Life of Joy

I saw several framed mixed media canvases today. They were made from an interesting mix of cut out images and background paint. I liked them. They felt ethereal, a bit odd and a little Steampunk.

Then I noticed the artist's statement and I had to stop myself from laughing out loud---in a sympathetic way, not a mean way. This is what it said:

"Creating visionary mood scapes, (artist name) leads us into realms of intriguing complexity and transcendent light. Each then becomes an invitation to ones own unique imagination to explore subjective perception. The work is then a window opening onto emotion in a wordless language of iconography."

I sounded just like this a good two years into graduate school, and I didn't fully recover until much later. My brother sounded even worse. I suspect that it may be a slow recovery for this artist as well. One canvas was called "Waiting for Bus #9".

Maybe we all have to go through phases like this.

Every time I watch Firefly I am more gripped by a compulsive sense of adulation for Joss Whedon's writing team. I know it's not just him, because genius happens in groups more than in individuals. I imagine the feel of the synergy characterizing his team---each member adding his or her own glorious quirks to give birth to a perfect whole. What a joy, to be one fraction of the egregore that creates such beauty.

I often debate which is more stunning: Objects in Space or Out of Gas? Probably, for the sheer creativity of the story arc, Out of Gas. Still, Objects in Space is a pearl, with some of the most imaginative dialogue in the series.

Beautiful!

““Ederlezi” isn’t just world music. It’s not new-world music. It’s basically the music of all worlds and all times, mashed up into one and presented to the listener in song that draws on all elements equally to create a singular experience. ”

— C.D. Di Guardia, Boston Band Crush

This is an excellent description of "Bury Me Standing," a band I saw perform live at the Steampunk World's Fair. I walked by intending to stop and listen for a moment, and then quietly drift away.

But their eerie, electrifying mix of Serbian and Turkish lyrics and brash, quirky style of percussion sucked me into staying through the entire show.

If you go here, you can listen to (and download) some of their music for free and check out where they're performing next:

http://www.reverbnation.com/burymestanding

Two videos - one showcasing their percussion, and the other their vocalist:

Percussion



Vocalist

From the "Muertos" series, which draws on Latino folk art inspired by the Day of the Dead (see a larger, more detailed image here: http://www.brandonmaldonado.com/gallery/ourladyofmercifulfate.shtml)

http://www.brandonmaldonado.com/index.shtml


Here is his image of Venus from the "Mythic Visions" series (FoV participants and Cauldron Keepers, please note the flowering human heart in her hands):




Here is the larger, more detailed image: http://www.brandonmaldonado.com/gallery/birthofvenus.shtml