tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-348083302024-03-13T17:21:57.745-04:00Christians in the ArtsA discussion of why Christians should be interested in the arts and an introduction to some artists who are using their work to shine the light of Christ in the world.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-46774871366728997022009-07-20T09:15:00.000-04:002009-07-20T09:19:07.296-04:00Taking a BreakAfter 300 posts, and almost 3 years, I'm taking a break from this blog. I am pursuing other interests this year, including the <a href="http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/fellows/fellows.htm">CS Lewis Fellows Program</a>, as I've mentioned recently. The Fellows Program is a one-year intensive study program that will allow me to read books and articles by great Christian thinkers, to meet with and discuss the readings with other fellows and mentors, to meditate on and memorize related scripture, and to write about what I'm learning. I've already started the reading and have learned so much already. It's going to be quite a year.<br /><br />I plan to continue writing my other blog, <a href="http://beautyandthebeholder.blogspot.com">Beauty and the Beholder</a>, about the beauty around us. I post on Wednesdays and often discuss art as well as creation. <a href="http://www.beautyandthebeholder.blogspot.com">Check it out</a> if you haven't already.<br /><br />I'll also continue writing occasional articles, essays, and devotionals and whatever else God leads me to.<br /><br />I've enjoyed this blog so much and have met many fascinating people through it. Thank you for reading. Thank you, also, to all the artists, art experts and enthusiasts I've interviewed through the years. Artists, stay true to your gift and your faith. And God's blessings on you all.<br /><br />In the Name of the Greatest Artist of all,<br />LeAnneLeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-7819332429226103382009-07-16T07:54:00.004-04:002009-07-16T08:01:34.641-04:00Christian Wiman: Image's Artist of the MonthChristian Wiman, editor of <span style="font-style:italic;">Poetry</span>, poet and essayist, is <span style="font-style:italic;">Image's</span> Artist of the Month for July. Wiman was raised in a conservative Baptist home but his faith "fell away", he says, in college. He felt its absence, though, and in the past few years has returned to his faith. Read his essay, <a href="http://imagejournal.org/page/journal/articles/issue-60/gods-truth-is-life">God's Truth is Life</a>, in <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Image's</span></span> 60th issue.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-83085411275399933782009-07-13T08:25:00.005-04:002009-07-13T08:37:41.899-04:00Luci Shaw's Breath for the BonesI'm reading so many fascinating books this summer--some for the <a href="http://www.cslewisinstitute.org">CS Lewis Fellows program </a> and some about creativity and faith. Right now I'm just on chapter two of Luci Shaw's <span style="font-style:italic;">Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination, and Spirit: Reflections on Creativity and Faith</span> and I have already underlined much of the book. Here are a few favorite passages from the intro and chapter one:<br /><br />"The artist, then, becomes something of a prophet: the seer, the mouthpiece. The role of the artist is to call to attention." <br /><br />"The artists--the prophets too--are called to this role: presenting pictures and models, words, and visions. They have a special calling--to recognize God's creating hand, God's storied art, God's order."<br /><br />"There is another calling for the artist, and that is one of linking earth to heaven, pointing the human to the divine, finding the connections."<br /><br />"In art and creativity, we make visible to others the beauty and meaning God has first pictured, or introduced, into our imaginations. In that sense we may each think of ourselves as a small extension of the creative mind of God."LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-17965216467457618612009-07-09T12:26:00.004-04:002009-07-09T12:36:17.850-04:00"How I Work": Beverly Key, Visual ArtistToday my mind is on my friend, visual artist Beverly Key, who I enjoyed coffee with this morning. This post is from my original interview with her two years ago when she talked about how she works and gave some advice to young artists.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: What are your favorite forms or methods of painting?<br /><br />Beverly:</span> Recently I've begun to do large abstract oils, and for many years now I have been painting large abstact landscapes on paper with watercolor, where I pour paint through paper filters using dried beans and peas and string for design elements. I also do collage. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LM: When did you know you wanted to paint?<br /><br />BK: </span>When I was in first grade, I tried to sneak a box of crayons into the grocery cart. As I was growing up I always thought of myself as an artist. I was one of the ones in school who was always doing the bulletin boards for the teachers. Both my parents painted as a hobby so I grew up with the smell of oil and turpentine. I took some classes after school with a wonderful woman, Abbott Downing (of course, in south Alabama we called her,"Miss Abbott"). However, I graduated from college with a degree in special education, and thought that would be what I would do. I taught a few years, got married, had 2 boys and in 1986 we moved to Atlanta. At that time, my husband and I decided to try to have another child and I also took some art classes at the Atlanta College of Art. Since that time I have been painting professionally. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LM: What advice do you have for young or new artists who are Christians?<br /><br />BK</span>: I would say "trust yourself". You are the only person who will see the world the way you see it. Take confidence in that and draw from your own experiences. Keep working some every day. Most work gets recognized because the artist just kept at it.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-21522562123498959152009-07-06T09:56:00.003-04:002009-07-06T10:03:14.552-04:00Arts Moments YesterdayHope you had a great July 4th celebration.<br /><br />Yesterday was a full day for me. There were three points where the arts particularly touched me:<br /><br />1. During the worship service at church, our back-up worship singer sang Watermark's "Captivate Us." It's a gorgeous, intimate song, and she sang it beautifully.<br /><br />2. My family and I watched <span style="font-style:italic;">The Incredibles</span>. The amount of Christian worldview and symbolism in that movie took me by surprise. We loved it.