The Artisan Series

The Artisan Series: Lisa Snellings-Clark

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I want to start this post by saying that all the pictures used in this post are the property of Lisa Snellings-Clark and are used with her permission, so please don’t use any of them unless you first obtain her permission (she’s very gracious and will most likely say ‘yes’ if you ask nicely 🙂 )

Also, clicking on each picture will open up a larger version of the picture. Click on your ‘back’ button to return to the post.

I am thrilled that the inaugural post in The Artisan Series belongs to Lisa Snellings-Clark. Her amazing work and equally amazing work ethic inspire me each time I visit her site. I first discovered Lisa Snellings-Clark several years ago when I read Neil Gaiman’s short story book Smoke and Mirrors. In it he described the genesis for each story and the stories Don’t Ask Jack, Sweeper of Dreams, and The Sea Change were all inspired by sculptures by someone named Lisa Snellings. Sweeper of Dreams particulary resonated with me because of my career in mental health and I was intrigued by the idea of the statue that was the impetus for this tale so I began searching for information on the internet about Lisa. At the time there was precious little to be found…or at least that is what I recall with my hazy memory. Throughout the last few years Lisa Snellings’ name would pop up on Gaiman’s blog and I would see pictures of her work in the Spectrum book series. Eventually a website emerged when Neil began promoting her Ratbag statues. The first one he posted about was the Edgar Allan Poe Rat:

followed quickly by the Neil Rat:

I was once again excited because here were two really fun rat statues depicting my two favorite authors and I began craving more of her work. Needless to say I was thrilled to discover that Lisa Snellings-Clark began a blog on January 15th, 2005 entitled Slaughterhouse Studios. In addition she has a companion site here. It was when I began perusing these two sites, reading Lisa’s posts, and gazing at her amazing artwork that a connection was made.

Lisa Snellings-Clark is a true artisan. She works in many mediums with a myriad of materials to create some of the most inspiring pieces I’ve ever seen. She works with wood, metal, resin, paper mache, and many other materials to craft, carve, build, and sculpt her unique works of art. Her art has a mixture of darkness and light in it that appeals to me. The colors and textures of her work are so alive that you just want to touch them…I can envision myself standing before her works like a child in a museum, being dragged out screaming by my mother because I can’t quit touching the exhibits! When I visit her site my head swirls with ideas of things I’d like to try. The subject matter of her work, as you will see in the following examples, is also something that speaks to me on a very deep level and has a similar theme to other creations that are meaningful to me.


(click for larger detail)

Lisa’s biggest project to date, at least as far as her blog is concerned, has been the recreation of this animatronic sculpture for Neil Gaiman.

The comical version of how this piece came to need repair can be found here. Lisa began documenting her work in progress as we, the faithful blog readers, asked and received answers to our questions and impatiently waited for Lisa to be finished. Looking at the pictures you would think that this sculpture is meticulously carved in wood or cast in resin. Here is Lisa’s almost unbelievable explanation of what this is made of: “Under the Neil sculpture is a wooden base with heavy wood dowel supports. The rest of the sculpture is a mix of paper mache, small figures with wire armature, even smaller figures (like the tiny puppets, which are resin) and leather.” Amazing! And yesterday Lisa unveiled the finished work:

The details are absolutely wonderful as can be seen in these pictures:

Lisa is promising a video soon showing the sculpture in action and I will post an update as soon as that occurs. I’m interested in the transformation of this piece from a very dark piece in tone to a much lighter piece and I’m hoping that Lisa will discuss this in more detail on her site. She will be painting a background for it when she returns it to its place of honor in Neil Gaiman’s home and pictures of this event will no doubt be forthcoming as well.

Though many of the recent pictures and posts on Lisa’s site have been about this sculpture, there is so much more to see and experience at both of her sites. There are more angels, and more rats…harlequins, and jack-in-the-boxes, and this latest sculpture that really caught my eye:

You’ll also find really cool furniture, wonder at the enigma of the puzzle pieces in her work, and discover that Lisa Snellings-Clark’s two dimensional art is as amazing as her sculptures. I would be remiss if I didn’t point you to this picture and the post describing its creation….she carved this out of wood! With a dremel tool! If I had a picture of myself standing with my mouth agape, chin on the floor, I’d post it here!

