Anyone in the San Francisco/East Bay area on April 19th should get along to the Black Brothers concert. If you love Irish music and great storytelling, you'll love it!
19 April 2013
San Francisco (CA)
Black Brothers in Concert at Collins Theater
http://www.black-brothers.com
If you want to join in yourselves, I can highly recommend Shay's sessions at the Starry Plough! I miss heading out there myself: A highlight of the week!
"Join Shay and many of his friends in the East Bay for the 'Starry Irish Session' -
A night of lively Irish music and song at 8pm every Sunday night.
'The Starry Plough' is situated at 3101 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
(Tel: 510.841.2080) one block east of Ashby BART."
http://www.starryploughpub.com
Anyone heading to San Francisco should bear it in mind because the session is open for anyone almost every Sunday evening of the year 0:)
Shay Black is brilliant and regardless of what level your musicianship lies, he'll have you tapping/clapping along and joining in!
P.S. from Shay via Facebook.
"The Black Brothers Band are performing our only San Francisco show this year at the Collins Theater on the campus of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (SHCP) this coming Friday (April 19th) for a special fundraiser for the school. The show promises to be very entertaining as not only will we have the full band on board (Bobbi Nikles on fiddle, Eamonn Flynn on piano, Shay Black on guitar and vocals, and Michael Black on cittern, banjo and vocals), but we will also be joined by some very special guests. The SHCP string ensemble will join us for a few songs, as well as Ciara Black on vocals, and freshly back from the World Irish Dance Championships, Ciara Duggan. The event commences at 7.00 with a very "Irish" reception with music by harpist, Maureen Brennan and show begins at 8.00pm.
If you can't make it but might have some friends who might be interested feel free to forward this message.
Black Brothers in Concert at Collins Theater
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School
1055 Ellis St. San Francisco
Phone: 415-775-6626
Ellen 0:)
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
XYZ Studios
With thanks to somebody's mother who carries her son's business cards around. 0:)
Just discovered this gem of an animation studio carrying on business here in Melbourne. Another of those "unsung heroes" who gets overlooked in their hometown while the rest of the world sings their praises.
http://www.xyzstudios.com
Check out their accolades:
http://xyzstudios.com/about/
Check out their style:
http://xyzstudios.com/category/againstallodds/
Read all about it:
http://blog.xyzstudios.com/
Their business card is going into my little black book for future reference. 0:)
Ellen 0:)
Just discovered this gem of an animation studio carrying on business here in Melbourne. Another of those "unsung heroes" who gets overlooked in their hometown while the rest of the world sings their praises.
http://www.xyzstudios.com
Check out their accolades:
http://xyzstudios.com/about/
Check out their style:
http://xyzstudios.com/category/againstallodds/
Read all about it:
http://blog.xyzstudios.com/
Their business card is going into my little black book for future reference. 0:)
Ellen 0:)
Friday, April 5, 2013
New Colored Pencil Fine Art Exhibition
Now on-line and well worth the look-see: Not quite the schoolroom children's efforts of your years-gone-by!
http://www.cpsa.org/view-explore-this-9
And yes, they are still called "paintings", regardless of what medium is used to create the fine art that results. 0:)
"Explore This" exhibition rules allow for more mediums than only colored pencil to be used while exploration of the possibilities and resulting creative experimentation is appreciated. It's a freer environment!
Check it out! 0:)
Ellen 0:)
http://www.cpsa.org/view-explore-this-9
And yes, they are still called "paintings", regardless of what medium is used to create the fine art that results. 0:)
"Explore This" exhibition rules allow for more mediums than only colored pencil to be used while exploration of the possibilities and resulting creative experimentation is appreciated. It's a freer environment!
Check it out! 0:)
Ellen 0:)
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Lucas Arts? Not far, far away at all...
*Star Wars* aficionadi are reeling from the news that Disney has completed the plans to close down LucasArts.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57577786-235/disney-shuttering-lucasarts-moving-to-licensed-games-model/
Hold fast to hope though! Not all projects are completely lost!
"Although LucasArts itself will halt development of its two major projects, Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, it appears that those games are not dead in the water. A source with knowledge of the decision told CNET that neither game is being fully shut down, but that it has not yet been determined what will happen to them. However, LucasFilm has decided that "Star Wars" games should now be developed either by third-party studios or by Disney Interactive."
Facebook wails aside, it's always curious to me how myopic and narrowly-focused fans can be when it comes to their personal stake in a franchise or its creative talent. Reading Facebook flailings at the above news, I was reminded of an article I read not long after the inimitable George Lucas sold his long-treasured creation.