<br /><br />3. I finished the book, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</span>, a novel about the German Occupation of one of the Channel Islands during World War II. The story was told entirely by letters--the kind that show up in a mailbox. I thoroughly enjoyed that book.<br /><br />What arts moments have you enjoyed lately? Leave a comment and let me know.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-23373260567380149972009-07-01T21:51:00.005-04:002009-07-02T07:31:31.128-04:00Replay: Barry Morrow, Part 2: Excellence in Our WorkThis week I'm replaying <a href="http://christiansinthearts.blogspot.com/2008/03/barry-morrow-part-2-excellence-in-our.html">my interview with Barry Morrow</a> last year. Today Barry has a few words for artists about excellence. <br /><br />Hope you have a happy July 4th! God Bless America!LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-88011611982291546302009-06-30T07:27:00.004-04:002009-06-30T07:33:01.174-04:00Replay: Barry Morrow: Art & The Extraordinary Goodness of GodA few weeks ago, I was accepted into the CS Lewis Fellows program through the <a href="http://www.cslewisinstitute.org">CS Lewis Institute</a>. Since Lewis is on my mind a lot these days, this week I'm doing a replay of <a href="http://christiansinthearts.blogspot.com/2008/03/barry-morrow-art-extraordinary-goodness.html">an interview with a Lewis and culture expert, Barry Morrow</a>. Enjoy!LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-59057096028441870312009-06-18T07:54:00.005-04:002009-06-25T13:23:07.935-04:00Judith Couchman, Part 2: Writer, Art History Teacher, Speaker<em>Here's the conclusion of my interview with <a href="http://www.judithcouchman.com">Judith Couchman</a>. She has published more than 40 books, compilations, and Bible studies. Her books cover topics as diverse as art history, discovering your purpose, thriving in difficult times, shaping the soul, body image, flower gardening, and breadmaking. But whatever the topic, Judith leads readers to consider their own spiritual growth and formation in everyday life. In addition to her publishing career, Judith now teaches ancient, early Christian, Byzantine, and medieval art history courses as a part-time instructor for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. <br /><br />Judith has worked as a full-time freelance writer, speaker, and writing coach for 15 years. During this time she created the Write the Vision Retreats, intensive weekend gatherings for female writers, and the Designing a Woman’s Life Seminar, a one- to two-day workshop to help women find their purpose and passion in life. She’s also spoken to professional and women’s groups around the country, and has served as a magazine teacher and consultant to nonprofit organizations overseas. In recent years she’s donated consulting time to Eastern European editors of Christian publications.<br /><br />Before working as an author, Judith founded and served as editor-in-chief of Clarity, a national magazine for women. She’s held jobs as an editor, journalism teacher, communications director, and public relations practitioner. She’s also received national awards for her work in each of these positions, and for her books. Check out her website and blogs:<br /><br />http://www.judithcouchman.com<br />http://www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com<br />http://www.startingover-judithcouchman.blogspot.com</em><br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: What three things do you want your students to know when they leave your classroom?<br /><br />Judith: </span>First, because I teach online classes, I want students to know how to research and study on their own. These skills will serve them for a lifetime. Second, art is an expression of its culture and time period, so we need to understand the culture and era in which artists created it. Third, one era of art isn't "superior" to another. When we understand the context, we can appreciate its contribution to the world.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: You're a speaker, too. Your seminar, "The Mystery of the Cross", based on your book by the same title, sounds intriguing. You talk about how early Christians honored the message and image of the cross in their art, worship, and lives. Can you tell me more about that?<br /> <br />Judith:</span> I'll first say that I develop seminars based on some of my books. So currently I have about six seminars I offer to churches and organizations. The Mystery of the Cross seminar helps people understand the work of the Cross, how it transforms them, and influences their everyday lives. I use images and sensory experiences to enhance their understanding.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: Is there anything you'd like to add about the topic of Christians and the arts?<br /> <br />Judith:</span> Be yourself. Be true to your creative calling. Take in wisdom, but in the end, don't run your creative life based on what other people think. Pursue your passion. Listen to your soul. Your work will be authentic and meaningful, for you and your audience.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-55945075104745735302009-06-18T07:51:00.006-04:002009-06-21T21:15:07.924-04:00Judith Couchman: Writer, Art History Teacher, Speaker<em><a href="http://www.judithcouchman.com">Judith Couchman</a> has published more than 40 books, compilations, and Bible studies. Her books cover topics as diverse as art history, discovering your purpose, thriving in difficult times, shaping the soul, body image, flower gardening, and breadmaking. But whatever the topic, Judith leads readers to consider their own spiritual growth and formation in everyday life. In addition to her publishing career, Judith now teaches ancient, early Christian, Byzantine, and medieval art history courses as a part-time instructor for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. <br /><br />Judith has worked as a full-time freelance writer, speaker, and writing coach for 15 years. During this time she created the Write the Vision Retreats, intensive weekend gatherings for female writers, and the Designing a Woman’s Life Seminar, a one- to two-day workshop to help women find their purpose and passion in life. She’s also spoken to professional and women’s groups around the country, and has served as a magazine teacher and consultant to nonprofit organizations overseas. In recent years she’s donated consulting time to Eastern European editors of Christian publications.<br /><br />Before working as an author, Judith founded and served as editor-in-chief of Clarity, a national magazine for women. She’s held jobs as an editor, journalism teacher, communications director, and public relations practitioner. She’s also received national awards for her work in each of these positions, and for her books. Check out her website and blogs:<br /><br />http://www.judithcouchman.com<br />http://www.judithcouchman.blogspot.com<br />http://www.startingover-judithcouchman.blogspot.com</em><br /> <br /> <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: I came to know your writing through your book, <span style="font-style:italic;">Designing a Woman's Life</span>. What draws you to writing?