Fascinations with Robert Ivey Ballet

This post is coming a few days later than I had hoped, but I think I needed time to process the whole event.  This event was so great, in so many different ways.  We had a Fascinations performance both Friday night and Saturday night, (Jan 18 and 19) and I really loved seeing it both nights.  I was able to take in more on the second night; little details of the dance or costuming I hadn't noticed before.  This was a huge experience for me.  I think I am very, very glad to have participated in this event. If you want to read about how this came about, check out the post here.  It's a cool story about synchronicity, written by my good friend Laura!  And painting on such a scale, what an eye-opening experience that was!  It truly is a full-body movement to get paint on the canvas when you use giant brushstrokes like I was doing.  And a ladder.  One must have a ladder to reach up so high!  So I was climbing the ladder, and flinging paint around with my 4" paintbrush, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Just before we delivered it to the theatre.

After the show I was approached by someone who is in charge of outdoor murals around Charleston.  He invited me to do a wall of my own!!  I was thrilled, and I have a feeling I will be tackling that project soon :)  It's called the Outdoor Art Initiative and Gallery; Check out their Facebook page; they have some pretty cool stuff over there.  Everyone in this group seems very open and friendly, and I am excited to learn more about what they do.  

On stage!

One other cool thing about this project is that both of my girls were involved in this project.  Especially my 4 yr old.  She loved it and she was inspired to work on a larger scale too.  She actually decorated the back of the couch one night recently with sidewalk chalk, and I couldn't be mad because I know where this came from.  It was from watching me paint so big; she only wanted to do the same.  I thought a good way to channel this inspiration onto a more suitable substrate would be to hit the art store and buy a canvas for her.  So that's just what we did!  Here she is starting to work.  I love how kids just jump on it; no hesitation or concern about how it will turn out.  They just get straight to work :)

Can you guess her favorite colors??

So yes, this was quite the experience for the entire family.  I want to thank my hubby for going the extra mile on this - he helped me get my canvases home and then delivered to the studio.  He watched the kids, so I could work, and he gave me feedback when I got stuck or panicked.  He's the best.   Pure Theatre also played a big part in this.  They gave me my canvases!  They had used them in a previous play, and the canvases were just sitting in their storage area, so they saved me a lot of time by me not having to build these canvases.  Thank you!!! If any of you are local in Charleston, you really should go see a play over there.  Those guys are super passionate about what they are doing.  And they are doing a phenomenal job of it!

The Deadline is Looming!

The deadline is almost here!!  This painting has to be finished by tonight, so that it can be dry for delivery on Wednesday.  I can't even begin to tell you what an ADVENTURE this has been!!  I've always been kind of fascinated with the idea of working large.  This project has CHANGED me in so many ways.  Ways I can't even begin to comprehend, and it will only become more obvious over time.

Here is a quick video that my husband and I shot yesterday.  Robert Ivey Ballet is putting together videos for each dance/music/art segment and I sent this to them for use in their video.

Two nights ago, I got to see the dancers rehearsing and listen to the orchestra practicing.  It is the Youth Orchestra, and these kids were great!!!  I also met the other artists (everyone was very friendly), and I came away from that production meeting completely buzzed with energy and excitement.  This event is truly about the WHOLE experience.  It's not just about the ballet, or the music, or the art - it's about the total experience of seeing three of the basic art forms come together.  It's about reaching for your dreams, and visualizing something and then making it happen.  These kids in the ballet and the orchestra are just awesome and they work HARD.  The professionals who are there are leading the way, supporting the kids, having fun, and pursuing our dreams as well.  It's very exciting. :)

Fascinations! with Robert Ivey Ballet

Here is the flyer for the super cool upcoming event!  I've been painting away, and just today I have FINISHED!  It's drying, getting ready for delivery on Wednesday.  I am so excited for this event! What a very cool opportunity this has been! Even my 4 yr old is excited and will be attending the event on Friday :)

Painting on a HUGE Scale!

Surprise! I'm back!  I'm sorry for the absence - sitting down at the computer is so hard these days.  The kiddo always sits in my lap and bangs on the keyboard - which makes it very hard to type :)  She's almost 1 1/2 yrs old now and is in such a cute phase!

But I am writing because I want to share with you a crazy cool, crazy fun project that came my way 2 days ago!  I was contacted by the Robert Ivey Ballet, here in Charleston.  They are putting on a very cool event called Fascinations, and it is a multi-disciplinary event combining dance, music and art.  What it is is this: each artist is given a piece of music (to be played by the orchestra) that is to be the inspiration for the artwork.  The artwork will act as a backdrop for the scene; it will be brought in via the stage rigging, and the dancers will perform their original numbers in front of the original painting.   Therefore, the size of the painting has to be way bigger than anything I have ever done.  My painting will be 9'x12' and it is on two pieces of stretched canvas.  

I was a little freaked out by this project - it is due NEXT week - but things just started falling into place!  The babysitter was available for extra hours (thank goodness!), the canvases were already built and I was given permission to use them, the girl at the art store gave me some good advice on which paints to use.  I even almost got a parking ticket, and the meter maid let me out of it!!  It was like the universe was giving me the push to do this project!

Here's my music - Its called Dance of the Knights by Prokofiev, a well-known Russian composer.  This  will be a performance of Romeo & Juliet, and this piece of music will be for the scene where Romeo and his friends enter the ball and start a fight.  It's so powerful!  I love it and I can't wait to paint to it!!

So yes, I am very excited, and I will  be sharing the process, here, as I go!  Here's to big challenges and new experiences!!!