to go to the museum, but they only have night hours that late on Fridays (when you can get in for only $1)!

So with her plan thwarted we went back to the Occupy Boston tent city. By this point we were both a little more than chilly, so we went tonthe clothing tent and procured some sweatshirts to get a little cozier. There we met the lovely Clark and his wife, and enjoyed answering back to some driveby hecklers who were commenting something about “get a job!” or some such nonsense. Again my frustration with this assumption, a bunch of people gathering together tonprotest and show support for a cause they believe in, why dies the general public assume people don’t work… It was a Saturday night for pity’s sake, judging by the fact that one is isle at that time is just ridiculous! And unless his job is heckling protesters he wasn’t at work either.

After this I had a proud Mama moment, Kai was telling me about a paper they had to do in school about what Americans need most and there was a whole lust of things to choose from. She chose healthcare, but what saying that she couldn’t wait to get the paper back to read the other options more carefully. I love that going to Occupy Boston had her thinking about things in new ways, and forming her own opinions, not being indoctrinated into what society at large deems Necessary for her to think about.

After snapping a few more shots and dancing together to some of the live music it was time to head home. Off across the street and back to South Station we went to wait for our train, after a snack and a little rest it became apparent how tuckered out both of us were. I was on much more high alert having Kai with me and worrying about keeping her safe in the throngs, so it was nice to relax and wait for our train to arrive. Once again we bumped into Woody, and I was also pleased to see some other Occupy Biston peeps getting the coffee and pastries left over from the day at Au Bon Pain, much better than it all going in the trash! So our train arrived and boarded on track 6, and Kai and I took separate seats so she could stretch outback try to sleep, she was exhausted! So was I, and still am, so with that I am off to dreamland by way if a giant unabridged Poe book. :)

15 Oct 2011, Comments Off

Occupy Boston: what’s the hub-bub in the Hub??

Author: Katie

So now it is nearing 3 a.m. And I am still zinging from my visit to Dewey Square, home to the Occupy Boston Movement. For me there is something really palpable about being a part of history in the making, however small a part I might play. I will be honest, the impetus that got me out there tonight was knowing that the Heartbeat Collective’s Drum and Dance was being held at Dewey Square.

As a single mama of a 9 year old who is in public school, I can’t really do the whole camp out for weeks bit. At least not with a clear conscience, so this was my first visit to Occupy Boston. Mostly been following the movement via the web, and the Metro paper that arrives free to my local T station.

I posted an Occupy Boston related Facebook status (www.Facebook.com/crowfaery) about a day or so ago, and did the sparks fly!! I have always been told that it isn’t polite to talk politics or religion in certain company, and I can see why, nothing gets people stirred up more than a cause they vehemently and passionately believe in.

The one resounding comment from the naysayers that I have heard over and over goes something like this “Why don’t those lazy people get a job?? The rest of us have to work for a living! Must be nice to sit around all day…” ad nauseum. In response, is it really so unfathomable to think that perhaps the Occupiers do have jobs?? Perhaps this is a cause they feel more strongly about than their 2 weeks vacation time in the Bahamas (or wherever?) That the fate of their Country might take precedence over whatever money they might make in that time working? Regardless, there will always be naysayers to any movement, and perhaps the shortsightedness of these naysayers will have to be excused.

Met one such fellow this evening who vehemently declared that the movement would have much more ooomph (his word, not mine) if it ran only from 5pm to 8am, and people went to work during the day?? I have news for you, there were plenty of people that I met that did just that, went to work and showed their support for Occupy Boston, what a novel idea!!! And what about people who work third shift? Should they be the only ones there from 8am on?

As previously stated this was my first night there, it doesn’t make me any less part of the movement because circumstances don’t allow or dictate for me to be there 24-7 while neglecting other responsibilities. This same fellow, when asking me what I do couldn’t come up with a rebuttal when I told him I work for myself and make my own hours. Well then when am I going back to my daughter he inquires?? When I told him my train time he didn’t have much to say. I mean surely if I am out there at Occupy Boston I must be a dirty hippie shirking my work and parental duties!! When I proved not to fit into his little box he didn’t have much to say, I mean personally attacking my character was his only ploy, and when he didn’t have a leg to stand on he pretty much shut up, thankfully!!