<br /> <br />Judith:</span> From an early age I knew I wanted to be an author. In my sixth-grade journal I wrote, "I want to write a book." I think it's the only sentence I wrote in that journal, so I wasn't off to a good start! But I remember writing poems and stories in grade school and by high school I wrote for the school newspaper. I thought writing would be the coolest job in the world. I considered some other things, but always returned to a deeply embedded desire to write. I spent years teaching journalism and working as an editor, but I knew that eventually I'd write books. At the same time, those jobs prepared me for what I'm doing now. I learned to write by editing other people's work.<br /> <br />Saying I'm "drawn" to writing probably isn't strong enough. I'm compelled. I can't not write. Being an author is my main identity. It's hard to explain, but something about expressing myself through the written word deeply satisfies me. I also consider writing my calling. It's my ministry in the world; something I want to pursue the rest of my life.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: What kind of topics do you write about?<br /> <br />Judith: </span>I write nonfiction about a wide variety of topics, but primarily the work encourages readers to integrate faith into their everyday lives. But I don't think of myself as a how-to person--at least not these days. I like to use stories and memoir to create a common ground with readers and make them think. I don't like giving them "answers." I'm especially drawn to helping people pursue their purpose and passion in the world--to use their gifts and be who God created them to be. That's why I wrote <em>Designing a Woman's Life </em>and have taught seminars based on that book. I also write a blog called Starting Over, for people beginning again in any area of their lives. These days the publishing industry stresses author identity, so I've been thinking about this. I've recently learned that I can be an agent's nightmare because I'm interested in so many things. So after creating 40 books and compilations, I'm wrestling with how to define my brand or author identity.<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: You also teach art history. Why did you pursue a degree in art history? What draws you to it?<br /> <br />Judith</span>: Even though my main identity is "author," I also love art. I think many creative people are interested in more than one artistic endeavor. Often they work in one main field, but dabble in others. I'm not a visual artist, but I've visited museums and gazed at art for years. Whenever I traveled, I found the nearby museums and spent hours walking the galleries. I wasn't formally trained, so my appreciation was from a gut level. I enjoyed or disliked something based on my feelings. That's not a wrong way to approach art, but I eventually wanted to understand what I observed. Even though I already had a master's degree in journalism, I began taking undergraduate courses in art history--one at a time--in the evenings. Then eventually I pursued another master's degree in art history through an online university. I juggled studying art history with writing. I studied Christian art from its inception through the Reformation. Eventually this led to teaching art history part time (online) for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. This combines nicely with my writing life.<br /> <br />I've also begun writing about art, combining my two interests together. I recently finished a book for InterVarsity Press called, The Mystery of the Cross. It's about the art, life, and worship of early Christians, based on images of the cross. The book can be described as "art meets spiritual transformation." Readers apply what they've learned to their spiritual lives today. Right now I'm writing The Art of Faith, a handbook about Christian art, for Paraclete Press. I particularly wanted to write about and teach early Christian art. When we explore the art, rituals, and culture of early and medieval Christians, we understand our spiritual roots. When I began studying early Christian art, I was shocked by how I didn't know about my heritage as a believer. The early church and its art was different than I'd envisioned it--more elemental and tied to the Roman culture than I'd thought.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">More from Judith on Thursday.</span>LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-34811298635138269652009-06-16T08:15:00.004-04:002009-06-18T07:35:23.092-04:00Sound of Music in a Train StationI came across this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k&annotation_id=annotation_72265&feature=iv">YouTube </a>a couple of days ago and just had to pass it on. The video was made in the Antwerp, Belgium Central Train Station on March 23, 2009. At 08:00 am a recording of Julie Andrews singing 'Do, Re, Mi' begins to play on the public address system. As bemused passengers watch in amazement, some 200 dancers begin to appear from the crowd and station entrances. They created this stunt with just two rehearsals. It's so creative and such fun! I wish I had been there.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Coming soon: New feature!</span>LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-46358263365177245082009-06-14T22:37:00.004-04:002009-06-14T22:47:46.333-04:00Ruminate MagazineDo you <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.ruminatemagazine.org">Ruminate</a></span>? Check this out (from the website):<br /><br />"RUMINATE is a quarterly magazine of short stories, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art that resonate with the complexity and truth of the Christian faith. Each issue is a themed forum for literature and art that speaks to the existence of our daily lives while nudging us toward a greater hope. Because of this, we strive to publish quality work accounting for the grappling pleas, as well as the quiet assurances of an authentic faith. RUMINATE Magazine was created for every person who has paused over a good word, a real story, a perfect brushstroke— longing for the significance they point us toward. Please join us."<br /><br />On the <a href="http://www.ruminatemagazine.org">site</a> you can get a taste of the current issue and glimpses of past issues. Kudos to Ruminate!LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-37097489644692958192009-06-11T08:22:00.004-04:002009-06-11T08:26:07.511-04:00On Reactions to ArtHere's an excellent article written by artist Dayton Castleman called "<a href="http://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/967/">Can Cy Twombly Be Trusted?"</a>. Thanks to my friend Byron Borger of Hearts & Minds Books for bringing it to my attention.