the blog of author, illustrator and designer Kris Waldherr

03.09

Round and about: a very utilitarian round up

For the past ten days, I’ve been sick in a very Victorian invalid sort of way. Meaning that if I had a fainting couch, I’d be lolling about on it (preferably in a velvet day gown while clutching a bottle of laudanum). I’ve even been without a voice for four days. The good news is that, while I don’t have access to nineteenth century opiates, I do have a prescription for antibiotics. I’m definitely on the mend.

So, as a means of playing catch up, here’s a round up of what’s been going on in Art and Words land.

1. Last Friday was the second gathering of the Creative Women’s Networking Salon at the studio-gallery. It was a resounding success — so much so that the Salon will now become a regularly scheduled monthly event, like our Tarot Salon. I’m thinking first or second Friday of each month.

At our last salon, I was joined by a wide variety of women photographers, editors, writers, bloggers, artists, and crafters — an amazing array of talent. After the event, I noticed that some of the women “friended” each other on Facebook and beyond. That made me very happy, since one of my goals with my studio-gallery is to foster creative community in my Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park.

2. The Paul Taylor Dance Company is now at City Center in Manhattan through mid-March. I’m fortunate to know Annmaria Mazzini, one of the intensely gifted dancers who perform in the company. (She’s also a talented jewelry designer — I have several of her magical pieces.)

Seeing Annmaria dance has become a special ritual for me, marking the end of winter and start of spring. This year was extraordinary because Thea was old enough to attend with us for the first time! Annmaria even gave Thea a tour backstage at City Center, which thrilled my daughter immensely.

annmaria and thea

Thea and Annmaria, still in costume from dancing the 1960’s-themed Changes.

theacitycenter

Imagine being (almost) five years old and looking out at this vista. In the words of Thea, “really cool.”

3. One of the things I love most about Brooklyn is the community (see item #1 above). One of Thea’s friends is a little girl named Theodora, who lives around the corner from us. Theodora’s mom is Jenny Offill, the author of several books including the novel LAST THINGS, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Jenny has a short story in Electric Literature from which she will be doing a reading of on March 14 at 7pm at KGB Bar and Lit Review. More info here.

Another neighbor mother and friend is journalist Sharon Lerner. Her first book THE WAR ON MOMS is being published by Wiley next month. It’s battlefield reporting on the widespread realities facing most American women today: the lack of paid maternity leave, the dearth of decent part-time work options, and the shortage of good, affordable childcare options. It tells the truth that overworked, stressed-out American moms need to hear: that they’re not alone — and they’re not to blame. Read excerpts here.

4. Related reading news: We’ll be having author Mary Sharratt visit the gallery all the way from England on March 15 at 7pm to present and sign her new novel, DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL. I’m very excited — this is an exclusive for us, since the book won’t be released until early April. DAUGHTERS OF THE WITCHING HILL is garnering some extraordinary praise and received a starred review in Publisher’s Weekly. Learn more about this event.

5. I’ve decided to start offering semi-regular blog posts about my inspirations for The Novel, which is set amidst Victorian England’s deliciously decadent Aesthetic movement. For example, I wrote last month about my trip to Montreal to view the Waterhouse exhibit. The next one will go up later this week as part of my ongoing Creativity Friday series. It’s about my obsession with a Schubert string quintet. (Listen to it here.)

6. Finally, several people have yet to claim their prizes from our Valentine’s Week giveaways. Please send me your info so I can get your goodies on the way. (Or, if you e-mailed me and have yet to receive a prize, please send it to me again — your e-mail did not make it through.)

And with that, I hope you all are having a great week!

Filed under The Novel, art and words, creativity, events, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, studio and gallery, the art world, the world around me | 2 Responses

02.17

For Brooklyn (and beyond) music lovers

After all the excitement of last week’s Most Romantic blogathon, I’ve been lambasted by the school vacation known as Presidents’ Week, which also incorporates MLK Day. (Remember when Washington and Lincoln’s collective birthdays meant a long weekend? Well, that’s no more — it’s been expanded in NYC to gobble up an entire week.) That means my almost-five-year-old daughter Thea has been home from school.

Thea’s been having a great time, careening from playdate to playdate. But I’ve had my time in the studio limited. The great thing about living in my bucolic Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park is that there’s never any shortage of kids. At this age, the kids are beyond cute and a lot of fun.

