Play on Words Appreciated in D.C.

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Tonight is Poetry Night at the White House. The President and Mrs. Obama are hosting some of the most prominent contemporary poets of our time. The poets were recognized for the influence they have had on today’s American culture.The poetry event also includes an afternoon workshop designed to educate children on the art of poetry. 

Like opera and ballet, poetry is not always recognized for the beautiful art form that it is. This form of writing is not fully appreciated or understood by many. To fully comprehend poetry is to understand all that goes into the writing of it – the use of diction, syntax, imagery, irony, symbolism, connotations and more. An accomplished poet incorporates many of these writing complexities into their written piece. 

Sometimes, a poet’s work is not made public until after their death. Many poets are “closet writers” and never intend to publish their work. Poetry fulfills a need to express innermost feelings and emotions. It is used as a channel for soul searching and release. Because deep-seated emotions and difficulties in personal lives are often reflected in poetry writing, many poets are uncomfortable with revealing their vulnerabilities, and decide to keep their compositions private. The pick of words can sometimes bring distressing feelings to the reader too. 

In a town that seems to thrive on debate, even last night’s White House literary event was not without controversy. The invitation of a successful Chicago poet and rapper brought criticism. His work has been a source of contention due to the choice of words he uses in his poetry. For more information about this controversial poet, visit http://bit.ly/mKy7eQ

Perhaps William Butler Yeats said it best about poetry “We make out of the quarrel with others, rhetoric, but of the quarrel with ourselves, poetry.”

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The Art of Mastery

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The problem is that we humans are compelled to understand things and use words in an attempt to do so. All of those words cloud an experience that is seen and felt on an individual basis” ~ Unknown

What is mastery? “Possession of consummate skill and full command of a subject of study.” Mastery comes by way of many forms and subjects. Just when we think we know it all, we often find, there is always more to learn! Education is a life long process. Such is the art of living. 

There is an event in September that artists around the globe have looked forward to for the past three years. It is a coming together of some of the most prominent representational artists of the 20th and 21st century, to share their knowledge and expertise with others. The event, this year, will be held in Monterey, California at the Portola Hotel and Spa. It is the Weekend with the Masters, http://bit.ly/iaoxhp scheduled for September 7th to September 10th

Richard Schmid www.westwindfineart.com whom many celebrate as the most masterful representational painter of our time, is scheduled to be the Keynote Speaker. This event has gained international recognition for drawing other top artists to lead discussions, give painting demonstrations and workshops about the revival of representational painting. It is no wonder, just a few notables that will be educating and sharing their expertise in representational art are: 

To view the full list of participating master artists, please visit, http://bit.ly/iaoxhp. Each artist is extraordinarily gifted and is so generous in sharing their knowledge, with others, in this weekend event. 

For more information on the outstanding accommodations at the Portola Hotel and Spa, please visit http://bit.ly/klpIlz. The facility is Monterey’s first and only LEED Hotel. It’s water-front views provide artistic inspiration as well as a wealth of other activities available to conference attendees. 

If the hospitality is as masterful as the artists attending the event, it will be no doubt, be a fulfilling weekend to remember!

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Sugar Plums in May? What is Up with that?

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Keep steadily before you the fact that all true success depends at last upon yourself.”  ~Theodore T Hunger 

Ahh…youth….creativity….promise….energy! I love it. 

The other day I met with a young, emerging artist who wanted some guidance and coaching on this thing called “e-marketing.” Many would say he has already emerged as a talent. But, he is headed in a different direction now. Our meeting was a time to explore ideas, possibilities, objectives and different approaches for marketing his art. His goal is to become more visible and take his photography to a new level. 

We began with a little basic education. As we got further into the conversation and tossed around some ideas, he began to squirm in his chair. His movements became more animated and I could tell he had visions of “sugarplums dancing in his head!” At one point in the conversation, he grabbed his face and said “ There’s a lot to think about!” 

This young emerging artist will not fall by the wayside as wasted talent, I am quite sure of that.  He has deep passion for his art. He also knows much already about setting his sites and going for the gold!

In his teenage years, he became notable in ski magazines for his freestyle tricks and had a successful competitive career. He will parlay his knowledge of what it takes to be a stand out, into his art of photography. 

He knows  that becoming successful in any new field takes:

  • Persistence
  • Energy
  • Setting goals and reaching for them http://bit.ly/bXRnOb.
  • Coaching
  • Vision and dreams 

There is great promise in this young man’s artistic talent. He is smart, he is creative! He is seeking out the tools he needs to market himself and his art through the internet. He is going at this with heads UP!  We look forward to sharing more information on this emerging  artist. But first, this young man understands he has some work to do. Stay tuned, I think he is a star in the making!

