The Road to Collaboration

This is a work in progress...(taking a photo really helps to pick out the spots that need attention).  I share it because of the road...I love photographing and painting roads and I am certain there is something very revealing about my personality in that.  Most of the roads I paint head off in some windy direction to who knows where?  Yep, that is a great description of the path I am on these days...following the road, to...who knows where.

Here's the latest jaunt.  After one too many glasses of wine my sister and I made a commitment to do a collaborative project; she would write her fabulous poetry and I would paint.  Well, we both like to travel so why not get a trip out of it....one thing lead to another and we landed a residency at "Azule" just outside of Hot Springs, NC.  Please check out their site but most of all give yourself a ten minute treat and watch this video about the place.

Now of course we had to have a creative proposal to present to the selection board so I tossed out the idea of childhood memories and my multi-talented sis ran with it.  In beautiful lawyer language she explained how we would be working from the: 13 pieces that constitute Robert Schumann's Kinderszenen for piano (Scenes from Childhood), Op. 15 (1838) which showcase their creator's musical imagination at the peak of its poetic clarity.  

You can listen to Kinderszenen here played by Horowitz.

Each movement has a title such as "An Important Event," "Pleading Child," "Dreaming," and "Almost Too Serious."  We will somehow end up with 13 creative pieces, 6 from her, 6 by me and one we do together...I believe.  I have been trying not to think about the proposal so that my approach will be fresh and off the cuff and not over-thought as I am wont to do.  Actually, I am a bit timid to even go back to my childhood and reveal for all the world to see what a crummy older sister I was.  Ahem....

Anyhoo. she mesmerized the committee and this Monday we leave for 4 days away from the world to listen to the music (did I mention that my sister will be playing the movements on the piano they have in the listening/dancing room?).  We will recall our shared past while looking for visual and poetic threads with which to weave a collaborative project.  Somehow it seems more daunting in the light of day than when we first noodled around with the idea!

So I will be following that yellow brick road once again with absolutely no idea where it will lead the two of us.  I anticipate a lot of fun (like I said, watch the video!!) as we work our way around the "compound" finding the perfect mix of solitude, inspiration, networking and creation.  I'll look forward to sharing the results with you...

Meanwhile, look out for new and interesting paths....

ART Fully yours,

Cindy