May9
Apr24
Japanese Post Modern Contemporary Art
Takashi Murakami was born in 1962 in Tokyo. He is a well know artist who combines “Pop, animé and otaku content within a flattened representational picture-plane” (Gagosian Gallery, 2014). He has been featured in many exhibition of Japanese art. He has received a BFA, MFA and PhD from the Tokyo University of the Arts (formerly the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music). He is very active in the Japanese art arena.
Self-Portrait of the Manifold Worries of a Manifoldly Distressed Artist by Takashi Murakami is a prime example of how he combines animé and Pop art. It was painted in 2012 with acrylic paints on canvas mounted on a board. It expresses to me the many emotions the artist may be feeling as he is creating a piece of art. The faces say it all, intense thought to frustration.
Another great Japanese artist is Chiho Aoshima. She was also born in Tokyo, Japan but in 1974. She has the ability to excite people with her visions of surreal dream scapes. “This young graphic artist began in Murakami’s factory with no formal art training” (wikipedia, 2014).
Japanese Apricot 3- A Pink Dream was made by Chiho Aoshima in 2007. She is an spectacular pop artist that brings an Ora of femininity to her intense artwork. Her art makes me wonder if there is some under lying issues that she has not dealt with, or maybe she is dealing with them through her expression in her art. Japanese Apricot 3- A Pink Dream makes me curious if she feels bond in her own life. This is one of three Apricot paintings where the women are tied to the trees.
Mr. is a Japanese man born Iwamoto Masakatu in 1969. He is renowned for his Pop art. He “draws his inspiration from otaku culture (including manga comics, anime, sci-fi literature, and video games) for many of his works” (Baltic Shop). Mr. creates his works mainly in the form of drawings, paintings, or sculptures.
Starting Over by Mr. was created in 2008. He created a cartoonist feel to the work. The people in the art almost look like children creating a innocent feel to the work, but they are armed with high powered riffles. No innocence here.
References
Baltic Shop. (n.d) Mr.: Starting Over/Limited Edition Print. Retrieved from https://www.balticmill.com/shop?viewProduct=mr-starting-over-limited-edition-print&product=50d045b9e55d88601200071c
Gagosian Gallery, (2014). Takashi Murakami. Retrieved from http://www.gagosian.com/artists/takashi-murakami
Galerie Perrotin. (n.d.). CHIHO AOSHIMA. Retrieved from https://www.perrotin.com/biography-Chiho_Aoshima-14.html
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Chiho Aoshima. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiho_Aoshima
Apr21
The Depth of Street Art
Art created on the streets have come a long way. Some still view street art as graffiti, but others view it as fine art. Julian Beever and Kurt Wenner are great examples of the complex works of art being created on the streets of the world. Their street art reminds me of the Illusion Ceilings from the Baroque Era. They all produce a 3D affect as did the ceiling paintings. These artist have a great talent for making things seem different then they really are, and adding depth where there is not.
Kurt Wenner is an American artist. Wenner began street painting in 1982 in Rome. By 1984 he was one of the few Master Street Artists . He was inspired by anamorphism a technique used in ceiling art to create illusion of height. “Kurt Wenner has combined traditional street painting techniques along with classical training, illusion, and performance to invent an art form all his own” (kurtwenner.com,n.d.). Kurt’s form of art is known as anamorphic, illusionistic, or 3D street painting.
Fishing in Shanghai was created by Wenner in 2007 in Xintiandi, Shanghai, China. You can see the depth of his chalk drawing, or not. It is all an illusion. He created such a detailed piece of art that it truly does belong in a art gallery somewhere, but instead it was washed away with the rain. I really enjoy how it really looks like the fish in in a pond and the people are sitting on the edge trying to catch the lone fish.
Spiderman for Universal Studios Japan is another great example of Wenner’s anamorphic style of art along with the use of stereoscopic 3D, 3D glasses are used for further 3D effect. He created this in 2011 for the 10th anniversary of Japan’s Universal Studios. It was approximately 5o feet long by 20 feet wide. He captured the character of Spiderman with great detail and accuracy. It even makes me believe Spiderman is suspended by his webs.
Finally we have a Christmas Nativity scene at Belmont Forum Shopping Centre, Perth, Western Australia by Kurt Wenner.
