ArtChatPodcast 063

Recorded: December 31, 2012 Participants: Steve Harlow, Ruth Parson, Mary Burns. Mary had just listened to a Kurt Vonnegut interview from 2003 on the CBC radio show, "The Current". She thought he sounded depressed, although he showed some humor. The interview couldn't keep up. Vonnegut says he's suing Pall Mall cigarettes because he's eighty three and he hadn't died yet, despite their promise. At the end of the interview, he signed off with, "Jump in a lake." Steve says the last interview he saw of Kurt Vonnegut took place in Second Life Steve thinks Second Life could serve as a laboratory for collaborative art projects - people meet up there to make the art piece. That becomes a model for real life construction. Ruth and he have recently talked of developing in Second Life a collaborative art piece they started in the early '90s, titled "Ghost Dance". The project was set aside because it was too big for their life. It involves paintings which fit together on a large wall to create an oversized, floor to tall ceiling, an interlocking montage of individual paintings on a template, each potentially painted by different artists. Mary thinks making a model in Second Life is similar to what architects make in their 3D modeling software. They don't always make real life models. She did see a exhibition at MOMA of architectural models. Steve says Frank Gehry designs on physical models. The environment 3D modeling software architects use doesn't have strangers wandering over to interact - Second Life does. Steve says he met an architect at Emory's party who had started as a painter, but because he didn't think he could make a living at it, took up architecture. He's in his 70s now, retired and has gone back to painting, relieved to not be making things with so many people. Mary agrees that architects, like Bruce Eriksen, the famous Vancouver architect, certainly work with many people to get their buildings designed, planned, and constructed. Ruth says, for the new year, she wants more balance and stronger focus. Steve thinks fondly of 2012 on personal level, the life he and Ruth have, the food they've discovered and made. On a National level, 2012 was significant to Steve because it was the year that clearly showed that that white supremacist POV that has dominated American politics for five hundred has been finally overcome. This year's re-election of Barack Obama seems even more significant than his election to the first term, because he really didn't govern well. He didn't fulfill the hope his voters had for him and yet the white supremacist candidate lost. America has a new diverse majority and that should be increasingly reflected in the cultural arts. Steve is buoyed by that prospect. He thinks it's hopeful for the continuation of our society. Steve jokingly asks Mary when will she get rid of Harper? Mary reports that PM Harper has ended environmental safeguards for a large number of bodies of water important to Native Peoples. She says she has to make a lot of noise. An aboriginal woman, Chief Theresa Spence, is on a hunger strike in solidarity with "Idle No More" movement. We'll hope for the best, meantime do our work and try to prevail through whatever art we do, Mary says. Mary has returned to her historical novel about a week in 1919 Chicago. She has the research done and it's nice to be back in its world again. Ruth has put her NaNoWriMo writing from last year into Scrivener with this year's, planning to weave it all together chronologically. Steve asks if she is starting with her life as a baby, because this year's writing was 50,000 words about the first three years of her life. Ruth will need some new writing to weave the two pieces together, as well as eliminating a lot. During the re-write, she'll blog pieces of it. Steve has aspirational production goals for himself of one tweet per hour, four blog posts per day, one video per week, and one painting per month. As he talked last week, the best way for Steve and Ruth to have production goals for painting, is to start new paintings on a schedule. He doesn't think they could finish paintings on a deadline. Collaborative paintings with Ruth will be in addition to our personal production. Mary says that harkened back to something Steve had said about a former instructor ( William Morehouse ) who Steve said, had, at one point, over one hundred in-progress paintings, which he didn't worry about finishing. Steve remembers that Bill said that the most important thing for painters is to start new paintings. Mary thinks Steve and Ruth are good about compartmentalizing their art time - Sundays for writing, full moons for painting all night. How, she wonders, will you produce one tweet per hour? Steve says he's doing that now for the podcast. The blog's pages in the horizontal list at the top have collections of the tweets Steve made from the podcast conversation summary. 058 tweets, 060 tweets, 061 tweets. Mary asked if Steve has read the Shinny's Girls manuscript she sent him for cover art. He confesses, he's read little, but is getting an idea of the characters. By June, Mary would like to have her manuscripts for the Shinny's Girls trilogy finished, Steve says, let's publish in June. Mary wants a copy editor. She's getting no response from publishers, not even acknowledging her mail. Steve thinks the model for book publishing today is "Fifty Shades of Grey". Mary says the new methods of publishing make more sense. She's convinced, she wants her books to reach readers. She'd like Ruth to read "Shinny's Girls" as a trilogy. It was fun to follow the characters over twenty years. Ruth asked her about the trilogy - how did she know when to stop? Mary says the characters were well received by readers, she felt attachment and didn't want to give them up. She decided to wait ten years, write the second, wait another ten years to write the third. In the second book, which was published as "Flashing Yellow" in 2001, she introduced a grandson, who was a notorious lyer. After that, she wondered what becomes of such a kid. That became an important story line in the third novel. Steve mentions reading Proust and Mary asked if he finished Proust. He hadn't, she confessed she didn't either - she tired of the French middleclass concerns. Steve said he was glad he read some. Proust's detailed descriptions that gave a sense of time slowed was worth him reading more, later. Steve asks Mary what she is reading now. She says she's reading a French novel, in French, called, "Gabriel". And she just read a book she'd recommend, "The Sisters Brothers" by Patrick deWitt. Cowboy killer, psychopath, in 1850 California, Gold Rush setting. A very enjoyable read, he does a very good job with both the writing and the storytelling. She wonders if there is a movement of younger artists taking a new look at America's Old West. Steve thinks it would be helpful if art about that well-storied era might recognize the halocaust perpetrated on Native People. Mary thinks the violence in the DeWitt novel has a purpose, but she doubts the violence in the new Tarantino movie has purpose beyond sensationalism. Steve says he doesn't trust Tarintino, that he's seen all the movies by him that he needs to see. Mary asks if there is a meaningful discussion going on about violence in American culture and the arts' role in encouraging it? Steve thinks not. He hopes with the new political majority may bring an end to the "American Exceptionalism" denial of shameful historical realities and some fresh, more truthful explorations of violence may be possible in the cultural arts. Ruth says so far, the discussion is only about gun control. Steve thinks that discussion is intractable. As he sees it, the basic demand of gun ownership advocates is anarchistic and antisocial - that citizens need guns to protect their freedom from the Federal Government. Mary says the only possible contribution we can make is in what we do. The problem, she thinks, is in the mass media, movies, not paintings and the kind of literature she writes. She wonders if detective stories play a role. Steve thinks sex and violence is the easy way for artists to gain attention, but it is detrimental to society. Mary has watched "Boardwalk Empire". She thinks competition from other entertainments has caused shows like this to push out the limits of acceptable violence. With her students, she would suggest not making violence the end of the story, but start with the violent act and then explore what happens after. Steve admits he's part of the audience for violent fiction, he enjoyed "The Walking Dead" last night. Ruth thinks about "Breaking Bad" a show she enjoys, tho it is hugely violent. Steve thinks "Deadwood" was the most poetic show made. Much of the storyline turned on violent acts. Mary thinks the emotion of shock is over played and that empathy is not used enough. Ruth wonders how what Emory may think about this issue. Steve points out that Emory's Noir novel in-progress, "Dangerous Dayz" starts after a murder and does not contain much violence. Mary thinks murder is not being treated with the gravity that it once may have been. Violence in art might be a subject for future Art Chats.

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