Notes in a Darkened Theater

One of my small joys is being in a space before something big is about happen. In a restaurant as servers polish glasses before the evening shift. The press room before the press conference, when people are just finding their seats. A church before a wedding. And the theater before the play.

Paul Tazewell makes his living in that last space, sitting alone in a dark theater, sometimes with a few people around him, taking notes on seemingly random afternoons as he sees his costume creations come to life on the stage. The actors, start, stop, the lights are being calibrated, and he watches how his contribution begins to create a life on stage.

He makes notes about a hat that really doesn't work, the fact that a dresser wrapped a cummerbund wrong, or a hem that drags the floor. It's the end of the process for him, a process that started in his imagination, then was communicated through art. But his process ends even the instant before the curtain rises on opening night.

He's one of the best large-scale costume designers in the business, and an exhibit of his sketches and costumes just closed in Randolph County, N.C. You can read about his process and the exhibit in this recent article in Go Triad. 

Tazwell designs from an Opera Omaha production

Eye Candy

You don't have to sew to love fabric. Texture, color and pattern is always a feast for the eyes, and fabric has that in spades. I remember sitting in my granny's sewing room many a time, cross-legged on the floor in front of her fabric cabinet. I would pull pieces out and smooth them against my knee. I had no project in mind -- I was simply feasting my eyes.

My sister and I still do that today. We had a "wild" Saturday night this past weekend in her sewing room, matching fabric, with our wine glasses sitting on the ironing board. She has a home decor company, Floradora, and so there's always fabrics coming in and coming out.

A selection of her eco-living for everyday napkins

In fact, I'm meeting a friend for lunch today and she's bringing me fabric, and a friend called from Florida yesterday and said a box of texture, color and pattern inspiration is on the way to my doorstep. Now you might not be as obsessive as me in this particular category, but then again, you might like a little beautiful place to rest your eyes today. If so, check out the shop section of Spoonflower and feast your eyes on custom-designed fabrics. And for you designers, imagine creating some of those jewels yourself.

Digital Introduction

In this digital age, people talk a lot about losing connections. I hear that, but in reality, that hasn't been my personal experience in the digital world. I have editors who I've never met in person but know. We've corresponded more than pen pals in grade school, commiserated over hard-to-reach people or high res images that are obviously not high res. 

But the Internet has also introduced me to creative people that I would have never heard of otherwise (and I promise not in a stalker-ish way). Haven't you come across someone who quirks seem fun, who likes the things you like, or writes about/sings about/creates art about the things that interest you?

Meet Emily Wallace. Food writer. Folklore collector. Pimento cheese obsessive. And the winner of the best resume I have seen in a long time. It's not just that it's clever; the main goal of a resume format is to get you to read it. And I did, following the whole path. 

Required reading added to the list

There is a good chance that you have not seen Charleston Art Magazine. It's petite with a petite distribution, but this quarterly, and the ladies who put it together, know what's going on. And I mean, know. Go to any hip event, and there's a good chance that Stacy or Olivia will be there. And will know much more about it than you (well, maybe not you, but me).

Still, they are not just about the events. They recently started a blog for the magazine, and it's filled with good info., calls for artists and a really great resource list of "artsy" things to get you plugged in fast. I'm honored that "From My Little Desk" is part of their blog roll too!

Add it to your blog reading list, all you art fans out there -- it's a great resource for the region.

Time is Of the Essence

Ok. I am obsessed with time as a concept, a "reality" and a fleeting thing. Yep. I've always been one to feel like I am running out. Want to get inside my head a little (you asked, right)? Here are some common time-related thoughts:

1. Fitzgerald had his first novel published at 25 and was a sensation, so I am really behind.
2. On the other hand, William Carlos Williams didn't start his poetry career until he retired, but let's be honest, it wasn't like he was slacking. He was a doctor.
3. While I'm drying my hair upside down for volume, I can catch up on my reading (been doing this since high school).
4. One day ...

But despite sounding like a bit of a jumpy jackrabbit, I've always had a particular view of time. I view the calendar as a track oval, not as a timeline, and when I visualize the calendar year, it's in 3D in this formation. I haven't come to construct this "calendar track" in my mind -- it's simply always been there.

