An Article on Ron Rash, author of the 2012 One Book, One Columbia selection, Saints at the River

Ron Rash – The Great Joy of Reading Southern Writing

reprinted from Jasper #003

By Cynthia Boiter

Ron Rash speaks the way he writes, with a voice that is rich with history, low and close to the earth, reflecting the humble wisdom that comes from learning from the past and listening to the lessons of nature and the stories of one’s ancestors. A father, teacher, husband, poet, Rash is, above all, a gifted wordsmith who wraps his words around his readers with tender precision.

Born in Chester, South Carolina, Rash’s people, as Southerners say, are from the North Carolina mountains, and much of his childhood was spent visiting relatives who lived in the shadows of the Appalachians. The author of  a baker’s dozen of books – four novels, with one forthcoming in April, four short story collections, and five books of poetry - Rash hasn’t always written, though he seems to do so with such ease. “I didn’t write as a child,” he says, “though I loved to read and I loved nature. I was very comfortable out in the woods. I loved to daydream. Really, I was pretty introverted.”

Rash didn’t begin writing until he was an English major at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. “It wasn’t something I really enjoyed,” the 2011 inductee into the Fellowship of Southern Writers says. “But when I started working on my master’s degree at Clemson, I got into the work of Walker Percy, and that really influenced me. I found myself reading and writing all the time.” Percy, who died in 1990, was a physician-novelist and non-fiction writer; the author of The Moviegoer, The Last Gentleman, Love in the Ruins, and others, Percy was one of the founders in 1987 of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, and known for his existentialist literary struggles, as well as for coming late, though very successfully, to writing himself.

It was the reading of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment that “made me want to be a writer,” Rash says. Early in the novel, an unscrupulous pawnbroker is killed by a poor ex-student who plans to use the pawnbroker’s money to do good deeds. “It was almost like this book entered me,” Rash reveals. “I’ve read and re-read it several times – I still almost revere Dostoyevsky as a writer.”

An early and multiple winner of the South Carolina Fiction Project, previously sponsored by The State newspaper and then by the Charleston Post and Courier, Rash began his writing career as a poet and short story writer. His first publications were The Night the New Jesus Fell to Earth and Other Stories from Cliffside, North Carolina, a book of short stories published in 1994, and Eureka Mill, a book of poetry published in 1998. In 1994, Rash won a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in poetry, and in 1996, the Sherwood Anderson Prize for emerging fiction writers.

“A short story is much closer to a poem than a novel,” Rash says, explaining that he much prefers short story writing and poetry to writing novels. “It is just so much more concise.”

In 2000, he published a trio of poetry and prose books, Among the Believers, Raising the Dead and Casualties, before finally, in 2002, publishing his first novel, One Foot in Eden, winner of Forward Magazine’s Gold Award for the Best Literary Fiction, the Novello Literary Award, and the Appalachian Book of the Year, all for 2002.

But Rash, who is now the Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Cultural Studies at Western Carolina University didn’t plan to write the novel.

“I was in my early forties and I was writing what I thought would be a short story, but it just wouldn’t end. And I got this sinking feeling,” he laughs, explaining how the novel just grew before him almost of its own accord. “With a novel, you have to have a mill-like diligence to get it done. It is much more exhausting. And it takes me about three years to put a novel together.”

Rash followed One Foot in Eden, a murder mystery heavily shrouded in place and culture, with the novels Saints at the River in 2004, The World Made Straight in 2006, and Serena in 2008.

Set in 1929 in the virginal mountains of North Carolina, Serena is the gripping story of a newly married couple who commit themselves to building a fortune in the timber industry. The book won a multitude of awards and accolades including the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Book of the Year Award and being named Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2008, as well as one of The New York Times’ Ten Favorite Books, the Washington Post’s World’s Best Fiction, number seven in Amazon’s Top 100 Best Books of 2008, and it was a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner Award in 2009.  Of particular note is how the novel successfully portrays an ambitious and greedy entrepreneur who just happens to be a woman – rather than falling into the all too often tripped trap of portraying a ne’er do well who never does well precisely because she is a woman.

Rash is proud of his work on Serena though he admits the writing of it was an exhausting endeavor. “I feel like Serena is my best book, and the best I’ll ever write,” he says. “But Serena probably took more out of me than any other book. I had days and weeks when it was just flowing. But it wore me out.”

Rash’s third novel, The World Made Straight, published two years prior to Serena, won the Sir Walter Raleigh Fiction Award in 2006, as well as the Atlantic Monthly’s 2006 Summer Reading pick, and the 2007 American Library Association Alex Award, and addressed similar themes of environment, history and family – all within the context of a classic Southern connection to the earth and nature.

Also exploring issues of frailty as exhibited by relationships, the environment, and ultimately, life itself, 2004’s Saints at the River was chosen as the 2012 selection for the One Book, One Columbia campaign – a community reading program in which the entire city of Columbia and its surroundings are encouraged to read and discuss the same book over the designated period of January 17 through the end of February, 2012. Saints at the River is set in South Carolina with a significant portion of the action taking place in Columbia, and the two main characters being Columbia residents. The novel begins with the death of a 12-year-old girl who drowns in the fictional Tamassee River in upstate South Carolina and whose body becomes trapped below the river. The conflict of the story centers around the best way of removing her body, and locals, environmentalists, and a land owner with an eye toward development all disagree.

“I wanted to write a novel about environmental issues that didn’t come off as propaganda,” Rash says. “A lot of time environmentalists make the mistake of not seeing the other point of view. I hope Saints at the River will allow people to say that it is a fair book. Progress is not a black or white situation and the problem in this story isn’t either. There are no bad guys, and sympathies shift throughout the book.”

The connection to the environment that Rash tends to feature in all of his novels comes naturally. “I spent so much of my childhood and adolescence on my grandmother’s farm near Boone, North Carolina, and I loved hunting and fishing but also being nomadic – just wandering through the woods,” he says. “There was no TV, no car or truck. I was there helping her on the farm – milking cows and such. She would fix me a good breakfast in the morning – and I would be gone for eight or nine hours, just wandering or fishing. We had relatives all around that area, and occasionally I’d see an aunt or uncle. … But, looking back on it now, it was all sort of amazing and wonderful. I got to hear that mountain dialect, and that’s what I hear in my head now when I write.”

Family, too, both dysfunctional and not, almost always plays a role in Rash’s stories, and Saints at the River is no exception. “It’s universal,” he says. “There’s always tension between love and loyalties and conflict.” One example, he notes, is the relationship between the protagonist of the novel, photographer Maggie Glenn, and her father, a prototypical Southern man. Rash describes Maggie as “a little self-righteous” but recognizes the difficulties she has communicating with her father and the role that heritage plays in that relationship. “There’s that Scots-Irish mentality cropping up in Maggie’s inability to communicate with her father,” he says. “It is very hard to get that generation of men to express their feelings.”

Not a fan of generalizations, Rash says he hopes his writing helps to “explode some of the stereotypes” that plague Southern literature. That said, most of the writers who have inspired Rash are Southern. Despite the stereotypes that arose from the film treatment of Deliverance, for example, he still lists South Carolina’s James Dickey high on his list of personally influential writers. “He taught me a lot,” Rash says of Dickey. “He showed me the possibility of writing about the South and also being universal.” Rash also highly regards the work of William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor and can see their influence in his own work. “Reading Flannery and Faulkner has always been important to me because they showed the rural Southern world that I’m interested in,” he says.

No stranger to honors and awards – Saints at the River was given the Weatherford Award for Best Novel of 2004, and was named Fiction Book of the Year by the Southern Critics Book Circle as well as the Southeastern Booksellers Association – Rash wears a kind of uncomfortable humility when asked about all the accolades he has accrued in a still relatively young writing career. “I’m probably most proud of the Frank O’Connor Award,” he admits, which he received in 2010 for his collection, Burning Bright, also published in 2010. The Frank O’Connor Short Story Award is the largest short story prize in the world.

Despite his fairly universal success in all three genres of short and longer fiction as well as poetry, Rash appears to be most comfortable with short fiction which, he admits, also employs some degree of poetry. Commenting on his new novel, The Cove, due for released in April 2012, Rash lets out a long breath and admits that he doesn’t think he’ll ever write another novel again. “The last one, I believe, is good,” he says, “but there was little joy in the writing.”

Luckily, there is great joy in the reading of Rash’s works, whether short fiction, novels, or poetry. And happily, Columbia-area book lovers will be able to make that great joy their own by joining one another in 2012’s One Book, One Columbia program as we read Ron Rash’s Saints at the River.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jasper Magazine announces the

Jasper Magazine One Book, One Poem Competition

Ron Rash, author of this year's One Book, One Columbia selection, Saints at the River, has agreed to serve as adjudicator for the Jasper Magazine One Book, One Poem Competition.

Poets from the Greater Columbia Arts Community are invited to submit poetry inspired by the reading of Saints at the River.  Author Ron Rash's selection of the winning poem will be published in a future issue of Jasper Magazine - the Word on Columbia Arts, and its author will receive a literary arts prize package.

Finalists, adjudicated by Jasper Magazine literary arts editor, Dr. Ed Madden, will be published in the Jasper Magazine blog - What Jasper Said. (www.jaspercolumbia.net/blog).  The deadline is March 31, 2012.

Fine Print:  Please submit (in triplicate) poems inspired by the reading of Saints at the River by Ron Rash to -

                Jasper Magazine One Book, One Poem Competition Muddy Ford Press 1009 Muddy Ford Road Chapin, SC 29036.

Please include a cover sheet including your name, address, phone number, email address, and the title or first line of each poem. Your name should appear nowhere else on your submissions. Entry fee = $5 per each three poems submitted (make checks payable to Muddy Ford Press). Deadline = March 31, 2012.