Now he has sold *Star Wars*, it moaned, what is he going to do to fill in his time?
A-ha! It exclaimed! He is building a museum! He will be filling in his time building a monument to all he achieved with *Star Wars*.
Hmmmm, says I, a long time observer at *Edutopia*. http://www.edutopia.org
Seems to me it isn't George Lucas lacking in creativity or imagination but those fans writing about his perceived "Clayton's retirement".
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/usa-georgelucas-museum-idUSL1N0C00NS20130308
"(Reuters) - Filmmaker George Lucas, the creator of "Star Wars," has submitted a bid to build a "storytelling museum" in San Francisco to share his vast collection of contemporary paintings, illustrations and digital art.
Lucas has offered to construct the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum on federal land, run it and stock it with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art by the likes of Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish. "What he finds most fascinating in these artists is their ability to capture an emotion and tell an entire story in one image," Lucas spokesman David Perry told Reuters.!...Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd., his film-making venture founded in 1971, to The Walt Disney Co. for $4.05 billion in 2012. Perry estimated the value of the proposed gift at $1 billion, including the artwork and more than $300 million to construct the museum at the Presidio."
"The semi-retired Lucas described his proposed museum as "a dedication to cultural fantasy" in an interview with CBS This Morning.
"Part of the museum is designed to educate younger people into the idea of storytelling, into the idea of being able to paint your fantasies, which is what 'Star Wars' was," he said.
"'Star Wars' was there to inspire young people to imagine things, to imagine going anywhere in the universe and doing anything you want to do and using your imagination to entertain yourself."
The museum would include five galleries, ranging in size from 4,500 to 8,500 square feet, a 200-seat theater and a 75-seat lecture hall. It would feature breathtaking views of the Bay, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lucas bought his first work of art, a page from one of Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge comic books, for $25 when he was a University of Southern California film student. Since then, he has amassed a collection of 150 years of what he calls "fantastical" art.
In a letter accompanying his proposal, Lucas described a childhood trip from his home in Modesto to the de Young Museum in San Francisco as life changing.
"I was drawn in by Norman Rockwell's ability to tell a complete story in a single image," he wrote. "It was then that I began to learn the art of visual storytelling.""
Decision is apparently planned for some time in April. CANNOT WAIT! I know certain fans won't agree with me but I think we are only now seeing the best George Lucas has in store for us all.
Ellen 0:)
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57577786-235/disney-shuttering-lucasarts-moving-to-licensed-games-model/
Hold fast to hope though! Not all projects are completely lost!
"Although LucasArts itself will halt development of its two major projects, Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, it appears that those games are not dead in the water. A source with knowledge of the decision told CNET that neither game is being fully shut down, but that it has not yet been determined what will happen to them. However, LucasFilm has decided that "Star Wars" games should now be developed either by third-party studios or by Disney Interactive."
Facebook wails aside, it's always curious to me how myopic and narrowly-focused fans can be when it comes to their personal stake in a franchise or its creative talent. Reading Facebook flailings at the above news, I was reminded of an article I read not long after the inimitable George Lucas sold his long-treasured creation.
Now he has sold *Star Wars*, it moaned, what is he going to do to fill in his time?
A-ha! It exclaimed! He is building a museum! He will be filling in his time building a monument to all he achieved with *Star Wars*.
Hmmmm, says I, a long time observer at *Edutopia*. http://www.edutopia.org
Seems to me it isn't George Lucas lacking in creativity or imagination but those fans writing about his perceived "Clayton's retirement".
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/usa-georgelucas-museum-idUSL1N0C00NS20130308
"(Reuters) - Filmmaker George Lucas, the creator of "Star Wars," has submitted a bid to build a "storytelling museum" in San Francisco to share his vast collection of contemporary paintings, illustrations and digital art.
Lucas has offered to construct the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum on federal land, run it and stock it with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art by the likes of Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish. "What he finds most fascinating in these artists is their ability to capture an emotion and tell an entire story in one image," Lucas spokesman David Perry told Reuters.!...Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd., his film-making venture founded in 1971, to The Walt Disney Co. for $4.05 billion in 2012. Perry estimated the value of the proposed gift at $1 billion, including the artwork and more than $300 million to construct the museum at the Presidio."
"The semi-retired Lucas described his proposed museum as "a dedication to cultural fantasy" in an interview with CBS This Morning.
"Part of the museum is designed to educate younger people into the idea of storytelling, into the idea of being able to paint your fantasies, which is what 'Star Wars' was," he said.