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-42245810689406259882009-06-08T10:25:00.007-04:002009-06-08T10:40:30.625-04:00Sacred Harp SingingI'm a Southern girl with gospel roots, but I've never been to a live performance of sacred harp singing. My knowledge of it is limited but my fascination is growing. If you've never heard of it, you'll want to check out these resources:<br /><br />1. An article by Paul Harvey titled <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2009/janfeb/9.12.html?start=1">"Wondrous Love: The living tradition of Sacred Harp singing"</a>. Harvey writes about sacred harp singing and discusses two books that deal with it: Kiri Miller’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Traveling Home</span>, an academic study, and Kathryn Easterburn’s <span style="font-style:italic;">A Sacred Feast: Reflections on Sacred Harp Singing and Dinner on the Ground</span>, a collection of essays, reflections, and even recipes. <br /><br />2.The documentary, <a href="http://www.awakemysoul.com">“Awake My Soul.</a>” (The website has a clip of the singing as well as a trailer. You can buy the soundtrack and the DVD on the site as well.) Here's the description:<br /><br /><blockquote>"<span style="font-style:italic;">Awake, My Soul</span> is a feature documentary that explores the history, music, and traditions of Sacred Harp singing, the oldest surviving American music. While often linked only to its history, (e.g. the songs were used in the recent historical films "Cold Mountain" and "Gangs of New York") this haunting music has survived over 200 years tucked away from sight in the rural deep south, where in old wooden country churches, devoted singers break open The Sacred Harp, a shape note hymnal first published in Georgia in 1844. These singers have inherited The Sacred Harp and its traditions from those who came before them and preserved these fierce yet beautiful songs, many of which are much older than the hymnal itself. And so they, like the early singers, begin each song by intoning syllables which are represented by each shaped note in their hymnal: fa, sol, la, and mi. To the casual observer, it is some foreign, unintelligible language, but to these Sacred Harp singers, it is the key that unlocks mysteries: songs of both beauty and sorrow, of life and of death, songs that cause feet to stomp and tears to flow, often at the same time. They are ancient sounds, which are at times disorienting to the modern ear, and yet they are sung with such passion and force that it becomes obvious that these songs are very much alive. Awake My Soul is a film that captures both the history and the vitality of a music that is utterly unlike any music most viewers are likely to have heard.”</blockquote><br /><br />Enjoy! And if you're a fan of sacred harp, leave a comment and let me know.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-4907460185481199172009-06-04T07:40:00.002-04:002009-06-04T07:43:16.739-04:00My Guest PostI'm honored to be the guest blogger on <a href="http://www.cira.org">CITA's</a> (Christians in Theater Arts) blog for the month of June. My post is about some of my favorite moments in theater. Here's the link if you'd like to read it:<br /><br />http://cita.org/site/?p=161LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-70247389135116885432009-06-01T08:03:00.016-04:002009-06-01T08:34:49.812-04:00Summer Arts ConferencesSchool is out and summer is on my mind, so I thought I'd post a couple of summer arts conferences. If you know of any others, please leave a comment with links and contact information.<br /><br />Two summer conferences sponsored by<a href="http://www.faithandwork.org/artscareer">Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York</a>:<br /><br />"This summer, the Redeemer's Arts Ministry will be presenting two Professional and Personal Development Conferences, to use this slower-moving time of the year to think more deeply about our callings, our careers, and our lives."<br /><br />Redeemer's new professional development series for artists is designed to help artists think through their careers from a Christian perspective, identify their "calling," and approach their careers with information, integrity, and vigor.<br /><br /><blockquote>Professional Development Workshop<br />Friday, June 26 - 7:00-9:30pm<br />Saturday, June 27 - 10:00am-4:00pm<br />Redeemer offices (1359 Broadway Suite 400)<br /><br />The Healthy Artist<br />Friday, July 17 - 7:00pm-9:30pm<br />Saturday, July 18 - 10:00am-4:00pm<br />Redeemer offices (1359 Broadway Suite 400)</blockquote><br /><br />Questions? Contact Luann Jennings at luann@redeemer.com or (212) 808-4460 x1343.<br /><br /><br />Another conference is <a href="http://www.karitos.com/">Karitos</a> <br /><br /><blockquote>Karitos 2009<br />"He Must Increase"<br />July 16-18<br />Living Waters Church<br />Bolingbrook, IL</blockquote><br /><br />"The mission of Karitos is to provide Biblically-based artistic and technical growth experiences to Christian artists." These tracks are offered: Master Classes, Dance/Mime, Literary Arts, Music Biz Track, Theatre, Visual Arts, Worship. Something for everyone!<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">More new features coming soon!</span>LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-99937451520405372009-05-28T07:10:00.005-04:002009-05-28T07:13:04.670-04:00The Beauty Around YouI have another blog called <a href="http://beautyandthebeholder.blogspot.com/">Beauty and the Beholder</a>. I thought yesterday's post on that blog would be a good exercise here as well. Check it out, and leave a comment about your favorite things of beauty.<br /><br />Coming soon: more featuresLeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-32405482828637473942009-05-25T12:21:00.004-04:002009-05-25T12:24:52.780-04:00Happy Memorial DayOn this holiday and every day of the year, I am grateful for this country. And I'm grateful for the many people who sacrificed their lives for the freedoms we have. What a tremendous gift!LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-22232251182191860302009-05-20T20:54:00.005-04:002009-05-21T06:42:31.654-04:00QuotationsI found these quotations in Leonard Sweet's <span style="font-style:italic;">Soul Salsa</span>. I like them and thought I'd pass them along.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“A true artist always puts something of his time in his art, and also his soul.” </span>French sculptor Auguste Rodin<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if possible, to speak a few reasonable words.” </span>Johann Wolfgang von Goethe<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“Heav’n above is softer blue<br />Earth around is sweeter green;<br />Something lives in every hue<br />Christless eyes have never seen.”