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Words and Images Haunt

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It is not a bad thing that children should occasionally, and politely, put parents in their place.”  ~Colette, My Mother’s House, 1922 

Yesterday I met with a client at the Bud Werner Library in Steamboat Springs, CO. www.steamboatlibrary.org .  As I sat in the library café waiting for my client to arrive, I began to leaf through Book Page. There was an article in it on how to raise readers. As I browsed the article, I began to laugh out loud!  One of the tips was some thing like  “when reading a book to a child, don’t necessarily keep to the script. Feel free to use editorial control.” 

How, may I ask, “Can a parent get away with that?” I never could! I was caught in the act, every time!  My son would scold me, as if I was raiding the refrigerator, taking out all the good stuff, in the middle of the night. 

“No, Mom, that is not right! That is not how the story goes!” he would say. Even as a little toddler, he could sense every time I strayed from the storyline, skipped a page or two, or ad-libbed just a wee bit. He knew when my words did not exactly match the pictures. Could this be the reason he has become a film editor and filmmaker? Now he is fulfilling his need for perfection – making sure the story told in pictures, matches the script! 

So, what is the point of the blog? One of the very best ways to raise a reader is to be a reader. But, caution, parents – even when you think your kids aren’t watching they are. Take heed, children notice and remember parent’s independent words and deeds as well as lessons learned from books. 

To read the full article on How to Raise a Reader, stop by your local library. Pick up a complimentary May issue of Book Page.  Most libraries have the publication available for their patrons or go on-line to www.bookpage.com.

 By the way, Happy Mother’s Day to Moms everywhere!

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Film Friday – Sundance Selection

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 There is a Sundance Film Festival selection all about marketing, branding and advertising. Really?  And it is The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

This film by acclaimed filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, examines the world as we know it today – a environment whereby just walking down the street we are attacked by people fulfilling their need to try to sell us something. 

This Oscar ® nominated documentary film is both funny and thought provoking. It brings to the fore just how subjected we really are to brand advertising on a daily basis, without thinking much about it or realizing it. 

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is among the cast along with appearances by Donald Trump and other business gurus. Some would contend that this movie is devoid of real substance. That it was produced to attract advertisers, just so the film could be produced! Watch it and decide for yourself. 

To watch a trailer of this movie, please visit http://imdb.to/g3h5mS.

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Learning New Systems and Methods

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You just don’t luck into things as much as you’d like to think you do. You build step by step…” ~ Barbara Bush

 Yesterday’s blog about the Library of Congress, the keeper of all things published, in Washington, DC brought to mind how things have changed in libraries since the days of wooden card catalog boxes. Ever since index cards were replaced with the On-Line Public Access Catalog (OPAC) new search methods have been developed for identifying publications people are seeking to find. 

 It is essential that  independent publishers can found through the On-Line Public Access catalog. http://bit.ly/pug0x. In order to be a successful independent book seller, there are four user tasks that must be incorporated into e-marketing your book. Potential buyers must be able to identify, find, select and obtain your book or other published media. Without understanding and utilizing the tools that are used in today’s computer cataloging systems, it is difficult for your publication to be visible among all the rest. 

Marketing over the internet is more complex than just having a website presence. Becoming visible as an author through e-marketing is as important as bringing visibility to the publication itself. Publicity and marketing of both product and “supplier” will greatly increase your publication’s chances of being found and sold! 

If you do not understand the strategies behind selling and marketing your publication over the internet, seek help. Contact a company that specializes in e-marketing for independent publishers.

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Archives and Architecture

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We all work with one infinite power.” ~ from the book  The Secret 

One of the most magnificent of all museum buildings in America is often over-looked by tourists visiting the Nation’s Capital of Washington, DC. Many walk right by one of the most interesting Federal Buildings, not knowing what they are missing. The real secret attraction is the architecture inside! Fulfilling the need to know what else is in it, lies just inside the walls of the building. The magnificent structure  houses the Library of Congress. Add this Federal Building to your “must see list” of sites to visit next time you are in the surrounds of Washington, DC. 

The structure  is so large  that  it can contain 147 million volumes of cataloged books, music, newspapers, pamphlets, films, technical reports/journals, textbooks, artwork and other published material. It is a library so enormous that it takes up three buildings, all connected by underground passageways. The museum houses publications on an amazing maze of 838 miles of shelving.  

Not only does the Library contain volumes of books, film and sheet music, it is the “bank”for copyright protection and copyright registration, and it is home to the United States Copyright Office

The Library of Congress also includes a motion picture and television reading room, the Mary Pickford Theatre which hosts free screenings of contemporary and classic movies and TV shows.

In recent years, a whole different class of publications have been added to the cataloging system at the Library of Congress. A small but growing collection of archived books is now available on the internet through a library initiative called American Memories. Now, some very frail volumes of books, audio visual materials, manuscripts and maps dating back as far as 1400 have been digitized. For more information on the Library of Congress, please visit http://1.usa.gov/mhUZy2.