For more information contact - editor@jaspercolumbia.com.

Welcome August Krickel, Jasper's New Theatre Editor

Jasper is delighted to announce that local theatre arts authority August Krickel has agreed to take a position at the helm of our fare ship as our new Theatre Editor!

August began writing for Jasper from the very beginning, first crafting a detailed look at the history of Jim and Kay Thigpen's time at Trustus Theatre in issue 1 and, in issue 2, profiling local stage star Bobby Craft and joining the gang as a staff writer.

By issue 3, August had his hands in the making of the magazine as much as every other editor, logging in the word count to prove it. His cover story on Tish Lowe garnered praise from unlikely corners of the arts community, and his articles on the Arcade Mall, NiA Theatre Troupe, and his short Fancies piece on Workshop Theatre's practice space are indicative of August's familiarity with the intricacies of the Columbia theatre arts community.

A comfortable blogger, August holds the record for post views with his blog on Memorable Theatre Moments from 2011, posted on January 10th, 2012. A fair, informed, and grounded reviewer, August frequently reviews theatre performances for Jasper, as well as  Onstage Columbia.

Often seen with a stack of Jasper's in his arms, ready to spread the ever growing and exciting news of Columbia arts, August has become indispensable to the Jasper crew, demonstrating a kind of devotion to his craft and dedication to his subject matter that makes him not only a pleasure to work with, but a beloved member of the Jasper family.

Welcome, August. Jasper will be a better magazine because of you and your good work.

Krewe de Columbi-Ya-Ya - "What we lacked in organization we made up for in sheer audacity ..."

 

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I can't begin to tell you how much fun we had last year, but maybe the photo above will help you understand.

Yes, that's me, chief instigator at Jasper Magazine on the far right, and to your left you see the be-stogied Kyle Petersen, grad student and USC English instructor as well as music editor for the magazine who, in lieu of a drum is appropriately banging on an empty panettone tin with relish. Continuing left and behind Kyle is Ed Madden, literary arts editor of Jasper, poet and one of USC's most beloved professors. Further left is Bob Jolley, aka the Beer Doc, Muddy Ford Press publisher, ER physician, and general founder of the feast out in our neck of the woods and, beside him, our eldest, Annie, grad student, USC instructor, political junkie, and newly the queen of distribution for Jasper Magazine. (Had she not been dancing out in Seattle, our youngest Bonnie, would most assuredly been in this photo as well.) In keeping with the family affair, my sister-in-arms, Kristine Hartvigsen, associate editor of Jasper, photographer, and the voice of experience around here, is pictured below arm-in-arm with the boy we wish were our little brother, local artist Michael Krajewski. And below that, Ed is pictured with his beloved, Bert Easter, antiques-meister and an integral part of university students' first year experience.

The day started early at City Roots Farm as we rolled up to a small but growing crowd of friends and soon-to-be friends dressed in their finest purples, greens, and golds with assorted costumes that ranged from a crawfish to a local artist who had fashioned a boa from discarded plastic grocery store bags.

What we lacked in organization we made up for in sheer audacity, and before we knew it, we were parading down Rosewood Boulevard to the beat of the Next Door Drummers. We lit our stogies and passed our flasks of the finest adult beverages. We sang, we chanted, we threw beads to shocked but delighted onlookers. In the vernacular of the 1960s we seriously let it all hang out. Returning to our starting point at the farm, we feasted and drank and listened to good music as the night wore on.

All this happened as a result of a few weeks preparation.

Well, folks, we've been working on Mardi Gras 2012 for a year now and, Sisters and Brothers, this year we are blowing it out of the water!

With close to 20 bands on board already,  a food truck rodeo, a much larger marching contingency that includes some of your favorite local artists and Columbia's own Alternacirque and more, the addition of a canine parade as well, this year's Mardi Gras Festival hosted by the Krewe-de-Columbi-ya-ya is sure to go down in history.

So this I posit to you: If you are reading this blog you are either a lover of the arts and Columbia's arts community or you are a friend of this magazine. Either way, you are a perfect candidate to attend this year's festivities either as a reveler, as one of the smart folks who grabs one of the last spaces to become a member of the original and hosting krewe, the Krewe de Columbi-Ya-ya, or by starting a krewe of your own!

And starting your own krewe is decidedly easy-breezy -- we have very few rules & all we ask for is $50 to offset parade costs and that you have at least 10 folks in your krewe. 

Are you listening folks at The Whig, Trustus, Art Bar, Tapp's Arts Center, Town Theatre, Workshop Theatre, The Betty Page Turners, Jam Room, Hunter Gatherer, 701 CCA, and every freaking department or program at any of Columbia's universities? What better way to bond and let off steam and show your city spirit than by representing yourselves proud and loud at Mardi Gras?

We roll on Saturday, February 18th and this year our theme is "Going to the Dogs" which means we also have a canine contingency in our walking parade. You can register and walk your pup in the parade and we'll donate the $5 registration fee to  The Animal Mission. Other proceeds will go to benefit Doku Farms.

Come on out, Friends and Neighbors -- we're growing large and one of these days you'll be so happy to look back at the beginnings of what is sure to be a great Columbia tradition and know that you were a part of the start of it all.

Laissez les bons temps rouler, Columbi-Ya-Ya!

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Opens at Town Theatre

 

The buddy comedy has been around at least since Roman times and The Satyricon.  Shakespeare used the format for Two Gentlemen of Verona, and by the time Mark Twain introduced us to Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, the basics were set: mismatched friends on an adventure, one smoother and slicker than the other.  Bing Crosby and Bob Hope did a dozen or so "Road" films (The Road to Singapore, The Road to Zanzibar, etc.) where the buddies would be on the run from some sort of trouble, and often ended up at odds over a girl, usually Dorothy Lamour.  The same set-up is the basis for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the new musical running at Town Theatre through Sat. Feb. The Broadway hit was based on the Steve Martin-Michael Caine movie from 1988 (one guess which one was smoother and slicker) which was in turn based on a lesser-known 1964 comedy called Bedtime Story, starring David Niven and Marlon Brando (same question on slickness.)  The storyline follows two con men with differing styles as they run wild among the rich and famous along the French Riviera, with ensuing hilarity.

Scoundrels is directed by Scott Blanks, the man behind lively productions of The Drowsy Chaperone and Annie Get Your Gun at Town, and Victor/Victoria and Les Liaisons Dangereuses at Workshop. (As well as being responsible for getting you on your feet and rocking to his renditions of "Sweet Transvestite" at Trustus.) Doug Gleason (previously seen in White Christmas at Town) has the Steve Martin role, while the more suave of the pair is played by Kyle L. Collins, who has been in every show in the city in the last couple of years.  OK, not quite, but over the last three years he has played Frankie in Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings, Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, and Emile in South Pacific (all at Town), John Hinckley in Assassins at Trustus, the Governor in Best Little Whorehouse, Franz Liebkind in The Producers, Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, and Coach Bolton in High School Musical, all at Workshop. Among other roles! The love interest is played by Giulia Dalbec-Matthews, an equally prolific local performer; you've seen her in many of the shows above, as Norma in Victor/Victoria, Sharpay in High School Musical, Cecile in Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Hodel in Fiddler, as well as playing the older Louise in Gypsy , and choreographing Drowsy Chaperone, both at Town. Choreography is by relative newcomer Christy Shealy Mills, with musical direction by the multi-talented Lou Warth, who was the musical director for Willie Wonka and Cinderella at Workshop, and portrayed Erma in Anything Goes, Rose in Caroline, or Change (both at Workshop) and Missy in The Marvelous Wonderettes at Town.  A number of familiar faces from other shows round out the ensemble; I for one always feel comfortable when I recognize lots of people in smaller parts, because I know that whatever the material is, they will do a good job with it.

The production will run through Sat. February 4th with evening performances at 8 PM and Sunday matinees at 3 PM. Tickets are $12-20 and may be purchased by calling the box office, 799-2510, or stopping by the theatre, at 1012 Sumter Street. For more information, visit www.towntheatre.com.

You can find my review of this production at Onstage Columbia.

-- August Krickel

Friendship, Menfolk & Art -- Chesley, Williams, Wimberly & Yaghjian

As much as Jasper loves the dynamic and innovative, he loves continuity and tradition as well -- especially when the  tradition being preserved is all about friendship, menfolk, and art. That's why we look forward every year to the Winter Exhibition at Vista Studios Gallery 80808 which features the work of Stephen Chesley, Mike Williams, David Yaghjian, and Edward Wimberly -- four buddies, and four outstanding artists. In its 12th year, the Winter Exhibition will run from Friday, January 27th until Tuesday, February 7th -- the opening reception is Friday night from 6 until 9.

For more on what to expect this year, read the quartet’s statement below.

Stephen Chesley, Mike Williams, Edward Wimberly, and David Yaghjian are friends and full-time artists living and working in South Carolina.  For the past 12 years they have convened at Gallery 80808 in January with a selection of work from the course of the past year to hang an exhibition.  This exhibition began as a holiday social where we would get together with our friends and collectors to catch up and look at examples of our production from the previous year.  Each of these artists have worked diligently throughout their careers to create artwork that is distinctively their own.

Hope to see you Friday night – Gallery 80808 – Lady Street – Columbia.

Bullets & Bandaids: Behind the Eyes of Combat War Veterans

On January 31, 2012, local artists will showcase works inspired by combat veterans’ stories at Bullets & Bandaids, an art show honoring local war veterans, from 6 – 10 p.m. at 701 Whaley in downtown Columbia, SC.

Robert LeHeup, PIENSA: Art Company’s resident writer and a combat war veteran himself, organized this art show to give audience members an introspective view on the impacts of war told through visual interpretations of the stories of those who have lived them.