</span> from George Wade Robinson hymn, <span style="font-style:italic;">I am His and He is Mine</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">“He who has eyes sees something in everything.” </span>Roy LichtenbergLeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-35375149784086094472009-05-18T08:45:00.001-04:002009-05-18T08:46:07.247-04:00Wilmer Mills, Part 3: Poet, Teacher, Carpenter<span style="font-style:italic;">This is the conclusion of my feature with the poet Wilmer Mills.</span><br /><br />To hear Wil read two poems, click <a href="http://www.marshillaudio.org/resources/segment_detail.asp?ID=453054550">here</a>.<br />To read more of the essay he excerpts in our interview, click <a href="http://poetrynet.org/month/archive/mills/index.htm">here</a>.<br />To see some of his paintings, click <a href="http://www.river-gallery.com/artist.php?artistId=130">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: In addition to being a poet, you're also a carpenter. Has creating with your hands also helped you create with words and vice versa?<br /><br />Wil:</span> I have done a lot of carpentry, but I no longer do it professionally. I built my own house and am forever doing projects on it. They never seem to end. Working with my hands is the most important activity for stimulating my creativity. It is what makes me most human and also what puts me closest into contact with my creator. I also believe that working with my hands taps into a separate kind of human intelligence. There is the usual I.Q. kind; I often feel very deficient in that area. But when I work with my hands, I feel a broadening of connection-making ability. I am able to see how things fit together, how things work in a series of steps, almost how a story fits together. Yes, it’s all very narrative. I don’t think, though, that working with words has helped me work better with my hands. I think it only works the other way around. Manual dexterity or activity stimulates mental facility, not the reverse.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LM: You're also a teacher on a fellowship at UNC Chapel Hill. What has teaching students to write taught you? <br /><br />WM: </span>It has taught me how much I still don’t know. I never wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to work with my hands. But I couldn’t make a living that way and teaching has been my salvation. This has been a great surprise to me, because of how much I love it and for how much I learn by teaching. I’ve learned more about poetry by teaching in two years than I have in fifteen years of writing. Having to explain something forces one to learn the material in a deeper way. I hope to be able to continue teaching poetry.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LM: What would you like for your students to know when they leave your classroom?<br /><br />WM: </span>I teach my students how to construct a good line of verse both in strict meter and with lively and compelling syntax. Poetry is built out of lines, not feelings. When they learn how to build a good line, when they know the rules, then they can learn how to break them in intelligent ways, something that is essential for formal poetry, but especially for free verse, which, by definition, depends on variation. If you don’t have a grasp of regularity, your variation or “freedom” from a norm has no meaning.<br /><br />I teach them to develop their ears to pick up the rich musical possibilities of language and how to channel that music through accurate observations of the real world around them. Too often, student poets think that writing a poem is about constructing an elaborate riddle with words, and that their job is to give cryptic clues to what the meaning is. This is at the root of most horrible poetry. If given the choice between the subtlety of mystery and the enigma of the mysterious, they will invariably choose the latter and drip it with oozings from their psyches. <br /><br />I teach them to get out of their own heads, to stop thinking that poetry is a soapbox for self-expression. Poetry is about expressing the dictionary. Once they catch on, they realize that words are more intelligent than people are, and that words do a much better job of expressing their feelings and thoughts. Let good language do the work. So I teach students to look at what they see right in front of them and to say what they see in the most compelling language. Poets should make sense and make it sing.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-43086709809647085332009-05-14T08:00:00.001-04:002009-05-14T10:03:51.010-04:00Wilmer Mills, Part 2: Poet, Collector of Words<span style="font-style:italic;">This is the second of three parts of my feature on poet Wilmer Mills. Mills was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was graduated from The McCallie School in 1988 and The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee with a B.A. in English Literature in 1992. He received a Masters in Theology from Sewanee in 2005. His first book of poems, a chapbook, Right as Rain, was published by Aralia Press in 1999. His first full-length collection of poems, Light for the Orphans, was published by Story Line Press in 2002.Wilmer Mills has published poems in The New Republic, The Hudson Review, The Southern Review, Poetry, The New Criterion, Shenandoah, Literary Imagination, and others. His poems have been anthologized in Penguin/Longman Anthology of Contemporary American Poets, 2004, and are forthcoming from The Swallow Anthology of New American Poets.Mills has worked as a carpenter, furniture maker, sawmill operator, artisan bread baker, white oak basket weaver, farmer, and a white water raft guide, and poetry teacher among other things. He lives with his wife, Kathryn, and their two children in a bungalow he built himself in Sewanee, Tennessee. But he currently teaches poetry at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is their Kenan Visiting Writer.</span><br /><br />To hear Wil read two poems, click <a href="http://www.marshillaudio.org/resources/segment_detail.asp?ID=453054550">here</a>.<br />To read more of the essay he excerpts in our interview, click <a href="http://poetrynet.org/month/archive/mills/index.htm">here</a>.<br />To see some of his paintings, click <a href="http://www.river-gallery.com/artist.php?artistId=130">here</a>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: Describe your creative process. <br /><br />Wil:</span> I’m a linguistic bower bird. I collect words, bits of conversation, road signs, etymologies, etc. I write down what I find in a pocket notebook, and these bits and pieces then germinate in my mind and slowly settle into the lines of my poems. Whole poems grow out of certain images on their own. I don’t go after poems. They come to me as sonic excitement clicking in the syllables. I wait for the idea, the thing, the moment--wait until it appears already packaged in the phonetic music that will make it sing.