This is a roundabout way to say that I hope to squeeze a Creativity Friday post in this week, if the planets align. In the meantime, I want to give a shout out to my favorite community orchestra, the Brooklyn Symphony. They’re giving an exciting-sounding concert this Sunday in Brooklyn Heights at the historic St. Ann’s Church.

Here’s the concert info, for those of you in the NYC area:

Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 3 pm

SMETANA – “The Bartered Bride” Overture and Three Dances
VON WEBER – Concerto for Bassoon in F  - Eddie Cabrera, bassoon
DUKAS – Symphony in C

This concert takes place at:

Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity
157 Montague Street (corner of Clinton and Montague Streets)
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Subway: R, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Court Street
Telephone number: (718) 852-0677

Suggested admission is $15. Children are decidedly welcome.

bso

Filed under friends and colleagues, the world around me | No Comments

02.11

Mama Donna Henes guest post: Have a Love Affair with Yourself

Next up for my “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere” featuring the Love Tarot app, is Mama Donna Henes, an urban shaman and folklorist supreme. Someone commented earlier wondering what an urban shaman does. In Mama Donna’s case, she works with individuals, groups of all kinds, companies, and municipalities to create meaningful, non-denominational rituals for every conceivable occasion. For example, she performs solstice and equinox rituals for New York City; she also presides over the opening of the Village Halloween Parade. She also regularly reads tarot at my gallery’s popular Tarot Salon.

Mama Donna is also the author of several books, including the wonderfully empowering and award-winning The Queen of My Self: Stepping Into Sovereignty in Midlife.* Her blog entry here is adapted from The Queen of My Self — I think it offers a necessary corrective to so much media out there which suggests that a person can’t be complete unless they’re in a romantic relationship. Mais non, ma cherie! After all, our most important relationship with with ourselves.

Today we’re giving away a copy of Mama Donna’s book The Queen of Myself to one blog commenter. Details at the end of this post.

Tomorrow’s post: I conclude the week with a post about what I think is the most inspiring love story. Ever.

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donna henes urban shaman

When we carve out a niche in our busy lives to do the sorts of things that feed our soul, we are affirming our self worth, acknowledging that we crave and deserve our own undivided attention.

When we claim the psychic space and set aside the personal time to pursue the knowledge and mastery of our Self — when we assume the entitlement, the ability, and the authority to do so — we are able to access and transform our perceptions, our perspectives, our experience, our expectations, and, in the process, our entire reality.

By taking the time, by taking our time, we bless ourselves with true devotion. We consecrate our precious lives, and celebrate the continuously wondrous miracle of the unfolding of our Selves.

Having a love affair with our Self is a great way to pamper ourselves with the attention and affection that we all crave, that we lavish on others, but never think to give to ourselves.

The Queen Suggests:

Get to know your Self
- Acknowledge your thoughts and feelings, your fears and fantasies.
- Spend some quality time alone together — just you, yourself, and you.
- Turn off the computer, the phone, the fax, and the TV.
- Put on your favorite music, or simply savor the silence.
- Entertain a program of non-directed Self-discovery.
- Stare out the window or into a candle flame or a mirror.
- Clear your mind of inner chatter and let it wander where it will.

Take interest in your Self
- Engage in projects of Self-expression in order to reconnect with your higher nature and your inner best Self.
- Do an exercise tape.
- Go for a run, walk, swim, or bike ride.
- Read your tarot cards. Consult the I Ching. Do yoga.
- Meditate. Drum, chant, dance.
- Write in your journal.
- Transcribe your dreams.
- Create an altar.
- Paint a picture or your walls.
- Sing silly songs.
- Have a good cry.
- Pound on pillows and scream.
- Laugh out loud.

Please your Self
- Work at establishing a warm, rich atmosphere for your own physical comfort and aesthetic enjoyment.
- Indulge in a variety of sensory delights.
- Surround yourself — your body, your home, and to whatever degree possible, your office — with the colors, textures, sounds, and smells that you love and that express your personality.
- Light candles and incense.

Court your Self
- Get all dressed up purely for the fun of it.
- Take yourself on a dream date.
- Go somewhere you have been meaning to go.
- Do things that you love.
- Buy yourself special treats.
- Compliment yourself, applaud and appreciate your strength and your beauty.
- Whisper sweet somethings in your ear.
- Tickle your fancy.
- Pull down the shades, turn off the lights, and dance till you drop.
- Massage your body with sweet oils.
- Kiss yourself.
- Make hot love to your Self.
- Make yourself a marvelous breakfast in the morning.
- Send yourself flowers with a note saying, “I love you.”