So I came to show my support and dance and sing, and listen to the amazing drummers and a sole sax player, but I arrived in time for the General Assembly. This I found very informative and learned things like that there is a library that people have organized, and an arts tent, and a spiritual tent, and a free clothes tent, and free food (ok so not all of that was in the GA but it seemed like a good place to add in some other tidbits that I learned). So as many know the weather in Boston was not ideal this evening, I had doubts that a drum and dance would even happen, and right in the middle of a vote at the assembly the skies opened up and people scattered, myself included, to find a place to wait out the downpours. I made my way down towards the info tent and had some interesting conversations with my fellow drowned rats there (and no, I don’t think anyone was a rat, it is just an expression).

Then an interesting thing occurred, someone came and told us that the vote still needed to be finished (about moving the night’s workshop on oppression and anti-racism be moved to Sunday at 7), and could we all go back to the General Assembly to finish the vote. So into the pelting rain we went, huddled under umbrellas and tarps to finish what was started (the vote passed btw). And then there were stacks, really just a fancy word for a line of people waiting to make their own announcements, and huddled together in the rain we listened as people came up when their name was called to make their cases. It was in this throng that I spied Jason Cohen, the man at the heart of the Heartbeat Collective with drum slung over his shoulder, and other drummers seemed to appear out of the woodwork (or more aptly the canvaswork), and signs of a drum and dance happening were looking up.

The rain periodically gusted and then was subdued, and post stacks it seemed a drum and dance would indeed happen. At this point I was pleasantly surprised to find out that a good friend Kathleen, fellow firespinner and pagan, was right behind me. Not only do we share that in common, but my name is also Kathleen, and she is also a single mama. And like a good mama she had come prepared, with spare garbage bags so I could make sure the rest of my stuff didn’get as soaked as I was, and a big tarp that ended up sheltering the drummers and protecting their drums. No sooner did the stacks end did the slow pulsing drumbeats begin to sound. The air was fragrant with a frankincense blend of incense that Jason lit, which apparently came all the way from Brazil. For me it had the added effect of turning this washed out, muddy tent city into sacred ritual space, and it was time for the hoopla and ballyhoo of a drum circle to commence.

As is usually the case I was one if the first ones dancing, stirring the cauldron as it were to hopefully help facilitate other dancers, coaxing them into the rythym. Before long I had a whole gang of sisters to dance and sway with. All under the ever present eye if the Boston PD, and an EMT, just in case. I later had a chance to speak with this officer, his name was Kevin, and he was extremely pleasant. He complimented me on my dancing and I asked him how he was enjoying his detail. He admitted it was a little tense at times, and I remarked that any time a large group of people assemble, whatever the cause, there are bound to be some tense moments. He went on to sat I hope you guys get what you are asking for, it will be better for all of us.”

Some of the sweeter moments for me: when we all sang Jason’s medicine song, seeing everyone make adjustments and help cover the drummers when the rain would pick up, and watching the female EMT join in the singing of “This Little Light of Mine”. Now should I have been out dancing in the rain in my Jack Skellington argyle thigh high socks and high heels when I have been nursing a cold since my return from Twilight Covening on Columbus Day weekend?? Most certainly not, and the aches my body is feeling right now is a testament to that… But my spirit is soaring. Dancing with this rag-tag band of sisters in the rain under a near full moon (It was the Full Hunter Moon this past Tuesday).

I know that things that held meaning for me might not make a difference to someone else, but this is my journey, and I plan to walk (or dance) this earth with the one main motto “To thine own self be true.” Those who know me know this past year has been very trying for me with my father passing away last October after a long bout with Parkinson’s and Lewy Body Dementia. Well what most wouldn’t have known is that a week from this night of drumming and dancing it will be the one year anniversary of my father’s passing, and that while I danced I was staring at the building where he worked for his whole life, on the 13th floor of One Financial Center. There he managed Mutual Funds as a portfolio manager, and most likely bought and sold stocks of the very companies people are there to protest.