In addition to the many photographs of Lisa’s art you’ll get to meet her wonderful son, Orion, and learn about how she creates her art. You will also get to know Lisa Snellings-Clark as a person. She is wonderfully candid on her blog and takes the time to answer questions when she can. I really enjoy the time I spend on her blog as I always come away inspired to do more and be more as regards my own personal creativity. There is something special about an artist who has the courage to open up to friends and strangers alike and I admire this quality in Lisa.

Lisa Snellings-Clark is truly a Master Craftswoman. The effort she puts into each piece is evident in both the shots of the work in progress as well as the final results. As I’ve stated, her work stirs something in me. From her whimsical Ratbag sculptures to her larger, more detailed pieces her work shows her creativity, passion, and dedication to the craft. Her work ethic is one to be mimicked. She does not wait around for inspiration to strike, she rolls her sleeves up and works each day to create something…to do something…and this example is one that I aspire to in my daily pursuits. Like any good artist Lisa Snellings-Clark freely admits to her craft being a work in progress and shares that her style is ever evolving. This too is encouraging as it lets me know that its okay to create right where you are and learn to grow into your style…to not rush things but to not sit idly by waiting for the muse to light a fire in your soul. Lisa Snellings-Clark has become one of my absolute favorite artists and I hope you visit her site today and return often. Share your thoughts on her work as I suspect she, like the rest of us who blog, appreciates the interaction. Lisa Snellings-Clark is an amazing woman with an equally amazing talent and I’m so excited for you to enter her world.

(Editor’s note: I want to thank and congratulate Nora Wright a.k.a Ravyn for her wonderful websites which support and showcase Lisa’s work. Without her I fear that I might still be searching for Lisa’s work. Thank you Ravyn!)

Film

Mostly Martha

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Mostly Martha (Bella Martha) is a wonderful German movie that Mary and I watched again this weekend (thank you Netflix!). In recent years there have been a growing number of movies made that could be classified as “food and love” romances and Mostly Martha fits into that category. They are the kind of movies that make you want to go into your kitchen and prepare an amazing meal.

Martha (Martina Gedeck ) is the chef at a very posh restaurant. Her life both inside and outside of the kitchen is lived with an obsession for perfection, a fact that frequently finds her at odds with her employer and argumentative with customers who have complaints about their food. Food is Martha’s life, a fact shown humorously in her discussions during employer-ordered therapy. Martha’s ordered, and frankly lonely, existence begins to become unraveled when she becomes ward of her recently orphaned niece Lina (Maxime Foerste). Longing for someone to cook for, Martha finds herself with a house guest who refuses to eat. Martha continues to make the effort to bond with her niece but finds her to be quiet, morose, and stubborn…..traits not uncommon in Martha herself. Adding to the unraveling is the addition of a loud, up-beat Italian chef (Sergio Castellitto) into Martha’s kitchen, an addition not welcomed by Martha. In Martha’s attempts to share both her kitchen and her home we see the beginnings of Martha’s willingness to share her life.

The casting in this film is excellent. Being a German film I have not seen any of the actors/actresses before. Having seen them in these roles I couldn’t imagine anyone else stepping in. Martina Gedeck is beautiful in a very natural, non-made-up manner and she conveys the aloneness of her character so well. As she begins to interact with other characters and we see her open up this feels very natural, not forced. Sergio Castellitto is marvelous as Martha’s opposite in both mood and manner. He is a very lovable character that you like instantly.

The music in this movie is also excellent. I was very disappointed to find out that they did not have a soundtrack for this film. There are several instances in the film where solo piano music, or piano and saxaphone music, play over the sound of the film and the music in those instances is beautiful. The music during the melancholic moments of the film reminds me of some of my favorite piano music found on the album December. This film also features one of my favorite songs, Via Con Me, by Paolo Conte. The first time I heard this song was on the French Kiss soundtrack. Though there is no soundtrack someone on Amazon.com kindly made a list of the albums where the various songs can be found.

It would be a misnomer to call this movie a romantic comedy as that term frequently conjurs images of the standard, formulaic American version of a romantic comedy. There are many humorous moments in this film but they aren’t laugh-out-loud funny, they are touching comical moments that help us to better know the characters. Like many foreign movies, the pacing of this movie is not the same as similar American movies. Saying this movie is slow brings up connotations that the movie is boring when in fact it is just the opposite. In reading another review I came across this statement which I think sums up the pacing of this film, “a story like this requires patience. Patience and the love for good food are two of the requirements this film asks of us”. I agree. Like a good meal this movie is meant to be savored. I love movies in which food and food preparation play such a central part of the relationship between characters. Watching this movie over a lovingly prepared meal with good friends and a bottle of good wine would be the perfect way to experience it.

