Recently in reviewing an art book, "The Colorful Art of Pain: The Tanzanian Works,”  I was taken back to a very painful time in my own life.  The pain filled lessons I learned from those darkest moments were life altering.  However, before I share that story and why the message of this book hit a deeply felt responsive place that lays hidden within my psyche -- let’s savor a quote from the man behind the art, Daniel Quinlan.

“There are no words to describe pain, sometimes it is best to use pictures.”

That quote and this beautiful book filled with the finger painted art of Daniel Quinlan, and expertly narrated by author Cindy Vine.  While it could be described as an adult art book, that descriptor would not even come close to doing it justice.  Working through chronic pain (regardless of the cause) is a harrowing journey for those who must do it.  No one willingly wants to be a tortured artist or suffering artist.

While most of us are aware that art has been used as a tool in pain management in recent years, at a deeper level the majority of us remember that throughout history personal pain (whether physical or emotional) was often the driving force of many a famous artists.  After all, emotion in art allows those who appreciate the art and the artist to connect with the art.  Very often through intense pain, the resulting intense emotions can and do produce great art.  Countless examples of this exist, among them -- Edward Munch, Vincent Van Gogh, and Frida Kahlo.  These artists didn't need a rehab specialist to introduce themselves to pain management through art.  Art for them became a matter of sheer-willed survival.  Such was also the case for Dan Quinlan.

“What is art?  Art grows from joy and sorrow, but mostly from sorrow.  It grows from human lives.”  -- Edward Munch

The Physical Side of Pain Management

One of the reasons this art book is so dynamic, is that pain can’t easily be measured by those who are not experiencing it.  Art gives a face to pain.   It’s far too easy to dismiss the pain of others as something less than it is.  People think: “Oh stop whining – it’s not that bad.  Take a pill.  You just want attention."  Still pain is real for the one trying to express their pain. Pain is less real for those watching it from the outside.  There is a disconnect, especially if the other person has never truly experienced intense pain of their own.  After all, pain is invisible to everyone who isn't wearing it.  

Inspirational Insights Found Through Chronic Pain

A life time ago, long before today's better drugs and approaches to pain management, I spent a number of months in a hospital following an experimental surgery to correct a birth defect and subsequent complications.  The facility lacked the amenities of today.  For lack of bed space and pain management, I was put on in an open ward filled with terminally ill women who were dying from cancer.  These women knew they were not going home and they were in obvious great physical and emotional pain.   Morphine was the drug of choice for the physicians in charge in those years.  In between carefully monitored and spaced shots, this ward was filled with women in waiting.  Some would sleep their days away.  Still other women would beg for more relief in between doses.  And then, there were the women who would spend their days crying out in pain and begging for death to come.      

The one exception on that ward, was a young single mom.  She alone refused medication during the day, only relenting at night, so that she could get some sleep.  Each day her mother who was at home raising her young son for her, would call on the phone.  He needed to talk to his mommy before he could go to bed.  Waiting for that daily phone call from her little boy was everything to her.   She spent her days drawing hundreds of pictures that she wanted given to her two-year-old son when she died.  

Day after day, I was horrified at this spectacle of a parade of pain from my vantage point in that ward.  I was twenty years old, alone, scared, and in great physical pain for the very first time in my life.  However, I was quite content to bide out my time between shots by reading and sleeping, despite the ineffectiveness in truly blocking out the pain. One woman after screaming for several weeks whenever she was awake and writhing in pain, begging for death, finally got her wish.   

A couple days later, the young single mom and I talked heart-to-heart for the first time.  Both of us had found ourselves awake in the wee hours of the morning.  I asked if she was an artist? No.  She just drew pictures of the things she wanted to show her son and knew she wouldn't be able to do that in person.  I asked why she refused the pain meds.  Her explanation was simple, "I want to not have the few minutes I can talk to my baby to be a foggy memory."  Then, she went on to explain something I'd never considered, "Our minds are wonderful machines if we let them be.  While the pain will still there, your mind has the ability to control the intensity of the level of your pain.  You can do that by completely focusing on something that interests you or something you love.  I can do that by reading a good book, thinking about my son, or drawing."  By morning, she had lost her battle with ovarian cancer and left me with a piece of  wisdom that has served me well through a number of later surgeries and breast cancer.  

Chronic pain, the kind that does not go away, is often something not everyone can entirely escape.  Surely good drugs can put you in a place where you get relief, often in the form of sleep.  However, that comes at the risk of long term cost in terms of living a normal life.  You also gamble falling into the trap of addiction to pain medications.   Pain is often a journey of fright,  anger, and a feeling of helplessness.   It's easy to surrender to it.  It keeps you from doing not only what you need to, but those all important things that you live (or at least long) to do. 

The Art of Pain Management South African Style

"The Colorful Art of Pain: The Tanzanian Works,” is the perfect way to raise awareness about the problem of chronic pain.  The story line combined with the art allows those who have never really experienced pain to see what they can’t see.  It represents the kind of art produced by someone who has walked the crooked road pain created and speaks volumes about how pain changes lives.

It’s difficult to put pain into words that others will understand.  Some people turn to art, painting, drawing, sculpting in an effort to depict their pain -- this is what artist Dan Quinlan did with his finger painting.   It is the reason why this book is so important and profound.  Quinlan's story deserves to be told to you through reading and personally owning the book.  I would give anything to own one of those one hundred and twenty-five canvases he finger painted in a three year journey of pain.  Since that won't be happening, I'll settle for saying, "This book deserves to go viral and I wish that everyone owned a copy."

There are always those among us who ooze artistic talent.  They are the ones who listen to and follow their inner creative voice close enough to actually heed it by simply doing and choosing a path that allows them to do what they love as a career.   Unique to this American artist, more famous for his body of artistic art in nature and the American West, it's refreshing to know that he gave us a prolific body of work that not everyone knows, but perhaps most of us have seen throughout our lifetime without even realizing who the artist was and why he was an important American artist.  This is the case of John Ford Clymer, a contemporary of Norman Rockwell, who garnered more of the glory when it came to being a household name. John Ford Clymer also deserves to be a household name in art as one of the greatest prolific American illustrators and artists of all time.