Would my John Lennon have approved?? In life, honestly, probably not… But I like to think he has a better perspective through which he can view the world now, and that he could feel what is in my heart.

So I leave you with the words of the other, more well-known John Lennon…

“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
― John Lennon

12 Dec 2010, Comments Off

The courage to create… or how to get unblocked creatively..

Author: Katie

My version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream"

In Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” the main figure is trapped on this long expanse of bridge and is screaming in terror. This piece is his iconic work, everyone recognizes it, and on some level everyone relates to it. Munch suffered from agoraphobia (fear of outdoors and big open spaces) and was also manic depressive, and it was the struggle with these illnesses that prompted him to make this piece. So why is it so universally relatable? Surely most people can’t relate to agoraphobia and manic depression, but many people can relate to that primal scream impulse, to that feeling of terror. Everyone on some level is touched by fear whether they like to admit it or not, and one of the most insidious fears that people have and often don’t realize is the fear to create. Often times I hear from people that they are not creative, that they envy creative people, or that once were creative people but they aren’t anymore, they are blocked in some way. It is a strange thing that causes us to be blocked, or to think that we are not creative. First off, everyone is creative, and everyone can draw. When we were all little children with our box of 64 Crayolas we could all create to our heart’s content. That is until that one time when our inner critic first reared it’s ugly head and told us that we couldn’t draw, or that our picture was ugly or not as good as Sally or Jack’s picture. Now I do not presume to know what causes us to create that inner critic, but make no mistake, it is an evil of our own making. Sure it might have been fueled by Sally or Jack saying their picture was better, or perhaps some teacher saying it wasn’t good, but we are the ones who takes these comments to heart and rent them permanent space in our heads. Being creative is a skill and can be learned, it isn’t just some innate talent. Sure, some people may have a natural aptitude for drawing while others may struggle to learn, but it can be learned with practice, patience and perseverance. People often comment to me while looking at my art that they aren’t creative at all, and couldn’t even draw a straight line. Well I can’t draw a straight line either, unless I have a ruler. Below I use the term artist, but I am using it in a broad sense to mean any person who creates, so this could mean they create visual art, but it goes the same for musicians, authors, dancers, poets.. whatever the creative impulse it. If I recommend a daily practice of drawing and you are an author, then write every day, the important thing is to show up, suit up, and practice your craft.

Probably the biggest stumbling block to people’s creativity is that ugly monster called our inner critic, so if you have one, name it, draw it, and then tell him or her or it to shut up! And don’t let what some elementary school teacher told you rob you of a lifetime of enjoyment from being creative. I have a little secret, most elementary school teachers aren’t artists, aren’t educated about art, and don’t know what they hell they are talking about. I know of one child whose teacher gave her a poor grade in art, and when the mother went in to talk to the teacher the teacher claimed that this girl didn’t make things the right colors, and had drawn purple horses. Well this mother was an artist herself, and went on to discuss the use of color and how Marc Chagall was famous for his green horses. The teacher simply stared back with a vacant look on her face, having no earthly idea who Chagall was. Unfortunately this little girl grew up thinking she was not creative, and still believes so to this day. Don’t let that happen to you!! Shut up that inner critic and whatever old tapes are playing in your head about not being creative and just draw.

