Progress Report!!

The paintings are coming along faster than I expected; I'll have them finished by the end of March. Currently my studio is wearing a bunch of the completed portraits on the walls, and it's great to see how it will all come together (thankfully, as planned!).

Performance rehearsals: We did a bone-dry run with all the sheets a while back and took some videos of the very rough idea-slinging, half-attendance experiments!! (Posted, below...)

T-Shirts! The t-shirt design is pretty much done. I've done two designs that I think could work, but this (wings, to the right)  is the one favoured by 100% of the 50 or so people I've asked:

PR: I'm looking into getting sponsorship for the clothing we'll wear, and bringing the show to galleries in Vancouver, Victoria, and possibly the Netherlands. I'll be able to bring the performance to Vancouver, and possibly in a slightly different form to Victoria, but I'm also going to film the show, so that it can be shown in combination with the exhibition, when it goes abroad. If you have any suggestions for venues, do email me at moontree (at) telus (dot) net.

*UPDATE: With encouragement from some artist-friends in various countries, I'm now also looking into France, Switzerland, Germany and Los Angeles.

This is about inspiring and connecting mothers, and mothers live everywhere. So I'd like to get the show out there.

Here are some more details of the sheet-paintings:

Early Rehearsals...

These videos are some of the rehearsal footage from last month.
Without most of the participants (dancer, musicians, singers, etc.) we played and experimented with the shadows and accompaniment. Fun!

I think these are fun, as experiments, but the show will be significantly different by the time of the premiere in May. Envision lighting, 2 or 3 musicians accompanying on many songs/poems, and singers, too... at least one shadow-dancer, more puppetry, miming, colour, contrast, etc. Just generally way more going on, on and around the sheets. :--)

**NOTE: Yes there WILL be front-lighting! This is just experimentation!

The show is fast approaching -- suddenly the calendar says 2010 and it means I need to get myself moving! I've only completed four of the portraits, but the plans and performance are shaping up all around.

I've invited a bunch of wonderful mothers and artists to perform with me at the show, and the meetings we've been having are totally inspirational. We sit in my living room, making shadow plays, figuring out harmonies, dance, paint techniques and lighting, talking about what to wear, and just generally letting our creative selves loose. We range in age from 34 to 60, and the energy is rich and diverse. It's beautiful!

I'm looking for sponsors, right now, and, as always, am still looking for used (soiled is great too) white bed linens.

Details

 

Aren't Linens Beautiful??

Linen Press

 Linen Press was exhibited at the 2007 Pacific Festival of the Book in Victoria, BC. It is an accordion-fold book made of used children's bed linens, wrapped in a cloth diaper. On its pages are poems and other random mothering thoughts, as well as photos from a "mother's eye view". The book in its entirety is my own work.