Staying true to your art takes courage.  For those of you who are not familiar with John Ford Clymer, like Norman Rockwell, he too started out as a cover illustrator/artist with the Saturday Evening Post  from 1942 thru 1962.   If you had lived during those times, you would have seen his work while reading the U.S. Marine Corps magazine, Leatherneck, along with being exposed to his art on many patriotic government posters.  Generations of Americans also grew up seeing his work as an illustrator for such magazines as: The American, Colliers, Cosmopolitan, Esquire, Liberty, Redbook, and Women's Day.   Before that  he was also a popular illustrator in Canadian magazines, such as: Mcleans and Western Home.  You'll also find his work on the covers of : Romance, Blue Book, Argosy, and Adventure Illustrated.  In later life, his art was even featured Book, Argosy, and Adventure Illustrated. 

In later life, his art was even featured on limited edition collector plates.  However, John Ford Clymer bravely walked away from that long and successful career as a popular illustrator and claimed his place as a master American artist.

John Clymer wasn't just an illustrator and later Western artist .  Although you can see over fifty of his paintings at The Spirit of America -- Clymer Museum and Gallery in his home town of Ellensburg, Washington, you'll also find them at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, Wyoming, The Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery of Western American and American Indian Art in Chandler, Arizona, Cody Whitney's Gallery of Western Art, in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Sheridan, Wyoming, and in the homes of private art collectors and other museums around the world.  One of the lessor touted places you'll find his paintings is at the the National Museum of Marine Corps in Triangle, Virginia.  It's there that you'll find that besides being one of the greatest American illustrators and artists, more known for his nature and western art -- he was also a combat and military artist extraordinary.  

As an artist, one of his greatest desires was to be absolutely historically correct when painting a scene from history.  He wanted his art to contribute to history and deliberately chose to paint lesser known historical events.  The above painting is his depiction of the War of 1812 battle between the U.S.S. Wasp and the H.M.S. Reindeer, which was a huge victory for the American Navy -- who only actually had eighteen ships, compared to Britain's nearly six hundred ship strong navy.

In art, combat art (aka military art, battle field art, marine art, or war art) is one of the oldest types of art.  Long before Medieval times, or the modern invention of cameras, such art was often the sole means available to mankind to record the history of battles, destined to be long forgotten without this ever lasting means of communicating what happened.  Clymer was a nationally significant author meticulously re-invented true history that had been carefully researched, making it real and come alive on canvas.  He is considered an impressionist who re-invented realism true to history as he understood it.  His heroism in the art world also extended to his approach to the promotion of his art -- he wasn't one to self-promote, believing his art should stand alone for how its audience perceived it.  Unpretentious, genuine, and real John Ford Clymer is an American artist to remember.

John Ford Clymer

In 1994, a community collaborative art project sponsored by the New Mexico Arts Division was created. 

Sculptures of a Bull, a Cow and a Cowboy were made for the entryway to the Rodeo grounds in Magdalena, NM. Each sculpture is made with the help of local volunteers using materials found within the community. The cowboy is made of chicken wire, stove pipe and other recycled materials. He has a horseshoe mustache and metal cowboy hat, belt and boots. The Bull is made of heaps of bailing wire, old tools, fence parts and barn parts. The Cow's body is made of old tires, her head is a coal bucket.

In a little village town called Magdalena, in New Mexico, there's a school, a library and box car museum, a couple of cafe's, and an art gallery or two.  There's Main Street, a blacksmith, a trading post, and a little gas station.  On Friday afternoons locals are gathered outside the post office by their pickup trucks, chatting and waiting for their deliveries and mail.  People read The Mountain Mail newspaper.  There are tumbleweeds and cacti, lizards and antelope.  Nothing is open all day long, and most shops aren't even open everyday.  It's a small, quiet, old fashioned, western town.  A town where everybody knows everybody.

Once upon a time, Mrs. Butterfield ran a Lying-In Hospital (now an Inn). If you were sick or with child, Grandma Butter, as she was called, would make sure you were well taken care of.  Her services included her homemade soup and pillow fluffing.  And if you found that you didn't have enough to pay for Grandma Butter's hospitality, you could work off your bill once you got to feeling better.  

Back in the day, the rowdies would be rounded up and escorted by the sheriff to the small jailhouse, and  Magdalena was known for its mercantile and wool warehouses, mines, and rodeos.  In regards to rodeos, Former Mayor Clayton Hust arguably proclaimed that the first rodeo could be traced back to this little village.  The Rodeo Grounds, just past Trail's End, are still an attraction, especially during the Old Timers Reunion Rodeo. 

For as small and simple as it is, Magdalena is actually quite rich in art, culture and history. You'd have to look through stacks of newspapers to get a good full picture, or sit and listen to stories that have been passed down from generation to generation and from older population to new. And now with its current "artistic community", you can visually piece together Magdalena's details as well. 

There's a reason why "artistic community" above and here is in quotes.  It's because that label doesn't satisfy me, at all.  While the "artistic community" is now more in the form of paintings and sculptures, pottery and jewelry, even photography, in other words things that we tend to associate with art, one can confidently say that Magdalena, NM, has from its start, grown out of art in its many more ambiguous forms.  Art that makes up its rich history.  There's architecture, blacksmithing, mercantilism and rodeos, as just a small handful of examples. Each based in art forms of various kinds, each telling a different story, showing a different aspect of life and of the people that came together to create that art, each forming Magdalena's art filled history.  

The art of the rodeo, the history of Magdalena, and current artifacts that represent Magdalena's people past and present, all come together at Trails End, perfectly weathered.

I love it there.  I love its quiet.  It's an oasis in this modern hectic world.  I love that shops are only open when the shopkeepers want them to be; I think this more than anything speaks volumes about the people, who appreciate their privacy, their own personal time, and their friends and family, their own artistic endeavors over anything else.  There is a different pace of life here, a way of life that has been beautifully preserved.  And I love that you can drive or walk around and find little gems which reveal themselves and take your breath away, or make you curious.  The art is as quiet as the town at the end of the trail,  like the sculptures that can be found at Trail's End of a cowboy, a bull, and a cow. 