Bullets & Bandaids will feature a collection of war veterans’ stories depicted by local Columbia artists including Robbi Amick, Alex Coco, Thomas Crouch, Michael Krajewki, Whitney Lejeune, Dre Lopez, Sammy Lopez, Nikoai Oskolkov, Adam Schrimmer, Jonathan Sharpe and Kiril Simin.

“My hope is that these talented artistic pieces will give a unique and intricate interpretation of the experiences of our veterans and how they’ve reacted to those experiences,” said LeHeup.

Films screening at Bullets & Bandaids include: Soldier Girl: South Carolina Female Veterans, a short documentary about women veterans dating back to WW II, a largely undocumented but ever expanding segment of our military population share stories of their trials and triumphs, hopes and dreams in provocative and inspiring interviews, produced by Cathy Brookshire and edited by Lee Ann Kornegay; and Spent Rounds, a short film about the internal struggle of a combat war veteran suffering from PTSD entering back into civilization, written and directed by Robert LeHeup. Also, there will be the music video "Quiet" which deals with a vet's struggle with PTSD, done by Atlanta-based recording artist Dirty Dickens who himself is an Iraq war veteran.

Ticket sales and 30 percent of art sales will be given to Hidden Wounds, a non-profit organization dedicated to the treatment of combat veterans who suffer from PTSD. Hidden Wounds was founded by Columbia native Anna Bigham in honor of her brother, Marine Lance Cpl. Mills Palmer Bigham, who committed suicide suffering from PTSD inflicted by war trauma. Marince Lance Cpl. Bigham’s story is featured in Bullets & Bandaids.

Admission for Bullets & Bandaids is $5 for entry; $10 for entry and a copy of Spent Rounds; or $20 for entry, a copy of Spent Rounds, and a Hidden Wounds T-shirt.

The event will be held on the first floor of 701 Whaley on 701 Whaley St. in downtown Columbia, SC. For inquiries contact Robert LeHeup by calling (864) 216-1492 or via email at RLeHeup@yahoo.com.

Bullets & Bandaids is brought to you by PIENSA: Art Company in partnership with 701 Whaley, Hidden Wounds, the local veterans who have shared their stories and the local artists who have honored those stories through their respective pieces.

Wikipedia: lay definition: to beat or strike down with force. →

Call for Artists Deadline: January 31 for Columbia Open Studios

701 Center for Contemporary Art (701 CCA) is excited to announce the return of Columbia Open Studios on April 21-22, 2012!

Now part of the 10-day Indie Grits Festival!

This weekend-long event will take place on Saturday and Sunday April 21-22, 2012 as an official festival partner of The Nickelodeon Theatre's 6th annual Indie Grits Festival – now 10 days, the festival's other partners include Morihiko and the SC Philharmonic, Slow Food Columbia, Crafty Feast, the smash hit ConvergeSE interactive conference, live music all over town, and the Spork in Hand Puppet Slam at Indie Grits.

Save the date for the Open Studios Preview Party and Indie Grits Festival kickoff bash, Thursday April 19, in the Grand Hall, 701 Whaley!

What is 701 CCA Columbia Open Studios?

It's a self-led, driving tour of artists’ working studios spans the City of Columbia and Richland and Lexington Counties, showcasing the Midlands’ talented visual art community.

Artists open their studios to the public from 10am-6pm on Sat., April 21 and noon-6pm on Sun., April 22. Participation fee is $100 for 701 CCA members and $150 for non-members (comes w/one-year Family membership), plus a $50 refundable deposit. Artists keep 100% of sales -- 701 CCA takes no commissions.

Statewide marketing plan and more

The statewide+ marketing plan includes distribution of 60,000-80,000 printed program guides in hip cultural spots as far as Asheville, Charleston and Augusta, plus a massive social media campaign, statewide PR + advertising (and into Asheville, etc.), road signs, partnership support from the "Famously Hot" Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau with their out-of-market outreach efforts, and much more.

As a nonprofit visual art center, 701 CCA is committed to giving artists maximum exposure at the most minimum cost possible.

FOR INFO, FAQs & ARTIST APPLICATION:

http://www.701cca.org/programs-and-events-2/columbia_open_studios/

Artists who have registered thus far:

Artist		Studio Name	Website
Alejandro Garcia-Lemos		Friday Cottage ArtSpace	http://www.garcialemos.com
McClellan Douglas		McClellan Douglas Jr.	http://www.mcclellandouglasart.tripod.com
Grace Rockafellow		Grace Rockafellow
Patrick Parise		Southern Printworks	http://www.patrickparise.com
Nancy Will		Nancy Will	http://www.nancywill.com
Laurie McIntosh		Vista Studios #6	http://www.LaurieMcIntoshStudio.com
Joseph and Kelly Shull		jellykoe	http://www.jellykoe.com
Richard Lund		Richard Lund Art Studio	http://lunddigital.com/art/
Claire Farrell		Claire Farrell	http://www.clairefarrell.com
Nancy Butterworth		Impressions Pottery	http://www.impressionspottery.com
Jan Swanson		Studios in the Arcade
Richard and Gay Vogt		Baldmoose Studio	http://www.baldmoosestudio.com
Lucinda Howe		Lucinda Howe Art Studio	http://www.lucindahowe.com
Bonnie Goldberg		bonnie goldberg	http://www.bonniegoldberg.com
Judy Bolton Jarrett		ArtCan Studio/Gallery	http://www.judyjarrettgallery.com
Susan Lenz		Mouse House, Inc.	http://www.susanlenz.com
Amanda Ladymon		Amanda Ladymon	http://www.amandaladymon.com
Alicia Leeke		Alicia Leeke
Ben Compton		Ben Compton Art
Ruby DeLoach		The Art Party Press, Studio & Gallery

Want to be an integral part of the Indie Grits Festival and rally some new fans? Here's your chance. Artist registration deadline: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 11:59pm.

Lifechance: A Sumptuous, Masculine Meal

I won’t call this a review, because I believe reviews should be written by people who have expertise in the art form being commented upon. That said, I would like, from the perspective of a lay person who adores watching dance performances, to comment on Columbia Classical Ballet’s 2012 Lifechance International Ballet Gala of the Stars on January 21 at the Koger Center. I’ve attended several Lifechance performances in past years, and they’ve always been crowd-pleasers. The 2012 performance, too, brought people to their feet. It was different, however, from what I’ve personally experienced in the past for a couple of reasons. Most dramatic for me from the start was the eclecticism demonstrated by this year’s dance and choreographic talent.

The very first number, titled “Tryptych,” dramatically showcased the perhaps unexpected modern dance proclivities of Columbia Classical Ballet company members. Stark, minimalist costumes and set allowed the audience to focus exclusively on the performers themselves as they moved in ways that were rather un-Swan-Lake-like yet mesmerizingly fresh and sometimes quirky. I don’t know whether the dancers’ movements were supposed to be synchronized. They were not, and I do not know whether that was intended. I would have like to see more unison and tightness in this one company performance. In this particular number, there may have been too many dancers on stage at once or they did not have adequate time to rehearse because, even given the free-form, stream-of consciousness nature of the genre, it came across as a bit confused and, dare I say, kind of clunky. Ordinarily, I very much enjoy modern dance, but this number, choreographed by Rick McCullough, failed to deliver for me personally, though I applaud its inventiveness.

(Editor's Note:  Jasper loves a teachable moment. What Kristine witnessed when she wasn't sure "whether the dancers’ movements were supposed to be synchronized," is called a canon.  A canon is a choreographic form that reflects the musical form of the same name in which individuals and groups perform the same movement phrase beginning at different times. Canons can be confusing, particularly to the untrained eye -- which Kristine is very forthcoming in her claim to have. In retrospect, it turns out that the Columbia Classical Ballet Company was performing the piece to the specifications of the choreographer after all.)

By far, the performances I enjoyed the most occurred in the second half of the show. Call me sentimental, but my personal favorite was “The Man I Love” from George Balanchine’s “Who Cares?” Lauren Fadeley Veyette and Ian Hussey of the Pennsylvania Ballet were absolutely breathtaking to watch and exhibited a truly believable romantic chemistry along with beautifully precise movements. I really could not take my eyes off this dazzling couple.

Of course, Classical Ballet principal dancers Lauren Frere and Ivan Popov are among my favorite dancers to watch locally. Popov exudes a lovely balance of passion and professional polish. Every time he dances, I can imagine how much joy he gives and receives in performing. And without fail, the willowy Frere makes what must be rigorous appear effortless. I’ve never seen her when she did not exhibit perfection. Together, Popov and Frere were elegant and enchanting in “Somewhere in Time,” which was beautifully choreographed by Simone Cuttino.

Another unexpected element to this year’s Lifechance performance was the plethora of amazing male dancers. This truly was a show that allowed the men to shine. In my experience, it’s almost always been about the women with the men in supporting, almost wallpaper-like roles. Not so on this night. Everyone eagerly anticipated the return of Elgin native Brooklyn Mack to the Columbia stage. Mack, who first studied under company Director Radenco Pavlovich and has been with the Washington Ballet for two years now, delivered stunning athleticism and grace in appearances that seemed a little too brief for me. I really wanted to see more, but what Mack gave, he gave 100 percent. When Mack leaps, he seems literally suspended in the air for longer than usual before landing flawlessly and flowing into his next visual passage. It is such a treat to watch Brooklyn Mack dance for any length of time.

Another notable male performer was Columbia Classical Ballet soloist Willie Moore of Columbia. When he is on the stage, he rather steals the show with his riveting presence and lightning quick execution, from the unbounded energy of his leaps to the stunning speed of his spins. Moore always delivers an exhilarating performance. I also enjoyed watching male company members Hiroyuki Nagasawa and Oleksandr Vykhrest. It’s completely irrelevant, but on this night, I noticed that, on stage and from a distance, Vykhrest looks a tad like the actor Alec Baldwin (just saying).

