The Williams Sisters

My photographer husband and I got to collaborate with our young friends Maddie and Maja Williams on their very own fashion shoot. Maddie came up with the idea of staging an animal tea party. The two sisters got to dress up in fancy clothes and brought along their tea set. Their dad Josh styled the photos, Kah Leong shot, and I drew the illustrations in post production. Here is my favorite image so far....




I love this family! I think the best part of old friends is that you get to watch them grow. I think I have known the Williams family since I moved to New York city ten years ago. About eight years ago Josh (the girl's dad) and I were working on composing the soundtrack for my short film Runaway Bathtub, and we had the movie playing on the TV. We couldn't concentrate because little Maddie (below) wanted to dance around in front of the television and sing, competing for our attention. She was so charming and hilarious that we gave in to her wiles and decided to use her voice for the soundtrack for the movie! That key decision turned out to be the most popular element of the film!




Now Maddie has grown long, lean, and quiet, with her nose buried in books. Her little sister Maja (below) has stepped into Maddie's old goofball shoes and entertains us with dramatic interpretations of 'Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus'. It's so funny to see the girls go through the predictable yet delightful and somehow surprising stages of youth. I guess one of the things that makes us love children so much is that they never quite seem to know it all yet, but seem to be learning so much every day-it's fun to witness a little girl soaking it all in.


In kindergarden I was invited to be in a commercial for the Salvation Army. To arrive on time for the shooting, I needed to leave school a couple of hours early. I kept running up to my teacher about every 5 minutes asking 'is it time for me to go yet?' Finally my teacher was exasperated and tried to show me how to read the big round clock over the door, saying 'When the hand points to the number 1, then come up to me". I went back to my low wooden table. The only problem was, I couldn't tell which hand to watch, so I kept getting the second hand confused with the minute hand and proceeded to drive myself and my teacher crazy by a series of ill-timed guesses! I kept going up and she kept sending me back! I wasn't too young to feel embarrassed but there was NO WAY I was going to miss my chance at MOVIE STARDOM!

I hope this little fashion shoot will made Maddie and Maja feel like the little stars they are to me! xoxo Maja and Maddie!

My Little Bambino

My sister Mary and I were wandering the streets of the city on Saturday night on our way to the Strand bookstore, and I asked her to tell me a story. She is always reading something good, and she told me the entire tale of 'Where Angels Fear to Tread' by E.M. Forster. In this story, an upper class English woman named Lilia runs off with a young Italian son-of-a-dentist named Gino. The result is a sweet little Italian bambino. Poor Lilia dies in childbirth, but Gino loves the baby so dearly! Mary's description of Gino and the baby was so heartwarming, especially when she told me about how he lay the baby down on the dirty carpet and would wipe it dry with whatever there was lying around. He sounded like a sweet buffoon. It inspired me in my current animation project. Here, I decided to depict a tender little baby just like Gino's. These are screenshots from the scene I was working on today. This is my little Bambino Italiano.

The baby's head, hands, and eyes are cut from paper. The hair and cheeks are a watercolor wash. I had fun sewing the red silk blankie and picking out the trim from the trim shop... why didn't someone tell me you can't iron lace? Good thing I bought extra! Mine melted! So you may notice I sewed on an extra layer.. but I like the look of the double layer. The darkened edges of the frame are also inspired by Mary, she has been taking lots of pictures with a Diana camera, which was sort of dirty and old so it was giving these shadowed antique edges. I put a glass filter on my HD camera lens then painted over it with carmex mixed with black paint which I manipulated with a q-tip and eye makeup brushes... I really like the way that came out! Also I'm thinking about the effects of pinhole cameras lately. Just thinking about how to get that tunnel vision effect.

The Artist is Present

Today I got to participate in Marina Abramovic's performance art piece, 'The Artist is Present'. This is an endurance performance ocurring in the atrium of the MoMA. I went with a friend and was completely cynical about the piece, not being a fan of Marina's work before arriving. We arrived quite early in the day and there were only about 10 people in line ahead of us. The idea was to sit in the chair facing Marina, and the guard instructed us sternly that we were not allowed to put our hands on the table, speak to Marina, or mouth words to her, and that if we tried to he would know it and we would be removed. Marina will sit in the atrium at this table from open to close of the museum without break, through May 31. Most people in front of us in line seemed to use their opportunity in the chair across from Marina as a chance for their own personal performance, and took between 10 minutes to a half an hour to sit with her. Some people closed their eyes and just sat there, allowing Marina to silently stare at them. One woman stared at Marina until they both unexpectedly began to cry. Bridgette, a girl in line with me, said she fell into a trance. My friend Susan that came with me was completely star struck and trembled for minutes and said she couldn't leave the chair until the trembling stopped minutes later. The ones that puzzled me were the people who sat and stared into Marina's eyes for more than half an hour... Were they getting excited by the crowds standing around the gallery staring at them? Where did they get their sense of pleasure? Why were they hogging so much time? Yes, there was something nice about Marina's gaze, I imagine she was a bit like 'Amma', the woman who comes to New York twice a year to give hugs, people line up for hours to get a hug... I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by the feeling I had once Marina readjusted herself and fixed her gaze on me (she had to center herself by closing her eyes and shift in her seat between every interaction). I was shy as I took my seat. Would Marina detect that just two hours ago I had joined the line scoffing at her piece? That I hadn't been an ardent admirer, and now I was on the MoMA's live, feed, a piece of history?

