The Drawing Board (blog)

I'm away with the fairies until Tuesday . . . .

Thursday's Song

My pick this week, for Thanksgiving Day, is "Prophesy Song" by singer and composer Joanne Shenandoah. Shenandoah is a Wolf Clan member of the Oneida Nation in upstate New York ("The People of the Upright Stone"), one of the founding tribes of the great Iroquois Confederacy. She has recorded fourteen beautiful albums to date, and is an advisor to the First Nations Composer Initiative -- an organization dedicated to promoting new music by Native American composers.

In 2007, Shenandoah discussed her music and her creative process with Linda Ronsenkrantz for an article published by The New York Folklore Society ("Oral Culture and History Today: Joanne Shenandoah and Jack W. Gladstone"). Rosenkrantz writes:

"According to Shenandoah, writing/creating 'is a sacred process,' as well as being as necessary to her 'as eating or breathing. It operates on a time frame in which everything is potentially past, present, and future.' She writes 'to influence in a positive way, to change lives, to effect in profound ways, to heal. Writing also communicates; it is an expression of who we are, who’s influenced us, done or said something. We also write to tell stories. Stories are the backbone of who we are. Telling is part of the mission to preserve the earth, to make a peaceful and safe place for our children and their children.' I asked whom she writes for, thinking of the obvious 'Native and non-Native' answer. Her response touched me deeply: It is 'a responsibility for everyone to use the gifts the Creator has given.' It is a choice much like 'the choice a physician has in an airplane when a passenger goes into cardiac arrest: does one use one’s gift, or deny it?' "

Many of Shenandoah's composition are written in the artist's traditional language. "I believe a language must be used," she says, "in order to survive." The lyrics to "Prophesy Song," she explains, "remind us to be aware of our place upon the earth and to fulfill our obligations to ourselves, our families, nations, the natural world, and to the Creator. The words say we are to awaken, stand up and be counted, for you are being recognized in the spirit world.”

These are all fine things to be thinking about on a chilly Thanksgiving morning in Devon, as I celebrate this most American of holidays from an ocean away. I'm reminded of the following little poem by the American writer and mathematician Lee Rudolph:

Little Prayer in November

 

    That I am alive, I thank
      no one in particular;
and yet am thankful, mostly,
although I frame no prayer

      but this one: "Creator
      Spirit, as you have come,
come again", even in November,
on these short days, fogbound.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

 

Here's a book no lover of mythic arts should miss: Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess, with a forward by Susanna Clarke.

Charles, the illustrator of many magical books and comics for both children and adults, is the modern heir to such Golden Age artists as Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen and Edmund Dulac. He also writes, curates museum exhibitions, creates public sculpture and art installations, and has spent a lifetime immersed in the study of myth, folklore, and traditional folk ballads.

Drawing Down the Moon, published in December by Dark Horse Comics, is a sumptuous volume brimming with treasures -- as you can see for yourself by previewing the pages of the book on the Dark Horse website.

For more about Charles, visit his website and blog. You'll find biography information here and here. And I highly recommend his recent children's book, Blueberry Girl, created with Neil Gaiman.

 

Poem for the Day

 "...I'm the rough-barked tamarack, the long-leafed willow...I'm the one living under the bridge of your fairy tale," writes Anita Endrezze in her poem Song for Our Times. It's a gorgeous piece -- and wonderfully reminiscent of the ancient Celtic poem Song of Amergin.

Endrezze, a writer and artist of mixed Yaqui and European heritage, is the author of Throwing Fire at the Sun, Water at the Moon and other books, as well as poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published in many journals and anthologies. More information can be found on the NativeWiki and Modern American Poetry websites.

The picture above is "Spirit of Air and Fire" from my Desert Spirits series.

Hearth and Home

This week my family and I celebrated our one year anniversary at Bumblehill (our little house on a hillside at the edge of the village) . . . although technically we haven't been living there a full year, for we had three hard months of building work to get through last winter before we could actually move in.

Here's Tilly in her favorite spot: the warm slab of stone on the kitchen hearth, kept cozy by the old wood-and-coal fired Rayburn stove behind it. Our pup is four months old now, and it's hard to believe that she's the same little lass pictured below, back in September.

 Bumblehill was built in 1919, which seems positively modern after living in a 16th century cottage for so many years. Until we moved in, that Rayburn provided all of the house's heat and hot water. Though we put in central heating, we're finding that it's barely needed as long as we keep the old stove stoked up, which is part of Howard and Tilly's morning routine. (Tilly "helps" by dancing underfoot and stealing kindling out of Howard's hands. As far as she's concerned, this is a vital part of the fire-tending process.) It really makes you realize how important the family hearth used to be in centuries past, and why it was once a sacred place. If you're interested in the folklore of hearth and home, you'll find an article I wrote on the subject here.

