ML Hart ArtLetter - Winter 2006

Winter 2006

WELCOME

Dear Friends,

One hardly knows where to start - this newsletter has been in hibernation for quite a few years, as has my creative work. A "perfect storm" of life's events sent me onto a downward arc for a time: Writer's block, depression, life getting in the way of... life, as well as work.

As the seasons, though, all things move in cycles, and while this has lasted far longer than I wanted it to, I am back in my over-drive groove - and I'm reconnecting with my stubborn muse and with my friends. I'll be discussing writer's block - or creative block - and its resolution (evolution?) in future ArtLetters. For now, it feels great to break through those barriers - imagine a comic-book panel: POW! - and I'm re-focused on the Tenor Book, as much as one can do with a project that's spare-time, spare-change. More on that, below.

There's also an update on the website, that ever-nebulous, never-finished part of my life; and we finish up with some keen observations from guest artist John Howe. Enjoy reading - looking forward to being back in touch.

Cheers! - Martha Hart

KEEPING UP WITH ML HART

NEW


	WEBSITE
Anne Arden McDonald - her first book of images Stunning book! read ML Hart's review	Since my last newsletter, the website has morphed into a new design/new format - I restructured the pages, re-designed all the graphics, added a lot more content. As is always the case, my reach exceeds my grasp - and I severely underestimate the amount of time it takes! - so there's still more to come. Also hadn't counted on a server crash that caused me to rewrite quite a bit of it, as well as actually back up my work... now, she says. In the here and now, there's more background on the opera pages with stories of the operas, and the section on the Tenor Book has been greatly expanded. Now that the book is growing and changing, those pages are being reworked... uploaded soon! Click on the OPERA button when you get to the bottom of this page for more. There's an expanded Gallery of painting, more photography, some computer graphics, all with my notes about the ongoing process of creating these works. Explore THE WEB GALLERY. And of course there are books, and more books! The Young Person's Guide to the Opera has been published, and it features some of my photographs made with San Diego Opera. Take a look at this delightful book in the expanded WORDS & MUSIC SHOP - where you'll find so much more: Guidelines, history, reviews and recommendations of my own favorites in music, books, and video to entice you to explore more in opera, writing, and photography. Bon voyage!



	WRITING IN GENERAL... and THE TENOR BOOK in particular

	A couple of projects simmering on the back burner these past years are two plays I've wanted to write. The first is about one woman’s journey of discovering and coping with breast cancer. Based in part on a friend’s journal kept during the last year of her life, this is something that touches us all. The idea for this work began more than ten years ago - a book of photographs was the first concept, but it seemed, oh, not sure what... a bit hollow, perhaps, without also conducting interviews to tell the stories, not just of one woman, but of all the women and men whose lives are transformed. The shift to the dramatic format - one of those bolt-of-lightning inspiration things - allows for a less-documentary, more in-depth exploration of the complexities of emotions, and will incorporate traditional theatrical forms such as the soliloquy and a Greek-style chorus. Ever written a play before, Martha? No... but then I'd never done a book before, either. The other play is an exploration of the creative process. Doing the work - a subject near and dear to my heart. The protagonist is Homer; the story is how he comes to write The Iliad. As this play takes shape I'm finding it will have music as well as words - not a musical, not an opera, but definitely vocals - so at some point I'll have to find a collaborator. Both these projects, tempting as they are in the way they call to me, are taking a back seat to the Tenor Book.



