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.

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

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

The Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere: The Most Inspiring Love Story Ever?

To finish my “Most Romantic Week on the Blogosphere” featuring the Love Tarot app, I am compelled to share with you what I consider to be possibly one of the most inspiring of love stories — the tale of Dante and Beatrice. On top of that, we’re giving away a copy of the Love Tarot app and one Amor and Beatrice print (autographed by me) to two lucky blog commentors. Details at the end of this post.

It’s not too late: You can still enter the giveaways from earlier in this week! Here’s what you can win:

Mistress of the Sun by Sandra Gulland.
The Lover’s Path by Kris Waldherr.
The Queen of My Self by Donna Henes.
Goddess Tarot deck and MP3 of The Tarot School’s teleclass for The High Priestess from Ruth Ann Amberstone.

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“Why Dante and Beatrice?” you may wonder. After all Dante never got his girl. She didn’t love him in return. Heck, the poet hardly spoke to her, if we’re to believe what he wrote. Nor did he send her any notes or any other indications of his affection. The truth was that Beatrice Portinari never knew how much Dante Aligheri adored her when she died prematurely in her twenties. Dante’s infatuation with Beatrice was one which he nurtured with subtle stares during church services, cherished greetings during accidental meetings — and transcendental poems shared with everyone but the object of his affection.

Most people know that Dante lived in thirteenth century Florence and wrote The Divine Comedy, an epic poem describing his vision of a journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven. The first part, the Inferno, is the liveliest part of the work. Once you read it, it’s hard to forget its intensely visceral imagery and the sense that the poet is settling some serious political scores. Though Beatrice appears within The Divine Comedy as his guiding angel, she was also the subject of his first book, La Vita Nuova (“The New Life”). It is in La Vita Nuova that Dante fully recounts his love for her, and of how she inspired his art.

In a lot of ways, it’s easy to just consider Dante’s love for Beatrice a courtly love contrivance for his art — but what art! Here’s an excerpt from a poem he wrote about her death:

Great anguish do my sighs give unto me,
Whene’er my thought unto my heavy mind
Doth bring her to me who hath cleft my heart.
And thinking oftentimes concerning death,
There comes to me so sweet desire therefor
That it transmutes the color in my face.
When this imagination holds me fixed,
Such pain assaileth me on every side,
That then I tremble with the woe I feel;
And such I do become
That from the people shame takes me away:
Then, alone, weeping, I lamenting call
On Beatrice, and say: “Art thou, then, dead?
And while I call her I am comforted.”

When I think of all the art, poetry, literature, and (yes!) lovers who have been inspired by Dante, it amazes me. Everyone from Dante Gabriel Rossetti (though one has to pity poor Elizabeth Siddal, whom he plucked out of obscurity to be his Victorian-era Beatrice/Kate Moss) to, well, moi. Dante’s work has been illustrated by Sandro Botticelli, William Blake, and Gustave Dore. On the music front, Rossini and Schumann set his words to music, and it inspired a symphonic poem by Liszt. As for modern poets, Dantesque imagery found its way into the works of Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot, Gabriele D’Annunzio, and more writers than I can possibly list here.

All these influences and sources – and this is without even mentioning the films and novels and other art forms that owe Dante their due.

Why is the poet’s love story still so compelling, seven hundred years later? My theory is that Dante and Beatrice reminds us of the power of loving for love’s sake; of the beauty that pure devotion to another can inspire. And what can be more romantic than that?

So here’s the chain of events: Beatrice inspired Dante. Then Dante inspired everyone else. And that is why I consider Dante and Beatrice to be the most inspiring love story ever.

In closing, here’s my retelling of Dante’s devotion to Beatrice, adapted from The Lover’s Path Tarot; this account was based on his La Vita Nuova:

Beatrice was nine years old the first time Dante gazed upon her, he slightly older. Her presence made such an impression that he felt as though his spirit had been infused with light. From that moment, Dante adored Beatrice above all others. Through the years as they grew into adulthood, Dante sought to meet Beatrice, too overwhelmed with love to do nothing more than stare at her. He noticed that Beatrice was so full of grace that any who saw her experienced a happiness which could only be described through sighs. All this convinced Dante that Beatrice was truly an angel. Since he said nothing, Beatrice did not suspect Dante’s love; she thought him dumb with shyness. But her warm greeting never wavered no matter how awkwardly Dante acted.