I'm still asked if I miss my old house, Weaver's Cottage. The answer is: Of course I do . . . but I'm also glad to be where I am. Weaver's was a magical place, to be sure, but Bumblehill is cozy and full of potential. We're making magic here too.

Happy Anniversary, Bumblehill!

 

 

November 19: Thursday's Song

This week's song is "Rivers Run and Rivers Flow" by the Scottish singer/songwriter Karine Polwart -- whose three albums (Scribbled in Chalk, The Fairest Floo'er, and Earthly Spell) are well worth tracking down if you don't know them already. Although I'm partial to her renditions of traditional ballads, her own tunes are rather lovely too -- like the one above, performed live at the Dent Folk Festival. This one goes out today to Howard.

Karine Polwart was one of the participants in the Darwin Song Project -- in which eight folk musicians from the US and UK were invited to a week-long residency in Shropshire earlier this year, and given the task of creating songs in honor of the Father of Evolution. The gorgeous song below is "The Earl of Darwin's Farewell/Save a Place," written by Stu Hanna, Jez Lowe, and Emily Smith (performed along with Rachel McShane and sung by Emily Smith). You can learn more about this very cool venture here, and see other Darwin Song Project videos here.

Chagford Fairy Tale Films

"Cherry of Zennor," a film by the Chagford Filmmaking Group (and starring William Todd-Jones' daughter Lillian as Cherry) is now available for purchase on DVD on the CFG's website. Hooray! The video is available only in a PAL format, so American viewers will need a universal video player, or to run it on their computers.

"Peerifool" and "The Laidley Worm of Spindleston Heugh" are current in post-production.

Two signs

The sign above is posted in a shop window in our village. Though less hilarious than the last one I posted, it too provides a charming glimpse into rural English life.

The sign below comes from Cornwall and was sent to me by Amal El-Mohtar. She says: "My friend James Williams went to the Port Elliott Literary Festival and took this picture for me. Apparently there were many such quotes dangling from trees!"

Thank you, James and Amal. And may you find your way home, little Rosie.

Life in Devon

 

I love my village. When you move from The Big City to a tiny country town, you'd think life might become just a little dull -- but here in the magical hills of Dartmoor I find myself surrounded by more artists and writers than ever, and there's always something interesting afoot....

 

I've written before about the Chagford Filmmaking Group, created by Elizabeth-Jane Baldry as a vehicle for creating fairy tale films and for getting local kids involved in the filmmaking process, both in front of and behind the camera. (Their last film was The Laidley Worm of Spindleston Heugh, in which my stepdaughter played the title role.)

Now they've started work on their biggest project yet: a cinematic retelling of "Sir Lanval," a 12th century tale from the writings of Marie de France. It's all part of the "Shared Legend Project," bringing creative artists from Devon and Brittany together for a cross-borders collaboration...with a few of us Yanks thrown in for good measure. I'm particularly excited by this project because so many of my friends from all three countries are involved, including the American mythologist Ari Berk (who has collaborated on the filmscript with Elizabeth-Jane) and the French folklorist Claudine Glot (head of the Centre de l'Imaginaire Arthurien, organizers of the Breton side of the project).

The little video below is a behind-the-scenes look at the very first shoot for the Sir Lanval film, which took place here in Devon over Hallowe'en weekend. If you'd like to know more about the Chagford Filmmaking group, or to see clips from their other fairy tale films, please visit their website -- where you can donate to the group and help them meet their fundraising goals for this and other projects.

Alongside the film's premier, by the way, there will be a travelling exhibition of Sir-Lanval-inspired art from twenty artists residing in Devon and France. I don't have the complete artist list to hand, but I'm one of them on the Devon side, as are Brian & Wendy Froud, Alan Lee, and Rima Staines. That's scheduled to happen in the autumn of 2010, and I'll post more info (dates, places, etc.) as it becomes available.

 

Thursday's Song: A Sad Story to Tell . . .

This week it's "Blue Bleezin' Blind Drunk" by Rachael Unthank and the Winterset, performed live at the Abbey Road Studios. I chose the song because I adore the unusual way these ladies approach folk music (and not as a comment on the state of my marriage, I assure you!); and (as I've posted before), I love the way that a song, like a poem, can evoke an entire life's story within a few short lines. Rachael Unthank and her sister, Becky, have two of the finest voices on the UK folk scene today. Their way of singing is traditionally Northumbrian, while their song arrangements are anything but.

The band produced two albums, Cruel Sister and The Bairns, both of which are often on my CD player. Now Rachael and Becky have re-grouped as The Unthanks and have just released a fine new album, Here's the Tender Coming. I still prefer the earlier two releases -- but that may be because I haven't listened to the new one enough yet.