This article covers the enchanting art of C.S. Alexis, her shops, and an exclusive look into what inspires her.​  All photos courtesy Adrift Art Studio.  Clicking on photo sets will bring up a light-box view for an awesome photo viewing experience and links. just for you, upon hover. 

​C.S. Alexis uses a broad range of materials from sea glass and flowers to driftwood and bones. She hand picks them on the beaches and other special places near her residence near Lake Michigan.  Like so many artists she is inspired by the nature around her.  Each find speaks to her and she seems to know just what to do to bring it to life.  ​

I have long admired her hand crafted creations and have been a fan of her work for about four years now. 

Here is a small representation of some of my favorite past Adrift Art Studio's ​offerings: 

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As of late, she's been focusing more and more on miniatures and garden items.  My favorites (especially when there's moss involved) are her garden fairy swings, furnishings, and doors.  And I find I can't stop admiring her one of a kind fairy fantasy creatures she calls the Wee Bee the Peops which "are designed to encourage individualism and are concerned with everyone being proud of who they are".  Each Peop is made of metal and paperclay, sealed and painted with acrylic.  has a different personality so be sure to check out the wonderfully clever descriptions and bios on each offering. 

C.S. Alexis is not afraid of happy colors, she embellishes her pieces as simply as nature does, and are sure to put a smile on your face.  Smiles of happiness is a big part of what she hopes to accomplish through her creations.

Her two shops: TINKER'S ATTIC  and   WALK SOFTLY 13 offer artists and art lovers alike a look into the beautiful fantasies that mother nature offers us. 

Her Etsy shop Tinker's Attic offers her latest in unusual art and craft supplies and materials.  Looking for bones?  Sea glass? Select pieces of beached driftwood?  Crab claws?  She has them for you.  And you don't have to have a project in mind to fall in love with most of her offerings. 

Take, for example, the most popular collections from her Tinker's Attic shop, (especially around Valentines day): handcrafted hearts.  Some have wood burned messages inscribed, and some have a small splash of color.  She has quite a variety of them, all shapes and sizes, and if you ask me, they are special all year round and make the perfect gift to a best friend.  I'd also use them to bring a special message with a smile to my children in their sack lunches.

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Her other shop, Walk Softly 13, offers what I like to call miniature masterpieces.  And yes, you can even request custom items that are not currently available in her shop. Some of her pieces, like her free standing sign on post (shown below) offer the option of free personalization of wood burned lettering of your choice.  Her sculptures and miniature fantasy garden pieces are just as she puts it, "mysterious and magical".  They revolve around re-purposed and gathered materials, and speak to her enchantment with and deep love for mother nature as well as her strong beliefs for conservation.  Wood, stone, bark, seeds, and shells make up a great part of the foundation materials she uses.  For a special handmade and keepsake touch, each piece is personally signed by C.S. Alexis herself. 

Some specialty pieces, like the little art fairy garden straw bed, sell out FAST!  So if you see them in stock, buy!  And remember, you can always request an item that you don't see.​

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We wanted to go behind the scenes and find out more about this fascinating artist and her fairy wonderlands.  It all started with a milk carton garden decades ago.  Here's her story in her own words:

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I fell in love with gardening when I was about 7 years old. You know, when you plant a seed in your milk carton at school as a child and it grows and turns into a flower....well that was the hook.

I hounded my Father to help me make a garden in our yard that summer and wanted to grow things we could eat.  I bought a few packs of seeds and he helped me make a little garden patch.  I was so excited when we picked the first radish...but within a few days a very large crop of grasshoppers came and ate everything in the garden much to my dismay.

I think my imagination took over then. I thought of the bugs as "the enemy"

My Father was an architect and my mother owned a beauty shop so the creativity I believe was inherited. I was always trying to build things with hammers and nails but it seemed I had the best luck when I used found materials like sticks and cardboard and skipped the conventional building skills as I was not too good with a hammer.

I built my first hut in the yard at about 7 or 8 years old and it was fashioned out of sticks, dead leaves and dried grass...much like a large nest with a roof and solid stick walls...I made my father climb through the doorway of that hut where we both sat all scrunched up just looking at each other...it was tight but it worked and it made me so proud and so happy, I probably laughed for a week.  The wind and weather knocked it down after a while and then I believe I started to learn about how Mother Nature worked her magic.  I am the biggest fan of Mother Nature and all of her magic.

My Mother was the one who most encourage me to use my creative ways. My Father died when I was 11 and that sent my fragile spirit into a downward spiral. Trouble in school was my middle name so my Mom used arts and crafts to try to keep my head and hands busy.

I had the best art teachers in high school and they took me under wing and kept me out of study hall where I was placed every time I was thrown out of a class. My freshman year I had managed to be removed from all classes except English and art....hence I had 6 or 7 hours of art each day

The miniature makings began around holiday seasons. My Mother loved Christmas more than anyone and she loved for me to make her special decorations. Not having a lot of extra money forced me to use whatever I could find to re-purpose into something special for Christmas. That is why I now prefer to use discarded and found objects for my creative journies. 

I made my first piece of miniature furniture out of twigs when I was a freshman in college. When my Mother came to visit me at school one summer, she noticed the little chair and suggested that I could make such chairs and sell them. I told her I would do that when I get old....Ha ha! Now I am old. I was my Mother's care taker for the past 10 years while she was sick and in a slow decline. We would spend many hours in my garden and she loved to watch me work in my art studio. Making miniature fairy garden decorations sprang out of trying to bring a smile to my Mother's heart as she became sicker and sicker.

She was my inspiration. Mom died this spring and I have been very lost and depressed without her but I know I have to keep on trying to live. I put my heart, my love and my joy for Mother Nature into making the miniature pieces.  Everyday life is where I get my ideas...and from the actual pieces of driftwood, rocks and shells I find. It is almost like the pieces come to me and all I do is give them a few details. I see magic in the wood grain, wood knots, knot holes and color of the raw materials I use.

I spend as much as two or three days on some pieces and others I make very fast. Time has taught me a lot of little tricks to make the work go faster and turn out a better product. Most of my work will stand up to the weather as I do not only glue but also use dowels to attach pieces of wood. This makes the pieces last a long time.