<br /> Then, ironically, what writes a poem is the syntax. Once I latch onto the right syntactical pattern (a tone, a pacing of clause, subject, and verb), the poem basically writes itself, pulling the subject matter along through the meter, sometimes in rhyme. It is important not to force the language to go where you want it to go, but to listen to it and let it guide you. The word “author” is descended from the same word as “augur,” meaning “seer.” A poet’s job is to see things, to point out the obvious that other people don’t see, not to reinvent reality with some hokus-pokus romantic notion of “inspiration” or creativity. That’s called disappointing the obvious. Once I have a draft of a poem, I sometimes spend years revising it. That’s when the real writing takes place.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LM: Tell me about your book of poems. <br /><br />WM:</span> In 1999, I published a small chapbook called <span style="font-style:italic;">Right as Rain</span> by Aralia Press. In 2002, my full-length book of poems, <span style="font-style:italic;">Light for the Orphans</span>, was published by Story Line Press. The press is now out of business, and my book is out of print, but used copies can still be found. Many of the poems in that book are narratives, stories about imaginary characters. That means that I am also a fiction writer--only I do it in verse, not prose.<br /><br />Recently I have begun writing fiction in prose. A short story of mine was in the April issue of <span style="font-style:italic;">Image</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">More from Wilmer Mills on Monday.</span>LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-18777289028667612662009-05-11T09:15:00.003-04:002009-05-11T09:19:17.703-04:00Wilmer Mills, Poet<span style="font-style:italic;">Wilmer Mills was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He graduated from The McCallie School in 1988 and The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee with a B.A. in English Literature in 1992. He received a Masters in Theology from Sewanee in 2005. His first book of poems, a chapbook, <span style="font-style:italic;">Right as Rain</span>, was published by Aralia Press in 1999. His first full-length collection of poems, <span style="font-style:italic;">Light for the Orphans</span>, was published by Story Line Press in 2002. Wilmer Mills has published poems in <span style="font-style:italic;">The New Republic, The Hudson Review, The Southern Review, Poetry, The New Criterion, Shenandoah, Literary Imagination,</span> and others. His poems have been anthologized in Penguin/Longman Anthology of Contemporary American Poets, 2004, and are forthcoming from The Swallow Anthology of New American Poets. Mills has worked as a carpenter, furniture maker, sawmill operator, artisan bread baker, white oak basket weaver, farmer, and a white water raft guide, and poetry teacher among other things. He lives with his wife, Kathryn, and their two children in a bungalow he built himself in Sewanee, Tennessee. But he currently teaches poetry at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he is their Kenan Visiting Writer.</span><br /><br />To hear Wil read two poems, click <a href="http://www.marshillaudio.org/resources/segment_detail.asp?ID=453054550">here</a>.<br />To read more of the essay he excerpts in our interview, click <a href="http://poetrynet.org/month/archive/mills/index.htm">here</a>.<br />To see some of his paintings, click <a href="http://www.river-gallery.com/artist.php?artistId=130">here</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: How did you get started in poetry?<br /><br />Wil:</span> The best way to answer this is by using an extract from an essay of mine that already answers this as best as I can.<br /><br /> <blockquote>My youthful epiphany that poetry was to be my major creative direction did not come like St. Paul's on the road to Damascus or like what the French call a coup de foudre, a lightning bolt. It was a gradual unfolding in my life the way that a story is told. I can look back to its beginning and see that a certain seed was planted in my adolescent mind. The sap was rising. The proverbial lights were coming on when, in the tenth grade, I was brought along by my mother and uncle to what would be my first literary event, a reading by Robert Penn Warren at Nichols State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana.<br /> <br />I was likely included because for several years my mother had been pulling wads of paper from the pockets of my dirty laundry. While bored in classes, I had written down thoughts and images, never admitting to myself that their lines about deer hunters and pickup trucks could be considered poems. At the time they were more a means of getting rid of perennial bouts of sadness that overtook me whenever I got a sense of things I didn't understand, feeling, nevertheless, the weight of their presence. It caused me to assume, at the worst, that there existed other territories of thought, places to which I was called, or even entitled, at best, like a young mallard on his first migration. Much later I learned that there were words for such feelings, most of them in foreign languages: Saudade, Sehnsucht, Hiraeth, Ahnung, all sentiments that have led many young writers into the production of copious drivel. <br /><br />My earliest attempts were already far too much in that vein. To my credit I never expected anyone to read them and actually thought those wads of paper just got ground up in the washer and sent to the septic tank where they belonged. My mother only confessed years later to having saved them. My juvenile writing must have caused her to think that the Warren reading would inspire me or help shape my efforts. She was more right than she could have ever expected. But I had never heard of Robert Penn Warren and had never used the word "literary" to refer to anything. I knew what poetry was and liked it but felt no personal connection to it. My maternal grandfather, whose name was Robert, often recited Robert Service, Robert Frost, and Robert Burns. Not being named Robert myself I didn't feel called to be a poet or lover of poetry, so the presence of Robert Warren did nothing to change my assumption. I went along dutifully.