Thursday, January 26, 2012

Expecting To Fly 5




Lorraine/RCAF Artist Residency, SF De Young Museum
I’m getting ready to start another series of drawings. I get strong nudges to draw if I've been spending a lot of time with music or writing. Each one is a relationship, and as with other types of relationships, you make time for each. It can be a challenge, but I'm working to adjust my life so that I have more time for creative work.

My work can be large, so the process of drawing is very physical.  Large rolls of sturdy rag paper are laid out, fastened to a twelve foot wall, with rendering requiring that I navigate up and down my ladder. I begin with a general idea and let it unfold. It’s not that interesting to me to have a piece planned out too much because the process of letting it come forward, is much more intriguing. Also, this approach is more truthful.

Below, a seven foot high drawing evolves. At this point, general position/figure proportion is laid out. The detail image below shows the charcoal texture. Texture has always been interesting to me whether I'm working in charcoal, painting, or in various sculpture materials.


The color pallet begins to come forward in the following images. I try not to over think when drawing and once I begin, a rhythm takes over. Both hands directly working the large surface, I wear close fitting surgical gloves so that I don't wear my finger tips raw. I've done that in the past.

Here, I begin to negotiate what face will come forward as it moves away from the starting sketch.

I work for a while, then step down from the ladder moving back from the drawing to get a sense of where it's going and if it's working. Over the years I've found the need to wear a mask otherwise my lungs begin to struggle with charcoal/pastel dust.

The drawing begins to warm in pallet. At this juncture, I'm not sure whether to move in this direction, but then decide to follow that instinct. Also, it's at this point that I begin thinking about the identity of this woman. Her skin tone, expression, position of hands, and attire adjust to follow that realization.


Title: Lamar   
Creating this piece was important on many levels. Without going into a long story, she represents the adult a small infant might have become had she not passed away unexpectedly. I was surprised she surfaced after several decades. But then, the creative process takes you into unexpected territory. I've become used to that.

This image does not show the entire length of the drawing, but gives you an idea of the finished work. More importantly it depicts her as a fully realized person. She is wise, powerful, present, and purposeful. During two days of working, she came forward. Once completed, I sat with her, got to know her, and thanked her for making me aware that she was just fine. Diving into the creative pool, without all the floating gear, can give the life we are living some clarity. I count on that.


blog: lorrainegarcianakata.blogspot.com
web site: http://lorrainegn.com/

Copyright ©2010 Lorraine García-Nakata protected under U.S. and International Law. No part of this site maybe reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without prior written permission of the copyright owner and artist, Lorraine García-Nakata/Lorraine García. This includes all rights now in existence or which may hereafter come into existence, including but not limited to authorship, documentation, lectures, or any other creation or presentation by Lorraine García-Nakata/Lorraine García in any artistic medium, print, audio, electronic, video, CD ROM, photographic, digital, film, and any other medium.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Expecting To Fly 4


Photographer: Bryan Caldwell

Venue full, guests seated, musicians holding in the green room, the house lights dim. Moving from rear of the room to staging area, is a moment I've lived many times. From the age of eight years to present, the experience of mounting a performance has been much the same. After all the prep, the program begins. Mid staging area, you stand ready to set it in motion as you look out over familiar and new faces, all having made a decision to answer your call to gather. Guests, musicians, and I prepare to engage multiple senses and receptors in a one time exchange, a "happening." Even before that word was coined in the 1960's, I was drawn to creating them, I guess because some events leave you pleasantly altered. 

In my earliest years, the goal of mounting a "show" was to  shift from being a bored kid to one that's having fun. Those that attended the performance came along for the ride. These days I'm more conscious of all the smiling going on when people attend the concerts. During the performance, intermission, and at evening's close, people, in close proximity, invest in dropping twenty pounds of mental weight, lifting just a little, in direct defiance of gravity.