Don’t get me wrong, it is not easy, it takes courage to create. Showing up at that blank canvas (or sketchpad or lump of clay or whatever..) can be a scary prospect, but meet that fear head on. And this goes for people who “used to” be artists as well as those just starting out or people who are artists but feel blocked. For the past few years I have worked teaching painting to seniors and I am often amazed by what a block there is not only for the people who don’t consider themselves artists, but also for those who used to draw or paint and haven’t in a long time. Showing up to that canvas or sketchpad for them can be a particularly daunting task, that critic is saying “sure, you used to be able to do that, but I am sure you can’t now?” I try and stress to people to just show up, have fun and enjoy the process, if you get some final piece out of it then wonderful, but it is equally acceptable to hate what you come up with…

First rule is don’t expect a masterpiece, for every masterpiece that is out there, there were thousands of drawings and pieces of artwork leading up to those breakthroughs. X-rays have shown that there are at least three versions of the Mona Lisa underneath the current one we know. Also, for every famous painting there were countless sketches and studies done to work out the details, composition, tonal balance, etc. So go easy on yourself and don’t expect every piece you do to be an amazing work of art. Enjoy the process, learn something in the doing, and if you don’t like the final piece, no big deal. Throw it out and start a new piece, guaranteed you will have learned something from that previous piece and the next one will be that much more sophisticated. And don’t expect your progress to grow by leaps and bounds, learning to do anything takes time and patience and practice. No one picks up a violin and expects to be able to play a concerto on their first time out, but for some reason people hold a higher standard for themselves when it comes to drawing, like it is just some divinely given talent and not a skill that is honed and perfected after years of constant use and practice. And if you already consider yourself an artist, stay green and be willing to learn, continue to take classes and hear critiques.

One wonderful trick to becoming unblocked creatively is getting into the practice of just showing up, standing and facing that blank canvas or sketchpad on a regular basis. A wonderful friend and mentor of mine named Fran has been making her living as a painter for the past 30+ years by being her own boss and selling her own work. One time when I was feeling particularly blocked she gave me some advice, the first piece of which was just to show up. Go into the studio (or laundry room, or wherever you have the space and tools to create) and just be in the space. If you are feeling blocked maybe just clean your brushes or organize your supplies, eventually you will be sparked by the urge to create. She also suggested working on a series of paintings, so when you finish one painting you aren’t completely struggling for what to paint next.

About a year ago I started an apprenticeship with Iain McCaig (http://iainmccaig.blogspot.com/) and one of the first things he instilled in me was the importance of drawing in my sketchbook every day. I found this a great practice to get into, because there is something about doing a daily practice that frees you up creatively. It is not waiting for that divine spark of inspiration to show up, it is showing up, suiting up, and just doing. You may not always like what you create and that is fine, again, not everything you do is expected to be a masterpiece. I look over older sketchbooks of mine and am horrified at some of the stuff in there, drawings which at the time I thought were good or at least acceptable. The other benefit of drawing everyday in the same sketchbook is over time you can chart your progress and see how you have improved. In Iain’s book Shadowline he has a number of drawing exercises, but he also has his character put on a black tee shirt, which when it is put on magically transforms him to a 10 year old kid, back before anyone ever said he didn’t know how to draw. Try to find a way to symbolically “transform” into that 10 year old kid, so whether it is donning a black tee shirt or listening to a certain piece of music or whatever, do something that tells your subconscious mind that you have know changed to version of yourself from before the time that inner critic existed, and you won’t be listening to what they have to say.

Lastly I will finish today with this quote from Stephen King that I have always loved… “Don’t wait for the muse. This isn’t the Ouija board or the spirit-world we’re talking about here, but just another job like laying pipe or driving long-haul trucks. Your job is to make sure the muse knows where you’re going to be every day from nine ’til noon or seven ’til three. If he knows, I assure you that sooner or later he’ll start showing up, chomping his cigar and making his music”