One of the biggest surprises of the evening, however, was Chong Sun of the Washington Ballet, who took the stage by storm in a contemporary montage of drama, acrobatics, speed, and captivating showmanship. According to the program, Sun will be Columbia Classical Ballet’s newest member next season. I can’t wait to see more from this talented young man.

Aside from delivering some of the finest dance performances of the year to Columbia, Lifechance first and foremost is a charity event, this year benefitting the Harvest Hope Food Bank − a great cause in a difficult economy that has increased demand for food bank resources to new levels. Lifechance was a welcome feast that ably satisfied a city’s cultural appetite while helping stave off hunger of another kind.

Kristine Hartvigsen is the associate editor of Jasper Magazine - The Word on Columbia Arts.

For more of Kristine, read her article on Stephen Chesley, her poem Horizontal Hold, and her review of artist Lindsay Wiggins.

Contact Kristine at khartvigsen@jaspercolumbia.com

Share Your Old Cola Photos & Stories to Win Tickets to Playing After Dark Jan. 27

‎

Pocket Productions is at it again

bringing Columbia a sixth issue of Playing After Dark on Friday, Jan. 27 at the Columbia Music Festival Association downtown and we want you there!

That's why we're offering a chance at FREE tickets.

Submit your photos or stories of Columbia from the past, no later that 1980, to mbolen@jaspercolumbia.com. Photos and stories submitted will be displayed at the show. Everyone who submits a photo or story will be entered into a drawing to win free tickets. The deadline to submit is just a few days away -- Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Like past Playing After Dark galas, “Storytellers” will expose audiences to unique, unsuspecting art forms - in this case, the art of storytelling. Paddy Dover will perform original music to guide the audience along a journey through Columbia’s soulful past. Local mixed-media artist Lisa Gray will display her latest work in the gallery as the featured artist. Coal Powered Filmworks Producer and Director Wade Sellers will also allow us access to his personal collection of WWII Veteran footage for a preview of his series on ETV as well as some stories on camera.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at www.pocketproductions.org or at the door. The event will be held at CMFA, 914 Pulaski Street, Columbia, SC 29201. Doors open at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. This event is open to the public.

Kyle Petersen's Badass Local Music Video Series: Those Lavender Whales – “Growth in Question”

Those Lavender Whales, the quirky indie rock/folk/pop project by Fork & Spoon leader Aaron Graves which also includes Jessica Bornick and Chris Gardner, make some of the most honest, revealing, and beautifully human music in Columbia today.

Their new full-length, Tomahawk of Praise, was just released this past week on vinyl and CD, and the trio has already taken off for a mini-tour up the East Coast.  The record is full of poignant thoughts on family, faith, and on every other emotionally wrought question about growing up that seems like it doesn’t have an answer—and its quickly becoming one of Jasper’s favorite local releases of all-time.

So, having said all that, we really are just encouraging you to check out their new music video for the song “Growth in Question,” which recognizes the beauty of community, friends, and having fun that we all know is what makes Columbia such an awesome place to live, and, if you like it, to buy one of the many versions of the record available from Fork & Spoon Records.

The video was put together by a group out of Charleston called lunch + RECESS who did an absolutely fantastic job as well.

Check out this badass video by clicking on this magic button.

Kyle Petersen is the music editor for Jasper Magazine - The Word on Columbia Arts. Contact him at jpetersen@jaspercolumbia.com and stay tuned for more of his

Badass Local Music Video Series -- only at Jasper

www.jaspercolumbia.com

Brooklyn Mack -- Dancing Saturday Night at Lifechance

I'm sure my kids hate it when I reference their younger days in blog posts and lectures and the like, and every time I do, I'm aware that they may be uncomfortable. But then I remember how much we spoiled them when they were small and I decide, screw it, they can take one for the team. This is one of those times.

When Annie and Bonnie were little girls and they temporarily left Columbia City Ballet's junior company to dance for and learn from Radenko Pavlovich's Columbia Classical Ballet, (I say temporarily because Bonnie is back at City now and Annie stopped dancing in high school), there was this amazingly sweet boy who had also just come to dance there who we all immediately fell in love with.

His name was Brooklyn Mack.

Brooklyn was tall and shy and, to be honest, less than graceful, and his feet seemed to get in the way of his dancing. He had a smile that was almost too big for his face and he sometimes seemed to try to hide it when he was tickled by something someone said or did.

All the kids there were young and raw,  and despite their parents opinions -- mine included -- there didn't appear to be any world-class dancers chasing one another around the studios at Pavlovich's, or popping down the walkway to buy and share cheesy bread from Little Caesar's Pizza.

But there was Brooklyn. At 12, not yet well-trained or even very talented, but with a degree of determination that made all the other kids pale. Over and over he would endure Pavlovich's not-always-gentle corrections. "Point your bah-nah-nahs! Point your bah-nah-nahs!" Pavlovich would scream at the boy in his Serbian accent to point his quite large toes and feet.

Brooklyn would internalize his corrections without letting them beat him down. Like most ballet instructors who frequently question the self-worth of the individuals in their tutelage, Pavlovich showed no mercy to Brooklyn -- which was fine, because Brooklyn didn't want it. Though sensitive and kind, he was tough. And even as a boy, he demonstrated the kind of integrity that made me feel that it was an honor to call him a friend of our family.

Brooklyn didn't stay long at Pavlovich's. Radenko has a reputation for wisely sending his talented students on to study elsewhere and he did so with Brooklyn, as well. After just a few years he felt Brooklyn was ready to move on so he made arrangements for the still young boy to move to Washington, DC and attend the Kirov Ballet Academy. On full scholarship. When Brooklyn graduated from the Kirov, he got a choice position dancing with the American Ballet Theatre's second company. And he traveled. He traveled literally all over the world dancing in Asia and Europe and South America, and competing in competitions where he rarely left without a medal around his neck. (He made the cover of Dance Europe in 2009 and was just named by Dance Magazine as one of 25 young dancers to watch in 2012.) He finally landed at Washington Ballet three years ago where he dances in a troupe of extraordinarily gifted dancers.

And this weekend, Brooklyn is traveling back to Columbia where he will dance once again for his mentor and with the company that gave him his start. I cannot recommend enough that you go see the Lifechance Ballet Gala this Saturday night at the Koger Center. I wrote a little ditty on it for Free Times here, where you'll find most of the info you need to know to go.

What you'll see will be an exciting night of some of the best, most athletic, most inspiring ballet you will have seen in quite some time, both from Brooklyn and his colleagues. But look closely when the young man finishes his dances -- he doesn't try to hide his smile as much any more -- and I think he learned a long time ago that his integrity shines through no matter what.

Chicago - The Musical by August Krickel

The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County isn't just a performance venue, it's home to the Camden Community Theatre, which springs back to life with a lavish production of Chicago - The Musical, opening Friday Jan. 20th at 8 PM.

Chicago - The Musical, with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb (best known for their earlier work Cabaret) and book by Ebb and original director/choreographer Bob Fosse, recounts a lurid yet comic tale of romance, murder, intrigue, courtroom and jailhouse shenanigans, media spin,  and of course, "all that jazz."  Its original Broadway cast in the '70's featured Jerry Orbach, Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon;  a stripped-down minimalist revival in the 90's starred Anne Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth and Joel Grey, and that latter incarnation spawned the popular movie, with Catherine Zeta Jones, Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly and Queen Latifah.

This latest version for the greater Columbia area features Virginia Owen as Velma, a chic vaudeville star on trial for the murder of her husband and sister, Chip Collins as her slick lawyer, Billy Flynn, Abigail Smith Ludwig as Roxie, a chorus girl who longs for Velma's notoriety, Zack Gurley as Roxie's sad sack husband Amos, and Nancy Ann Smith as prison matron "Mama" Morton.

Director Frank Thompson, a relatively recent transplant to the Midlands, directed South Pacific last fall at Town Theatre, and has been seen in shows like The Drowsy Chaperone, Harvey and Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings. He and Ludwig appeared together in White Christmas along with Nancy Ann Smith and choreographer Kaitlyn Rainwater.  Thompson brought four of his principals to the Jasper party at the Arcade Mall last week, where, accompanied by musical director Andy Wells, they wowed 'em with the old razzle dazzle. It's worth noting that Smith (a mainstay of local theatre since the late 80's in brassy roles like Mama Rose in Gypsy, Anytime Annie in 42nd St., and Molly Malloy in The Front Page) is Ludwig's mom, and that another daughter, Elizabeth Smith Baker, is appearing in the last weekend of Spring Awakening over at Trustus Theatre. With three of four talented, singing Smiths onstage this weekend, Jasper wants to know where is 3rd sister Rachel (a standout in the 2010 Trustus production of reasons to be pretty) ?

Chicago - The Musical runs this weekend and next, though the 29th, with curtain at 8 PM, plus two Sunday matinees at 3 PM.   For more information or for tickets call 803-425-7676 extension 300 or visit the Fine Arts Center website at www.fineartscenter.org.  The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County is located at 810 Lyttleton Street in Camden. Box office hours are Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10 AM - 5 PM, and Thursday 10 AM - 6 PM.

In other theatre news, Workshop Theatre continues its successful run of John and Jen (running through Sat. Jan. 28th) featuring Kevin Bush and Linda Posey, and directed by Chad Henderson, who also directed Spring Awakening (which closes Saturday night.)  Also on Friday Jan. 20^th, Town Theatre premieres its new production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, directed by Scott Blanks and featuring Kyle L. Collins, Doug Gleason, and Giulia Dalbec-Matthews; she and Blanks teamed up on last spring's Victor/Victoria and Drowsy Chaperone (which also featured Thompson) , while she and Collins have appeared together in shows like Fiddler on the Roof and High School Musical.   Meaning that there are not one but at least four name-brand musicals running this weekend for the greater Columbia arts community, so make those reservations now!