"'Star Wars' was there to inspire young people to imagine things, to imagine going anywhere in the universe and doing anything you want to do and using your imagination to entertain yourself."
The museum would include five galleries, ranging in size from 4,500 to 8,500 square feet, a 200-seat theater and a 75-seat lecture hall. It would feature breathtaking views of the Bay, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lucas bought his first work of art, a page from one of Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge comic books, for $25 when he was a University of Southern California film student. Since then, he has amassed a collection of 150 years of what he calls "fantastical" art.
In a letter accompanying his proposal, Lucas described a childhood trip from his home in Modesto to the de Young Museum in San Francisco as life changing.
"I was drawn in by Norman Rockwell's ability to tell a complete story in a single image," he wrote. "It was then that I began to learn the art of visual storytelling.""
Decision is apparently planned for some time in April. CANNOT WAIT! I know certain fans won't agree with me but I think we are only now seeing the best George Lucas has in store for us all.
Ellen 0:)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Content content! 0:)
What is Art when it's at home? Or anywhere else for that matter.
When it comes down to a solid analysis of what Art actually is, who is the person brave enough to make a definitive statement? One we can all apply (without exception) in order to make sure our personal opinions will not lead us into the temptation of behaviors which can be considered "odd"? And for that matter, what is "odd"? One man's "oddity" can sometimes be another's "rapturous acclimation/illumination"!
Fellow Aussie Robert Hughes made a name for himself being critical and while I sometimes found his comments interesting, I have been frequently flummoxed on hearing his passing judgements regarding other's creative efforts. Case in point, in episode 2 of Hughes' "American Visions", Hughes really confused me when he described the architecture and art of Santa Fe N.M. as "the pious ethno-kitsch of contemporary Santa Fe".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9teEmtNdtjg
It still annoys me all these years after I first heard him say these words! I can only guess he didn't look closely enough at Santa Fe (or spend enough time there) to be able to make an apt assessment. He must have breezed through in a day (or so) without exploring the depths hidden beyond the tours and quick fix vacation takers. Or maybe he was reading from his producer's notes instead of walking the back alleys and laneways where the real Santa Fe is hidden. Who knows! But while I can understand the false impression somebody waltzing through might grab, it is as far from the reality of my experience as is humanly possible for it to be.
I adore Santa Fe and have from the moment I set foot on New Mexican soil! Any excuse and I'll head back there ASAP. You cannot get to know Santa Fe from a half day's visit! She is like fine china loved for a lifetime of three-meal-a-day usage without the bride realizing how much the set cost her generous wedding guest: An unexpected joy and pleasure.
When I first flew into Santa Fe I had virtually no idea what to expect. I was only there because the studio I was going to be recording in had been changed to Santa Fe from the original contract's Texas location. But apart from the massive Tarantula Wasps buzzing around the blossom trees at Santa Fe Airport (and an extremely unexpected case of altitude sickness), from the moment I took the cab into town and caught my first glimpses of the adobe houses (all shapes, sizes, demographics, culture and socio-economic mix), I was hooked!
Growing up in suburban Melbourne (Australia), I was used to all buildings being based on basic box shapes: Hard lines and sharp corners. But Santa Fe architecture flows and whatever it's influence, grows from the land, reflecting the people it insulates. My parents were considered radical in 1950s/60s Victoria because they had clay seagulls flying across the lounge wall instead of the usual ceramic ducks! My father still laughs nervously when they are mentioned even to this day; his own personal radicalism. "I liked them." And fair enough, say I!
Same goes in Santa Fe, where regardless of their age or structure, New Mexicans express themselves using whatever artistic means are at their disposal or takes their fancy/fantasy! Even the back lanes and streets are non-conformist having been built on donkey tracks in existence since the town's beginnings in the 1050s.
In other words, one man's "kitsch" is another man's history or delight. The "kitsch" Hughes was referring to was not copied from anywhere else by Santa Feans because they were the ones who had created the originals! Others copied or borrowed influences from the Santa Feans personal acts of creative expression.
Flying ducks were regarded by my 60s/70s generation as horribly "kitsch", disgustingly common and painfully old-fashioned. Yet in 2013, there are modern day collectors searching auction houses looking for just the right set to adorn their modern renovated white walls! My parents were judged as radical for ignoring the status quo and choosing seagulls instead. Today's collectors would grab the ducks (judged according to the intricacies of their variable identities) while tossing the poor seagulls aside, their uniqueness going unappreciated even in this day and age. So what gives? What makes something Art and something else "kitsch"?