13 Aug 2010, Comments Off

Magics abounds at Faerieworlds

Author: Katie

http://www.miraculousmemories.org/
As always, kindred gathering feeds my soul

Body done aching from much dancing

and just the joy at the remembrance of the dance remains

Tendrils of smoke from sage and mugwort

now coax new images to the surface

and remind me of what it sacred

and holy in what we do

and again the time stretches out before me

too long till next I shall meet these kin again

Too many moments to capture, remember, cherish

11 Jul 2010, Comments Off

Gateway to the Realm of Faerie found in New York…

Author: Katie

This just in, there are faeries in New York! So, okay, this is not big news to those in the know, but this year was my first time entering the Realm of Faerie through this new portal in New York, and what a wondrous visit it was. I am referencing of course the fantabulous New York Faerie Fest in Ouaquaga, New York that just took place June 25, 26 and 27. Since I was vending I arrived a few days early on Wednesday to set up, and the first thing I was struck by was the immense and lush beauty of the land, wild and wonderful with a luscious creek bordering one side of the main thoroughfare. When I first arrived only a few vendors were there but I was pleased to have some company in setting up. Johanna Dun-Jones of Moresca and Renae Taylor, artist extraordinaire were setting up across the way from me.  Later we were to be joined by other fabulous neighbors like Robert and Rebecca Turk of Goblin Road,  Shane and Leah Odom from Mythical Masks, fabulous artist and illustrator Jane Starr Weills, Laura and Ariana of Hooping Harmony, Danny Hansen of The Crafty Celts, Cynthia Beatty of Magic Moonshadows, Donovan from Wing and Talon Leatherworks, Beth and Zeeb of Feywood, and of course the fabulous people behind the jewelery of Future Relics Glenn Herbert, Billy Bardo, and Marianne Bauer to name a few of the Good Neighbors there. Now for those of you who don’t know, it is the wonderful artisans of Future Relics that put on this lovely shin dig.  One of the things that makes this festival so special is that it is held on privately owned land that is carefully cared for and maintained, the future growth of this festival is limited only by their imaginations, which seem to know no bounds. If you were not able to make it out this year, make it a point to travel there next year. It was wonderful to have another East Coast faerie gathering to reconnect with all my fae tribe. As always it was a pleasure to see some of the folks from the Maryland Faerie Fest, among them were the visiting royalty: King and Queen of the Unseelie Court at Maryland, Jamie Schoonover and James Peddicord. The Amazing Trinket and the Pretty Juggler Noelle were also visiting along with Hunter and Dave, I seem to be running into these guys at every fest this year, so far we were all at Wicked Faire, RenCon, Spoutwood and Maryland Faerie Fest before crossing paths again at the New York Faerie Fest. Other wandering performers included the multi-talented Joshua Safford, Wedji Tucheeks, and of course everyone’s favorite blue goblin Krii, who gave birth at the festival to an adorable blue goblin (from Goblin Road) Certainly there was no shortage of magical and wonderful creatures here, and beautiful masks, artwork, and clothing abounded.

The land is inherently beautiful, and communing with fae and magical folk for the entire fest really did make it feel like you were in another realm. Camping on site brings this festival experience to a whole other level, just make sure to watch out for Trolls. Traveling down wooded paths as the volume of drum beats grows increasingly louder, under a fallen tree I pass into the magical realm of night time mischief, near where stone circles and a labyrinth is laid, a bonfire is blazing, dancers sway and turn, circling as the flames grow ever higher. Songs and chants and spoken word join the midnight cacophony, and under the current of it all, that wild fae energy is pulsing.

Music to transport the visitor to the Faerie Realm abounded here, and one could move to the pure energy that is Teribus, a Celtic Bagpipe and Drum quartet that one cannot help but want to dance to. The pure voice and enchanting songs of Jenna Greene rang through the faire, as did the lovely melodies of Faerie Goddess Elaine Silver. Incus was another crowd pleaser, and the belly dancers performing for them from Vadalna Tribal Dance Company were phenomenal. Originally the enchanting and ethereal singer Wendy Rule was supposed to be performing there as well, but unfortunately was unable to attend due to visa issues, in a message to me she wrote “Unfortunately I won’t be there this weekend. I’m so sad about this – it was going to be the highlight of my tour. Please send my love to everyone there, and if you see Billy, please give him a big hug from me. I’ll try to be there next year!” So let’s keep our fingers crossed for next year. Thank you to Billy, Glenn, and Marianne for making such a portal into the magical realm, I look forward to dancing through it again next year.