~ August Krickel

First Novel Prize -- A Guest Blog by Betsy Teter, Hub City Press, Spartanburg

With the deadline of the third South Carolina First Novel Prize now just two months away, it’s a great time to reflect on this literary experiment in our state and update the readers of Jasper about this initiative—the only one of its kind in the United States.

A decade ago Sara June Goldstein of the SC Arts Commission and I began to talk about how cool it would be to have a First Novel Prize in our state. We wanted to help launch emerging writers into the larger literary world and solidify South Carolina’s reputation as a state with unusually good opportunities for writers. Every time we ran into each other, one of us said, “We gotta find funding for that prize!”

We found our funding partner in 2007 when David Goble became South Carolina State Librarian and agreed to underwrite the prize. The first contest, which took place in 2008, drew more than 100 entries. The stacks of novels came to the SC Arts Commission office and were winnowed down by the MFA students at UNC Wilmington to a group of six finalists. We sent those manuscripts to novelist (and SC native) Percival Everett in Los Angeles, who selected a manuscript by Brian Ray, a Columbia writer who had just completed his MFA at the University of South Carolina. Brian’s book, Through the Pale Door, was released in 2009 and received many favorable reviews, including Atlanta magazine and Booklist. Brian did an extensive book tour, we sold out the hardback printing, and the book continues to be available as a paperback. It also received a gold medal as the best novel by an independent press in the Southeast.

The 2010 contest drew fewer entries (about 50), but the group of finalists was amazingly strong. Novelist Bret Lott chose Mercy Creek by Matt Matthews of Greenville. This coming-of-age book was a hit with readers and reviewers (Publishers Weekly called it “a first rate effort displaying skill, sensitivity and grace.”). The book has sold out two hardback editions and was released in paperback in January. Matt has been invited to the Virginia Festival of the Book, and has toured book stores and libraries across the state.

I tell you all this to let you know that winning the First Novel Prize is a big deal. There’s a $1,000 advance on royalties and Hub City Press works incredibly hard to get national notice and sales of the winning book. You get featured at the South Carolina Book Festival and in newspapers all over the state. And even if you don’t win, you might be published. This spring we are publishing one of the runner-up novels in the 2010 contest, The Iguana Tree by Michel Stone.

Unfortunately, because of budget cuts, the State Library was unable to continue to be our major funding partner this year. But the staff at the SC Arts Commission and at Hub City Press decided this project was too important to South Carolina and its writers to let go. While we continue to seek a stable funding partner, we are proceeding in 2012 with confidence, knowing that sales of the last two books have been strong. We know that one of those novels that will arrive at the SC Arts Commission office by the March 19 deadline not only will be a winner for the author, it will be a winner for Hub City Press, for the Arts Commission, and the entire state of South Carolina.

Details are here: http://www.southcarolinaarts.com/firstnovel/index.shtml

What have you got to lose?

Jasper Magazine One Book, One Poem Competition

Jasper Magazine – The Word on Columbia Arts

Release date: Tuesday – January 17, 2012

Jasper Magazine announces the Jasper Magazine One Book, One Poem Competition

Ron Rash, author of this year's One Book, One Columbia selection, Saints at the River, has agreed to serve as adjudicator for the Jasper Magazine One Book, One Poem Competition.

Poets from the Greater Columbia Arts Community are invited to submit poetry inspired by the reading of Saints at the River.  Author Ron Rash's selection of the winning poem will be published in a future issue of Jasper Magazine - the Word on Columbia Arts, and its author will receive a literary arts prize package.

Finalists, adjudicated by Jasper Magazine literary arts editor, Dr. Ed Madden, will be published in the Jasper Magazine blog - What Jasper Said. (www.jaspercolumbia.net/blog).  The deadline is March 31, 2012.

Fine Print:  Please submit (in triplicate) poems inspired by the reading of Saints at the River by Ron Rash to -

Jasper Magazine One Book, One Poem Competition Muddy Ford Press 1009 Muddy Ford Road Chapin, SC 29036.

Please include a cover sheet including your name, address, phone number, email address, and the title or first line of each poem. Your name should appear nowhere else on your submissions. Entry fee = $5 per each three poems submitted (make checks payable to Muddy Ford Press). Deadline = March 31, 2012.

For more information contact - editor@jaspercolumbia.com.

Artist Challenge: Creating out of the box with a bunch of boxes -- let's make it happen

Attention Artists:  Every other month, after the distribution of the new issue of our magazine, Jasper is left with close to 100 very nice and relatively unharmed corrugated cardboard boxes. The boxes measure approximately 9" x 10" x 12" and are commonly called "printer half cases."

While the cats at Jasper's home in the woods most assuredly enjoy spelunking through these boxes, they are already quite spoiled with wonders to explore and we can't help but think that the good artists of Columbia might have an even better idea for how to best  re-use, re-cycle, and re-claim these boxes in the name of ART.

What ideas pop into your infinitely creative heads about ways to make art from these boxes?

Challenge:   Jasper would like to sponsor the creation of a temporary site specific art installation with our empty boxes acting as the foundational, if not primary, building blocks of the exhibition.

• We can provide you with 50 or more empty Jasper boxes in March -- more in May, June, July, etc., if your project requires them.

• We can assist you in procuring the other supplies you may need for your installation, though we can't be responsible for a financial outlay that exceeds 30 bucks.

• We will be happy to help facilitate, to the best of our abilities, arranging the use of the specific site you select, but we cannot guarantee we'll be successful. That said -- we think you should just go for it and we also adhere to the adage that sometimes it's better to just not ask.

• Finally, what we can guarantee you liberally is lots of attention for your installation art project. We will blog about you, give you a page on our website, share your project via social media as well as with our other media buds, and write a story about you and your project in the pages of Jasper.

• The location of site must be in the environs of the Greater Columbia Arts community, so within a 25 or so mile radius of the city.

• Our deadline for completion of the project is flexible, dependent upon how long and how many boxes you need to make this baby happen. That said -- you need to tell us when you plan to have your project completed and when you plan to display, and you need to stick to those deadlines. We aren't messing around here.

• Send your ideas in whatever kind of elaborate or simplistic form they come to you to editor@jaspercolumbia.comby Monday, February 6th. The winning plan will be chosen by the editorial staff of Jasper Magazine - The Word on Columbia Arts.

The Making and Celebrating of Jasper #3 - What to Expect

When we started planning Jasper #3 we looked at the date the magazine was due and thought -- really? Would anyone really be interested in a new issue of an arts magazine so early in the year -- so close to Christmas? Having increased the size of Jasper #2 by 8 pages we thought that maybe we should ease back for #3 and go back to our original 48 pages. We also thought it would be a good idea to make the issue somewhat literary heavy, given that so many folks would still be in that holiday state of mind in the middle of January, and not much would be going on in the performing or visual arts. So we thought.

It didn't take long for us to realize that there was way too much going on to reduce the pages of the magazine -- in fact, we increased them even more. Jasper #3 will be 16 pages longer than Jasper #1. But the fascinating thing about putting together a magazine that is reflective of the arts community it represents is how organic the whole process is. For example, our choices of cover artist and centerfold artist easily gave way to our choice of venue for the celebration of the release. Our Jasper Reads story led us to our choice for Guest Editorial. An essay written by an esteemed visual artist on how social service can act as a muse for creation directed us to another story on a local theatre troupe that we quickly made room for and wrote. Our story on Columbia's choral arts scene suggested an obvious choice for entertainment at our release event. Things like that.

The other thing that surprised us was just how much would be going on in the performing and visual arts community this early in the calendar year.

This week has been packed already with an abundance of diverse and stimulating art. Tuesday night we had the opportunity to visit Tom Law's Conundrum concert hall and sit in on Jack Beasley's The Weekly Monitor, which hosted Elonzo, Magnetic Flowers, and Henry Thomas's Can't Kids.

Magnetic Flowers blew us away, by the way, and we've listened to their new CD 4 times in the last 24 hours. For more on Magnetic Flowers, read Kyle Petersen's story in Jasper #3. We were also pretty charmed by the raw almost 80s sounding tunes of the Can't Kids. I look forward to hearing what Kyle has to say once he gets a chance to listen to their new CD.

Wednesday night saw us attending the opening reception for Thomas Crouch's new show in the Hallway Gallery at 701 Whaley. We're pretty big Crouch fans already, and it was great to see some of his new work and to meet his mom, duly proud of her boy. Kudos to Lee Ann Kornegay and Tom Chinn for making blank wall space meaningful. We  hope to see more and more businesses do the same. There is no shortage of art to hang on Columbia's walls.

Which brings us to Thursday night -- the celebration of the release of Jasper #3 as well as Night #1 in Columbia Alternacirque's 3-Night Festival of Doom. We hate missing this first night of the only kind of circus we're ever interested in seeing, but we're reassured that there are two more nights of awesomeness we can avail ourselves of AND Ms. Natalie Brown -- the mother of the tribe -- will be visiting us down at the Arcade as soon as she's off the boards at CMFA Thursday night. For more on Natalie Brown, read Cindi's article on her in Jasper #3.

Much like this issue of the magazine our release event scheduled for Thursday night has grown far beyond our initial intentions. Rather than being a quiet evening of acoustic music and intellectual conversation, as we thought it might be, it has turned into a multi-disciplinary arts event.