It is a beautiful depiction of the the famous Nativity scene usually seen at Christmas time. He created this great work in a small nook in the Shopping Centre. It also shows the talent he possesses to create a 3D appearance in his work.
Julian Beever was born in Cheltenham, United Kingdom in 1959. He began anamorphic street drawings in the early 1990’s. He did not become well known until the early 2000’s. By the mid 2000’s he was receiving commercial commissions. “Beever is now in great demand from corporate business and has worked in 28 different countries” (Julian Beever’s Official Web Site).
Meeting Madame Butterfly by Julian Beever was created in Mexico City for the 9 episode of the Gallery HD television series A Concrete Canvas shown in the USA. The monarch butterfly almost looks real in this drawing. it looks like it may land on the boys hand and roost there.
The Dark Night Rises by Julian Beever was drawn in Madrid, Spain in 2012. It was created in celebration of the release of the movie The Dark Night Rises, the most resent Batman movie. It is so life like it almost looks like you could just fall right off the edge into the great hole before you.
Finally Beever’s Let’s Be Friends was created in Tokyo for the television show Unbelievable. I am not sure when it was created, but it had to be created after 1990 because that is when he started doing street art. It was also created for another purpose to appeal to Japan to appreciate the magnificence of living whales. Whales are definitely something to be in wonder over. This whale is no exception. It is created in such splendor how could you not recognize the beauty of the living whale and the beautifully depicted drawn whale as well. The water surrounding the whale looks so wet. It is quite believable you may fall into the icy ocean if you are not careful.
Shanghai Daily (2007). Chalk one up for 3D street art. Retrieved from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-06/11/content_6225839.htm
empireentertainment.com. (2011). Spiderman Meets Kurt Wenner Trick Art for Universal Studios Japan’s 10th Anniversary. Retrieved from http://www.empireentertainment.com/credits_details.php?newsid=641
Julian Beever Official Web Site. (2012). 3D Illusions. Retrieved from http://www.julianbeever.net/index.php?Itemid=8&id=2&option=com_phocagallery&view=category
http://www.julianbeever.net/index.php?option=com_phocagallery&view=category&id=2&Itemid=8
kurtwenner.com. (n.d.). A Brief History of Street Painting. Retrieved from http://kurtwenner.com/images/PDFs/BriefHistory.pdf
kurtwenner.com. (n.d.).Street Painting. Retrieved from http://kurtwenner.com/street.htm
Apr2
The influence WW1 had on art in the Early Modern Era
The people of the world were upset over the loss of so many people in World War I that they did not want to following in the traditional ways, but instead turned to less fancy ways of expression such as Surrealism. Surrealism seemed to be a direct result of the atrocity of World War I. It is a way of expressing psychological states which resemble dreams and fantasy.
Surrealism was spearheaded by André Breton a young doctor who had been a first-hand witness of the war. He had served as a soldier during WWI. He started by writing poetry about the perverse society that had caused the war. One adventure that inspired Andre Breton was when he interviewed some deranged soldiers in an psychiatric hospital during his time in the war. It was this experience that got him interested in Freudian “free association” and which led the belief that dream analysis techniques could be a treasure trove of ideas for poetic inspiration (Miami Dade College).
This leads me to my first work of art I want to share with you Andre Breton’s Manifesto of Surrealism.
He wrote it in 1924. He was a French man so he probably wrote it in France. Soon after the Manifesto was written he became part of a group of artists that had like minded ideas. It is an interesting work of writing that inspires us to expand our minds to appreciate the depth of our dreams and fantasies instead of just conforming to what we are told to believe and do. I do not believe we need to go to the extremes as some Surrealist did by doing drugs to get to those height of understanding. We can just try to appreciate and let down some of the stiffness and negativity that life can bring. Learning to see what cannot be seen with a glance.
Another work that came from Surrealism is called “exquisite corpses”. It was a game that the Surrealist group created.
It was the ultimate Surrealist piece of art because it is created by multiple people. This one is hanging in the Art Institutes Modern Wing. It was created by Man Ray, Joan Miró, Yves Tanguy, and Max Morise in 1928 in France. To play the game “A piece of paper would be folded into sections, like a fan. One artist would take one of the sections and start a drawing, then fold the section over and hand it over to the next person, who would pick up a line from the preceding drawing, without seeing the context for it, and make their own drawing. The result is a four-section drawing that hangs together but isn’t really connected” (Erin H. 2010). It is interesting to see what these artist designed from just a few words written on a piece of paper to inspire the drawing. It clearly is a work of fantasy. Not real rime or reason, as in a dream.
Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale was created in 1924 by Max Ernst. He was a German painter who had become part of the Surrealist group with André Breton. He had moved to Paris in 1922, so this painting was most likely created there. This painting is oil on wood. It is believed that the death of his sister in 1897, and fevered hallucinations he had inspired this piece of art. While he was sick in hallucination he recalled seeing in the wood of his bed “successively the aspect of an eye, a nose, a bird’s head, a menacing nightingale, a spinning top, and so on.” I am not sure that I can say I can really appreciate this work of art. It is imaginative, but dark to me. I can see how this is an expression of loss and fear. It as if everyone is trying to fight and get away from something. The sad thing is I can relate to this. I have had anxiety dreams in the past that could be compared to this scene. Fighting to get away, but never can quite get there.
Erin H. (2010). Exquisite Corpses. Retrieved on April 2, 2014 from http://blog.artic.edu/blog/2010/05/06/exquisite-corpses/
Labedzki, A. (2009). His Most Famous Painting (Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale) -Max Ernst. Retrieved on April 2, 2014 from http://ezinearticles.com/?His-Most-Famous-Painting-(Two-Children-Are-Threatened-by-a-Nightingale)—Max-Ernst&id=2664661
Miami Dade College. (n.d). Surrealism: The Search For Freedom. Retrieved on April 2, 2014 from https://www.mdc.edu/wolfson/Academic/ArtsLetters/art_philosophy/Humanities/Surrealism/Surrealism.htm
Mar24
Romantic Era: Impressionism art versus Romantic art
I would have to say I love impressionism. It adds a depth to the paintings that straight brush strokes just do not have the capacity to do. To me it really is so close to capturing that one moment in time. It can imply the breeze rustling the grass and leaves with the smeared appearance that is given with the light brush strokes. To me it even adds some feeling where there might not be any if lets say a photo was taken of the scene being witnessed.
I enjoy how Monet painted what he saw before him, down to the colors he painted. The evolution of his paintings of The Waterlily Pond, 1899 to the The Japanese Bridge,1923 show how the loss of his eye sight changed how the scene is interpreted and the colors he used changed as well.
This is Claude Monet The Waterlily pond, 1899 when he still had good eye sight. Over time cataracts formed on his eyes. The Waterlily Pond and The Japanese Bridge are paintings of the same pond and bridge. The colors of the scenery were distorted by the layer of cataracts on Monet’s eyes. So he saw more oranges and reds rather then greens and blues.
The Paintings were both painted in Giverny, a hamlet near Vernon, 52 miles from Paris. Monet built this pond to what he wanted on his families property. He had wanted an Oriental water garden. “Importing Chinese and Japanese bamboos, exotic water lilies, and rare species of plants, the neighborhood started to fear for their health. He had to defend himself and convince the population that he would not poison the water. He eventually managed to dig the pool and have a Japanese footbridge built which he painted green to match the surrounding plants.” ( http://www.monetpainting.net/biography.php ) He was well known for his gardening as well as his paintings.
Romantic style of painting also shows great emotion. Caspar David Friedrich’s painting Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog is a great example of Romantic art. Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog was created in Kunsthalle, Hamburg in 1818.
The Romantic style has more prominent brush stokes. Unlike the loose brush strokes used in impressionism art. Romantic art is not capturing something that is being witnessed by the painter like in impressionism. It is an interpretation of the artist’s own self-expression.
It is believed this is Friedrich featured in this painting looking out at the mountains consumed in fog. He purposely does not show you his face in the painting. He wants you to view the world through his eyes. When I am witnessing something like what is depicted in Frierich’s painting I feel peace and inner tranquility. My thoughts lead me to believe that is what the figure in the painting may be feeling as he witnesses the grandeur before him. Friedrich tried to incorporate meaning in his paintings. “Even some of Friedrich’s apparently nonsymbolic paintings contain inner meanings, clues to which are provided either by the artist’s writings or those of his literary friends.” (Boston College)
References
http://www.monetpainting.net/biography.php
http://www.intermonet.com/colors/
Boston College. (n.d.). retrieved on March 24, 2014 from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/rom_fri_wand.html
Boston College. (n.d.). Restoration Europe- Romanticism. retrieved on March 24, 2014 from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/rom_fri.html
Mar7
Classical era: influence of science in the art world
The science of archaeology brought many quick changes to the art of the 18th century. With the discovery of the ruins of places such as Pompeii and Athens, Roman and Greek classical look and feel became prominent in art once again creating the neoclassical form of art and expression. Giovanni Paolo Panini’s work Ancient Rome is a good example of this influence.