8 Jul 2010, Comments (103)

Journey Behind the Mask

Author: Katie

There are times when I experience things in life and the energy is palpable, and the ripples seem to reverberate and I can tell it is the beginning… the beginning of a new chapter, a breakthrough, a kindred connection. I have been fortunate to have a number of these moments, turning points that stick out in my mind, sometimes I can sense when they are happening that they are turning points, sometimes it is only in retrospect that I can see the impact of a particular moment, experience, chance encounter, etc. Well today I definitely had one of those moments, of that there is no doubt, and I am buzzing with energy and enthusiasm and excitement over all the possibilities. Of course I am also positive that if you had journeyed with me today into the magical realm I visited, you would have  felt it too. I think it would be virtually impossible to enter this space and not be transfixed and transformed. So what is this I am going on about, where did I journey to? Today I was privileged enough to take a step out of reality, and take a step Behind the Mask. According to their facebook page “Behind The Mask Studio & Theatre creates award-winning masks for original performances and teaches others how to do the same.” It is the brain child of Eric Bornstein, Boston’s premier theatrical mask master, who’s masterpieces have been in countless productions, plays, festivals, exhibits, museums and parades. Most recently his  6 foot “Brother Blue” Mask was the centerpiece for Cambridge’s River Festival, immortalizing and honoring Cambridge’s legendary storyteller “Brother Blue’’ Hugh Morgan Hill, who passed away this past November. This type of grand scale work is not new to Bornstein, his work has been a regular feature of  First Night Boston’s grand procession.

Today I began a Mask II class with Eric, and having arrived very early I had the opportunity to get to journey into the magical realms of his studio. In a recent Boston Globe article by Peter De Marco he described his studio as follows… “Eric Bornstein’s art studio is a wild, cluttered, paint-strewn den overrun by hobgoblins, Egyptian deities, forest nymphs, and Father Time himself. As big as oxen heads, his papier-mâché masks of gods and monsters dangle from hooks and jut from walls like phantasmal hunting trophies — dazzling, colorful, and insane to behold. You wonder whether you’ve stepped into the prop room from “Pan’s Labyrinth.’’ Or, as a friend puts it, Jim Henson’s creature shop.” I could not have put it better myself, and I am beyond excited to learn from this modern master. Eric  earned his Master of Fine Art at Harvard, and has studied mask making in Italy, where her studied under Donato Sartori, a master of Commedia dell’arte leather masks, and in Bali where he learned under a village master the traditional wood carving techniques. To find out more about Eric Bornstein and Behind the Mask Studio & Theater you can check out his website at www.behindthemask.org.

Want to follow more of my mask making journey as it progresses? You can see more pictures and process on my facebook page

Want to see this artistry in person, even purchase some for yourself? They are preparing masks & fashion/costume accessories for the FFF, a very special crafts fair @ the Cyclorama building, Boston Ctr for the Arts, on the corner of Tremont & Clarendon on Saturday 7/16 from 10-6. This is open to the public, so you can visit them in booth A-8…

To read the recent Boston Globe article

To connect to Behind the Mask Studio & Theater on Facebook

19 Jun 2010, Comments Off

Bazaar Bizarre Boston’s Bday for Etsy, a bit about Boston Circus Guild, and more

Author: Katie

So recently I was fortunate enough to procure a new, and wonderful Mac, which was going to be necessary to have further down the road in my continuing training with concept artist Iain McCaig (some of the projects Iain has worked on are Star Wars Episode I, II and III, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) and my apprenticeship with him deserves at least an entire blog post of it’s own, so I won’t go into any further details here, but the point is, got a new mac, YAY! The problem is, my website was hosted by a company that does not support a mac, and now I need to move my whole site, and probably recreate a lot of it :( So, if you are looking for my site Lennon Studio (www.lennonstudio.com) in the near future and it is all wonky, fear not! It will be remedied, just I am still in process. In the meantime if you want to connect with me and find out what shows I might be doing in the near future (since at the moment I haven’t been able to update my website and the most recent show listed was in February) you can find more info on my facebook page for my art. And I have to give a shout out to all the people who recently “liked” my fan page, this morning it hit 800 fans! Thank you to everyone who is supportive of my art, and helps to spread the word by suggesting it to friends! I am super grateful to all of the people who express their love for my art, it warms my soul, so thank you!