While living in San Francisco's East Bay I frequently drove up from SFO towards the city and on the hillside below the "South San Francisco" sign there is a row of houses which all looked the same. Every drive I would find myself singing a folk song from the 60s we used to sing at school.
http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/MALVINA/mr094.htm
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,1
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
According to the referring website:
"Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1962 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1990. Malvina and her husband were on their way from where they lived in Berkeley, through San Francisco and down the peninsula to La Honda where she was to sing at a meeting of the Friends’ Committee on Legislation (not the PTA, as Pete Seeger says in the documentary about Malvina, “Love It Like a Fool”). As she drove through Daly City, she said “Bud, take the wheel. I feel a song coming on.”..."
We can ask ourselves, was the creativity expressed only in Malvina Reynolds feeling inspired or is the issue what I noticed when I last saw the housing row in 2006 as I prepared to fly out of California?
"There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
..."
At the time I knew nothing of the creator's instinct or inspiration or even where she was writing about. I had no idea she had been driving through the same area when inspiration hit her and she wrote the first draft. But what did notice was that each house, while sharing massive similarities, were all in some way unique. They may all look the same and they may be made of "ticky-tacky" but every home owner chooses what color to paint their individual house which made the row of houses stand out from all others on that hillside and drew the eye automatically to their presence. And there is probably still a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one, even to this day! The individual's creative choice and artistic expression, regardless of whether anybody else appreciates it or not, is exactly what makes us aware of the houses at all.
Additionally, San Francisco houses (bland or not), have made a long-term contribution to Western culture. And this in spite of there being many people since the 1960s who are prone to groan when the repetitive tune from this song starts up and grinds on. Many from the 60s may firmly place it's presence in the "kitsch" basket and hope it never becomes revived again! BUT! From that referring website:
"...1. The term "ticky tacky" is now included in the Oxford English Dictionary, and credited to Malvina.
2. Seeger's recording reached as high as number seventy on Billboard and number seventy-two on Cashbox in early 1964.
3. The Womenfolk's version peaked at number eighty-three on Billboard and number ninety-six on Cashbox in May 1964."
So much for "kitsch"!
An old Santa Fe tourism video from 1995 asks visitors and locals to explain how they would define "Santa Fe style" and the responses included "Unique", "Different," and "Romantic". The voice-over artist explains Santa Fe as eclectic, colorful and eccentric. But the best explanation I have ever heard to explain Santa Fe's inexplicable mystique and stature as "one of the most sophisticated art centres of the world" comes from an interviewee almost as "unique" as the place itself. He says that Santa Fe style is "The old, the new, something borrowed, something blue."
I'm with him.
Don't try to explain or understand it, just revel in all it's diverse confusion and wonder. Relax and enjoy!
Ellen 0:)
When it comes down to a solid analysis of what Art actually is, who is the person brave enough to make a definitive statement? One we can all apply (without exception) in order to make sure our personal opinions will not lead us into the temptation of behaviors which can be considered "odd"? And for that matter, what is "odd"? One man's "oddity" can sometimes be another's "rapturous acclimation/illumination"!
Fellow Aussie Robert Hughes made a name for himself being critical and while I sometimes found his comments interesting, I have been frequently flummoxed on hearing his passing judgements regarding other's creative efforts. Case in point, in episode 2 of Hughes' "American Visions", Hughes really confused me when he described the architecture and art of Santa Fe N.M. as "the pious ethno-kitsch of contemporary Santa Fe".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9teEmtNdtjg
It still annoys me all these years after I first heard him say these words! I can only guess he didn't look closely enough at Santa Fe (or spend enough time there) to be able to make an apt assessment. He must have breezed through in a day (or so) without exploring the depths hidden beyond the tours and quick fix vacation takers. Or maybe he was reading from his producer's notes instead of walking the back alleys and laneways where the real Santa Fe is hidden. Who knows! But while I can understand the false impression somebody waltzing through might grab, it is as far from the reality of my experience as is humanly possible for it to be.
I adore Santa Fe and have from the moment I set foot on New Mexican soil! Any excuse and I'll head back there ASAP. You cannot get to know Santa Fe from a half day's visit! She is like fine china loved for a lifetime of three-meal-a-day usage without the bride realizing how much the set cost her generous wedding guest: An unexpected joy and pleasure.