If you’re interested, the trailer can be viewed here.

Film

Sahara

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The Anderson family gathered together with some friends visiting from Tulsa and went to see Sahara…mostly on the premise that no matter what the movie was like the women-folk could moon over Matthew McConaughey! We had a good time and enjoyed the movie. One of our guests, Ava, particularly enjoyed the show because McConaughey’s character frequently called out her name…albeit spelled differently!

Make no mistake, this is a popcorn flick filled with the requisite explosions, convoluted plots, handsome bare-chested men, comely heroine, and good-guys-prevail ending. Yes, this is a popcorn flick, but as such it was actually quite enjoyable. Penelope Cruz is admittedly little more than eye candy but adds a little sophistication to an otherwise cookie-cutter role by using her charming accent and by dressing cute but fairly modestly throughout the entire production. I could think of many other actresses I would’ve enjoyed more in the role of Eva Rojas, but she did an adequate job. The real scene-stealer…and this is no surprise to anyone who has seen his work…is Steve Zahn. Zahn plays the role of Al Giordino to comic perfection. His wide-eyed stares and sarcastic one-liners provide a great deal of humorous moments that keep this film from being a pale imitation of the similar films that have come before it. Zahn alone is worth the price of admission.

The nickel version of the plot is this: Two life-time buddies, ex-military turned treasure hunters, are on a quest to find a mythical iron-clad Civil War ship. In the meantime Cruz, as a World Health Organization doctor, is on the trail of a deadly disease that is possibly plague bound. Circumstances put both parties together on the coast of Africa and adventure ensues.

The balancing act in movies like this is to make the plot convoluted enough to keep the audience entertained without stepping over the boundary into sheer ludicrousness. While getting close to the line, Sahara stays just to the right of becoming absurd. The cast gets beat up along the way but has an A-Team-like armor that keeps the ever-flying bullets from hitting home. Sahara was fast-paced but provided enough slow moments to keep the audience from becoming overwhelmed.

I’d give this movie 3 out of 5 stars…maybe 3.5. If you enjoy movies like National Treasure, The Mummy and The Mummy Returns then you will enjoy Sahara. You can view the trailer, look at pictures, download wallpapers, etc. at the official site. See it at the matinee or rent it when it comes out on DVD. Its a fun escapist movie!

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The Unsinkable

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The title of this post is a myth of sorts as the truth is that they called her practically unsinkable.

I am researching and composing this post on the evening of April 14th. At 11:40 p.m. on this very evening in 1912, the Titanic experienced its fateful collision with an iceberg. I will post this on April 15th, the day that marks the 93rd anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.

My fascination with the Titanic dates back to the early 1990’s when I was working in Waldenbooks in Tulsa, OK and picked up this book:

and saw these images, among others:

I was hooked. I had always been interested in the depths of the ocean and this birthed an intense connection with the disaster of the Titanic. To realize that this wreckage of what was once a luxury liner filled with people was actually sitting at the bottom of the dark, cold sea filled me with an equal amount of awe and horror. Its images are beautiful and sad and scary at the same time. It is estimated that it took 2 hours and 40 minutes for the Titanic to sink to its depth of 12,500 feet. And there it sat, in total darkness, unseen by human eyes for 73 years. The ship that was ‘practically unsinkable’ and was thought impossible to find was discovered in 1985.

Robert Ballard, born in Witchita, Kansas, (and looking an awful lot like my uncle Jack) has said, “I grew up wanting to be Captain Nemo from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” And it can easily be said that he has done that and more. Robert Ballard has not only discovered the Titanic, but has found many other lost ships including two ancient Phoenician ships off the coast of Israel, the oldest ships ever found in deep water, and most recently John F. Kennedy’s PT-109.

Ballard’s 1985 discovery of the Titanic and the events leading up to it can be seen on National Geographic’s Secrets of the Titanic. This documentary is amazing and the first time I saw it I was not only stunned into silence as I saw Titanic for the first time

but also was ready to dump my current career and go hunting for lost ships! There are many amazing images from this documentary including:

a chandelier

and the ship’s wheel:

It is so creepy to think of being confined to a tin-can like submarine, sinking quietly to that depth in darkness, only to come into contact several hours later with the remains of this tragedy. A few years ago my friend Scott and I were snorkeling in a state park in Hawaii and were the only 2 people out in this area of the ocean. We were following this big sea turtle and came across a large piece of debris that looked like part of a giant engine, sitting in about 20 feet of water. It was covered with plant life and sea creatures and it really gave me the creeps because I associated it with all the other pieces of boats and ships that undoubtedly litter the bottom of the oceans. As eerie as it would be I’d love to be able to take one of those submarine tours down to view the Titanic.