So, this last Saturday, January 14th, I kicked off my 2012 concert series by presenting a group called the Curios. Band lead, Nancy Hall, opened with her original songs Never Stopping and Starlite. Band mates Lee Parvin on keys, Jim Kerwin on bass, and Michael Tyler on guitar moved our collective senses through a nine song set that included Lover Man of My Dreams, Always Be, Let me Sleep, Crashing, Cherries, White Summer, Love Is Alright. Nancy and Lee interchanging on lead vocals, the room hummed in satisfaction. I really enjoy watching that happen.

Left to right: Lee Parvin (Keyboard/vocal), Nancy Hall (guitar/vocal), Michael Tyler (guitar), Jim Kerwin (bass)
Photographer: Bryan Caldwell

Breaking for intermission, guests and band members connect over beverages and figure food. Even with the food, there's time, care, and attention given before it's set out for guests. It is worth it to ensure a full experience. Three upstairs rooms packed, the mood elevates a few more notches.


 
Photos: Lorraine García-Nakata

Intermission is also a time to introduce people. Here Nancy Hall meets young author of We The Animals, Justin Torres. It's an inter-generational connection. Guests tend to be of various ages which keeps it interesting.

Nancy Hall, Me, author Justin Torres


Signal given that the second set is about to start, guests work their way downstairs to once again nest. As is often the case with second sets, the satisfaction level lifts even further as the Curios take us with them through tunes as Dancing By The River, I'm Your Villian, and Utopia. Several songs spark the audience in a particular way such as Zeitoun with Lee Parvin taking lead vocal, another tune highlighting Jim Kerwin's 'fiddle bass' approach stirs an eruption of applause at it's close, and my personal favorite of the evening's musical flight, Everything Makes Me Cry as Nancy Hall stuns us into long slow breathes. There are always one or two songs in concerts that step forward in this way and beguile faces into very broad smiles.

Nancy Hall takes flight
Photographer: Bryan Caldwell
Jim Kerwin digs in
Photo: Lorraine García-Nakata

Experiencing live music is more than it appears. Even as a kid looking to spice up my afternoon, I knew coming together for music gave us, and some parents, a "recess" from extreme money worries, hungry stomachs, and the loud summer buzz you hear when there's not much to do. What I knew was that at the close of an afternoon performance our individual problems would still be there, yet I also knew we would be a little more able to deal with them.

The very live performance by the Curios this last Saturday had a similar effect though our individual challenges and circumstance are varied. Just the same, our unspoken hope and expectation as guest, presenter, and musician, was that a pleasure source, we each carry, would be tapped and refilled. Being inspired or joyful can also be referenced this way. As guests helped to stack chairs, gathered belongs, and bid farewell at the entrance, their faces registered that a "shift" had occurred. It is when the musicians are equally beaming after loading gear, as we hang a while, and as they head out the door, that you know it has been a good night, a very good night.
 
Special appreciation goes out to my two helpers who are visiting San Francisco from Puerto Rico and Brazil.
Igor Carvalho (Brazil), Glenda García-Melendez (Puerto Rico)
Photo: Lorraine García-Nakata




blog: lorrainegarcianakata.blogspot.com
web site: http://lorrainegn.com/

Copyright ©2010 Lorraine García-Nakata protected under U.S. and International Law. No part of this site maybe reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without prior written permission of the copyright owner and artist, Lorraine García-Nakata/Lorraine García. This includes all rights now in existence or which may hereafter come into existence, including but not limited to authorship, documentation, lectures, or any other creation or presentation by Lorraine García-Nakata/Lorraine García in any artistic medium, print, audio, electronic, video, CD ROM, photographic, digital, film, and any other medium.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Expecting To Fly 3

Music is in mind tonight as the moon hovers full over this clear San Francisco sky. I'm a little jazzed about two things. One, I'm looking forward to a concert I'm presenting this Saturday kicking off my  2012 Lorraine García-Nakata Concert Series.  I'm also still feeling electric from singing tonight with a group of women that meet in nearby Pacifica, California. Here are several of us just after one of our performances (Sanchez Center, Linda Mar, Pacifica, Ca.).