Panini’s paining Ancient Rome was created in 1757 after the discovery of the ruins of Pompeii. “It was painted for the count de Stainville, later duke de Choiseul” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art,2006). Duke de Caiseul is featured in the the painting, he is in the center of the painting with a guidebook in his hand. Panini is also in the picture. He is behind the chair. The figures are enjoying a copy of the Aldobrandini Wedding—one of the most famous ancient frescoes, a type of wall painting from the time of Emperor Augustus . “The Pantheon, the Colosseum, Trajan’s Column, the Farnese Hercules, and the Laocoön can be readily identified” (The Metropolitan Museum of Art,2006). This is a very busy painting, but has great detail and grace. The statues depicted in the painting are created with great detail and elegance. Panini had a great talent for detail. This painting says it all. The beauty and sophistication of the Ramon architecture and style of art.
Expeditions made by artists and writers helped to spread the popularity of returning to the classical style of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Two of those travelers were James ‘Athenian’ Stuart, was an English architect, archaeologist, and painter, and Nicholas Revett. They published their first volume of The Antiquities of Athens in 1762 in England. It was the first of what was to be three volumes. Stuart painted the architecture in Athens and Revett created the measured drawings. There were over 500 subscribers of the first volume. The volume served as “architects and designers as a principal source book for the Greek orders and decorative motifs” (Stuart and Le Roy). The drawings depicted the grandeur of elegance of the Greek design. It was a great debate in the 1700s which was better the Roman or the Greek Design. Stuart felt that the Greek was superior.
Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova is another great example of neoclassical form. It was commissioned by Scottish patron John Campbell in 1787. This statue was created out of marble. It is currently living in Louvre, Paris in the Hermitage Museum. It is an exquisite statue of Cupid and his mortal lover Psyche. You can see the passion in the embrace even though the faces show no real expression. Which was common for this style of art. Even without the facial expression the stature says it all. Cupid is rescuing Psyche with such grace and physical emotion. Without the facial emotion the bodies almost do not match the faces of the statue.
Even though The Ruins of Athens written by Ludwig van Beethoven was not wrote in the 1700s. I believe it was also part of the classical era.Beethoven wrote the music while in the town of Teplitz located in Bohemia. It is a set of music pieces written in 1811 for the play The Ruins of Athens. The play depicts “Minerva, the Roman goddess of art and music, awakening after two millennia to find Athens occupied by the Turks” (Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra,2011). She is so happy to see that the culture is alive and well thanks to the emperor. The music that Beethoven composed is so smoothing and refreshing. It touches me to the core. It evokes such emotion when you really listen with your whole mind, body and soul. The neoclassical style, which is modeled after the Greeks and Romans style of great emotion, and grace.
References
Gontar, Cybele. (2003), “Neoclassicism”. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/neoc_1/hd_neoc_1.htm
Grummond, N. T, (1992).”The history and interpretation of the “Aldobrandini Wedding”: Bacchus, fertility and marriage in the time of Augustus. Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume 53-03, Section: A , Page 0647, Thesis (Ph.D.) The Florida State University, Retrieved on March 7, 20014 from http://digitool.fcla.edu/R/I1PUCESR7VUIXYEF7NDRTST6VS8U6UKLIU9KH49CRSDHQA9L9B-01910?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=3087773&local_base=GEN01&pds_handle=GUEST
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000,(2006) “Giovanni Paolo Panini: Ancient Rome” (52.63.1) In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History . New York: – Retrieved on March 7, 2014 from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/52.63.1
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.(2011). Overture to The Ruins of Athens. Retrieved on March 7, 2014 from http://content.thespco.org/music/compositions/overture-to-the-ruins-of-athens-ludwig-van-beethoven/
Wilton, A. and Bignamini, I. (1996), Grand Tour: the lure of Italy (London, Tate Gallery Publishing, 1996) Retrieved on March 7, 2014 from https://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pd/j/james_stuart_and_nicholas_reve.aspx
Author u.n., Stuart and Le Roy, Retrieved on March 7, 2014 from http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/architecture/classicism.html
Feb25
Baroque Era: William Shakespeare – Antony and Cleopatra
The English poet and playwright, William Shakespeare, wrote the tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra’s love affair in his play Antony and Cleopatra around 1606-1607 in England. It was first published in the Folio Edition of 1623. The play was not published in the Folio until after his death on April 23, 1616 at the age of 52. April 23 is also believed to be his birthday.