I am always learning something new and I never get bored with collecting materials for my projects. Because of that I also have a shop where I sell some of the extra materials I collect or things I find and feel other artists might be interested in using. That is where my shop called Tinker's Attic comes in to play.  This shop offers unusual art and craft materials to other artists.

I believe in seeds, magic, Mother Nature and God. I am a rebel but not against anything that would bring harm, pain or hurtfulness to anyone. It is all about the love, a smile, laughter and dew drops. Life is a gift, mother's are magical, and goodness is what everyone should strive toward. The real world is hard and fantasy is such a good place to hide from it.

As for my Wee Bees the Peops. I make them in sets of 6, rainbow colors, or will make and personalize them individually and a color can be selected at the customer's wishes.  They are designed around some of the same techniques as jewelry making. Cost under $10. so they are affordable and the size fits all of the furnishings I make so they can be used together to make Fairy Garden and Container Gardens.

I design them upon order and they tend to look like insects, my own version of Fantasy Fairies. I have a bunch that I have yet to put in the shop and am making more accessories as I have the time. This is what I am working on right now.

I love it all and intend to stick with the miniatures because I like the mixed media and rustic materials. ​

For one of a kind handmade fairy garden To find out more about C.S. Alexis and what inspires her today and every day, go to:​

​Check it out here: Doe a Deery: 5 Tips for Awesome Indoor Photos

If you like our choice as much as we do, click "like" below and share away.​

A life time ago, a young couple paid an amateur photographer in advance of their wedding to  shoot their wedding.  It was particularly important to them that their moments be forever captured, not just for the usual reasons, but because many members of their respective families could not attend the event -- the travel distance being too far and too expensive.  The ceremony was a perfect candle lit evening nuptial.  The reception had all the elements any young couple could want -- the groom clowning around opening their gifts, the bride's face full of cake, and the tossing of the bouquet.  Alas!  All the many photos that were taken that day, however, were lost when they were sent for development.  There remained only one photo taken by a guest as they were departing for their honeymoon.  I know this story well, because it happened to me.

Today, in this digital world, wedding photography has taken on whole new dimensions.  New technology, no longer relying upon sending precious photos away if you don't have your own photo lab, and instant gratification in terms of being able to show off those wedding photos almost as the event is happening -- are all within the realm of reality.  Best of all is the spontaneity that today's digital camera's lend to the creativity of the wedding photographer.

It is currently fashionable to include pre-wedding photos in the wedding album.  In fact, this newly popular idea takes creativity to a whole new level if you are lucky enough to get the right photographer.  Imagine, as the picture beside -- a father giving his quite young looking son, some fatherly advice on his wedding day.  

Wedding Proposal Pictures

It is becoming increasingly popular for wedding photographers to include wedding proposal pictures.  The young groom-to-be might want to be real sure of his intended's answer -- and this might take some pre-planning or it will remove some of the spontaneity from the moment -- still only a photographer can capture that life moment forever.

Other Wedding and Pre-Wedding Trends

These day it's not only all about the bride anpd groom but also the back stories that define their lives.  Gone are the traditional days of staged formal wedding scenes, in are the days of also staged (sometimes) photo journalism allowing all the wonderful moments and emotions that happen at every wedding to add depth and richness to the wedding photos.

Wedding Photography Is An Art

Good photography is a fine art.   So look for a wedding photographer who goes that extra mile and puts the fine and passion into what they capture on your special day.  Don't look simply at what you get for your money, but what results the photographer has had with other clients.  

In thinking about her photography and photographers in general, I think the number one question that many people who are interested in working in or appreciating this area of art seek -- is a single or uncomplicated answer to the age old question, “What makes a photographer a great photographer?

First and foremost, I think the difference between a good photographer and a great one boils down to one word, “passion.”  Like with all art, if the artist lacks passion, the art will be lacking.  There an old anonymous saying:

“Anyone can take a picture but a person with a passion sees the picture before it’s taken.”

So besides passion, what else makes a good portrait photographer great?

• Knowing that the composition of a photograph is important and understanding that breaking the rules of composition can make all the difference between a good photo and a great photo.
• Use of appropriate lighting
• Non-competing backgrounds
• Timeless subjects
• Capturing captivating expressions by playing with eye contact and subjects looking off camera
• Nuances in posture and grouping of subjects if more than one person

INTERVIEW WITH PRISCILLA CHAN

JW:  When did you first develop an interest in photography?

PC:  One day I was passing by a dragonfly in the Chicago Chinatown area several years ago.  I had my point and shoot camera. So I stopped and snapped the picture. I was so amazed with the picture, I knew then I wanted to learn more about photography.

Then, I got a Nikon D90 for my birthday three years ago. I was overjoyed, but a bit overwhelmed, not knowing where to begin my learning of photography. I signed up for a photography club at work. I was also lucky enough to be able to work with a mentor for a year or so. I went along to photos shoots and wedding events. I have learned so much from him that I am forever grateful! Since then, I have discovered so much about photography and myself!

JW;  What types of photography do you specialize in?

PC:  I love people! I love doing portraits in natural light. I do most of my shoots outdoor. It gives me so much joy to see the nature! I do weddings, engagements, senior photos, babies, glamour shots, etc. 

JW:  What is important to you as a photographer to your clients?

PC:   If someone asks me for my services, they have to love my work! On the other hand, as a photographer, my client’s satisfaction is the most important thing to me.  If they are happy, I am happy!  Being a successful business owner, I know that building the relationship is a must. Understanding your client’s needs and having their trust is very important! Most of all, you got to love what you do besides the financial gain. I am passionate about my work! I also make photo books, cards, for my clients at no extra charge for the service. I simply enjoy doing that! 

JW:  What are you looking for as far as capturing the moment?

PC:  I want to bring the best out of people. I rarely tell my clients to pose. I want them to be themselves. I would take a lot of shots preferably when they are not posing. That is the kind of shots I like to capture! As far as lighting goes, it is best to do it in the early morning or late evening. I learned the hard way that when the sun is so strong, the pictures would have a lot of unpleasant shadows. 

JW:  Besides portraits, do you take other kinds of photos?     