	After more than a year of intense interviews, work on this book slammed to a halt. Time seemed to be the issue. Then motivation, mixed with a lot of ambivalence. Maybe I should work on the plays. Perhaps I should write something else instead. How did my photography fit into all this? What did I want to do? Knowing how much The Art of Making Opera demanded of me, did I still want to commit to a project about four times as complex? And no longer "on the inside" of the opera world, I felt I couldn't approach the book in the same way. How right I was, though for slightly different reasons than I first thought. During the last three years, I've continued doing the occasional interview, occasionally reviewing some of the photographs, and I'd get excited about it all over again - and then get overwhelmed by the big-picture aspect, all over again. But I was also doing a lot of "work" on the book in roundabout ways: reading musical analysis and criticism (especially Michael Scott's The Record of Singing)... listening to recordings, many from almost 100 years ago, and listening to new-to-me works rather than old favorites... and writing. On the website, in e-mails, I talked about how I saw this, dealt with that. I had the chance to try on phrases, see how they fit me, fit my thoughts. In just one instance, my profile on the Mario Lanza page will be the basis for a sidebar in the book - if I listen, I can learn a lot about where the book is going. In these last few months, I'm working on the Tenor Book as much as I can, which is to say, as much as the paycheck-job and other commitments in my life allow. (Amazingly, quite a bit!) Time away has given me a new - and better - perspective, as well as much-needed emotional distance from my subject. Does that mean I don't care as much? Far from it. The framework of the book, the chapter outline and all that structural material I'd worked up five years ago - that's still good. It's the skeleton, if you like, and it's sound. How I'm fleshing it out... that's the part that's really changing - again, for the better. Typing up the interview tapes is time-consuming, but after experimenting with different approaches to this task, I've concluded that transcribing them verbatim is the way to go. Recently finished working up the conversations with Rocky Blake, Neil Rosenshein, Roberto Alagna, Sergej Larin, Nico Castel, B.H. Barry, and Sir Thomas Allen... and they're all so intelligent, funny, and inspiring that I want to include all of them, instead of just a few paragraphs! (Editing really is the hardest part...) Here's a word-picture from master accompanist Martin Katz - we were talking about singers, tenors, and here, Franco Corelli: "Part of what made it thrilling as I’m sure you know, is that dark color to it. Not baritone color… but in that direction. Which made it seem even harder to get to those extreme high notes. Because if you're taking brown or burgundy up that high, that strikes our ear as much harder to do - and in fact it is hard to do - compared to taking gold or silver up that high." The working title of the book has changed slightly to PASSION & GLORY AT THE OPERA: The Tenor Book. It's a behind-the-scenes look at how those guys with the unforgettable voices create the onstage magic, thrilling audiences the world over. The secret? It’s... ... well, why not explore the Tenor Book pages for yourself, and find out.... and stay tuned for the updates.

DATES


JANUARY 27, 1756
	WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Happy 250th Birthday! To celebrate, watch Milos Forman's award-winning film AMADEUS again. Factual? Not really. Dramatic? You bet. A remarkable film on any level, the rivalry between Viennese court composer Salieri and the upstart genius Mozart demonstrates that politics has always interfered with art, while giving us fascinating glimpses of stage performances. Hard to choose a best scene, but Mozart's deathbed dictation - with Salieri not grasping it - says it all; and his restatement of Salieri's royal march, improvised into Non piu andrai, is nothing short of brilliant. Spendid performances. Gorgeous film.


MAY 27 - JUNE 17, 2006

GRENDEL If you think opera is a dead art form, written only about centuries-old aristocats, try this: Los Angeles Opera presents a world premiere composed by Elliot Goldenthal, directed by Julie Taymor. "A passionate thinker trapped in the body of a beast, Grendel struggles to transcend his condition in a quest for meaning and purpose. With a gripping libretto co-written by Julie Taymor and J.D. McClatchy, based on a novel by John Gardner, Grendel recasts the Beowulf epic from the monster's point of view." So says the LA Opera website. I'm there.

Beowulf & Grendel - The Truth Behind England's Oldest Legend

	ON THE ROAD AGAIN Ill be taking a much-needed vacation, which doesn't quite mean relaxing on a beach somewhere... a working vacation. To do a few fill-in-the-gaps interviews for the Tenor Book, I'm cashing in my frequent-flyer miles and heading east: Baltimore for L'Assedio di Corinto... then New York City... and to Italy: I'm going to Milano and the Museo Caruso. I'll keep you posted as the itinerary evolves.

WRITER'S / BUILDING / CREATIVE BLOCKS

VOICE

This column is one I've wanted to do for a long time... on the website, I discuss some of the thought processes behind my work. You can certainly argue that any artist's work soars or fails on its own merits, and if it has to be further explained, then it's not working. Is this really true? Somewhat. But I find many people aren't certain how they to "ought to" respond to artwork they're seeing/hearing/reading. Not a lack of understanding so much, just... don't know where to begin to react.