Here's what to expect:

• 7 - 7:15 -- a performance from the balcony of the Arcade Building by the Sandlapper Singers (Read Evelyn Morales's piece on them and the rest of the choral arts scene in Jasper #3)
• 7:15 - 7:30 -- Kershaw County Fine Arts Center will perform three of your favorite songs from the musical Chicago
• 7:30 - 7:45 -- the NiA Theatre Troupe will perform
• 7:45 - 8 and throughout the evening, a young acoustic guitarist named David Finney will play classical guitar
• then, starting about 8 pm rock 'n' roll time, Tom Hall has arranged for the nationally known and esteemed Blue Mountain band featuring Cary Hudson to perform
• Chris Powell's The Fishing Journal will follow them up (See Jasper #2 for a little ditty on the Fishing Journal)
• and then, the Mercy Shot, with Thomas Crouch from Jasper #2, will play.
• In the meantime, Michaela Pilar Brown will be displaying her most recent work in the Arcade lobby, and
• street artist Cedric Umoja will be demonstrating his work (Read more about Michaela in Jasper #3 as well as Alex Smith's article on Cedric), and
• all the galleries of the Arcade Mall will be open -- including those of our Cover artist and Centerfold!
• Throughout the evening we'll have the return of our famous EconoBar with cheap beer, decent wine, and big spender craft brew at $2, $2, and $4 respectively, and
• a nice little cheese spread courtesy of our friend Kristian Niemi and Rosso, as well as
• a sampling of delicious roasted coffees from SC's own Cashua Coffee, and
• the Krewe de Columbia-ya-ya will be on hand to school us all on the importance of parades, beads, beer, and dogs.
• And, of course, there will be the release of Jasper #3.

Not a bad night for free, huh?

Please join us in the historic Arcade building on Main and Washington Streets, Thursday night, January 12th from 7 until 11 pm as we celebrate the art that makes us all get up in the mornings. The afterparty is at the Whig. We hope to see you both places.

Thank you for your support, Columbia.

-- Your Friends at Jasper

Thursday Night’s Music: The Fishing Journal

There are a lot of reasons to come celebrate the release of issue #3 of Jasper this Thursday night, but probably the best is that one of Columbia’s newest and most electric bands will be playing the party.  

The Fishing Journal started as merely the recording project of drummer Chris Powell (formerly of Death Becomes Even the Maiden and The Mercy Shot), who wanted a chance to showcase his original songs and shred on guitar for a change. Powell has an obvious love for the hardscrabble indie-punk of Superchunk, as many of the songs take the full-throttle infectious pop structures mixed with distorted chaos approach and he often sings in a pitch-perfect imitation of Mac Macaughan, but each of the six songs on his debut release (a self-titled 10” record) also demonstrate the dynamic complexity and instrumental interplay more common to post-punk and post-hardcore bands. For a first effort, Powell seems to already have a well-seasoned sense of how to make the lurch and pull of full-tilt rock and roll work to his advantage.

To bring the songs to life, Powell has enlisted local powerhouses Reno Gooch on bass (who also plays in SpaceCoke and The Mercy Shot) and drummer Josh Latham (formerly of The Restoration and You Are Being Invaded By Demons) on the drums.  The resulting sonic assault has to be heard to get a full sense of how exciting these songs can be—so we’ll see you Thursday.

For more information on The Fishing Journal and to hear some of their recordings, check out their website http://fishingjournalband.com/index.html.

-- Kyle Petersen

Memorable Theatre Moments from 2011 by August Krickel

Theatre for me is sometimes not about the final product, but rather individual moments that move me, make me smile, or stay with me long after the show is done.  While I didn't see every show in the Midlands this past year by a long shot (and sadly didn't see a single one at Chapin or USC) I can say that I saw the majority of the new, regular-season shows at the three main local theatres (i.e. I missed most of the summer shows, holiday shows, children's shows, and revivals/holdovers from the previous year) plus two shows at Columbia Children's Theatre and another in the Trustus Black Box.

Here then were the best, funniest, and most memorable theatre moments for me from 2011:

- Rob Sprankle's mastery of broad physical comedy, as the vision-challenged Smudge in Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings at Town Theatre.  Drifting aimlessly without his glasses, Sprankle first took a daring plunge off the stage and onto the floor, and that stage has got to be 4-5 feet off the ground at least.  Sure it was choreographed, and a big mattress was stashed there in advance, but still a bold move. Hilarity ensued as he later wandered off stage and out into the parking lot, then knocked on an outside door until an audience member let him back in.

- Chris Riddle's deadpan barbs as the Sheriff of Nottingham in Columbia Children's Theatre's production of The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood.  When asked by the evil Prince what punishment Robin deserves, Riddle anachronistically replied, "I say we should whip him.  Whip him good."

- the send-ups and spoofs of conventions of musical theatre in The Drowsy Chaperone at Town Theatre.  As Larry Hembree paused or replayed favorite moments from an original cast recording of the titular musical, we saw the performers actually freeze in place, often precariously, or repeat their lines or lyrics from seconds earlier.  None took it better than Chad Forrester, a stoic butler on the receiving end of the classic "spit-take," replayed nearly a dozen times. Other highlights included Kathy Hartzog's entrance while reclining on a descending Murphy bed, martini firmly in hand, the cast's reaction when Hembree realizes he has been playing (and they have been performing)a number from the wrong show entirely, and a ridiculous, extravagant  production number accurately described as part Busby Berkeley, part Jane Goodall.

- the dancing skill, glamour, and va-va-va-voomish poses of Maria Culbertson, Grace

Fanning, Katie Foshee and Addie Taylor as the Angels in Workshop Theatre's Anything Goes.  While all quite young, their chic style and professional performances livened up what could have been some middling musical numbers in an 80+ year-old musical.

- the sassy and quotable one-liners from women of a certain age in The Dixie Swim Club at Workshop. Some of the best came from Barbara Lowrance, like how she gave her ex "the thinnest years of my life," or "Just because I'm vain and frivolous doesn't mean I'm shallow." Drucilla Brookshire got her fair share too, such as "I never knew true happiness until I got married, and then it was too late,” and "I traded in my treadmill for stretch pants and a deep fat fryer!"

- Elizabeth Stepp's moonstruck portrayal of Paul, a little boy with a crush on one Lizzie Patofski, of whom he just can't get enough-ski, in Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day at Columbia Children's Theatre. Was Paul from Queens?  Brooklyn?  Down the shore? Who knows, but the accent was adorable.

- the feather boa-clad Jocelyn Brannon, channeling performers like Eartha Kitt as a vamp, a camp and a bit of a scamp, telling off a would-be Don Juan in Smokey Joe's Cafe at Trustus. Her sultry delivery was enjoyable enough, but one appreciated it all the more when comparing it to her harsh, tragic portrayal of the long-suffering title character in Caroline, or Change just a few years back.

- individual moments that transcended the material in Spring Awakening, still running at Trustus Theatre through January 21st. Some of my favorites included:

• the vocal strength of the female cast in the opening "Mama Who Bore Me" number. Whoever was hitting those high notes, they sent chills down my spine when I saw a preview at Tapp's Art Center during November's First Thursday event, and again when the show opened a month later.
• Patrick Dodds breaking your heart as a boy losing it step by step, moving from comic relief to tragic victim in little more than an hour on stage.
• the energy of the male cast in The Bitch of Living, managing to depict repressed vitality and sexuality while constricted by the mores of their society. Their explosive, foot-stomping choreography was a sight to see.
• Avery Bateman and Adrienne Lee, adding a subtle and empowering touch that one could easily overlook. Each character sings about unspoken abuse from her past. Each is essentially revealing this secret to the audience, not to each other or any other character.  When Bateman moves over to Lee's side as they sing, it's the actresses, not the characters (who are miles apart, referring to events years apart.)  There's plenty happening onstage, but I realized that very subtly, the actresses were holding hands, as if to allow the characters to give each other strength and support that they never actually find within the story. I cannot fully express what a touching and moving moment this is.

- an extended seduction stretched out over two separate scenes in Third Finger, Left Hand at the Trustus Black Box, and featuring Kristin Wood Cobb and  Ellen Rodillo-Fowler. At first you're not sure which girl might be gay, and which might be hitting on the other...then it reverses, and then switches back again, literally climaxing in a nod to "Paradise By The Dashboard Light," by way of the "I'll have what she's having" scene from When Harry Met Sally.

- alternating vignettes of dark drama and dysfunctional comedy, brought to life by a dream cast, in August: Osage County at Trustus:

• Ellen Rodillo-Fowler, brassy and aggressive (and at one point wearing about a quarter inch of black lace and some stiletto-heel boots) just a few weeks earlier in the show above, here playing soft and demure and stoic.  Add that to her histrionics as the drama teacher in High School Musical a few summers ago, and her carefree and saucy chorus courtesans in recent musicals like Evita and Best Little Whorehouse, and you just want to shout "Somebody give this lady a lead role NOW!"
• Stann Gwynn's yuppie slime character, perving on a 14-year-old girl, with the excuse: "She told me she was 15!"
• Dewey Scott-Wiley staging a family dinner table coup, overthrowing her mother's reign in an electric Act 2 curtain-closer.  As well as her third act attempts, in vain, to make her mother (Libby Campbell) have something to eat, culminating in a shrieked "EAT THE FISH, BITCH!"
• Gerald Floyd slyly sneaking in the best lines in the show, as when he deflates Elena Martinez-Vidal's rant on how she would never take him back if he left her, repeatedly shutting her down with "But I'm not going anywhere." Or when he simultaneously teases/mocks a vegan, and tries to diffuse a tense confrontation by faking illness, then revealing that he simply bit into a big piece of "fear." Or his surprising assertion to his wife that she must show some iota of compassion to their son.

