December 24th, 2011 | Author: admin
January 1, 2012
Chandra Garsson asked me today: “Teresa, what did you really think about my film?”
As I was telling her, she said “Could you say it in your blog?”
So, here goes… It took Chandra 9 months to create her documentary Art & Gift 2011. 9 months of work–being the film’s protagonist, camera person, director, producer, editor. What impressed me the most about this film is seeing Chandra’s generous nature on the big screen. She could have been the sole narrator, presenting the conflict. But, she did so much more. She interviewed over a dozen fellow artists and writers to give us a chance to express ourselves. She presents a story with fairness. She listens to the other side; she even gives the other side the spotlight so that we can hear/see the other side without any filters. In the case of her film, the other side was the landlord.
During our conversation today, we talked about theme. I was telling Chandra about just having finished editing a children’s novel and helping my client identify the themes in her story. Chandra said there is theme in her work too. Yes, in deed.
The first time I experienced her art was when the fabulous Kim McMillon orchestrated authors’ readings during the 5-week long exhibition of Chandra’s Insomnia [Awakening] at Pro Arts in Oakland. I still remember what poet Mark G said about Chandra’s big pieces (Chandra had painted stories on doors). “She understands trauma. I’m a vet.” That’s my recollection of what Mark said that day.
The plastic baby dolls in Chandra’s exhibit hooked my attention. She understands broken child-within, I thought.
We’ve been friends since.
Please take a look at Chandra’s film Art & Gift 2011! I’m proud of my friend and her powerful work. I’m honored to be in the documentary with Lucille Lang Day, Mary Rudge, Pedro, and all the other artists/poets/musicians/writers who were invited to speak to Chandra Garsson’s camera.
December 24, 2011
My praise on Chandra Garsson’s latest film Art & Gift 2011
birds’ songs
dog’s barking
haunting music
You understand sorrow.
eviction. Your losing your work space–to paint, to create, to sculpt, to work
from 2,400 square feet of artist’s space to 400
Your Insomnia [Awakening]
trusting Chandra Garsson to paint my dolls my ego my childhood symbolism onto Love Made of Heart bookcase
Your growth, blossoming, working with your hands, with colors, sounds, shapes.
Your masterpieces: art-making; book-making; jewelry-making; film-making
Sincerely,
Teresa LeYung-Ryan, author of Love Made of Heart
Chandra Garsson says of her film: “Documents the gift of a lifetime of art-making after eviction from art studio. Interviews with recipients of art, including landlord. My goal was to save art from the dump, and I succeeded.”
Chandra’s blog: http://flyingpaintproductions.blogspot.com
Chandra Garsson & Teresa LeYung-Ryan advocate Public Libraries Alive & Well Forever
Teresa is author of Build Your Writer’s Platform & Fanbase In 22 Days: Attract Agents, Editors, Publishers, Readers, and Media Attention NOW
Teresa is author of Love Made of Heart
Coach Teresa edits manuscripts (contemporary novels; thrillers; children’s novels; memoirs; short stories; anthologies) for authors who want to attract agents & publishers OR want to be their own publishers.
Chandra Garsson wrote to Teresa LeYung-Ryan on facebook:
“A lovely holiday to you, dear friend, and thanks for the mention. There is a gravity and dignity to your presence in the film.” “I am enjoying your newly poetic form of writing. Great and gorgeous New Year to you, Teresa!”
Posted in Art / Craft / Teaching, Mental Health, writing-career coach / manuscript consultant / writing coach / editor/ book doctor / author / writer's life / publisher | 
Tags: advocate Public Libraries Alive & Well Forever, Art & Gift 2011, art studio, blog, Chandra Garsson, doll my ego my childhood, eviction, gift of a lifetime, haunting, Insomnia (Awakening), Kim McMillon, latest film, losing your work space, Love Made of Heart, Lucille Lang Day, Mark G, Mary Rudge, Pedro, Pro Arts, symbolism onto bookcase, Teresa LeYung Ryan, to create, to paint, to sculpt, to work, You understand sorrow
A few factual errors, I will accept as poetic license, Teresa, especially as you speak well of my art (and eloquently) within the film. The rent was not raised ten-fold, although that has happened to many others. After my eviction in 2006 by a greedy developer landlord from the Dutch Boy paint factory art studios, I was given a much smaller space by my friend of about twenty years, one who had collected much of my art. I had to sell a great deal of my work at prices far below market value at the time of that move, due to the fact that the space my friend offered me (at a price well below market value) was about 1/8 of the space I had had to vacate. Now ensconced in the old Bank of America building, my friend, my landlady died. Her son inherited, he “had other plans for the building,” so once again I had to move. He kept the rent the same low amount I had paid his mother until the time of my move. He offered me another space in another building about 1/4 the size of the smaller space I had squeezed into after eviction from the Dutch Boy.
It is difficult to say in a situation like mine whether the tragedy is the loss of studio/gallery/work/storage (all of that is what a studio is or can be to a visual artist), or whether the tragedy is the necessity of saving work from land-fill by giving it to others. The loss is of countless hours of grueling intellectual work that goes into the making of any art—in my case countless paintings, sculptures, works on paper, and the objects that go into the personal collection of an artist, all grist for the mill, all muse, all the props that hold the theater together.
I am glad you give praise to the film I made about giving away the art, I would be interested in knowing what exactly about the film or the act of giving it all up you praise. After the enormity of first creating the body of work and then the enormity of two evictions and the unique “solution” I found— honestly? Not much of a solution to the dilemma I was faced with— I would be interested in feedback, specifically about the film and/or the situation.
I am glad you enjoyed a few of my many sound effects.
I am gratified that you found the music “haunting,” I agree that Paul Digby, Vincent Andelmoth, Aki Sasaki and friends, and Danny Zingarelli and friends created hauntingly beautiful music which graciously they allowed me to use in my film.
Er, uh, whose “ego?” Just curious.
Thank you for your impressions, and the opportunity for me to fill in a few gaps here by way of explanation, for those who click on the link to the film.
I love your participation in the film, Teresa, thank you again,
Chandra
Thank you so very much, Dear Teresa, I see a few welcome revisions, and I am grateful. I love reading your impressions of my film. Much happiness to you in the New Year!
Laughing in bemused joy, Teresa, to read your praise. Thank you! Yes, it is true, after you presented me with the poem you had written in your blog about Art and Gift, I did suggest a more conventional essay approach to blogging. The poem sparked genuine interest in finding out what you were actually saying about my film, hence my suggestion of a more formal approach.
I present here an introductory six-minute short film by way of paratext, or as I say within the film ‘paratextural’ information on the film, a play on ‘paratextual’ emphasising the textural qualities of the surfaces of most of my art: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN_PDl8OBxc.
Believe it or not, I dove back in to create a second version very similar yet different from the feature experimental documentary Art and Gift, this called Art and Gift, a Voyage Begins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zh758iVVB_Q&feature=related
And believe it or not I am still far from satisfied, as there are some technical flaws resulting from sound problems that could not be avoided, given my lack of experience making films, given the film software I worked with, given compression inevitable in the upload. Still and all, I am satisfied. I documented the gift of nearly all my art work, and I was able to realize my goal, that of saving my work from ultimate destruction brought on by the vagaries of the state of commercial real estate in the state of California, and eviction. Frankly, I was done, I wanted freedom from what had become for me an ongoing untenable situation.