here is a screenshot of me from the MoMA live feed- excuse my bad posture, I was nervous!!!

She literally seemed to want to give me everything she could with her eyes, and I felt unworthy. She seemed prepared to sit with me for as long as I wanted even if it meant she had to stare at my plain Jane face all day! I thought I would give her the best gift I could for doing such a tough job, so I sat for only a minute. I noticed how hot and tired she looked, how beautiful! She is in her sixties but I didn't notice any wrinkles on her face, just lots of foundation and the shine of the lights. Her hair was so dark and shiny, like a pantene commercial. She wore a long dark gown that came down way past her feet and gave her a regal queenly aspect. Her pores looked enormous. Her eyes looked tired but luminous and full of inspiration...I took in all I could in a quick instant, smiled, then left hurriedly to the joy of those behind me in line.

Undone

Undone from Hayley Morris on Vimeo.

This video by Hayley Morris is dedicated to her grandfather, who had Alzheimers. It touches me because it is related to a current project I am working on about mental illness called 'The Split House'. I think Hayley dealt with this subject in a brave and beautiful way and I was surprised and delighted with the development of the character at the very end.

Excursion to the Vineyard!!!

My husband and I just spend a windswept weekend in Martha's Vineyard where we were guests at the annual Martha's Vineyard Film Festival! It was wonderful, though the weather was completely spooky and our inn felt like the setting for the opening scene from the pirate's meet-up in 'Treasure Island'! The wind literally was crying Wooooo ooooo! the whole time, and the rain was coming up with all sorts of creative fake outs and coy moves to keep us guessing.... We saw wild turkeys, rabbits, a badger, a scampering field mouse, were haunted by a howling innkeeper's cat, and told tales about the native american whaler who built the dwelling where we now slept. (Click on this picture of The Duck Inn for a larger image. Picture by Kah Leong Poon).
The festival was screening my film 'Puppy's Super Delicious Valentine's Day Biscuits' at the Chilmark Library, next to the community center located at Beetlebung corner. At first I have to admit I was a little less pumped when I heard it was showing at a library and not a theater, but then when I realized that the library was a place the children love to go, not a big dark theater, and are comfortable with, I checked my ego and got excited! It turned out great... The organizer, Lyndsay, put down egg crates for the kids and blankets, had everybody take their shoes off, and had a comfy cozy fest for the 2-4 year olds that she described as 'a little one's introduction to the movies, for kid's who may have never seen the movies ever before'. I was so honored to be included in such a program! The movies were followed by story hour, music and games. The storyteller magically knew all the children's names by heart! I couldn't believe it. That's a small town for you! It was a perfect memory for me and I couldn't remember a more cozy perfect setting to show my films. What a great lesson that was for me...
After the fest Kah Leong and I explored the island. You may know he is a professional photographer so that will explain the following amazing black and white photo he took of a former windmill we discovered on an exploratory drive through the middle of nowhere...Now the arms of the windmill are dismantled and it has been turned into a working bed and breakfast called 'Captain Flander's House'.



This picture by Kah Leong is of one of the famed gingerbread cottages in Oak Bluffs.

Its late so I must conclude this post. I will just have to leave you with some key words that I came away with... insane weather, wild, gritty, countryside, stonewalls, scraggly, hardy, turkeys for pete's sake, turkeys! damp that sinks into the bone, solitary beauty.... thank you Elise of the Duck inn for the daily morning muffins!

Alexander McQueen's Legacy

Perhaps because of all the media frenzy surrounding Alexander McQueen's death, I felt it was a must to stop in the boutique in the meat packing district and really study his work there. I came face to face with one of his most stunning dresses, one that I met once before, I call it the HORNET DOODLE DRESS!!!! I love this dress!!! It looks like something my little sister would doodle on one of her college notebooks, applying intense pressure to leave dents that almost cut the page, then spend the whole period trying to mirror the lines symmetrically on the other side. The pointy gothic patterns on this dress have something so forbidding, psychotic, and dreamy about them, so poisonous and masculine! Somehow the designer managed to capture it in gauze and overlay the imagery like giant hornets buzzing over a soft buttercup frock.... luscious! The sweet flowery scent of a designer Alexander McQueen candle wafted from a little cubby hole next to the dress and kept me completely entranced! The shopwoman was very kind and offered to send me a picture of this dresswhen she saw me pull out my cel phone, it was in my email by the time I left the store. My experience with shop people in these types of stores is that they are usually very friendly and don't judge! I would encourage my friends not to be shy in these types of shops, just relax, explore, and enjoy as you would in an art museum. Because you really are!

