art and geometry

In the last few years I have become fascinated by geometry, not the class you took in high school (I found that one painful) but what is also known as sacred geometry, that deals with the shapes not the numbers. I learned that using geometry you can say more through your designs than you might arbitrarily, there is a sort of a language of geometry and design that we all know on some level. There are archetypes in geometry through certian shapes that influence people and how they view things. In looking at one of the paintings of one of the great old masters, say Rembrandt, what makes the work so great? It's quite often the design behind the painting, the use of archetypal shapes underneath. I wanted to have such greatness in my own works, so I have been learning about these archetypes, about sacred geometry and it is so fascinating! Through this study I was also lead to geometric designs, patterns and Islamic designs and patterns. It's a bit mind boggling once you start, just how far reaching it's influence is and how much of a difference you can see. Last hear I heard a speech given by Lynn Truss, the author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Ms. Truss talked about grammar and correct punctuation and how one day she was filming all the grammatical errors she could see with a crew and that by the end of the day the crew were noticing the errors along with her where they hadn't before. This is perhaps a stretch of an example and is also making me self conscious about my own iffy grammar, however I experienced the same sort of phenomenon as the crew, once you see these things, you wonder how you ever missed them before.
Anyway, that's a lot of what I've been working on. Perhaps now I should actually read Eats, Shoots and Leaves, and work on improving my grammar.

I took a Shakespeare class my sophomore year of college because I love Shakespeare, what was cool was that my teacher, Professor Shakespeare, is a descendant of the bard himself, I thought that was really cool. He had a very odd knack of being both painfully boring while very interesting at the same time, I'm not sure I've seen it done before or since. The man knew his stuff though and I really enjoyed the class. The pictures above are the text book from the class, the complete works and I kept the book after the class was over. Last night I was wanting to read but not sure what, and then I remembered the beast (said textbook). I started reading The Taming of the Shrew, I can't remember if I've read it before, but I've seen it and it's such an awesome play. I'd almost forgotten what a joy it is, or at least can be, to read Shakespeare. I might try to tackle reading his complete works...I wonder how long that will take...but I have already read a lot so maybe not so long.
More movies, like I said I have been seeing a lot of Carey Grant movies.
To Catch a Thief: I usually am a big fan of Hitchcock but this one wasn't my favorite. I think sometimes Hitchcock gets undermined by all the people who came after and have run with what he did so well. I remember watching Rear Window (which is the basis for Disturbia) after hearing all about it, but I remember being quite bored with it, part of that might have been from my watching it at home, in my basement with the lights on, however I think most of it is due to all the suspense movies I've seen since, all the people who were inspired by Hitchcock. Anyway, To Catch a Thief, you'd have to decide for yourself.
I Was A Male War Bride: I liked this one, a pretty good comedy and fairly witty in parts. One of the funniest things might have been seeing Carey Grant in drag, now some men can pull that off, but Carey Grant was not really one of those, just himself in a dress. I recommend it even if just for that.
That's all of the Carey Grant I've seen lately but there's probably more waiting for me at the library.
Sunset Boulevard: I think this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, very well crafted, a work of art. This movie is also very creepy, or maybe more along the lines of strange or unnerving. I watched the little thing on the DVD about the making of the movie and things got creepier, errie how close characters were cast in some cases. I liked it but I don't think I'll be watching it all the time, it's hauntingly close to some realities. I think everyone should see it once.
Roman Holiday: I have absolutely loved this movie from the very beginning, from the very first time I saw it. Roman Holiday was Audry Hepburn's first big movie roll, it launched her into Hollywood stardom. I loved it this time because I can now pick out snatches of what's being said in Italian, I hadn't watched it since taking Italian. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn are both simply wonderful in this movie. It's rightfully a classic.
Emma: I haven't ever read the book, nor do I intend to, however I do love the movie. I love the costumes, and Gweneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam. It is funny and sweet and right up there in the chick flick category.

Art and Movies

Art : It's feeling very daunting at the moment, however I suppose one good thing is that I've found a good answer when people ask me what I'm doing now, if I'm working etc. I say I'm working on building up my portfoilio, which I am and this seems to be an acceptable answer to people. Funny how saying the same thing can work one way but not another.
I am indeed building up a portfolio, I'm still working on a series, still waiting on my yellow and green paint, still feeling like something's missing or not right or something. I don't quite know what or why, perhaps I need to keep defining my goals and deadlines. I had been looking for competition shows to enter, and I found quite a few, but I don't feel like I have anything right now that's good enough to enter these shows. I guess I need to just keep working at it.