When Beatrice turned fifteen, her parents arranged her marriage to a wealthy merchant. The first time Dante saw Beatrice after her wedding, she was accompanied by two of her bridesmaids as they walked along the Arno River in Florence. Overcome by the knowledge that she was now another’s wife, Dante turned his face from Beatrice to hide his tears. Beatrice’s bridesmaids misunderstood and thought the poet had insulted their mistress. They jeered at him as they led Beatrice away.

That night, Dante retreated to his chamber in anguished shame. While he slept, a vision appeared to him in his dreams as the stars reached the ninth hour of the night. From a cloud the hue of fire emerged a god-like figure. This being, who identified himself as Amor, the spirit of love, held a woman whom Dante recognized as Beatrice. Amor also held a heart, which he told  Dante was the heart the poet had irrevocably given to Beatrice.

Dante awoke from his dream resolved. His love for Beatrice would be no earthly passion to expire when they died. Instead, he would immortalize Beatrice with poems that would last forever. As their lives unfolded, Beatrice was honored by Dante’s verses as no woman had ever been. The poet’s fame spread—and with it, the story of his love for Beatrice.

Over the years, the story of Dante and Beatrice has inspired many to give their hearts just as completely.”

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TODAY’S GIVEAWAY: I have one copy of the Full version Love Tarot app and an autographed Amor and Beatrice print, which reproduces the drawing for the card shown above. To enter, simply leave a comment for this post; please indicate whether you’d like to be entered for the app or the print. Or both. For a double entry, tell us your about your most intensely romantic experience.

It may not involve another person — for example, I was enraptured during my first trip to Venice like a Victorian heroine overcome by Stendhal Syndrome. Or it might. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that romance is all around us — Valentine’s Day should be a celebration of that, rather than a marker (and marketing ploy) for happily we’re partnered off.

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 this giveaway is limited to U.S. only.

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Top art: Dante and Beatrice 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 giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path, mythic living, tarot and oracles, the art world | 5 Responses

An A-Musing Journey

Forgive me the punning headline – I simple couldn’t resist. But this is the only way to describe my recent trip to Montreal to view the John Williams Waterhouse exhibit at Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal. As readers of my last blog entry know, I’ve been in need of serious muse time for my new books-under-way. So I took what Artist’s Way author Julia Cameron would call “an artist’s date”.

This was the first major exhibition of this late Pre-Raphaelite artist, as well as its only North American presentation. And a plot point in my new novel is oriented around the Lady of Shalott. And Montreal is one of my favorite cities. How could I resist?

So I took a weekend alone — my first away from my daughter since her birth — to travel up to Montreal in the dead of winter. Though I considered inviting a friend along, I decided that inspiration might strike more cleanly if I was traveling solo. To facilitate it, I even brought my laptop with me, so I could write during the eleven-plus hour train trip from New York. And I did.

I had forgotten that Waterhouse had created three versions of the Lady of Shalott. I was greeted by one of them as I walked past the museum gift shop.

And there was this behemoth draped over the entryway. Plus lots of displays inside. Alas, no photography allowed within the exhibit itself.

Inside the museum, all three versions were shown together for the first time, set within the centerpiece room of the exhibit. Nearby, Waterhouse’s personal copy of Tennyson’s poems was displayed. He’d drawn on every page, probably to record inspiration before it flitted away. Some of these intimate pencil sketches eventually were transformed into the magnificent paintings on view.

I was fortunately in time for the guided tour, which offered much that I did not know about Waterhouse. For example, he was the son of painters; his wife was also a flower painter. Alas, none of his journals or letters survived his death — the tour guide conjectured that his wife destroyed them — so not much is known about him.

Here’s more information, courtesy of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts:

In his search to rediscover the beauty of the medieval world, Waterhouse also found inspiration in classical literature and mythology. Often associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, who aimed to recapture the beauty and simplicity of the medieval world, Waterhouse was also a classical painter. The exhibition will show how Waterhouse’s paintings reflect his engagement with contemporary themes like medievalism, classical heritage, spiritualism and the femme fatale. Born the year the Pre-Raphaelites first exhibited at the Royal Academy, he inherited their taste for Alfred Tennyson, John Keats and William Shakespeare and was fascinated by beauty, the underworld and myths of enchantresses. His paintings reveal a romantic fascination for female passions: among his subjects are the Lady of Shalott, Cleopatra, Circe, Lamia, the Sirens tormenting Ulysses, and Mariamne condemned to death. Inspired by Romantic literature, he also drew from classical myth as interpreted by Homer and Ovid.”