PC:  Certainly! I love gardening, cooking, traveling. I take all kinds of photos while pursing these activities for fun. Currently, I like learning more about action shots. A couple weeks ago, I went to Chinatown to visit my mom. It happened to be the Marathon week. I was just shooting away with my camera. That gave me a chance to do something that I don’t normally do. JW:  

Gallery of Priscilla Chan Photography

While Priscilla Chan defines herself as primarily a portrait photographer -- her talents show that she is also an accomplished photographer in the many disciplines found within photography art.

All photos click to lightbox view for ease of viewing.

Each school year, the Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School Drama Department takes on two plays, one in the fall and one in the spring.  This year's fall play was "The Laramie Project" based on the events surrounding the gruesome murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay university student in Laramie, Wyoming.  With full support from MRH Superintendent Karen Hall, and under the direction of MRH's Theatre Director Holly Potthoff, both MRH staff and students pushed the envelope and  took on this documentary play in support of diversity in their community. Due to subject matter, it is a play that is meant for mature audiences.  It is also subject to protests. (Click on this link for the full article on the MRH counter protest.)

The MRH drama department has always met, and at times exceeded, my expectations in the past with each set and performance, but I have to say, this one had me amazed, and not just because of the play choice.  The acting from both staff and students was overall fabulous  (vocally and physically), in a way that you don't find in your average high school theatrical performances.  But there was something extra going on that really impressed me. The actors and actresses in this play performed anywhere from two to seven different characters.  So well in fact, that unless you were really paying attention or knew the actors and actresses on a day to day basis, you probably wouldn't have noticed; and that's what made it superb.  You would have simply thought that their characters were played by different actors and actresses altogether.  

What brought the play together was the set.  It was a tall criss-cross slat fence of sorts which spanned the stage in movable sections that could open and close.  It represented the fence on which Shepard was found and worked beautifully in setting the simple and honest tone of the play. Behind it was a second floor platform (you can sort of see it used in the photo below).  Ramps and platforms made up the foreground where several scenes and characters could be watched at any given moment. 

In regards to the lighting, where the backdrop was concerned, it was perfect in its ambiance.  Really mesmerizing.  When it came to the lights "working" for the actors, that is the one place I would say this play was lacking some.  I found myself wishing if only an actor or actress would move his or her face this way or tilt their head that way so that I could see their expressions better (not because of where I was sitting).   But in defense of the lighting crew, some of the character lighting was truly spot on, and when you could really see the expressions on the actors and actresses faces, wow. 

The unique and constant variance and technical savvy needed for what they were attempting to do in terms of lighting was one that would have best been handled by a very experienced professional crew (and if that were to have happened, it would have defeated the purpose of a school play).  And so I really commend those behind the lights for even attempting such a major feat because the lighting in this play was no easy task to say the least.

Call it naivete, but I really didn't expect that the actors and actresses that were part of the MRH staff would do quite as well as they did.  I suppose I never thought of teachers as being incredible actors.  They really had talent, in a big way, and I want to see more plays that meld student and staff in their performances. 

Some of the faces I was excited to see, were familiar to me from last year's plays, like Morgan Patterson-Gill, Natalie Mitten, and Maggie Edmondson. 

But there were some new faces that I can't wait to see more of: sophomore, slam poet, and Jazz musician Preston Pinnell (aka PP), and freshman soccer player Ben Speed.  They have the look, they have the skills to transform into any character role they care to, and they have that unique kind of stage presence you expect to see in a performance. 

Through arts of all kinds, plays included, we are able to express ourselves in a variety of ways.  An artist's voice takes shape in what they do, where they do it, how they do it. Artists are able to create a platform in which we, the lookers, get to see bits of the world in a way we may never have seen it before, right there in front of us.  It can bring to life questions we never thought to ask.  It can bring us face to face with our hopes, our fears.  And in the case of the documentary play, The Laramie Project, it can bring together all of the above and more.  It allows us to witness the best and the worse in people, providing no answers at all.  A cacophony and concordance of what was, and of what still is, for us to learn from, to question, to think about.

So what's on for next spring?  The MRH Drama Department will be presenting us all with "The One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".  Yay!

In the director's notes of the Maplewood-Richmond Heights High School theatre performance playbill for this fall's feature play "The Laramie Project", Theatre Director Holly Potthoff states, "My hope is that you leave tonight with compassion, open-mindedness, and the hope of peace in our communities."  I had the same hope when I left the play that night.  But perhaps a bit more so after having witnessed the event that took place that afternoon.

For those of you who don't know, "The Laramie Project" is a documentary play based on the events surrounding the gruesome 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay university student in Laramie, Wyoming.  According to their website, it is one of the most performed plays in America today. 

It is my strong belief that perhaps the Baptist group that traveled all the way from Kansas to protest this MRH performance, have never seen this play before, despite the fact that they are constant protestors of it.  I tell you, I've heard of people like this, but to see it in real life, to see their signs,  I wanted to puke.  Part of me really died. 

Artists around the world are subject to all sorts of criticism and opinions from others. For creators (whether you are an artist, sculptor, performer, or any other sort of creator of art's various forms) there may come a time when your voice, your work, will be disagreed with, sometimes severely.  To me, it's even worse when that negativity comes from people who either don't understand the work of art, or from those who are against it for a reason that doesn't have to do with your work at all.  Some will simply see and use your art as an  opportunity and a platform to voice their own opinions which, at best, may be tied by a weak thread, and which stem from a close-minded moral, sexual, religious, or political fear.  

 Yes, art is subject to protests.  MRH High School's theatrical performance of "The Laramie Project" was no exception to scrutiny based on subject matter.  And yet, they saw the protest by a certain group of close minded out of towners  as an opportunity to show their students (and the rest of the world) just how much the strength of community could achieve by countering acts of hate with acts of peaceful support  and an appreciation of the diversity that makes our communities strong.  People of all ages, backgrounds, organizations, and townships across St. Louis, stood together in counter protest. It was quite a beautiful sight. 

Their success came from what the MRH school district teaches their students every day.  Kevin Grawer, Principal of MRH High School, begins each day with important words of wisdom for all his students and faculty.  His morning announcements include messages of support and respect for each and every one of us. 