  

- the perfect timing of frenetic slapstick and chaotic physical comedy in Workshop's Victor/Victoria, including:

• a big madcap brawl involving 20+ cast members that concluded the first act
• a necessary "reveal" towards the end where four separate groups of performers are each doing something funny, punctuated by Matthew DeGuire's appearance at a window, back-lit as if by a lightning bolt, looking for all the world like Wile E. Coyote about to take a long fall.
• Giulia Dalbec as the quintessential blonde bimbo, doing things with her legs I had never thought possible. When she sang how she tried Toronto, but departed molto pronto, then saw Geneva, but it was hardly jungle "feva," you know you're in for a double entendre rhyming tour of the world.

  

This was for me overall the most entertaining show I saw this past year, indeed in several years, and makes me wish that Henry Mancini and Blake Edwards, so successful in films for decades, had tried Broadway earlier in their careers.

So those were for me the most memorable moments that I saw on Columbia stages in 2011.  What were yours?

In addition to writing for Jasper Magazine - The Word on Columbia Arts, August Krickel is a native Columbian and theatre buff who has performed at Town, Workshop and Chapin Community Theatres, directed at Act One, and narrated the touring Road to Victory shows. He has done everything from fundraising and PR for universities and non-profits to teaching Latin, but probably enjoys acting and writing best. His reviews, articles and interviews have appeared in Briefs Magazine, Free Times, and at OnstageColumbia.com.

Susan Lenz - author credited

Susan Lenz and Cyber Fyber

By Cynthia Boiter

The connection between the South and fiber goes back to the birth of King Cotton in the 17^th century and has known an ebb and flow that rivals the tides on our Atlantic shores.  Today, the South’s love of the warp and the weave is still evident in our fiber artists who explore pattern, texture, color and the creative process.  One such local artist has taken her love of cloth, her fascination with the stitch, and her flamboyant embrace of amalgam out of her one hundred year old Southern home, into her simple studio in Columbia’s Vista, and across the vast abyss of cyberspace where she shares it with fellow fiber artists throughout the world.  The product of this massive exchange of art and inspiration is called Cyber Fyber and even those of us whose fingers tremble at the prospect of threading a needle can partake of these collected works first-hand for a brief period of time in January.

Susan Lenz hasn’t always been a cyber geek.  While her aptitude with a needle and thread, and anything else she can work into a textile creation – keys, nails, organic matter – has developed in both intensity and potentiality throughout the decades, her mastery of technological communication is relatively new.  In fact, in her first ever blog entry, dated Friday, April 28, 2006, she wrote that since she had never really blogged before and wasn’t completely confident that she was actually doing it right, she would just leave her first post “as is and see what happens!  If successfully done, I’ll continue!”  Today, more than four hundred fiber artists, in faraway places that include India, Israel, South Africa, the Benelux countries, the UK, Romania, Cyprus, Poland, Japan, Australia, Austria, Canada, all of the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Italy, Spain and France, as well as New Zealand and Malawi, are pleased she decided to keep at it.  And they are demonstrating this pleasure by allowing the fruits of their own labors to be displayed in a gallery in Columbia’s Vista.

Each of these artists accepted an invitation issued by Lenz in February 2008 via her blog, Art in Stitches, to exchange one of their own hand-stitched fiber art postcards or ATCs, (artist trading cards), with one of Lenz’s cards that they had selected from photographs on her blog.  She began by offering 130 of the 2 ½ by 3 ½ inch ATCs and 163 of the 4 by 6 inch postcards she had already prepared, but quickly became aware that she would need to offer more of her own creations to meet the demand from other artists.  It seemed that Lenz’s desire to highlight the role of the Internet in the “supportive, global community of fiber artists” that she had personally identified struck a common chord among her cyber friends.  The artists with whom she had become so comfortable online – sharing photos of finished works, discussing life and art philosophies, and engaging in discourse on new techniques in contemporary fiber artistry – were just as eager as Lenz to move their virtual community, or at least the artifacts of it, to a place in real space and time.  And that is exactly what will happen when the Cyber Fyber Exhibition opens in Gallery 80808 in the Vista on January 8, 2009.

Lenz designed three distinct components to the Cyber Fyber Exhibition.  While the first component is the display of the ATCs and fiber postcards that she has been trading online over the past year, the second equally exciting element is an exhibition of invited fiber artists, many of whom are well known and respected within the field.  Each of the 18 invited artists was chosen based on the criteria of what they or their work represents to Lenz and the global community of computer-connected textile artists.   For example:

• Penny Sisto is a quilter who was born in the Orkney Islands of Scotland and has worked as a midwife in the Massai, LuBukusu and Kikuyu tribes of East Africa.  The subject of two PBS documentaries, Sisto learned how to quilt and embellish from her grandmother.  She combines that knowledge with the beading and collage methods she learned from her African friends to create soulful, portrait - like quilts that almost always deal with marginalized peoples.  Her work has shown from Santa Fe to SOHO.  Lenz chose Sisto’s work for the diversity it brings to the exhibit:  she is sending two pieces from her Slavery collection.

• Dijanne Cevaal is a teacher and writer who dyes, prints and creates original textiles in the Otaway Ranges of Victoria, Australia when she is not acting as curator of the many international traveling exhibitions she has produced throughout Europe and the Middle East.  Cevaal’s was the first fiber arts blog that Lenz read and she credits it with inspiring her ascent into the cyber arts community.  Cevaal blogs about subjects like conducting a dyeing class in the Savoie, foiling cedars on a tie dyed quilt that tells the story of Gilgamesh and Enkudu, and pomegranates – she loves pomegranates.

• Jill Rumoshosky Werner is one of the top art quilters in the United States today.  She describes the products of her quirky work as “quilts of unusual proportions” – think a faucet protruding from nowhere and multi-colored quilted fabric pouring forth; think the toe of a giant shoe with elaborately quilted laces – and her inspiration varies from art deco to Frank Gehry.  Lenz included the Wichita artist primarily for the vast conceptual nature of her work.

• Dale Rollerson owns The Thread Studio in Perth, Australia and finds her supplies in the hands of many of the world’s fiber artists, a common thread tying many together – pun intended, hence her inclusion in the exhibit.  She teaches online workshops in contemporary textiles and is as passionate about the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team as she is about her work and art.

• Doreen Grey, from Canberra, is a 68-year-old grandmother of four who embodies both the future and the history of textile arts in that she divides her time between teaching stitches to her 9-year-old granddaughter and patrolling the blogosphere where she shares and receives up-to-the-minute information on the intricacies of the online fiber arts community.  One of her submissions will be her daughter Ebony’s first quilt.

• Arlee Barr is one of those artists whose eclecticism is so far beyond expansive that words inevitably fail, as these are doing now.  With inspirations ranging from Egyptian tomb art to the Pre-Raphaelites to Max Ernst, Barr creates on the Sunshine Coast of Alberta, Canada where she says her “inner fairy godmother gifted her with concupiscientia oculorum, an intense visual curiosity which leads to sensory and imaginative excitement.”   According to Lenz, Barr also represents “how Internet exposure is a lifeline to those living in remote areas.”  One of the most recent  of her projects was the enactment of a fiber arts version of cadaver exquis, or exquisite corpse – a play on the old parlor game/Surrealist technique in which a paper is folded into quarters and a different writer adds a line of poetry to each quadrant without viewing previous additions.  Barr enlisted the help of other online artists to do this – but with fiber.

As if the showing of the traded and invited pieces was not enough, Lenz has developed as the third component of the Cyber Fyber project, a series of interactive events to take place during the exhibit’s run before it closes on January 20^th.  She designated Saturday, January 10^th as Fiber Day during which she will conduct demonstrations for both adults and children.  She is also partnering with a local business called Creative Sewing to display state of the art machines and embellishers.   Saturday, January 17^th is ATC Trading Day – a day in which local artists can participate in artist card trading with no restrictions on media or artist age.  International artists have also been invited to participate by mailing their cards to Lenz in advance.  During the entire exhibit Lenz plans to have Internet access available to gallery go-ers to enable them to locate and view the web pages and blogs of the artists on exhibit.  “I love the idea of a patron viewing a card they particularly appreciate, then logging on and complementing the artist right there on her blog,” Lenz confides.

With such a multinational representation among the traded ATCs and postcards, along with the forty-four US states that are represented as well, the potential for human connection out of such a distinctly non-human medium as the Internet, is startling.  And reassuring.  Given the security of anonymity that the Internet provides, how very nice it is to know that there are people out there – artists – who are willing to take the risks that every outstretched hand, even the virtual ones, embody.  People like Diana Lochala from Mississippi who traded for Postcard #14 and writes the recipe for Mint Juleps on the back of her ATCs.  People like Judy Carpenter from Georgia who makes a mean watermelon salad and includes on her blog a counter that spins furiously as it ticks off the number of dollars being spent on the war in Iraq.  People like Monica Magness of Alabama who traded for ATC #15, blogs about “the return of the domestic goddess” and uses her art to raise money to promote breast cancer research.  And people like Susan Lenz who devoted a year of her life to bringing these artists together via a mad combination of cyber space and human hands – for no other reason than to make it happen.

RuneScape Wiki: mm definition: messieurs. →

Stephen Chesley -- author credited

Stephen Chesley Has Something to Say

 By Kristine Hartvigsen

Stephen Chesley really doesn’t care whether you buy his paintings.

While he supports himself with his art, he’s been a savvy investor to sustain himself through the economic peaks and valleys of the sometimes fickle arts market. But on the whole, Chesley’s livelihood is a byproduct of his lifestyle.

“I paint for myself,” the 58-year-old artist says from a relaxed spot in his studio at Vista Studios Gallery 80808. “I do it regardless of whether it sells. It makes no difference to me. This is sort of a priesthood. When is a priest not a priest? If you paint for the public, you end up with mediocrity. If you paint for yourself, our artistry will stand out eventually.”