With little else to go on, we’re forced to learn about Waterhouse through his art, rather than through his biography. (In a way, isn’t that the way it should be?) Once the tour was over, I spent several hours in the exhibit, going through it in detail. The overall impression I was left with was of a man who was passionate about mythology, beauty, and women. He was also fond of scattering numerous mystical symbols in his paintings. For example, he often used circles within overlapping circles; objects often number seven (as in seven crows or seven sirens). From this evidence, some believe that Waterhouse may have been involved with the popular spiritualist movement, one reason his wife may have destroyed his letters.

Alas, the exhibit closes this weekend. All the Ladies of Shalotts will depart back to their respective homes, probably never to meet again in one room — at least in my lifetime.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have had my encounter with them.

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On a somewhat unrelated note, it’s now February — and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! With the help of my friend and publicity assistant Diane Saarinen, I’ve put together an amazing week of what I think is our most romantic content yet. Just call it the most romantic week on the blogosphere!

From February 8th through 12th, I’ll be joined on this blog by the beloved best-selling author Sandra Gulland (Mistress of the Sun), urban shaman Donna Henes (Queen of My Self), tarotist extraordinaire Ruth Ann Amberstone (The Secret Language of  Tarot), and acclaimed historian Holly Tucker (Wonders and Marvels, Blood Work) for a week of love-themed posts and special giveaways. The daily giveaways will include autographed romance-inspiring books, Amor art prints, and free downloads of the Love Tarot app. To be entered to win, all you have to do is comment. Easy-peasy.

Also on tap: A Valentine’s edition of our popular Tarot Salon. This takes place on February 12 starting at 7:30 pm at my studio-gallery; this month I’ll be joined by Donna Henes, Golda Poretsky, and Fran Dunston. For more information and to view other events and workshops, click here for our events page.

So I hope to see you here — and/or there!

• Filed under be-mused, creativity, giveaways and raffles, iPhone apps, lover's path, new projects, the art world, the world around me, travels | 6 Responses

Workshops and updates oh my!

I’ve just posted the rescheduled date for the Children’s Picture Book workshop as well as the date for our next reiteration of our popular Publishing 101 class. Also on tap: a Valentine’s themed tarot salon on February 12, featuring readings from myself and renowned urban shaman Mama Donna Henes.

As some of you might recall, the Children’s Picture Book workshop was originally to take place in December. But life, alas, had other plans. Between that and the holidays, I found myself out of my studio for almost a month. Fortunately, over the past week I’ve been able to get back into the creative swim. I suppose it shouldn’t be any surprise, but I’m always amazed by how exhausting and time-consuming grief is.

Currently underway is an iPhone app for the Goddess Inspiration Oracle (the free lite version is currently available on iTunes), a newly-hatched novel, and my long-developing follow up book to DOOMED QUEENS. To further stoke my creative fires, I’m also planning a short trip to Montreal to take in the Waterhouse exhibit before it closes. There’s a painting in it which figures very closely in my new novel. So how can I resist?

The good news is that there are still spaces available for the Children’s Picture Book workshop. So if you couldn’t make the original date, well, what are you waiting for? I’m excited to share all about my experiences as a book illustrator, designer, and all around publishing maven — a subject which is near and dear to my heart.

Learn more about these events and others here.

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The above photo is of the full version of the Goddess Inspiration Oracle. Doesn’t it look pretty? It should be available by the end of the month. Can’t wait? You can download the free lite version here now.

• Filed under creativity, events, publishing, studio and gallery, tarot and oracles, the art world | No Comments

Last call: Fairy Tale exhibit

If you live in the NYC area, this is the last week to view our fairy tale exhibit at the gallery. It features the work of Lisa Hunt (The Fairy Tale Tarot), Carisa Swenson, Kristina Carroll, Leela Corman, among others (including myself!). The exhibit has received with a great deal of positive attention.

Gallery hours are Friday, January 15, 5 to 8pm; Saturday, January 16, 1 to 5pm. And, as always, appointments are available at 347-406-5811. We’re located at 1501 Newkirk Avenue, Brooklyn, NY; entrance is on Marlborough Road a half a block from the Newkirk Avenue Q and B subway station. Street parking is available.

Children are decidedly welcome to this exhibit. More here.

On a related note, I’ve yet to post our upcoming events for January and February, including the date for our rescheduled children’s book workshop. They’ll be going up later this week. We’re till getting on schedule after being away for so long in December.

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The above photo was taken with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone, which is meant to produce a rather retro-looking photo. I have a gazillion “official” photos of the exhibit awaiting download — so far, all my attempts to download them have met with a lack of success. Mercury seems to be decidedly retrograde in these parts.

• Filed under events, studio and gallery, the art world | No Comments