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Nurturing Talent and Creativity

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 “There is one thing one has to have: either a soul that is cheerful by nature, or a soul  made cheerful by work, love, art and knowledge.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche 

Today is National Teachers Day! No matter what field of education a teacher has chosen to enter into, the vocation requires skill in motivating and communicating, a nurturing spirit and knowledge and expertise in a specific field. 

For those who have chosen to be educators in the art and humanities fields there may, perhaps, be a different set of skills that are necessary to effectively fulfill the duties as an art teacher and mentor.

  1. Understanding relationship between nature and creativity.
  2. Kindle independent thinking.
  3. Encouraging students to use their imagination.
  4. Teaching that each new day provides new opportunities for creation
  5. Interpreting and communicating feelings, thoughts and ideas into art.
  6. Using all senses to find inspiration
  7. Exploring new possibilities
  8. Sharing how art brings light and understanding to the world.
  9. Nurturing talent and passions.
  10. Joyful expression of individuality 

National Teachers Day was put into place in 1953 by a proclamation of the 81st Congress. To read more on this national day of celebration of educators, please visit http://bit.ly/jLEw8D

People are increasingly becoming more aware of what art brings to our lives – mental and emotional stimulation, conceptual ideas, reflection, hope and freedom to look at things from a different point of view. Happy Teachers Day to all educators around the country and around the world.

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Spring Poetry

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It is always the simple things that change our lives. This is how God does things.” ~ Donald Miller 

Although warm weather has not yet arrived here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, http://bit.ly/O9KMI there was a renewal of spirit, on Saturday evening, inside the United Methodist Church http://bit.ly/lAT08q  . The Yampa Valley Singers presented an event that was the very definition of poetry “an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response.” 

The beautifully poetic production, Spring Awakening, was produced and directed by the talented, Marie Carmichael. It was an orchestration of all things fulfilling  –  a multi-media production of art through the compilation of inspiring photographic images, magnificent music and even a little dance between flames up and down the center aisle of the church. Although indoors, the lovers light and lively interplay was interpreted in my mind, to a dance in a garden-like setting between flowering blossoms of spring. 

The musical arrangement of Time to Say Goodbye brought a little tear to my eye but it was quickly forgotten as the Yampa Valley Singers launched into tunes from my favorite form of art – musical theatre. A lively Broadway Medley of some of the most well-known songs of stage productions, such as Oklahoma, the Sound of Music, Carousel, the King and I, State Fair and South Pacific brought a huge smile to my face.  I was delighted and charmed by two precious little children singing Do-Ri- Me,  too!

There are so many ways people can bring light into their own lives during this season of rebirth. The most celebrated writers in history have put their interpretation of this season into the literary form of poetry. To read a collection of 114 poems about spring from Robert Frost, William Shakespeare, Katherine Mansfield, Henry Van Dyke, Carl Sandburg, Emily Dickinson and more, please visit http://bit.ly/li8miV

Thank you, Marie Carmichael and the Yampa Valley Singers http://bit.ly/jph2do for ushering in spring. My spirit has been rejuvenated, in earnest, by your inspirational interpretation of art and culture. As for the warm weather, bring it on Lord, bring it on. We are ready and prepared for the arrival and we will be extremely grateful, too!

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Movies for Art Buffs

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“All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree.”  ~ Albert Einstein 

Happy Arbor Day, on this Film Friday! It has been a busy week, so the blog today will be brief.  So often we have featured historical art fiction books on this blog site. Today, we will fulfill the needs of movie buffs who like to watch films about art and artists. Here are ten top favorite movies on this subject: 

1-      Pollack – About the abstract expressionist painter

2-      Basquiat –  The life of the 1980’s graffiti artist

3-      The Agony and the Ecstasy – A Biography of the genius of Michelangelo

4-      Art School Confidential –  This film was inspired by comic strip by Daniel Clowes

5-      Dirty Pictures –  About a controversial exhibit of photos by Robert Mapplethorpe

6-      Frida – Mexican surrealist painter Frida Kahlo is featured in this film

7-      Goya in Bordeaux –A biographical film aboutFrancisco Goya, Spanish romantic painter of the 18th and 19th century.

8-      I Shot Andy Warhol – About the woman who tried to shoot pop artist Andy Warhol.

9-      Klimt – A 2006 Austrian film about Gustav Klimt, the artist of the famous painting The Kiss.

10-  My Left Foot – An Oscar was won for the actor portraying the Irish artist born with cerebral palsy who made art using his left foot.

To see the full list of the top 20 art films, please visit http://bit.ly/bIed89.

Enjoy the weekend, and we will be back on Monday with more independent thoughts, words and views!  

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