"Everybody deserves respect just for being human."  Principal Grawer says.  "Love everybody.  Disagree respectfully, calmly, and with class, regardless of how others disagree."

In response to the protesters that traveled quite some distance with their hate filled signs, Principal Grawer had this to say, "It served as a great opportunity for us to unify.  They don't know what they did for us."

I had the opportunity to speak with one of MRH High School's Assistant Principals, Dr. Deann Meyers.  She too was thrilled with the outcome of their counter protest.  Not only because of their success and communal support, but mostly because of the eye opener it was for students. 

"Typically in the students' experience, diversity is discussed as the ratio between black and white students.  On occasion they understand it as the differences in economic status.  Matthew Sheppard's story allowed a vast broadening of their view on the issue.  Not only did the anti-rally demonstrate that the overall MRH community, and St. Louis community for that matter, were supportive of diversity in the broad sense, it created a tangible, visual memory of vastly different groups within the community coming together for the cause of love and peace.  Tolerance is not enough, acceptance and coexistence is the message we want our students to walk away from this with." ~Dr. Meyers

Their counter protest served as the perfect means for putting to use all that MRH stands for.  A hands on teaching experience for the children to learn from, which came from an unexpected moment.  One which MRH took on without fear. 

Part of my personal admiration for the MRH school district comes from the fact that they have encompassed global education at a critical time for its students and they continue to grow in this regard every day.  To be successful in global education, I believe each and every child must be exposed to a wide number of diversities in a way that is all encompassing, a way that goes beyond tolerance, and goes instead into a broader state of acceptance and understanding.  Dr. Meyers feels the same way.  It is one of the reasons the high school has started a Cornerstone Club, a club she is passionate about, in which students get to communicate and work with diverse groups of children from other countries.  Meyers says it all comes back to how much we can expose our students to and the messages we give them along the way.

"MRH has many projects that are exposing our students to world wide issues, cultures, and experiences.  One of the goals of this global education is not only to broaden the students' view of the world, but to also enlighten them to see the domestic issues that face this generation.  MRH is a welcoming, diverse community.  We encompass two municipalities, black, white, rich, poor, middle class, and everywhere in between. The Laramie Project became a perfect platform for the introduction of a deeper study into diversity.

Mr. Love and I were high fiving the teamwork we were witnessing and being a part of.  Our excitement over the turn out, the diversity of the people at the event, and the overwhelmingly positive behavior that was demonstrated led to the high five." ~Dr. Meyers

I have to say, that as a mother and fellow human, I am proud to be a part of this community.

It is important for each and every one of us to have our own opinions about anything in this world.  But how and where we choose to voice those opinions along with the knowledge we are forming them with, is equally important.  And one thing that each and every one of us have to face, is the possibility that we, ourselves, may at one time or another, find ourselves on either side of the coin. 

All photos in the following galleries by  Michelle PG Richardson ©.  Please e-mail for permissions, etc.

Protest Site:

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Counter Protest Site:

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Time to go home, with a great sense of pride and respect for our community:

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“Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts. For it is no mere translation or abstraction of life. It is life itself.” (Henry Havelock Ellis)

Recently Eye On Life Magazine became acquainted with Ann K Organic Designs by Ann K Brea.  Her pieces are of the caliber that is best described as wearable organic gold and silver art, jewelry made of or inspired by nature.  Her pieces bring jewelry back to the art form that inspires awe. It’s a sad fact that in recent years, jewelry has recently lost some of its artistic elements thanks to jewelry being made by machines in mass production.  That’s not to say that costume jewelry doesn’t have its place.  But it is a reality, that the jewelry industry went like a lot industries, to foreign outsourcing and the real jewelry designers, silver and goldsmiths, fell by the way side in terms of marketing favor when low cost jewelry became the norm vs. quality custom jewelry.  

Making jewelry is a more than seven thousand year old art that mostly has not changed over time.  The art of fine jewelry design still uses many of the same tools that have been in use for several hundred years and it once was a skilled trade that someone learned through apprenticeship.  Ann K is one of those artists of fine jewelry design who has taken this art form to new levels -- as her vision of merging jewelry art cast in silver and gold, along with precious and semi precious gemstones with Mother Nature’s own exquisite beauty, is simply breathtaking.  She uses such unusual mediums as pumpkin seeds, lentils, lilac buds,, small pinecones, flower buds, birch catkin, grape seeds, cherry pits, and chick peas.

Interview with Ann K

Carol Alt once said:  “I hope that women everywhere will wear this jewelry and feel the passion and love that is, to me, the real sprit of true harmony.”

I began the interview with Ann K, with that sentiment, because it seems to me the marriage between nature and what is natural with silver and gold is one of the ultimate statements of true harmony.  It also seems to me that the wearing of true harmony, expresses a statement of “I am a lover of what is truly beautiful” – just the way things should be.  Ann K and her jewelry state this loud and clear for the entire world to see.

JW:  Can you tell EOL readers a little bit about your background?

Ann K:  I started collecting things I found outside in the woods at a very young age, much to my mother’s dismay as they started piling up in my room.  At about the age ten, I started incorporating the found objects into macramé jewelry.  When I was old enough I started working with silver and I never looked back.  I still have more natural objects in my studio waiting to incorporate into my work as time permits.  This means I’ll never get bored.

JW:  What kind of formal training have you pursued?

Ann K: I have a BFA from the School for American Crafts at Rochester Institute of Technologies.  I also have taken workshops from a few jewelry artists and worked for a few jewelry artists for a few years.

JW:  Can you describe what your training was like?

Ann K: I am a curious person and my training has always been an exploration following my curiosity.  College taught me how to seek out knowledge and learn for myself.  After that it is all about practice and a little more practice.

JW:  I’ve heard that the moment a goldsmith adds other elements, such as precious and semi precious stones, they technically become jewelers.  I don’t mean in the sense someone who is buying and selling jewelry, but in the true art form sense of someone who designs jewelry.  Do you define yourself as an artist, a goldsmith, a jewelry designer, or a jeweler?

Ann K:  YES!  All of the above and often it depends on the piece of jewelry that is being discussed.  Some pieces I make because I have a need to roll up my sleeves and connect to the materials and how they combine together.  Others are just for the design alone.  Finally, some are just so I can spend a day with a hammer in my hand manipulating metal into fluid organic shapes.