Movies: Well I already mentioned Slumdog Millionaire in my last post, I thought it was a good movie and I'm glad I saw it, but I don't think I'll be watching it again soon.
Stranger Than Fiction: I was wary of this movie at first, especially because Will Ferril's in it, but it has grown on me. I first saw it with a group of people invited by my former roommate who aspier's to be a writer. I have long since given up my aspirations to write but I think my love of this movie might relate to my love of writng. This movie is about literature, well not entierly but it's a very dominant theme. I don't know if non writers etc. would enjoy it as much however I think it's a really good movie for writers or aspiering writers to see. It's quite funny and Emma Thompson and Dustin Hoffman are very good.
Guys and Dolls: I caught some of this on TV one time and I figured I'd see the whole thing. It seems to be one of the quintessential musicals. I don't know, I like it but I don't, it's borderline on way to cheesy but some parts are pretty good.

I've been working on seeing a lot of the great old classic movies, when I do that I tend to go through the library website and just reserve a bunch from the same actor just going on down the list. Right now I'm working on a bunch of Carey Grant movies. Grant was quite a versatile actor, he started out as an acrobat, he was also very good at comedy and of course he was quite well known for his good looks and charm. Look for more Carey Grant movies here in the future.
An Affair to Remember: I think I first heard about this movie from Sleepless in Seattle, the characters rave about it and so I put it on my list of movies to see and only just now got around to it. I really liked it, it was a good movie just like they said, but I liked it differently. In SiS they talked about the great romance and how wonderfully sad it was, and it was those things also, but I loved it for how comedic it was, there was a lot of fairly dry humor, which I love and so I liked that a lot. I think it's a movie that's probably got something for everyone, maybe even all those guys dispite the fact that it's a 'chick movie'.

Let Cooler Heads Prevail

I have a lot on my mind, I just was in a lesson on persecution and it really made me think, not just about what was said in the class but also about movies I've seen and about things that have happened.
On Friday night I saw the movie Slumdog Millionaire, I've heard a lot about the movie since it came out. It was a very hard movie to watch, the 'slumdog' has a very hard life and many terrible things happened to him. One of the scenes that stuck out to me the most was when a mob of Indians, presumably Hindus, came and attacked the slumdog's family and others because they were Muslim, their mother was killed trying to protect them, people and things were set on fire. It's horrible to think that people can do such things to each other, unfortunatly such goings on are not unusual.
A year or so ago a man came to speak at a fourm at BYU, I cannot remember his name, but if you have seen the movie Hotel Rwanda, it is about what happened to this man and others in violence between Tootsies and Hutus. It was an amazing story the man told of a group of people who were trying to take refuge in the man's hotel. I do not remember as many details as I'm sure I ought to, but I do remember how calmly the man told his story, I don't recall any anger or bitterness, or wish for vengence.
The movie La Vita e' Bella (Life is Beautiful), has rightfully become very acclaimed. The movie is the story of a Jewish man who's family is taken to a concentration camp in World War II and how the man hides the awful truth from his son by making it a game that they are playing. It's very touching to see how the horrer of the situation is ignored and defied.
In the beginings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, church memebers were very much persecuted for their beliefs but they were encouraged not to react, to keep cool and do their best to go on dispite it.
It seems the natural reaction in the face of persecution, it to become angry and to want to fight back, but unfortunatly that never seems to be the right answer. Situations are not improved by seeking vengence, the code of Hamurabi was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth; I believe it was Gahndi who said that such a code leave the world toothless and blind. I know that I have a lot of work to be less hot headed, but I have seen for myself that not reacting is generally better and helps ones cause more. Surely those events in Hotel Rwanda would not stand out as they do, if they had not had the courage to take the higher road. Wars are avoided by the higher road, retaliation only leads to bigger conflict, not healing.
Our world is unstable and sometimes daunting, we do not know what lies ahead of us. In a book set durring the first World War, I read about some women who decided that they were going to be "heroins" rise above the turmoil around them and sallyforth. I want to be a heroin as well, to do my best to act with a cool head and not in fear or anger. I know how hard it is to forgive but I want to make all the more effort, it does not help any when we can't forgive, it only draws out the hurt.