While in graduate school, I wrote a big paper on time in the works of Faulkner and Toni Morrison and asserted that the past, present and future exist simultaneously both in their fiction, and in the world. And although I love my track idea, I envision the yearly track as part of a larger uneven spiral where occasionally the rings come very close together.

similar to how I envision

As an author who has written numerous accounts of ghostly encounters, it makes sense to me that in those close spaces of the spiral are when the dimensions are more detectable.

I know it's Friday, but are you with me???

So, you can only imagine that the amazing television series, Through the Wormhole, is rocking my world. The DVR is set, and this week I watched the episode on Does Time Really Exist?, and it discussed simultaneous time states theory. Perhaps cheering in my living room in response was a major nerd-alert moment, but I am pretty much way past that point now anyway. Watch this show, then ask yourself, what is the "essence of time"?

Speak Up!

When I was an undergrad English major, I was introduced to spoken word art -- poetry "slams" and such, where we sat around and drank coffee and I discovered the clove cigarette. If only I'd had a black beret ...

However, two distinct open mike experiences come to mind when I think about spoken word from my past, and neither one are really positive. The first was freshman year, where some angry person stood in the corner of a crowded room, faced away from the crowd and preceeded to curse God at the top of his lungs. My virgin ears bled ...

The second, years later, when I was writing poetry and performing it occasionally myself -- a female poet came to the mike after me and said, "Leave your confessions to God." And so ended my performance career.

But despite the religious references of my past, I've come to a new understanding about this art form. It's doesn't have to be painful.

My great friend Marcus Amaker is a spoken-word poet, and his rhythyms match perfectly with a base line from Kevin Hamilton. He speaks about love and lust and the spaces between those two ...



Another recent discovery, Shanthony Exum, adds a pop-colored vibe and hip lyrics to the genre, and she references her hips and pop culture much more than any (if at all) railing against the spiritual. On top of that, her visual art is the pop-culture reference laden style I always gravitate towards, and a full-time job as an art director seems to keep her work fresh. She has a new show I covered recently for Go Triad, and in speaking with her, I loved her intelligence, confidence, and especially her sense of humor.

So give spoken word another chance like I did (of course minus the clove cigarettes).

Happy Meal | Charleston Magazine

Happy Meal | Charleston Magazine

Some food inspiration for families from a mom who cooks ... it's the opposite of chicken fingers -- whole fish! Carrie Morey is a great cook and great at getting her girls in the kitchen ... 

Galleries getting it right

There is a vibrant art scene here in Charleston, and every first Friday evening there is an Art Walk, where Broad Street galleries keep their doors open and we can all wander in. It was a hot July evening with pop up showers on the horizon, but I had art on the brain.

I have enjoyed these through the years, but sometimes, the vibe and the art at many galleries remains the same -- stagnant. Still, if I'm down on an Art Walk night, weaving my way around the palmettos on Broad, it's not an Art Walk for me until I visit Scoop Studios. They always get it right.

And what is "it"? The fact that art is supposed to be living, changing and exciting. There's always a fun signature cocktail, lots of people in the petite space, and *gasp* a new show! They stay true to their contemporary aethestic and bring us artists that are unique to the street. (A projected sock monkey on the opposite building a few months ago won my heart forever.)

Sock Monkey, 33"x32", Acrylic on Board, Bill Mead

Last night was another engaging show, this one a solo John Stango. B. and I discussed the fun juxtaposition of icons, images and memory, and although we weren't fans of the mickey mouse subject matter,

Mickey Mouse Flag, 22 x 33, acrylic on Canvas

we both agreed that "Bullitproof" kept our interest. It was intensely layered and spoke loud and clear.

Bullittproof, 79" x 57.5", acrylic on canvas

Scoop has a wide range of artists, price points and mediums, and since they change shows pretty frequently, have a great website that can show you what you missed. And hey, you never know -- you just might not be able to live without the Monopoly board artwork of your dreams ...

Monopoly, 18"x24", Digital Graphics on Paper, Austin Schulz