Utopia

Jonathan Adler the Master Ceramicist
Utopia Faces platter

Lord and Lady Reversible Mugs

Steward and Stewardess Reversible Vase

Williamsburg Hipsters Reversible Vase

Butter Dish

Women Pitcher


It's UTOPIA just thinking about Jonathan Adler's fabulous collection of stoneware peeking through sheer white glaze.... Jonathan Adler is the Lewis Caroll of interior Design.... He's a local New York designer who I got the chance to see up close at a charity brunch in Brooklyn. Seemed really sweet and such a megatalent!!! I have been a huge fan of his Utopia collection for years and keep a constant eye on it online in case of sales... As you will see on his website, not all his work is created in this soft etherial style, he is a man of diverse styles and talents, but this is my favorite body of his work. These pieces are so etherial, so soft... they remind me of something I could find in a thrift store in a dusty side street in some european city I have yet to discover, a place where the cheese is so stinky and the grapes are so sweet, a place where it's fine to be naked in the herb garden and where the old ladys use twiggy brooms to shoo grey cats away from the rooftops... I got my mom the Lord-Lady reversible mugs for mother's day last year and told my husband that should we come into great fortune this year I want to buy myself a special prezzie from this same collection! Just one special cup, please oh please! I love the reversible faces on these items, especially some of his latest creations, the hipster and hipsterettes, inspired by the characters seen around Williamsburg. (A neighborhood close to Johnathan's ceramics studio and not far from my house. Williamsburg has become so trendy so and overrun by so called starving artists, that it has become a parody of itself! These mugs are a perfect time capsule, their faces capture the poser inside all of us!!!)
Jonathan started as a ceramicist but his talents have sprouted to include needlepoint, furniture, leather stuffed rhinoes, butter dishes and Christmas ornaments to name a few... always so practical! Pick up his book here!

Sadie Benning

Today I've been swept away by memories of a couple of films that I saw when in art school. Sometimes you only have to see something once and the impression is just left in your mind to influence you artistically forever! Today I wanted to share the work of the wonderful Sadie Benning(click the camera for video clips). Was the first one I ever saw 'A Place called Lovely'? or maybe 'Girl Power'? The youngest artist ever to be included in the Whitney Biennial, at age 19, she had already been creating fantastic videos since her father gave her a toy Pixel Vision Fisher Price camera at age 15. (The Whitney Biennial just opened for the year, btw, so if you are looking for a person to go with, gimme a call!)
Anyway, back to the camera... The fisher price Pixel Vision recorded very low distorted quality black and white movies on AUDIO CASETTE TAPES!!! It's lack of quality made it an instant flop to consumers and a favorite of artists. Now these cameras are very hard to find and usually need to be specially rigged to be compatible with standard equipment. But I'm already begging my husband to give me the okay to add one to my wishlist! The effects are so amazing!!! Somewhat similar to a Super 8 camera but even more raggedy.

Sadie Benning was born only a few years before me, but when I saw her work in college, she became an instant pop legend in my heart. One of the biggest ways she influenced me was through her use of text... She liked to use still frames of her own handwriting, like snapshots of lines of her own poetry. The use of her own handwriting gave such a nice energy and flavor to each piece. She would allow the camera to shake and scroll across the words (see the examples in the links above)...

Sadie used her camera to make visual diaries about being a teenager, her angst, lesbianism, humor, love of punk music, and relationship to her parents. She eventually incorporated rough animation, bits of live action, and moved on to use a Super 8 camera. (Usually this camera is not thought of as an 'evolution' for most folks, hah!) Sometimes Sadie's most eloquent moments are when she simply points the camera at her face. When I saw her films as a freshman in Susan Anker's art appreciation class I felt an intense jealousy of her mind and wanted to swap minds with her to steal a little bit of her genius!!! Her talent was so raw and unhampered. I feel like my true feelings are so untapped, always kept so safe under lock and key, maybe I can blame my mom for raising us six sisters to be like Victorian little ladies and always making 20 varieties of tea available at breakfast???

It is with deep regret that I say I will probably never get to watch all her videos, they are squirreled away by Video Data Bank and you have to be with an organization to order them... maybe someday when I am a teacher? It's a plan!

This movie is ABOUT sadie benning, created after her style: very informative...