Events, events, events

I've been scolded before for not letting people know about public events I'm participating in -- but in truth, there aren't very many these days, for I've too much work to catch up on to allow myself to be lured out of my studio very often. But if you live in the south-west of England, here are events where you can catch me in the coming weeks:

* Kelly Martinez (Laughing Magpie Productions) has organized a Faery weekend in Dartmouth, consisting of a Winter Faerie Ball on Saturday night (November 28th), and a day of demos, talks, art displays and other events dedicated to Faerie, Fantasy & Mythology on Sunday (the 29th). Howard and I will be there on Sunday, giving a talk on the history of Women and Fairy Tales. Several of our friends and neighbors are going too: Brian and Wendy Froud will be speaking about their work as artists and filmmakers; Elizabeth-Jane Baldry will be performing on the harp and presenting one of the fairy tale films created by the Chagford Filmmaking Group; Katy Marchant's Daughters of Elvin will be performing for the Faery Ball on Saturday night, and she'll discuss her experiences with medieval music and dance on Sunday. There will be many other artists on hand as well, with programming geared to both adults and children.

If dressing up in fairy wings ain't your thing, then on Saturday December 5th come to the Chagford Christmas Art Market for a bit of mulled wine, home-made cakes, and art. The event will feature work by an ecclectic range of Dartmoor-based artists -- including painters, illustrators, jewelry makers, fabric artists, and ceramicists -- as well as an art raffle in aid of the Devon Air Ambulance and Chagford Primary School. It all takes place in Chagford's Jubilee Hall from 9 am to 1 pm. (Please note that it's a morning event only.) I'll have prints for sale, and maybe some cards too...if I can get them done in time....

I don't have any public gigs coming up in the U.S. this year, but for those of you who like to plan way ahead: next year I've agreed to be a Guest of Honor (with Holly Black and Marie Brennan) at Sirens, an annual conference dedicated to women in fantasy literature, taking place from October 7th to 10th in Vail, Colorado. I'll also be the Keynote Critic at the Fantasy Matters conference at the University of Minnesota, which will be sometime later that same month. I don't have much information about the Minnesota conference yet (though I know that Jane Yolen is a Guest of Honor this time, which is reason enough to attend), but as soon as they have their dates set and the website up, I'll post the info here.

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Art above: Faery Ball banner art by Linda Ravenscroft. Drawing of Christmas bunnies by me. The other little drawing is the Fantasy Matters logo; I'm afraid I don't know who it's by.  

The Tilly Report

Tilly will be four months old on Friday, and is doing very, very well, thank you. She now knows the "Come," "Sit," "Down," "Up," "Wait," and "Paw" commands, and she's learning to walk at heel both on and off the leash (or lead, as they call it here in the UK). This means we can take her farther afield -- to the woods behind us and (her favorite place) the fields of the village Commons nearby, where she's meeting other dogs...and has fallen in love with a border terrier puppy named Herbie.

Tilly loves to play -- especially with Howard -- and our house is now a minefield of balls and scruffers and and chew toys that squeak when you tread them underfoot. She hasn't quite got the rules for "Fetch" down yet. She runs for balls quite happily but has no interest in bringing them back again; it's far more interesting to rip them up. Thus we're working on the "Drop" command at the moment -- an important one for a puppy who puts everything into that toothy little mouth.

We think she's the cleverest, prettiest, sweetest, funniest dog that ever lived. I suppose everyone feels that way about their dog. Having lived only with cats since I was small, I'd no idea I could fall so hard for a pup -- though my fascination with coyotes might have been a clue. I expect there will be more of a canine presence in my art and writing in the future.

 

Dancing through hoops . . .

I've been out sick the last several days, so posting will be sparse while I catch up on work. In the meantime, I'm pleased to announce that Hoop Dancing, the new book by Tucson photographer Stu Jenks, is now available for pre-order. It'll be out by the end of the month...just in time for Christmas shopping....

Thursday's Song

This week it's "Into the Blue" by Scottish musicians Kris Drever, John McCusker, and Roddy Woomble (with lead vocal by Woomble and back-up vocals by Heidi Talbot), performed at Celtic Connection in Glasgow earlier this year. I'm a big fan of the Drever McCusker Woomble album "Before the Ruin," as well as Roddy Woomble's solo album, "My Secret is My Silence." (What a voice he has!)

The Tilly Report

From 9 to 14 weeks...and still growing....

Days of the Dead

Although most Mexican communities celebrate Dia De Los Muertos on the 1st and 2nd of November, in some parts of Mexico the festivities and rituals extend for a full four days...by which counting we still have one more day to go. The video above features a poem by Olivia Garcia and photographs by Carlos Puma. The poem is read by Carlos Puma.

For more information on Day of the Dead, Hallowe'en and other rites and tales of border crossing, go here.