Movies

I have long been a lover of movies, now that I have time on my hands and access to a great library (not that I didn't before, just not movie wise), I have been watching a lot of them. Over the last school year I tried to introduce my roomie to so many of the great old movies she'd missed out on all her life, this didn't really happen due to her desire to achieve good grades... at any rate, I saw more movies that I'd been wanting or needing to see, or ones that were on TCM (Turner Classic Movies, having cable can be nice).
I love movies of just about any time period but classic movies made back in the early days, I love so many of them, in many ways they don't make them like that any more.
I don't really know what I'm trying to say here, except that I love movies... it's interesting, I had a roomie who was into acting and film etc. and I noticed that if she watched a movie she might call it a success for one reason or another, but I came to realized that I didn't feel the same, that if I like a movie it tends to be for the whole of the movie: the story, the acting, the camera work etc. I do sometimes find a movie for one specific reason but maybe I'm more of a purist in my tastes... whatever that means.
Anyway I read something the other day talking about how in the old days a star used to be what sold a movie but now people are more interested in the genera; in thinking about it I suppose I fall in the latter category, I'd rather see somebody I never heard of in a really awesome movie than a star I love in a lame movie.
The movies I've watched this week are as follows:
The Bourn Identity: I love these movies, I love a spy type action thriller well done, and that serise is just that. I have the spy fascination but I've found that I now prefer to watch something that at least seems like a more realistic spy world, than the gadgeted, and farsical world of spies. This being said I also love Chuck, so it goes both ways I guess. Anyway, if you're into spy/ action coolness, I highly recomend Bourn, however I didn't love the books...and they have a way different plot.
Anything Goes: I got this musical because it has Donald O'Connor and I'm a fan, however it wasn't one of those amazing musicals I felt, just mediocer, but maybe if you really love Cole Porter you'd think better of it, who knows. Bing Crosby's also in it but I'm not a huge fan of his.
Mr. Deed's Goes to Town: I got this to see more of Frank Capra's movies. It wasn't bad but also not my favorite. I assume that Mr. Deed's with Adam Sandler took it's plot from this.
The Big Sleep: Bogie, Bocall, it was the first time I'd seen a movie with both of them. I liked it a lot. I have no idea where the title came from though.
The Bachelor and The Bobby Soxer: I love Carey Grant, however not a favorite, I probably won't watch it again.
The Nun's Story: I got this to see Audrey Hepburn and it was not what I was expecting. It was very interesting, I can't say how accurate because I've never been Catholic, I learned a lot, hopefully not things that aren't true. However even if I ever became Catholic, I never, ever want to be a nun.
That's all for now, if you have any suggestions I'd love to hear them.

blah, research can be great, very interesting and exciting some days, and others ... not so much. Sadly it seems that even after education is left behind you, there will always be homework to do. These pictures were a day when research was fun.

slacker

So, I haven't posted for a while. I did start a post the other day, but it perished at the hands of technical difficulties. Here goes nothing. Above you'll see the picture that was missing when I last posted, it was probably still on my camera.
I am now a college graduate, reviling in the fact that I do not have classes to attend or homework to do. It's been so nice and refreshing, if I want to do something I can do it, there's nothing stopping my but my own procrastination or laziness. I've been watching movies and reading books, actually reading books for pleasure and for my own edification. It's awesome! As many may be aware, reading for personal pleasure quite often falls by the way side when there's homework to be done.
Now though, the hard part is getting myself to put in the hard work on my art, finding a routine in these wide open days. It's harder to make myself adhere to a schedule when there are no places I have to be or time being taken out of my day, so I've had to make those chunks of time for myself. I have a contract with myself with art time, I'm making goals towards the rest of my time. I'm even getting to the bottom of all the stuff searching for a home since I moved.
Another hard part is not having a studio space to work in, where I can work on things and then let them sit undisturbed. It's not really all that bad, but I'd been hoping to start oil painting again and I've now realized that isn't really a good idea here.
I feel like I've just been complaining so let me say that while I enjoyed my time in Provo, I am so happy to be back home again. It's such a different feeling here and nice to be in a place that I know so well, where I really know my way around and where old friends are. So that's the rambling scoop. And I just added a picture which ended up at the top, if anybody knows how I can change that, please let me know.