So one of the things I was looking for when needing to move my site was to be able to host my blog on my own domain, so if you look for new posts you can either subscribe via RSS, or make sure you are going to www.crowfaery.com (it will also be on the Lennon Studio site when all the necessary changes are made.  So please do bear with me while I am undergoing technical difficulties! Much thanks go out to Kriana from the Sci-Fi Saturday Night podcast in getting me to move the blog with no issues, this girl was a godsend.  For those of you who don’t know about this podcast, you should definitely check it out , you can listen live on Saturday nights, 8 p.m. EST., and there is no time like the present, give them a listen tonight! We met at Boston Bazaar Bizarre’s Birthday party for Etsy last night that was held at the Deisel Cafe in Somerville. So if you weren’t aware of it, I have an etsy shop called Lennon Studio (shocking I know!), and in during the impending website move my website store will not be available, so you can find all your prints, luminaries, paintings, and whatnot in my Etsy shop instead. I am just building up the inventory in the shop, so if you don’t see something you know I have that you want, let me know and i will post it for you. I have not previously used Etsy that much since I had my own website store, so it will be great to utilize it more fully. This Birthday Party for Etsy was one of many thrown across the country, and it  was a great event to network with other crafters, find out about other etsy sellers, enjoy some fabulous cake (or so I was told, I wasn’t hungry) and hang with the crew who make the Boston Bazaar Bizarre happen. They also had crafts to do while you were there, you could make a Father’s day card, cool pins, or a tomato pin cushion. The place was packed! I met Kriana because I was feeling a little overwhelmed, had just written my etsy shop name on the flag they had to do this on, and was standing there kind of awkwardly looking around, completely dazed… thanks to Kriana for offering me a seat and saving me from overload! The Bazaar Bizarre team also were doing a drawing for someone to win a table at their new summer faire, so cross your fingers for me :-) They also gave out cool little goody bags filled with different crafty bits, and were walking around giving away inconspicuously brown paper-wrapped gifts to people who answered a random question correct. I named another city that has a Bazaar Bizarre (I answered San Francisco) and won a fantabulous mixed media and collage kit by Faber Castell! So originally I was going to go to the Gala Opening for the Artisan Asylum which is also in Somerville, which was also going to be featuring performances by members of the Boston Circus Guild,  which is an amazing collection of performers, including Vadalna Tribal Dance Co., the ridiculously superb juggling of A Different Spin,  the performer who the Boston Phoenix dubbed “a one-woman Cirque du Soleil” Dominique Immora,  the amazingly talented aerialist and fan spinner Eliza Blaze,  contorntionists Bella Curva and many more, but I did see them just the previous night at their show Summer Saturnalia at Club Oberon in Cambridge, (which I will blog about in another post). If you want more info on their upcoming performances you can also follow the Boston Circus Guild on Facebook, but instead, since I had stayed later than I had intended at the Bazaar Bizarre party, I accepted a dinner invitation from Kriana, and pasta, spinning, knitting chatter, and a blog move later ensued. If you want to learn more about Boston Circus Guild’s Summer Saturnalia show, check back soon! I have to say I feel very fortunate to know a number of the performers from being in the fire spinning community, the amount of talent, creativity, and dedication these performers show is astounding.

30 Sep 2009, Comments Off

Adventures in September, from Wendy Rule to King Richard

Author: Katie

After Faerieworlds my next event was doing dance performance during a Brian Willowfire song while he opened for Wendy Rule at the Harvest Concert in Salem, MA that was co-sponsored by NEPW and Hearthside CUUPS. Brian wanted me to do some improv dancing to his song inner child, it is the same song that I did a fire fan performance to the previous Beltaine. It was a wonderful concert, and I also displayed a painting there which I had made for Brian, though I had just finished it so it was still wet.