<br /><br />Unknown to my mother, my dominant creative outlet at the time was not poetry but painting, not so much what I drew or painted on my own but how I thought about art. Whatever interest I had in poetry was purely that it seemed to be a compatible medium to painting. Out of a reflex instilled in me by my grandfather, I had memorized Robert Frost's "The Gift Outright." In doing so I was compelled by the tone of the poem, which carried with it authority and a definitive social message about the land and culture of the United States. What also compelled me was how its tone and message dovetailed with its rhythm, something about the way the lines were put together. <br /><br />After reading more by Frost, I compared his haunting narrative aesthetic to the texture of paintings by Andrew Wyeth whose works, while structured, dry brushed, and stark, seemed also vibrant with human stories of flesh and feeling. I could tell that in Wyeth's painting and in Frost's poetry the stories were told while following strict rules. I sensed that when such rules were mastered, the artist or poet was able to achieve a measure of freedom that rose above the rules. I wouldn't have been able to articulate this too clearly then, but I thought about it a lot and my early fascination with stylistics was the result of a strange rebelliousness, the likes of which had nothing in common with the "acting out" of my contemporaries. I was looking for ways of embracing submission to stylistic authority and tradition so as to gain artistic freedom from them.<br /><br />Toward this end I secretly wanted to be a watercolor painter because technique in that medium, when done well, involves getting a thought or response to nature on paper quickly and exactly in a practiced gesture of the hand. The technique takes skill that, after becoming second-nature, releases you from technique. You strive toward realism but to do so must employ significant impressionistic skills, downright abstraction, to suggest reality. So watercolor, to me, promised in an unsuspecting way to be more accurate and true-to-nature than oil painting, which seemed to require much more revision and repainting to get right.<br /><br />But in one evening Warren changed my field of vision from painting to poetry. It wasn't so much Warren's poetry that initially affected me. I mean no condescension to his talent. It's just that at the time I would have been outright embarrassed to say anything out loud about art, much less poetry, so what moved me was seeing that oak of a man stand up in front of grown people and read poems. It was the equivalent in my mind of the small change in sunlight that causes whole continents of birds to fly somewhere else. Warren's poem, "Audubon: A Vision," particularly moved me. The painter, John James Audubon, had lived and painted birds only minutes from my family's land in Louisiana. I had grown up hearing the name and knew that my ancestors would have almost certainly had dealings with him. The last section of Warren's poem about him made me want to be a poet.<br /><br /> <br /> "Long ago, in Kentucky, I, a boy, stood<br /> By a dirt road, in first dark, and heard<br /> The great geese hoot northward.<br /><br /> I could not see them, there being no moon<br /> And the stars sparse. I heard them.<br /><br /> I did not know what was happening in my heart."<br /><br /><br />These lines didn't strike me as a poem, though I'm certainly not saying they don't constitute one. I just mean that I was mainly aware of them hitting me as powerful writing should: like a truck. The fact that there wasn't an underlying metrical structure in the poem didn't bother me. While I was compelled by the rhythms in Frost I didn't yet know what the word "meter" was, iambic pentameter and such things, and the term "free verse" had no meaning to me. Frost and Warren both had an explosive impact on me, even though I could tell they were not in the same vein, like two oak trees of the same genus but of different species. Warren inspired me to look for the acorn in myself. Frost made it grow. While I cannot claim to be an oak, much less of the same variety and stature of Frost or Warren, I have at least become some kind of sapling. The fact that I have taken root in the forest of Frost does not diminish my awe and respect for Warren in the least. The end of the Audubon poem reads, "Tell me a story of deep delight," and this may be utter silliness but I have taken that as an exhortation as if given to me personally as a charge. It is my motto as a writer. I met Warren that night. He asked me where I was from. When I told him North of Baton Rouge, south of St. Francisville in an area called The Plains he said, “there are good people there.”</blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">More from Wilmer Mills on Thursday.</span>LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-23396225940686101872009-05-06T19:58:00.006-04:002009-05-06T20:07:32.087-04:00Secular Music--or Sacred?On <span style="font-style:italic;">Christianity Today<a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/commentaries/2009/secularorsacred.html?start=1"></a></span>, I came across an <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/commentaries/2009/secularorsacred.html?start=1">article by John J. Thompson</a>, a Christian music insider who has been an artist, critic, retailer, fan and label executive. Thompson discusses the power of music and addresses the oft-asked question: is music secular or sacred or neither? He says, "We should stop trying to define a dividing line, because when it comes to music, it's all spiritual." Check it out.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-23201386319551145512009-05-04T08:43:00.003-04:002009-05-04T08:53:35.937-04:00ImagoDo you know about <a href="http://www.imago-arts.on.ca/about/about.html">Imago</a>? <br /><br />Begun over 30 years ago, Imago is a faith-based organization that seeks "to engage in promoting artistry of high caliber that will be both enrich and carry positive influence on the Canadian cultural landscape." Check out their website <a href="http://www.imago-arts.on.ca/about/about.html">here</a>.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-26921152132983453582009-04-29T20:33:00.003-04:002009-04-29T20:41:21.780-04:00"How I Work": Stephanie Tumney, Part Two<span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://www.stephanietumney.com">Stephanie Tumney</a> is a stone <a href="http://www.stephaniesculpture.com">sculptor</a>. At an early age, her creativity and love for art were evident. In kindergarten, her favorite sculptor was Michelangelo, and she is still influenced by his work today, along with others such as Bernini, Picasso and Henri Moore. Stephanie graduated from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC. She also studied marble sculpture in Tinos, Greece. She has shown in museums, galleries, churches and private homes in California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, and Cairo, Egypt. She works primarily as a sculptor in both stone and bronze, although she enjoys drawing, painting and photography as well. Many of her paintings have been displayed in churches, used for spiritual direction and reflection. Her sculptural work is often figurative, in poses that depict raw emotion, as well as spiritual and psychological transformation. Stephanie grew up on the East Coast, in Massachusetts, and currently resides in Campbell, California, with her husband Mark who is a pastor. Stephanie is available for commissions in either sculpture or painting.