 
 Noami Harper, Dinah Verby, Melinda Garrett, Nancy Hall, Me (big hair), Vicki Abrahamsohn, Tina Schuler, Amy Hanley

As shared earlier, music was an early passion that I let go of in response to advice received as a teen urging me to focus on one artistic discipline. I did and visual arts became that focus. For this reason, drawing, painting, sculpture, mixed media have had more time to develop and why I refer to this discipline as the "older sibling." Writing, however, claimed space in my life sometime ago and I was hooked. Scribing has had time to season and why this artistic passion is referenced as the "middle sibling." Now that I'm circling around and reclaiming music (who has had the least of my attention), she is less developed and why referenced as "younger sibling." Sure, I get insecure about my musical level as I look around at all the terrific musicians in this area that have long since honed their craft, but my goal is to reconnect and do the work because I'm miserable not doing it. Humility is good.

My concert series, I dropped that in out of nowhere and should explain. The Lorraine García-Nakata Concert Series was initiated in 2003 for three reasons: I love good live music, musicians should be supported, and since I continued as a working mom (with intense work schedule and I didn't want to be away from family anymore than I had to), I decided to bring music to the house. That worked. Genres of music I've presented include: lots of jazz but also classical, blues, R&B, Latin, folk new singer song writers, bluegrass, jazz/flamenco, and more. San Francisco/Bay Area offers so many talented musicians to invite, yet musicians from Los Angeles and as far away as England, have also come specifically to perform for this concert series. More and more I am approached by musicians about performing here as the word has gotten out that this is a good venue. So, I suppose I will continue this habit as long as I can make ends meet.

A little back story. I actually began presenting when I was 8 to 10 years of age. Our Central Valley neighborhood and its residents were not "well endowed" to say the least, so activities such as camping and dance lessons, were not an option. When boredom set in, I'd tell my best friend Wayne Williams, "Let's have a concert." We'd get the word out that at a certain hour that day, at a certain house (one with ripe fruit in the trees for reception snacks), a performance would happen and that the entrance fee would be three empty soda bottles. In those days you could take pop bottles to the store and cash them in for three cents each, on the spot. So, kids went to work picking up soda bottles that were dropped along the side of the streets while Wayne and I negotiated with the parents (whose house we picked) to set up chairs, to allow access to their fruit trees, and also asked if they could cut fruit and place on platters for intermission. Next, Wayne and I would hang a sheet as a backdrop, decide on the staging area, then run through a series of songs we planned to perform. I remember one song we sang was Palisades Park by Freddy Cannon. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYDSFKLu-TA - Cache Everyone sang along to this favorite and a string of other songs before breaking for intermission as fruit was distributed to everyone attending. After intermission, we'd sing a few more tunes, then the show ended. Everyone was happy and no longer bored. Wayne and I cleared the area, thanked parents, filled a couple shopping bags with pop bottles we'd earned, then went straight to the neighborhood store (owned by our landlords Marvin and Pernell Tindel). We bought fist fulls of black and red licorice then promptly climbed up our favorite tree, became anonymous again, and watched people walk by for the rest of the afternoon while eating our performance payment. It seems my love for presenting began early.

So, singing tonight raised my energy. Thinking about the concert this Saturday also continues to elevate my mood. It's still a pleasure sharing music with friends and other guests who will fill this house. Here are bios for the Curios ensemble performing here this weekend:


Nancy Hall (vocal/guitar/dulcimer/ukulele/percussion): Curios' bandleader, prolific songwriter, accomplished vocalist, & musician. I personally admire Nancy's vocals and know you'll very much enjoy the Curios performance of her original music. Several CD’s under her belt include: Everything Knows You, Songs and Stories, and recent, Pillow Book. A career highlight: vocals for Neil Young as part of Crazy Horse year-long tour.