When I first flew into Santa Fe I had virtually no idea what to expect. I was only there because the studio I was going to be recording in had been changed to Santa Fe from the original contract's Texas location. But apart from the massive Tarantula Wasps buzzing around the blossom trees at Santa Fe Airport (and an extremely unexpected case of altitude sickness), from the moment I took the cab into town and caught my first glimpses of the adobe houses (all shapes, sizes, demographics, culture and socio-economic mix), I was hooked!
Growing up in suburban Melbourne (Australia), I was used to all buildings being based on basic box shapes: Hard lines and sharp corners. But Santa Fe architecture flows and whatever it's influence, grows from the land, reflecting the people it insulates. My parents were considered radical in 1950s/60s Victoria because they had clay seagulls flying across the lounge wall instead of the usual ceramic ducks! My father still laughs nervously when they are mentioned even to this day; his own personal radicalism. "I liked them." And fair enough, say I!
Same goes in Santa Fe, where regardless of their age or structure, New Mexicans express themselves using whatever artistic means are at their disposal or takes their fancy/fantasy! Even the back lanes and streets are non-conformist having been built on donkey tracks in existence since the town's beginnings in the 1050s.
In other words, one man's "kitsch" is another man's history or delight. The "kitsch" Hughes was referring to was not copied from anywhere else by Santa Feans because they were the ones who had created the originals! Others copied or borrowed influences from the Santa Feans personal acts of creative expression.
Flying ducks were regarded by my 60s/70s generation as horribly "kitsch", disgustingly common and painfully old-fashioned. Yet in 2013, there are modern day collectors searching auction houses looking for just the right set to adorn their modern renovated white walls! My parents were judged as radical for ignoring the status quo and choosing seagulls instead. Today's collectors would grab the ducks (judged according to the intricacies of their variable identities) while tossing the poor seagulls aside, their uniqueness going unappreciated even in this day and age. So what gives? What makes something Art and something else "kitsch"?
While living in San Francisco's East Bay I frequently drove up from SFO towards the city and on the hillside below the "South San Francisco" sign there is a row of houses which all looked the same. Every drive I would find myself singing a folk song from the 60s we used to sing at school.
http://people.wku.edu/charles.smith/MALVINA/mr094.htm
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,1
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
According to the referring website:
"Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1962 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1990. Malvina and her husband were on their way from where they lived in Berkeley, through San Francisco and down the peninsula to La Honda where she was to sing at a meeting of the Friends’ Committee on Legislation (not the PTA, as Pete Seeger says in the documentary about Malvina, “Love It Like a Fool”). As she drove through Daly City, she said “Bud, take the wheel. I feel a song coming on.”..."
We can ask ourselves, was the creativity expressed only in Malvina Reynolds feeling inspired or is the issue what I noticed when I last saw the housing row in 2006 as I prepared to fly out of California?
"There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
..."
At the time I knew nothing of the creator's instinct or inspiration or even where she was writing about. I had no idea she had been driving through the same area when inspiration hit her and she wrote the first draft. But what did notice was that each house, while sharing massive similarities, were all in some way unique. They may all look the same and they may be made of "ticky-tacky" but every home owner chooses what color to paint their individual house which made the row of houses stand out from all others on that hillside and drew the eye automatically to their presence. And there is probably still a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one, even to this day! The individual's creative choice and artistic expression, regardless of whether anybody else appreciates it or not, is exactly what makes us aware of the houses at all.
Additionally, San Francisco houses (bland or not), have made a long-term contribution to Western culture. And this in spite of there being many people since the 1960s who are prone to groan when the repetitive tune from this song starts up and grinds on. Many from the 60s may firmly place it's presence in the "kitsch" basket and hope it never becomes revived again! BUT! From that referring website:
"...1. The term "ticky tacky" is now included in the Oxford English Dictionary, and credited to Malvina.
2. Seeger's recording reached as high as number seventy on Billboard and number seventy-two on Cashbox in early 1964.
3. The Womenfolk's version peaked at number eighty-three on Billboard and number ninety-six on Cashbox in May 1964."
So much for "kitsch"!
An old Santa Fe tourism video from 1995 asks visitors and locals to explain how they would define "Santa Fe style" and the responses included "Unique", "Different," and "Romantic". The voice-over artist explains Santa Fe as eclectic, colorful and eccentric. But the best explanation I have ever heard to explain Santa Fe's inexplicable mystique and stature as "one of the most sophisticated art centres of the world" comes from an interviewee almost as "unique" as the place itself. He says that Santa Fe style is "The old, the new, something borrowed, something blue."
I'm with him.
Don't try to explain or understand it, just revel in all it's diverse confusion and wonder. Relax and enjoy!
Ellen 0:)
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