That’s not to say he isn’t pleased if someone purchases a piece because of the sheer joy it elicits or because it moves them to introspection. But Chesley understands that more prurient or superficial motivations often drive sales in a culture of conspicuous consumption. It’s just the reality. Prospective customers actually have asked to see “sofa-sized” art or inquired whether Chesley had “anything in happy colors.” It’s true that critics have described Chesley’s well-known landscapes as “dark and moody.” And the artist acknowledges he uses a darker, earthy palette. “Natural umbers and ochres are just a realistic choice of colors,” he says.

“You need to stay true to the art. If you are doing it solely for the money, your product is not going to be really good, no matter what it is. It will be second-rate,” he says. “The art museums are not full of paintings by people who painted just for the money. Their paintings are theirs and not like anyone else’s. Your only goal should be to paint your paintings better than anyone else could.”

Having a conversation with Chesley is like watching a tennis match between the right and left brain. The handsome, grey-eyed artist volleys easily between topics ranging from spatial intelligence and polycentrism to emotional nuance, romanticism, and even haiku. Growing up in Virginia Beach, Chesley longed to change the face of coastal development. After earning multiple degrees focusing on urban regional planning, he worked briefly as a city planner, only to abandon the profession in frustration. “Two of my favorite disciplines were science and art. The idea of combining science and art led to city planning,” Chesley explains. “My idea was to have centralized areas of development and areas of wildness along the coast. But there is a polarization with the ultra rich that caused problems with beach houses. I was very unhappy with that. … There isn’t any creativity in urban planning. That is why I got out of it.”

So Chesley threw his wristwatch away and spent five years living simply off his savings, painting mostly sea islands, swamps, and rivers without any consideration of time. “I lived by my natural biorhythms,” he says. “I wanted to paint and still be free.”

It was that period, perhaps, while painting in solitude with nature, which led to some of Chesley’s less-than-politically correct perspectives on overpopulation and the fragility of the world as it exists today. He believes the world’s overpopulation problem is, on one level, the result of a “campaign of fertility.” Achieving even a sense of solitude in modern times is becoming more and more difficult. Therefore, he feels an urgency to paint landscapes, essentially to record our most beautiful landscapes for posterity.

“This planet is an island, and we are dying on the margin − one calorie at a time,” he says, recalling a moment of clarity he had upon purchasing a cut of flounder in a Charleston grocery. “The label, said it came from Chile. Now think about all the calories it took to get that fish to the Publix in Charleston and packaged, of course, in plastic.”

A fisherman in Chile expended calories to catch the flounder, Chesley posits. Then more people expended calories packaging it up. Then even more calories were burned, along with fossil fuels, to ship the flounder across the ocean to the United States. Then more calories were burned trucking the flounder to the store and marketing it to the public. “Easily 15,000 calories was spent to get 500 calories in the food that’s purchased,” he says. “We are in this horrific position where, economically, it’s cheaper to ship that flounder to Charleston. But, energy-wise, it’s tragic. Nature doesn’t make excuses. If you spend more calories than it takes to get food, you are dead. In urban culture, it doesn’t work that way. It’s a lesson that’s completely lost.”

This leads easily into another scenario from the depths of Chesley’s vivid imagination. He talks rapid-fire as the thoughts tumble out of his head.

“I am a human being in the year 2011. I am an earthling,” he says. “Imagine Saturn 5,000 years from now. Someone may pull out one of my paintings and say, this is a picture created by a human being living on Earth in the year 2011. This was called a tree. This was painted by one of our ancestors. … I don’t think we would recognize this today. The comfort I get from all of this (the planet’s decline) is that it’s a natural response to us (humans). We can’t see the life-or-death struggle of the plants, for instance. They fight tooth-and-nail for that sunlight. It’s combat, an all-out fight for survival. It’s just part of the mechanism of nature. Our demise or evolution into something else through this is just part of that.”

It might be easy to dismiss Chesley as another talented intellectual loner. But he would take exception with the “loner” label. “I enjoy solitude, but I also can be in a crowd,” Chesley says. “The truth is that you never really can be alone. It’s a practical impossibility. You can’t be a loner. We are moving towards unified communication at all times.”

Chesley expands on this thought with examples of new technologies, social media, and Global Positioning System capability incorporated into so many products that can pinpoint where you are at all times. “It puts a different light on solitude. The term may even be antiquated already,” he continues. “You can be ‘alone in a crowd,’ but it’s a mental state. The physical ability to do that is almost impossible.”

Just because he likes his solitude, don’t write off Chesley as antisocial. He has skills, to be sure. He’s absolutely charming and, unlike the stereotypical creative star, does not monopolize conversations with self-aggrandizing tales. He navigates the obligatory crush of fund-raisers and openings with aplomb. “In a social situation, I listen more. I don’t talk that much because there is no point in talking about overpopulation stuff. It doesn’t make any difference,” he says. “I can be animated. I like to get people thinking. I have a lot of the anthropologist in me. I study body language. It’s funny to see what people think is important.”

And for many, acquiring wealth and possessions is high on their hierarchy of needs.

Chesley cites retail giants like Kmart and Walmart with feeding the “caloric imbalance” that comes with our culture of conspicuous consumption. “This neon and plastic crap, we need to live with it knowing it’s insane. You have to develop coping skills and roll with it,” he says. “It’s manufactured wants − a showcase of capitalism. You can have all these things but be the most miserable person in the world.”

He likened the modern-day pursuit of “stuff” to a dog chasing its tail. But doesn’t Chesley, too, sell goods to consumers? The contradiction, of course, is not lost on the opinionated artist. He has made a name for himself in the region, and for some, owning “a Chesley” could be considered a status symbol and be the impetus for a purchase decision − above and beyond one’s personal affection for a piece. Chesley would not have even a moment’s hesitation selling to a buyer in this mindset. “I don’t mind because the piece is working on them all the time,” he says. “That little piece of aesthetic, that portal to the creative universe, is open for them.” Chesley maintains that art buyers, whatever their motivation, will get something from the artwork, even unconsciously. And, over time, maybe one day they will appreciate it for reasons he would want.

Though mostly self-taught in art, Chesley has taken his most prominent cues from masters such as Rembrandt, George Seurat, Robert Henri, Edward Hopper, Franz Kline, and Jackson Pollock. What’s perhaps most striking about Chesley’s thoughtful landscapes is their vivid contrast between light and dark. In many scenes, the flames of a distant nighttime fire or the dramatic backlighting of the sun behind dark clouds seize the canvas, making it seem to glow from some inner light. He uses the technique to create a sense of “temporal ambiguity” that he says is reminiscent of works from the Ashcan School’s spontaneously rendered, color-saturated, darker-hued scenes from ordinary life that can leave the viewer unsure whether it’s morning or evening, coming or going. “I often name my paintings ‘twilight’ or simple things like ‘trees, field’ − one-line haiku poetic titles,” Chesley says. “You don’t know whether the day is starting or ending. That came from the Ashcan School. You see the tree, but when you get up close to it, you see it’s an abstraction. That is something I strive for. I really don’t want to paint the tree, per se, because the camera does that better. I am after a narrative.”

“While Chesley’s scenes are realistic and representative, they often have an abstracted quality. He combines colors of similar values and shuns clearly drawn lines, forcing the viewer to study the soft-edged planes to detect what exactly they represent,” Columbia art curator and gallery owner Wim Roefs wrote in 2008. “Chesley may not paint the trees but the space between the trees, which still results in trees emerging from the canvas.”

Though he produces primarily landscapes, Chesley seldom paints via plein air any more. One reason is the increasingly crowded planet and humans’ annoying tendency to claim every remaining bit of space. “You get so much crap from landowners asking why you are there,” he explains. “I used to paint early in the morning when there was nobody around.” These days, he often does field sketches or takes photographs and later paints at home or in the studio. Over the years, however, Chesley has discovered painting from memory to be the best method. “I found that painting from memory is superior to all else. The reason is because, when you remember, you remember why the place was important − not how it looked but how it felt,” he says. “You can paint night, but you can miss painting the feeling of night.”

Chesley’s approach to the fundamental process of painting is to let nature take its course. “If we cleared a field, the trees would grow without a plan,” he says. “So I put a random mark, a Franz Kline-kind of brushstroke, on the canvas. Then one thing leads to another. I try to lock into the emotional content. It is usually about solitude.”

In addition to paintings, Chesley also has produced an impressive inventory of abstract metal sculpture. It comprises about 15 percent of the art he creates. Chesley knew he wanted to work in metal sculpture from the moment he saw the work of the late sculpture artist David Smith. Smith’s influence is evident in Chesley’s three-dimensional works, which are bold, geometric, often stacked shapes that, when welded together, comprise a completely individual identity as the sum of their parts. Like Smith, Chesley experiments with the idea of “abandoning the core” in sculpture, giving his pieces an organic, visual quality that seems to defy gravity. And perhaps in homage to Smith, many of Chesley’s pieces also have a reverential, totem-like appearance. His smaller sculptures often are assembled from five pieces he calls little “haiku sculptures.”

For many, Chesley’s paintings are front and center. They already seem to have a “brand,” at least locally. “One day, a friend told me he had seen a ‘Chesley sunset,’” Chesley recalls. “That is a great reward when that happens.”

Chesley has a very Zen-like attitude about his vocation. He says he can paint at home as easily as he can paint at the studio. He comes to the studio if he feels like it. And he still doesn’t wear a watch. So what does he do for fun? “I just be,” he says. “I get away from the popular crises of the day and the insanity of the world and get into this animal mode. Animals don’t care about the value of gold or anything. They exist day to day in that rhythm of nature. I try to go there.”

Indeed, Chesley is unconcerned with the value of gold, or money for that matter, beyond meeting his basic human needs. “If you equate income with happiness, of course you are not going to be an artist,” he says.

And asked when his next show will be, Chesley replies simply, “I will have a show when I have something to say.”