Shakespeare “was not born into a family of nobility or significant wealth” (Shakespeare in American Communities, n.d.). He did not have any direct link to royalty. In his adult years what did give him a link to royalty was his connection to an acting company in England. There were two acting companies in England at the time. Shakespeare was a shareholder in Lord Chamberlain’s Men. They were “one of the most popular acting companies in London. He remained a member of this company for the rest of his career, often playing before the court of Queen Elizabeth I” (Shakespeare in American Communities, n.d.).
King James came to the throne in 1603. During his reign he issued a royal license to Shakespeare and the rest of his company. With this chain of events they became known at the King’s Men. “During King James’s reign, Shakespeare wrote many of his most accomplished plays about courtly power, including King Lear, Macbeth, and Antony and Cleopatra” (Shakespeare in American Communities, n.d.).
Antony and Cleopatra was a play about the tragic love of Mark Antony, a Roman military leader, who is enamored with Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and former mistress of Julius Caesar. It is a “powerful tragedy that exposes the penalty for emotional betrayal, political scandal, and corrupt leadership” (Shakespeare in American Communities, n.d.). The love affair created a civil war for the Romans. Mark Antony was married to another, Octavia, in Rome. Her brother, Octavius Caesar, did not like Antony’s betrayal of his sister. Octavius then attacked Egypt to defend her honor. At one point Cleopatra fakes her own suicide. Antony hears of this and kills himself on his own sword. Cleopatra hearing of Antony really killing himself does the same, but has a poisonous snake bite her. The play is full of great emotion and color, similar to the other art of this era. Antony and Cleopatra have such passion for each other. Making this a great and tragic love story. Shakespeare did such a great job at telling the story it has been featured many times since its creation in the early 1600’s. Even has been made into movies.
I have to admit I have never seen the play Antony and Cleopatra acted on stage, which I would love to see. I find that I am interested in most forms of art and will attend almost any kind of performance. The depth of emotion that Shakespeare captured in his play intrigues me and increases my desire to see this play. When searching YouTube you find only clips and full features of TV productions, not the play. I will have to continue my search for videos of the preformed play, or perhaps witness one live on stage.
References
Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d.). Antony and Cleopatra. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/28869/Antony-and-Cleopatra
Shakespeare in American Communities National Endowment for the Arts. (n.d.). The Life of William Shakespeare (1564-1616). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/education/life-william-shakespeare
Shakespeare in American Communities National Endowment for the Arts. (n.d.). Antony and Cleopatra. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://www.shakespeareinamericancommunities.org/plays/antony-and-cleopatra
Sparknotes. (n.d.). Antony and Cleopatra: William Shakespeare. Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/antony/summary.html
Feb14
Analysis of a visual art from the Renaissance – David by Donatello
David was a popular biblical figure in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance. He was looked upon as someone who had went up against unbeatable odds and won. Florence in the people’s eyes had done the same thing when they defeated “the Duke of Milan with the help of God” (Dr. Harris and Dr. Zucker, 2012).
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi well known as Donatello created a David different from the others fashioned during it’s time. For one it was the first free standing nude sculpture since the Classical Era that had flourished in Greece and Rome . Another thing that is interesting is that Donatello was not religious. He was known to be a homosexual, and this was greatly looked down upon by the Catholic Church. It is interesting that he made a sculpture from a biblical figure.
I believe he and his work were able to succeed because of his long time friendship to Cosimo de’Medici. According to PBS article (n.d.)” it’s not known how Donatello and Cosimo de’Medici became friends. They shared a fascination with the ancient world and lived in close proximity, so their paths must have crossed” (Donatello, n.d.).