JW:  Tell us what it is like to have to work with such precision as your jewelry requires? 

Ann K:  I am not sure how to express that in words.  My art is just what I do without thinking about it.

JW:  What advice would you give to a novice jewelry designer who wants to become a professional?

Ann K:  Just do it and have fun!  We all do our best work when we are having fun and enjoying ourselves.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t, and also never give up!  Get creative!

Ann K is a member of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG)

If You Would Like To Purchase Ann K

Organic Designs Jewelry!

For a wild thing, "Typewriter" Tim Jordan  (Type Tim for short) has a soft side he's not afraid of showing, all over his fuzzy body.  Yes, I've gotten to see most of it, and it is quite hairy, but then, so are his tattoos, appropriately so.  Wild things and scenes from Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are wrap around Type Tim's body and get to do what most people don't.  They brush his teeth with him, sleep with him, skateboard with him, shower with him, play (yes play) the typewriter with him, blowtorch vintage typewriters into sculptures with him (are you starting to get why they call him Type Tim?), and most thrilling of all, they even get to ride at speeds of 150 mph on motorcycles with him (safely covered in protective gear, of course). 

20 year veteran tattoo artist, and long time friend of Type Tim,  Tyrone "Red" Cooley, of West End Tattoo in Atlanta, Georgia, is the creator of these wild thing tats.  These tattoo art replications of one of the most beloved children's books  took three years to complete. From 2010 through 2012 Type Tim sat through 18 sittings, 3-6 hours each, for a total of 80 hours.  The pain, he says, was relative.

I wanted to do images from Where the Wild Things Are because it is my favorite book and I love the imagery. We started with the back and decided each placement relative to what was done before. And it kept growing...but now we are done!

If you want to see his tattoos in person, going to one of his shows is a must.  That's also where you'll find out one of the reasons why he's got a typewriter in his name.

What Type Tim wants most out of his performances is to reach a reciprocal connection with his audience. And what better way to connect with someone than through a reminder of the familial inner child. It's a connection that all of us have with each other. If we only stop to listen and to feel, we'll see that it is there.  And so you'll hear bits of Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, and always, always, you'll get Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. 

Now, don't go thinking that his shows are going to be all warm and soft and gentle.  On the contrary, children's stories and verses make up only a small part of his shows, and even then they are performed with a hard edge. In reality, his performances are filled with lights, sounds,  wild, funky, and with crazy (the good kind).  And all of this is happening with a typewriter and various musical artists.  Type Tim describes them as

"Ever unique, funky, stream of unconscious performance art happening with a typewriter player that needs to be experienced to be believed."

What's the craziest thing he's ever done at a performance? 

PG answer - While performing the "Wild Rumpus" (part of the book) at my last show at KU, fresh out of a body bag, naked in Lawrence KS, the KU drum corp played tribal drums from the back of the room, and a Harley Davidson fired up and rolled out onto the dance floor as my 15 piece funk band, joined by stripping women onstage, jammed with the drums spreading out all over the room...at the end of the show hundreds of people lined up on stage to give me a hug goodbye... 

Type Tim Bonus Material

My first typewriter was my Mom's Royal "Quiet De Lux" and is the model I tend to use. They sound great, hold up to a beating, and are lightweight. Everybody wants me to play them all the time but without a band with me, it gets kinda old pretty quick...The typewriter, for me, is a concept and art, less the tick-tick sound it makes...

I play a Royal Mercury from the 60's right now. It is my 6th one (I play them so hard I tend to break them...)that has been rigged for direct sound by John Higgins, a local guitar tech/restorer.

We love it when you like us.  Don't forget to click on the heart/like button ♥ just below this article.  And be sure to share this with your friends and social networks via the share button below. From all of us here at Eye on Life Magazine, happy reading.

It is interesting to think that this form of three-dimensional abstract stone (along with its many sub forms: geometric, organic, junk objects (urban), and semi-abstract) – brings out both the eye of the beholder and the eye of the artist into a union, leaving each with broad opportunities to increase and indulge in their own private interpretations and exploration of emotions attached to the sculptor’s finished work.

Recently, here at Eye On Life Magazine we were honored to interview an extraordinarily talented abstract stone sculptor, Carl Wright.  Here’s a look inside the making of his world of art and the creation of it:

Interview with a Sculptor – Carl Wright

Why did you start carving sculpture?

Several reasons actually: 

• I love being my own boss & creating beautiful sculptures that reflect how clients feel or would like to feel.  I am not an artist in business; I am in business as an artist.

•  I enjoy transforming a lump of stone into a dazzling showpiece that clients are happy with.  Also enjoy how the stones' color becomes richer with each successive process: carving, sanding, and waxing.

• I enjoy the fact that there a limited number of sculptors to compete with but all have different styles & mediums (clay, stone, bronze, steel, etc.) that they work in.

• I enjoy the physicality of envisioning a design, beating on, smoothing, & sanding the sculpture to its final form.   It beats working in an office cubicle with artificial deadlines, stale air, and office politics.

How much of the sculptures do you do yourself? 

The sculpture designs are original to me.  I do the carving, sanding, and final finishing.  Also handle the marketing, transporting and installing of sculpture as well as sweeping up the studio.

How did you come up with your designs? 

​Some designs are influenced by viewing other art, some designs are innovations on previously done sculpture, & some honestly come out of thin air. The ones that come out of thin air are the best, but you have to be prepared with pencil and paper to sketch the idea before it disappears.​

Why do you carve abstract sculptures instead of realistic sculptures? 

I think that a lot more can be expressed in an abstract sculpture than a realistic sculpture.  With a realistic sculpture all you have to do is get a fair likeness of the subject working at something they are noted for i.e: General Sherman  on a war horse or Michelangelo’s David  with a sling in his hand ready to slay Goliath.

With abstract sculpture, I can show ephemeral notions such as my impression of music, being secure, independence, etc.  My sculptures are grouped in five groups: the Motion, Striving, Music, Tranquil, & Exuberant themes.  These themes are what I seem to naturally design to & carve sculpture for.

Have you carved many sculptures? 