These exercises in Self-appreciation and affection are not meant to seal ourselves off from others forever, or to replace any current or future relationships, but to make sure that we do not get involved for the wrong reasons — out of fear or desperation.

We emerge from these Self-love exercises with the secure knowledge that we are our own best lover. And when and if we choose, we are able to share that love with someone special who will understand how precious it is and return it in kind.

An affair with ourselves enables us to know, own, and honor ourselves as unique, individual entities. To admit our abilities and limitations, our talents and truculence on the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual planes, and love ourselves with compassion and no judgment attached.

A practice of solitude and separation — be it occasional, frequent, or constant — teaches us that we do not need the approval or permission of any outside source to validate our personal experience or emotions. In knowing who we are, we are empowering ourselves to know what we know and feel what we feel.

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TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: We have a copy of The Queen of My Self! To enter, simply leave a comment for this post. For a double entry, tell us about a an experience where you treated yourself like royalty. (For myself, it was during my recent trip to Montreal. I stayed at a nice hotel, ate at a famed restaurant, and saw intensely beautiful art.

The small print: You have until midnight EST on February 14 to leave your comment. Winner will be chosen at random and announced on this blog Monday, February 15, 2010. Sorry, but the giveaway is limited to U.S. and Canada only.

queen of my self

*If you enjoyed this entry, I hope you’ll become a fan of The Queen of My Self on Facebook. You can also follow The Queen of My Self on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thequeenbook.

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Top art: Isis and Osiris art from the Love Tarot app by Kris Waldherr.

More about the Love Tarot app: Considered to be the most romantic app in the App Store, the Love Tarot app offers gorgeous tarot readings inspired by famous love stories, such as Tristan and Isolde and Cupid and Psyche. This five star-rated app was recently relaunched to include a tarot journal for users to save their readings and other inspirations.

Available in Lite and Full versions, learn more here. Or download the Full version on iTunes now.

Filed under creativity, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path, queens, studio and gallery, tarot and oracles | 10 Responses

02.10

Ruth Ann Amberstone guest post: A Date with the Devil

I’m thrilled to have the acclaimed tarot authority Ruth Ann Amberstone as my next guest for the “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere”, featuring the Love Tarot app. Ruth Ann Amberstone and her husband, Wald Amberstone, are founders of The Tarot School as well as the authors of The Secret Language of Tarot and Tarot Tips: 78 Practical Techniques to Enhance Your Reading Skills. They are also the creators of The Readers Studio, an annual international conference for tarot enthusiasts.

In this post, Ruth Ann writes about The Devil, the sexiest and hottest card in the tarot. Yup, The Devil often gets a bad rap. But, as Ruth Ann points out here, he (or she, as the case may be) can be a lot of fun. On top of that, we’re giving away a MP3 of the Tarot School’s famed teleclass on The High Priestess and an autographed copy of The Goddess Tarot to one blog commenter. Details at the end of this post.

Tomorrow’s post: Mama Donna Henes offers sage advice on how to romance the most important person in your life — you!

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Ruth Ann Amberstone

If you were to name the tarot cards that are most associated with relationships, chances are The Devil would not be at the top of your list. But a closer look reveals that this “bad boy” can have a lot to say in a relationship reading.

The most common interpretation of The Devil, as it might relate to partnerships, is that of a dysfunctional or co-dependent relationship — often where one person has an addiction of some sort. The bondage that’s depicted in the image can refer to the addictive behavior, or perhaps to a taste for kinky sex.

But there are things about this card that are less obvious. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, take a good look at the two people and The Devil himself, and you’ll notice that none of them are looking at one another (unlike in The Lovers). This might indicate that there is a lack of communication in the relationship and/or that at least one partner is totally self-involved.

devil

It’s a common observation that the chains around the necks of the two people are loose. The standard approach to interpreting this symbol might suggest that one or both of them could easily leave the “relationship” with The Devil and/or each other by simply slipping out of the chains. A less familiar understanding of these chains, however, is that they are not bonds, but links — these links connect the three figures and hold them together. In this context, The Devil makes it possible for people to stay together and function together, even when they are each essentially in their own world.