It is unknown when the bronze statue of David by Donatello was created or who it was commissioned by. It is thought that it was made some where in the 1420s to the 1460s, but most likely in the 1440s in Florence, Italy. It was first seen in the courtyard of the Medici Palace. It is believed that Cosimo had Donatello craft the statue after the Medici family had triumphed over their enemies as a symbol to the rest of Florence.
Donatello’s David is a depiction of a young David standing with his left foot on the head of the giant know as Goliath whom he had defeated with the help of God. David comes from the old testament of the Bible. In the story Israel is facing unbeatable odds against the Philistines. Among them is a giant called Goliath. He challenged the Israelites to fight him. David said he would with the help of God, and he won with his sling and 5 stones.
At my first look at Donatello’s David I was turned off. There seemed something off about it. Maybe it was that it seemed too feminine. It is not really the casual stance, but the way he looks and the hand on the hip. The hat did not seem to be a man’s hat, but more like something a woman would wear. After a closer look the hat looks to be a armored helmet, not a sun hat like my first impression. This seems appropriate and not. If I remember correctly he was asked to take one of his families armor, but declined because he knew God would keep him safe. Maybe the helmet is meant to be Goliath’s, just like the sword David is holding.
After looking closer I can appreciate the great work of Donatello. He does bring out such expression in his sculpture. I just don’t think it fits a biblical David, or what David accomplished in his early life. The stance says to me that he is relaxed and not proud over defeating the giant. There seems to be no real pride in his expression on his face or his stature in the great deed that he accomplished. This statue is too casual to represent defeating a giant. I have to agree with Dr. Steven Zucker (2012) when he stated that Donatello “eschews armor in order to represent not the Judaic tradition but instead the ancient Greek and Roman regard for the beauty of the human body” known as Humanism.
David Does speak to you. The feel of it is almost sensual rather then a young man who had just defeateda great enemy of the Israelites. It is a wonderful depiction of the human spirit and desire. I feel that it is centered on the beauty of the human body rather then on the person it was supposed to showcase. If it did not have the head of the giant, I would believe it was a beautiful statue of a young man with great desires.
References
- Dr. Harris, B. & Dr. Zucker, S. (2012). text-based conversation about Donatello’s David. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/Donatello.html
- PBS (n.d.). Donatello. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/empires/medici/renaissance/donatello.html
Jan27
Who I am, well part of who I am.
I am a life long Alaskan. I was born in Palmer Alaska. Moved to the interior when I was 16. I have spent more than half of my life in the frozen interior, or you could say the freezing rain the last few winters. The great summers keep me here. I love the heat, and beauty of the forests around us. I have three daughters 15, 10, and 8. They all have their own unique personalities. I am married to a wonderful man. I do not know anyone more giving.
I work full time as a Tobacco Prevention Coordinator in Nenana. It has its rewards at times. I started a youth prevention group here in Nenana. I love working with the youth, and my over all goal is to become a school counselor. I love working with youth. They are our future, and I want to give them hope for a bright and healthy future.
I played the clarinet and piano when I was in elementary to high school. I was told at one time I was a natural. Now, it has left me. I would have to learn from the beginning again. I have tried a few times over the years, but I have forgotten so much. I love listening to guitar music, electric especially. It touches my soul like no other instrument. I was trying to talk my one of my daughters into learning to play, but that only last a few seconds. Maybe I will have to learn myself. The problem with that is I prefer to listen, not play. My husband used to know how to play, but insists he does not remember. I am sure it is allot like my ability to play the piano after so many years of not touching one. I guess I will just have to continue relying on my iPod and cds.
Today my art consists of beading. I learned to bead with seed beads when I was sixteen years old. I started with earrings, then on to dream catchers and sun catchers. When I had my first daughter I wanted to learn to skin sew. One of our elders in Nenana, who was family, took some time with me and showed me the basics. It was not until later on, my daughter was about 1, when we had moved to Seward for 10 months did I really embrace beading on skin.
I was not so keen to beading with two needles, which is the traditional way here in Nenana. My threads always seemed to get tangled up. In Seward I went to these craft nights. There I was taught to bead with one needle, and I flourished from there. Today I mostly bead on moose hide and make hand made slippers. When I try to make earrings; it can be a bit of a struggle because like the clarinet I have not practiced in years.
kunst takknemlighet 