September also brought about quite a bit of traveling to different Pagan Pride events, this year I vended not only at Southeastern MA Pagan Pride day , and Eastern MA Pagan Pride day, but I also vended at Southern New Hampshire Pagan Pride day, which was a fun show, Brian performed there as well and asked me to perform again, I happily obliged! Of course my annual trip to King Richard’s Faire had to happen, I am very fortunate to know some wonderful people who own the costume rental shop there called Seams Like a Dream, and they were gracious enough to give me some comp tickets.  I had my usual picture with a winged creature, this year it was a beautiful Red Tail Hawk, and I was surprised to find out that my picture from the previous year was being shown in the movie they show at the lion show. As usual it was a fun time running around and taking pictures, and ogling clothes.

19 Aug 2009, Comments Off

Lennon Studio at Faerieworlds 2009!

Author: Katie

Wow, so first I have to say I am amazed at how long it has been since I blogged, and now there is so much to catch up on that some may just have to fall by the wayside for now, since last I posted was before Faerieworlds!!! So a lot has happened since then, and I think I will have to break the posts down by events or months or something, because trying to cram almost 4 months of fun and excitement and visits to Faeryland in one post is just absurd! So first order of business is Faerieworlds. It was phenomenal despite the crazy insane heat and change of venue. I personally really liked the new venue, and the addition of on-site camping definitely made the experience that much more magical, pretty amazing to get to hang with all my COMFy folk at the COMFy kitchen and enjoy amazing food and fun and laughter with that whole gang. Above is a picture of me with Mermaid (founder of COMF) and her daughter Zoe in the opening spiral dance ceremony. One thing I really appreciate about the Faerieworlds and Faeriecon events is the ritual aspect of honoring faerie and the seasons, cannot think of a more magical way to celebrate Lughnassadh! And there was no shortage of faerie magic afoot at the new venue, and even the water sprites were able to join in the act since the event was bordered on one side by a river where many hot and sticky fae went to cool off, or enjoy a private moment. My river excursions were pretty intense and amazing…

Now this Faerieworlds not only did we have the opening ceremony spiral dance, but the wonderful medieval folk music band Faun also had their own version of a spiral dance put to their song Andros… and with Faun having one daytime set and one nighttime set that made for two additional spiral dances, bringing it up to a triple spiral dance count. Lots of magic was woven that weekend. The line up of bands was stellar, of course everyone loves Woodland, and as has become tradition the COMFy folk had a little prank to play on them, during their third song we all secretly put on red clown noses (note you can still see some on in the above photo by Ash Martell) and the band was in stitches… very fun to see them all try to play their song with straight faces while a whole crowd of red nosed faeries are looking back at them. Faun was definitely a highlight for me, their music inspires me to dance and the crazy medieval instruments they play are a sight to behold. Dehli to Dublin was a fun and energetic group of musicians that blend tradition folk music from India and Ireland, definitely had the crowd flowing. Beats Antique put on a fabulous show with the legendary belly dancer Zoe Jakes wowing the crowd with her undulations and rhythm and fans, absolutely stunning and breathtaking. A personal favorite song from there set was an unreleased track at the time, a Mashup of Michael Jackson and Martin Luther King, Jr. you can click on the link to download the track from them on bandcamp.

One of the biggest highlights of the festival for me was that I got to perform both nights with Mythmaker a fire-dancing, stilt-walking, sacred theater troupe from Canada. This shot was taken at the Saturday night performance, photo credit goes to my friend Laume :-) Another highlight for me was getting photographed by amazing Celtic artist Jen Delyth as pictured below


I was also forutnate to be photographed by Time Of the Fairies photographer Joseph Corsentino along with Time of the Fairies model Elizabeth Maxwell


I guess my only complaints about Faerieworlds was it felt like it was over too soon, a moment of magic far too fleeting, and far off from repeating… till next year at Lughnassadh when we can all gather under the stars again.

Tags

  • Katie Lennon

    Promote Your Page Too

  • Past musings