The Devil is the perfect date! With his power over appearances, he can look whichever way you personally find most attractive and sexy. He knows how to dance, how to choose a fine wine, and he can dazzle you with his sparkling wit and intelligent conversation. The Devil is a real smooth operator! He’ll promise to fulfill your every wish, but it’s all a scam to get you into bed. And if you fall in love, he’ll drag you through hell as he charms the pants off partner after partner, caring nothing for your jealousy or suffering.

On a lighter note, one of the most useful things to know about The Devil is that the esoteric function of this card is laughter. The Devil laughs at just about everything. And while that may not seem funny on a cosmic level, using this esoteric function in a reading may indicate that what’s really needed is to lighten up! Watch a funny movie, go to a comedy club, or hang out with friends and simply have a good time.

When this card appears in a relationship reading, don’t let it be-devil you. One way or another, it has something valuable to say about the situation.

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TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: We have a MP3 of the Tarot School’s wonderfully in-depth High Priestess teleclass and an autographed copy of The Goddess Tarot! (Find out more here.) To enter, simply leave a comment for this post. For a double entry, tell us about your worst — or funniest — date ever. I’ll start: Mine involves a guy spending the whole night telling me about his ex-girlfriend and how great she was, that no one could measure up to her. At the end of the night he asked, “So, will I see you again?”

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Top art: Paolo and Francesca from the Love Tarot app by Kris Waldherr.

Available in Lite and Full versions, learn more here. Or download the Full version on iTunes now.

Filed under be-mused, friends and colleagues, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path, tarot and oracles | 13 Responses

02.09

Holly Tucker guest post: The Facts of Life, 17th Century Style

Next up for my “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere” featuring the Love Tarot app, is a guest post by historian and novelist Holly Tucker, Ph.D. History geeks probably know Holly from her delightful website Wonders and Marvels. Holly is an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University. Her upcoming book Blood Work (under contract with W.W. Norton) is about the politics of early medical experimentation in seventeenth century France and England.

Here, Holly offers us the other side of seventeenth century love to Sandra Gulland’s uber-romantic entry about love letters yesterday. Instead, she writes about the baroque era’s favorite sex manual (complete with a randy illustration from it). On top of that, today we’re giving away a copy of my illustrated novel The Lover’s Path to one blog commenter. Details at the end of this post.

Tomorrow’s post: Ruth Ann Amberstone writes about the sexiest card in the tarot.

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holly tucker

Forget Cosmo. Forget Maxim. Anyone looking for sex advice in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-centuries would head straight to Nicolas Venette’s The Mysteries of Conjugal Love Reveal’d.

Take a look at the two cupids uniting their hot torches to one another. That gives you a sense of the titillating tips that Venette’s books contained–all for the purpose of making babies, of course!

So where did babies come back then?

Until the late seventeenth century, humoralism was the primary way of understanding conception. Humoralism is associated with Galen, a second-century ACE Greek physician who lived in Rome. His work was substantially influenced by his predecessor Hippocrates.

Galen held that the body was governed by a system of fluids, of “humors”: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile. Each body had a “complexion” that was specific to the individual–and reflected a greater tendency toward one of the four humors. This complexion helped determine the overall health of the person, as well as their character. “Sanguine” folks were upbeat and energetic. “Phlegmatic” folks were lethargic and sad. Yellow bile led to “choleric” folks who flew easily off the handle. And depressed “melancolics” suffered from an over-abundance of black bile.

Men and women were very different from one another. Men were hot and dry; women cold and wet. (This helps to explain why men have private parts outside their bodies, more on that another time.)

For Galen, both men and women contributed “seed” in the sex act. The seeds mixed–and their overall quality of the mixture would determine whether a girl or a boy would be born. The birth of a boy was proof of the father’s virility (his seed won the battle). The birth of a girl called the father’s macho-ness into question.

In fact, the birth of a girl was frequently associated with marital sterility in the early-modern era.

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TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: We have a copy of my illustrated novel The Lover’s Path, which inspired the Love Tarot! Set in sixteenth century Venice, The Lover’s Path is based on a true story of two sisters — one of which just happened to be the most famous courtesan of her time. (Learn more about it here or watch the YouTube video.) To enter, simply leave a comment for this post. For a double entry, tell us about your favorite love story from history.

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