I have carved over fifty stone sculptures so far.  That does not include some wood/stone sculptures. 

Do you work in other mediums than stone?  

I mostly work in stone.  I also make custom pedestals to put stone sculpture on.  These pedestals are made to be complementary in design to the sculptures.

Is anyone else in your family artistic? 

My dad's grandmother began painting after age 65.  She painted some portraits but was quite good at landscapes.  My dad was a home builder in the 1950's and 60's.  From my grandmother I got the love of color & from dad I received the gift of shaping space.  Dad shaped space by building houses;  me with stone.

Did you go to college to become an artist? 

I went to college originally as an English Major.  Still love reading, books and ingesting old classics such as Beowulf, Le Morte de Arthur, Decammeron, etc.  Took a five year college hiatus and went back part time to get formal art training along with a college degree.   College helped speed me through all the classic mistakes artists make and on to becoming a professional artist.

Do you teach Sculpture to students? 

Teaching is one of the things I don't feel equipped to do.  Teaching anything is a special calling and requires great communication and listening skills.  I leave teaching to better qualified people with more patience.

If You'd Like to Know More

About Carl Wright's Art!

That’s not to discount true artistic talent by any stretch of the imagination, but to point out that what brings any media of art to life is that artist’s internal vision that not all of us are born with being able to translate into art.  Sometimes art is all about those certain artistic types of talented eyes that look past the ordinary and share with the rest of us the resulting living breathing art.  And it can be an especially poignant experience when both the artist’s and the art appreciator own joys join, interacts, and merges with the art.

In art there is a technique called “trompe l’oeil” (French for deceiving the eye) where the artist paints imagery in an optical illusion 3D manner.  The technique has been around since the 1400s, but Eye on Life Magazine  recently became aware of a new twist in that centuries old art form that completely delights the mind.  In South Korea there are three Trickeye Museums, one of which is in Seoul, and the others in Busan and on Jeju Island. 

Recently, a group of young Hong Kong residents traveled there and revealed in their own photographic efforts what certain types of talented eyes are all about -- when they captured some fun in their own interactions with the paintings found in the Trickeye Museum in Busan, Korea   Without realizing it, their artistic eyes have captured spontaneous talent in photography that many adults would envy simply because they knew instinctively how to stage themselves enjoying art as it should be enjoyed. 

One of the young travelers, Chunyin Jonathan Chan, is someone that I predict will emerge as one of Hong Kong’s talented eyes regardless of what profession this teenager chooses in life.  He is a person who will share with everyone he comes into contact with living breathing art of many forms through his own creativity in his own unique view of the world.  

Here in his own words, Eye on Life Magazine  is proud to share his thoughts on the joy of interactive art and what he and his friends learned at the Busan, Korea Trickeye Museum:​

How Much Fun It Is To Have Interactive Experiences With Art

by Chunyin Jonathan Chan (Guest Art Journalist in Hong Kong)

Looking back to the places that I have traveled to, it was my first time had a visit to a museum that is full of wonderful three dimensional pictures. It absolutely broadens my horizons and stimulated my own creativity!

I used to draw different things like flowers, cartoon characters, trees, etc. But I never thought of a drawing on a flat paper in 3D and how it can become that interactive with some special technique.  It was such big fun to have interactive experiences with art.

Other than enriching my sight-seeing, more importantly, it made me appreciate how a piece of art can be an entertaining activity if you try to take a look at the details of the drawings.

Living in such a noisy, crowded environment and rapid lifestyle in Hong Kong, sometimes I will find it difficult to take a fresh breath. Therefore, interactive experiences with art are a valuable time for me to calm down myself into a peaceful emotion and to release my stress from busy studying or working days.

It is definitely important to have such interesting and interactive museums like the Trickeye Museum in Busan, Korea. To be honest, drawings of art mostly give people a boring impression, especially for teenagers. But changes are happening there!!

At the Trickeye Museum in Busan, Korea there were a lot of art that included some humor elements, it highly attracted many people to hold funny poses with lots of facial expressions and take photos of the drawings. In my opinion, if more these kinds of museums can be established, I am sure more and more people will enjoy developing their interactive experiences with art.

There is a saying that:

''Just the  paintings become famous to the public when the painter passed away.''

However if this type of new art concept and technique can applied to different creative drawings, instead of the painter will be appreciated when he/she is alive, many people will be interested in having interactive experiences with art either. 

And this unique technique can also be passed to the next generation later on. Besides that, it can also be a piece of education material to draw student’s attention and raise their concern and love of arts.

We love it when you like us.  Don't forget to click on the heart/like button ♥ just below this article for a super fun heart fireworks animation.  And be sure to share this with your friends and social networks via the share button below. From all of us here at Eye on Life Magazine, happy reading.

​Anne Walker, of Anne Walker Studio, creates jewelry that is inspired by both life, and art.  In fact, her jewelry is fine art.  It begs to be admired, stared at, touched, worn, and yes, to be talked about.  She works primarily with silver, occasionally copper and other metals, and even more rarely stones for color, so the work that goes behind each piece is demanding.  One would never think such elegant beauty  was ever blow torched or pummeled into shape with hammers. 

When in July the Etsy Metal team asked members to create a piece of jewelry inspired by Alexander Calder as their monthly theme, Anne was thrilled.  Not only did she accept the challenge, but she had two pieces to feature in their August 1st blog: a pendant, inspired by Calder's painting "untitled", and a pair of earrings inspired by one of Calder's mobiles "International Mobile".

Our favorite artistic inspirations inspire creations more than we think.  On the one hand, people often compare creatives with other creatives.  Think about how often writers, for example,  are asked, "Who inspires your writing?"   As humans, we crave comparisons, and likeness, and we feel we know a lot about a person once we do. 

Sometimes, though, when an artist creates something that was inspired by another artist, it is not necessarily a means of simulating them, it is a way of paying homage and appreciation.  It speaks of how very much another's art has moved him or her emotionally, mentally, spiritually, technically, and millions of other ways.   Finding inspiration in others' work not only challenges the new creator, it ultimately brings an intimacy to pieces that can't be had without that connection.  It's like the perfect sequel to the perfect book.  That's what I see in Anne Walker's designs.  And I want want want!