I also find a lot of people who claim they're "not artistic" seem to have an idealized notion of how the work gets done. Is inspiration involved? Sure, sometimes. But you can't sit around and wait for it. You have to do the work. But what happens when you can't even "do the work"? That's where I've been the last few years, getting in touch with my dark side, if you will... and it's some of what I'll be discussing here in future issues.

Today though, I'll ask you to appreciate the working-process topic from another artist's viewpoint.


GUEST
	GUEST ARTIST - illustrator John Howe

from the DRAGON CALENDAR by John Howe www.john-howe.com

John Howe is a painter who does superb illustrations for fantasy books, among other wide-ranging work. He was one of the conceptual artists for the film trilogy LORD OF THE RINGS, and much of the look that drew us irresistibly into the magical world of Middle Earth is from Howe's imagination. His candid thoughts and quirky sense of humor are some of the best parts of the behind-the-scenes stuff on the DVDs. His website is filled with treasures, and he shares his thoughts and observations via newsletter, which have rather more to do with the why of being an artist than anything else. I find much to admire and much to be inspired by (not the least of which is that he sends out his newsletters quite regularly!)

The following is one of his journal/newsletter subjects, one that certainly rings true with me. This is how the work gets done - not by dreaming up a sorcerer's apprentice or waiting for an inspirational bolt of lightning to strike. The artist was gracious enough to give permission for it to be reprinted here - please meet John Howe... on a busy afternoon:

INSIDE THE HEAD OF JOHN NO NOT MALKOVICH
Or One Line (and a Multitude of Brushstrokes) of Thought

Right time to get going on this cover no more putting it off why did I tape off such a huge format for a trade paperback is beyond me but there's no help for it now first wet the whole sheet oh no the brush still has last picture's colours in it quick wash the thing no don't use soap this time or you'll get residue in the colour clean the sink later what colour is the border green why did the designer choose green of all colours stick to purples and ochres then where's the light pink where's a clean plate only dirty ones no matter just put a big puddle of pink in it it'll cover the rest light-coloured mist at the bottom over the steps keep the paper white get some movement in the swirling clouds and mist the paper is coming up in mountains already I didn't stretch it tight enough but if I do it'll split when I take if off oh no there's a stain of some kind RIGHT in the middle no matter put the dragon's wing over it or a spike or spine or something "I'll clean the sink as soon as I'm done! Use the downstairs bathroom for now" warm up the area behind him where's the prussian blue I saw it a minute ago oh no the cap is stuck where have the paper towels gone quick the other brush, the one shaped like a fan thank goodness the paper is staying wet damp day today it'd already be dry normally can't wet it again or I'll lose the texture in the clouds build up more movement in the swirling stuff don't let it get too dark tilt the board maybe man this thing weighs a ton where's something to put under it oh no the colour is pooling in a valley the sheet is really like a mountain range a sort of cellulose sierra a hot-pressed himalaya "Can you get the phone? No I can't I can't leave this right now" Keep the colour from settling check the whole sheet can't see what's wet from this angle practically have to crawl up on the table to see the light reflected on it from the window turn off the lamp it's not helping "Who? Tell them to call back in five minutes" Ouch should've shifted that pile of books "No, on second thought I'll call them back" Where is that roll of paper towels don't put the brush in your mouth for goodness' sake where's the hair dryer get that spot near the edge before it leaves a mark you can work that bit up later on there's no point trying to re-dampen the page fix that spot there soften that brush mark before it sets no prussian blue put ultramarine if I must no no ultramarine either can't use turquoise use sky blue instead what happened to that ochre anyway just another touch in there I think it's the right spot can't see the pencil sketch any more hope it's where it goes quick catch that puddle "I'll be down in a minute yes I know it'll be cold" Get it darker in the corner while it's still possible of course the miserable airbrush is still clogged in fact it's been clogged as long as I can remember now because I only think to use it in the midst of a picture realize it's clogged and forget it until I need it again when of course there's once more no time to clean the thing there's only sepia mix it with the ochre and the sky blue we'll what happens a few more tendrils of smoke in the middle it's almost too dry right that's enough there's another puddle where is the hair dryer again ow those damn books.

Elapsed time: likely not more than 5 minutes
Subjective time: a short portion of eternity posted on June 17 2005

MORE VOICE

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OCTOBER 2006