Of course the discovery of the Titanic renewed interest in this unforeseen tragedy which eventually led to the much maligned Titanic movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

I personally enjoy this movie but can easily understand why many do not. I’m not a big fan of DiCaprio but I liked Winslet in her role. The love story was a little overblown but the scenes of the ship sinking and people lying dead in the water really got to me. I think James Cameron’s ridiculous Oscar speech helped solidify public hatred for this big budget love story. If you haven’t ever seen it or just haven’t seen it in a long time I suggest you check out Titanic in 30 seconds with bunnies. It really is only 30 seconds long and amazingly enough summarizes the whole 3+ hours of Titanic in that brief period of time….with bunnies no less!!!

This renewed interest also spawned the Tony award winning Titanic: The Musical. I have no desire to ever see this. Visions of singers belting out show tunes while dancers soft-shoe their way to the icy depths horrifies me more than the actual tragedy!

In June of 2004, almost 20 years after his first visit, Robert Ballard returned to the Titanic. I have not seen this documentary but look forward to a future viewing. As expected Ballard found damage caused by the passage of time.

Unfortunately he also discovered much destruction from personal submarines landing on the deck as well as many artifacts missing. Someone had actually taken the plaque that Ballard left on the discovery mission to honor the lives of those lost. You can listen to some of the interviews Ballard did around this time period at the NPR site.

I admire Robert Ballard greatly as he has a historian’s appreciation for the things that he finds. He understands that the Titanic site is essentially the grave site for the 1,500 people who perished when it sank. He has some interesting ideas about treating these sites as museums and setting up underwater cameras so that people can “visit” these shipwrecks and explore them for themselves. I like this idea much better than pilfering the locations for their contents and having pieces scattered in various private and public museums. The sinking of the Titanic is indeed fascinating. There are as yet unsolved mysteries regarding this tragedy as well as a host of conspiracy theories surrounding its sinking. As fascinating as the story is, in retrospect it was still a horrible tragedy. I will leave you with these thoughts of Robert Ballard:

“The Titanic isn’t a ship. It’s an accident. It’s a huge debris field. The Titanic is linked to its location. When you see pairs of shoes on the bottom of the ocean where the body landed, and those pairs of shoes are perfectly preserved and sitting exactly relative to the body that’s now vanished, those shoes and their juxtaposition to one another, and sitting on the floor next to the ship are a much more compelling message — a personal message of tragedy — than some wrinkly old shoes sitting on a shelf in a museum in Memphis, Tennessee.”

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Opening lines

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“The spark of intelligence in your blinking eyes is not unlike the glow from the teeth of an electrocuted axe-murderess. “

Jenn See discovered this fun link the other day and I’ve been meaning to post on it over here. It is the Surrealist Compliment Generator. Each refresh will give you another bizarre, fun, surreal compliment.

For whatever reason the quotes generated on that site remind me of absurdist British humor and so this post fits in with the spirit of the previous one. I also mentioned to Jenn See on her site that the quotes remind me of the strange verse we created when playing with Magnetic Poetry during some of our more laborious staff meetings! Here are a few compliments that I received from the SCG that I share lovingly with you, the readers:

“Your eyebrows are as verdantly forrested as the seeded woodworms of my most sombre dreams.”

“The quietness of a manhole cover cannot compare with the wild vapours of nylon I sense in your larynx.”

“Your unexpected explosion entangles us in a web of premature umbrellas and precocious timepieces.”

“The sisters of Catherine the Great ask that you cover yourself with lightbulb filaments and take pains to make yourself fully incandescent this evening.”

“The perils of your eyelashes torture my libido into a state of crass belief in Roman Catholicism.”

“Madame, ist thou donning space underwear? For thine ass doth lie beyond the physical boundaries of this world!”

and, last but not least is one that I think I will make my new mantra:

“May clinging breasts always come to your aid in the kitchen.”

Have fun with this. Occasionally you’ll get one in a foreign language, the humor of which is lost on me!

Eclectic Musings of a Renaissance Geek