Lee Parvin (vocals/piano/accordion): played/recorded with Michael Bloomfield, played/provided vocals for Taj Mahal. Also at age 13, band member with Main Attraction who opened for Eric Burton & The Animals. Co-wrote for Hall CD, Everything Knows You & continues to help arrange her work. Engineer for Merl Saunders, helped produce Johnny Mathus record. Lee has recorded greats as David Grissman. Also, recorded/produced Gaylord Birch & Vicki Randall, to name a few.



Jim Kerwin (acoustic bass): since 1985, member of David Grisman Quintet. Renowned for playing musical traditions (bluegrass/swing/Latin) has played/recorded with greats as: Stephane Grappelli, Sven Assmussen, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Bela Fleck, Del McCoury & Jerry Garcia. His work with Garcia-Grisman Band produced many albums & documentary movie Grateful Dawg. Jim has performed on six Grammy-nominated recordings. "Bass fiddle" music is a new endeavor–a term/style he has introduced & coined. 

As you see here, there are so many ways to feed and inform your artistry, your life, no matter what discipline(s) you happen to embrace and/or other interests you enjoy. My artistic life and approach is not particularly conventional, but it works for me. I share this with you so that maybe you'll trust those "additional" inklings that stir inside you. You know very well what they are. Let's say that you do pursue that additional something, then you can spread those wings of yours just a little bit more. 
It's like stretching. It feels great.

web site: http://lorrainegn.com/

Copyright ©2010 Lorraine García-Nakata protected under U.S. and International Law. No part of this site maybe reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without prior written permission of the copyright owner and artist, Lorraine García-Nakata/Lorraine García. This includes all rights now in existence or which may hereafter come into existence, including but not limited to authorship, documentation, lectures, or any other creation or presentation by Lorraine García-Nakata/Lorraine García in any artistic medium, print, audio, electronic, video, CD ROM, photographic, digital, film, and any other medium.









Monday, January 9, 2012

Expecting To Fly 2

I often work on two of my three creative disciplines during the same period (visual art, writing, music). They feed and inform each other. I've been scribing a collection of writings about my early years, not all of them were charming, yet they provide a back story for who I am and what is important to me in my public and private life.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Expecting To Fly

At five years old, during the 1950's, I knew I would be an artist. There was no question about it and probably the only thing in my life that was clear. Singing and drawing were important "company" for me. Like a friend, parent, or guidance counselor, information was handed over to me as I'd dive into that place you go to create and grow the skill. If you are reading this, you probably know about the place, that ambiguous creative territory visited when your mind is both in and out of focus at the same moment. It leaves room for things to slide in that aren't over-thought.  I found out about this place early and was hooked.

In my case, I was in serious love with music and visual art at the same time, which was not advised. Even though skilled in both, as a teen I followed the advice to drop one, in my case music, because I didn't read music.  Decades later, I realized a decision of the brain does not over ride a genuine life's passion. It's that simple. Being young, I didn't know this and while developing my drawing, painting, sculptures, my writing, my life and family, community work, my view of things, the love of music sat there, waiting, and periodically poking me like a thistle perpetually stuck in my sock.

So, I am circling back and doing the hard insecure work of rediscovering who I am in relation to music, as I also continue with writing and visual arts. When I share this story, about being advised to choose, many musician and artist friends shake their heads because they know this was not particularly good advice for me. But, I have also learned that we become aware of things in an order that can't always be driven. I'm reconciled with that.

At this point, it feels as if all three "siblings" have found each other, big sister visual art, middle child writer, and youngest music, and they are helping each other. My family is reunited, and as with reunited families, it takes work, readjusted expectations, disappointments, and sweat. Yet all this rests on a foundation that my three passions will remain together and cared for. This is my quirky artistic life and why I speak plainly about living without making it so complex...yet, still expecting to fly.