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: What are you working on currently?<br /><br />Stephanie:</span> Last week I finished a large <a href="http://www.openingnewdoors.org">outdoor sculpture project for Saratoga Presbyterian Church</a> in Saratoga, California. My husband has been pastor there for over two years. Our church is re-opening its doors and wanted a guerilla marketing campaign to grab people’s attention and make them wonder what is going on, rather than a typical campaign of just banners and postcards. My proposal of <a href="http://www.stephanietumney.com/portfolio.html">“Opening New Doors”</a> was chosen, which consisted of erecting 24 doors along the two main streets that border the church. Each door has the contour of a person carved out of the middle. I tried to include people of all shapes, sizes and walks of life to show that the church’s doors were open to all types of people. The doors are painted vibrant “Island” colors that catch your eye as you drive by.<br /><br />Part of the project was to construct the sculptures on site, and over a specific span of time leading up to the launch of Saratoga Pres.’s new post-contemporary service. That way, those who drive by consistently can observe the progress and see what has changed, and it will retain their attention for over a month. My working on site served its purpose and sparked the interest of many. There were many who were curious and asked questions, who honked or yelled out to me as they drove by. It was quite a spectacle. <br /><br />God really blessed the project from its conception onward. I credit Him with planting such a simple and yet perfect marketing strategy for the situation. Then He brought us a door replacement company that was willing to have me raid their dumpster consistently for appropriate doors. God has used these doors to give the members of the congregation an opportunity to talk to and invite their friends and neighbors to church, something that they were less comfortable doing before. They actually have people asking them about their church now, which is close to preposterous in this area where less than 10% of the population goes to church, and some seem hostile to Christianity. I am grateful that God used my sweat and talent to be a witness for Him, and keep praying that this may open doors for people to come to know Christ, the True Door.LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34808330.post-71711647572870023062009-04-26T17:58:00.001-04:002009-04-26T20:49:56.594-04:00"How I Work": Sculptor Stephanie Tumney<span style="font-style:italic;">I interviewed<a href="http://christiansinthearts.blogspot.com/2008/04/stephanie-tumney-part-1-working-with.html"> Stephanie Tumney</a> last year but wanted to find out more about her creative process and her current projects. <a href="http://christiansinthearts.blogspot.com/2008/04/stephanie-tumney-part-1-working-with.html">Stephanie</a> is a stone sculptor. At an early age, her creativity and love for art were evident. In kindergarten, her favorite sculptor was Michelangelo, and she is still influenced by his work today, along with others such as Bernini, Picasso and Henri Moore. Stephanie graduated from the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, DC. She also studied marble sculpture in Tinos, Greece. She has shown in museums, galleries, churches and private homes in California, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, and Cairo, Egypt. She works primarily as a sculptor in both stone and bronze, although she enjoys drawing, painting and photography as well. Many of her paintings have been displayed in churches, used for spiritual direction and reflection. Her sculptural work is often figurative, in poses that depict raw emotion, as well as spiritual and psychological transformation. Stephanie grew up on the East Coast, in Massachusetts, and currently resides in Campbell, California, with her husband Mark who is a pastor. Stephanie is available for commissions in either sculpture or painting.</span> <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">LeAnne: Describe your creative process.<br /><br />Stephanie:</span> When most people think of a process, they think of a linear process. I’ve found that my creative process is much more of a spherical process. There are many steps, and they may be repeated at various times, or omitted altogether, and their order is not fixed. The basic elements are prayer, scripture study, sketching, research, model making, and the actual sculpting. If each was assigned a point in a sphere, the lines connecting them according to order and frequency of use would gradually fill the sphere like a tangled ball of twine. For instance, sketching is integral, as well as research, and they both happen at different points during the process, usually during the initial idea generation and then when a problem arises. For some work I form a model first, for others sketching is sufficient. Additional key elements in my creative process are prayer and contemplation of the Scriptures. These also are not limited to the beginning stages, but occur throughout, even after completion. <br /><br />Each artwork takes on its individual order of process, but includes much of the same steps. Sometimes an idea comes to me while praying in church, sometimes while reading the Psalms, sometimes while working on another piece, sometimes while doing something mundane like grocery shopping. Sometimes the idea is almost completely formed in my head at its first inception. Other times it takes hours or weeks of sketching to get the arm placed correctly. Usually I form a model out of clay before I begin any stone work. Psychologically, the toughest part is always the first hit or cut into the raw material. I imagine it is similar to a writer with a blank page in front of them. After there is something on that page, it is a lot easier to proceed, even if it’s just to scratch out that first word. During the actual sculpting, I simultaneously try to pray. I also read the Psalms in the morning before I begin. Often, something will arise so that I do more sketching to change or further develop a particular aspect. When I make a mistake or some other setback occurs, after the initial fury, when I can look objectively at the piece again (which can take hours or months depending on the severity) I try to see how it could be used for the good of the piece. I have seen God turn the largest mistakes of mine into pieces that are better than they would have been before. Usually I am continually researching methods, tools, geology, art history and whatever else I may need to know. I enjoy the fluidity of a spherical process, allowing each piece to progress as it will, and allowing God to direct my work.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">More from Stephanie Tumney on Thursday.</span>LeAnne Benfield Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09702060783872236391noreply@blogger.com0