IMAGO CORVI

That's the conference I was just at this past week. What a blast I had! It was one of those conferences where academics and practitioners are brought into fruitful proximity - an activity I particularly enjoy. I gave a paper which you can read here if you are at all intereted. The panel was called "Locating Interdisciplinarity: Technology and the Humanities". They have a "Living Traditions" concert every year, too - and I was delighted to be able to participate in that with my friends Bairbre McCarthy (storyteller) Dr. Gearoid OhAllhmurain (concertina player) and Robbie and Roxanne O'Connell (guitar & singing and singing respectively)

It was an extremely intense few days, and got me thinking about how odd my life is - when I get home from these intense events that I spend the summer doing it all sort of feels like a dream - but what I learn is mysteriously incorporated into my life in the winter as I cocoon, and I feel richer for it.

I have also finally gotten the "Grave Goods" site together. "Grave Goods" is an exhibition that my cronies at An Droichead/The Bridge and I put together (spearheaded by Darrell Markewitz). There are some amazing pieces in the exhibition - so do check it out here Here's a preview

I wanted to talk about how important discovering WisCon has been to me. For those of you who don't know, WisCon is a Feminist Science Fiction and Fantasy Convention that happens in Madison Wisconsin every May. But I found that I couldn't talk about it without going on a journey (isn't that often the way?) It has been a twisted journey - and it is fitting that it all started back in 2004 at the first Mythic Journeys Conference in Atlanta.

In some ways I am reluctant to talk about my experiences at Mythic Journeys - because I know that for most attendees it was an unalloyed weekend of bliss - the programming was spectacular and the array of guests breathtaking - but in fact my experience was mixed.

I was excited about going - I had been a mythic artist for 25 years, working almost entirely in solitude - and at last I was going to get a chance, not only to get some recognition for the work I had been doing, but also to meet other mythic artists and share experiences and inspiration.

I am sorry to say that the first thing I noticed was a sort of flavour of elitism – of an ‘inner ring’ that I and the other artists were most definitely on the outside of. It wasn’t a deliberate exclusion – just a sort of self-absorption that was not sensitive to or inclusive of the many newcomers. My interest in mythic arts was not superficial or passing: I felt that I had something to contribute – but that I was not allowed in.

Sadly - because of the way the "Mythic Marketplace" was set up (and don't even get me started on the demeaning associations of the word 'marketplace') I couldn't participate in any of the great events that happened without leaving my booth unattended (which I occasionally did anyway) The schedule was so heavy with programming that attendees rarely had a chance to spend time in the 'marketplace' so mostly I and the other handful of artists only had each other for company. We enjoyed each other’s company - but were a bit irate that we were lumped in with importers, (especially as we had been promised that we wouldn’t) but mostly that we were not in any way considered participants in the conference. We were considered 'vendors' rather than mythmakers in our own right.

Happily I made many amazing connections. It was there that I first encountered fellow Canadian Charles DeLint, was introduced to the amazing Endicott Studio in the persons of Terri Windling and Midori Snyder, had great conversations with Jessica Wick (left - photo by Eric used with permission) of Goblin Fruit, and made lasting friends with fellow artist Chandra Cerchione-Peltier - among others.

Also - I found out about WisCon.

Well, no-one actually mentioned it, but I had been so delighted with the people I met that I asked myself - "Where else do these people go?" And when I googled them all - WisCon was a common denominator.

I had somewhat lost touch with my feminism over the years. Because I lived in an artists’ world - and most of my friends were artists, with the usual accompanying open-mindedness - I thought that most of the battles had been fought and won.

I had stopped reading Fantasy and Science Fiction when I began my own mythic studies - because I wanted to go to the source and develop my own vision rather than seeing the myths through someone else’s creative lens.

So I felt like a bit of an impostor. I wasn’t a feminist and I didn’t read Fantasy or Science Fiction…

But I’m so glad I went. I found out that in fact I was a feminist (always had been) and that whether I had read their books or not I really had quite a lot in common with the writers, artists and thinkers that I found there - who were not all women.

I wasn’t in a ‘marketplace’ I was in an “Art Show”. Someone was in charge of this area – someone totally practical who not only made all of my sales for me, (including collecting and remitting state tax so that I didn’t have to go through the hassle of getting a temporary license) but made this a simple a trouble free transaction. For this service I was charged the ridiculously low price of 4% of sales (no, that it not a typo that’s four percent, not forty!) I was at complete liberty to visit and participate in the panel discussions
One of Devony's fabulous hats Photo by Eric used with permission







And what panel discussions there were! They were a smorgasbord of luscious topics that made my mouth water and had me agonising over whichto choose.

There was an academic track with interesting topics like “An Introduction to Fantastic South Asian Literature”, “Fantasy Fiction: Great Goddesses, Whole Women”, “The Political Potential of Feminist Science Fiction”

But even the regular panels were set up to stimulate real thought. Who could resist topics like these: “Feminist Fairy Tales”, “The Changing Language of Communication”, “Never the Hero: Girls in Genre Literature”, “Raising Kids as if Not All of them Will Be Heterosexual”, “Cultural Appropriation & Writing Fantasy Outside Western Tradition”.

I couldn’t help noticing that none of the panel discussions were about art. I and Devony Smith (left - photo by Lisa Stock used with permission), another artist asked Miss Jane Washburn (Artist and Art Show Coordinator extraordinaire!) about that and she explained that all we had to do was suggest it, and if there was enough interest it would be quite likely to be accepted. So we did and it was! I was a participant from the moment I arrived. I realised later that this was because of the feminist nature of the undertaking: with a non-hierarchical, grassroots, inclusive and a sensitive, listening approach to the organisation of the event.

Response to my work was positive and supportive – response to my ideas was respectful and spontaneous. New and interesting ideas and people were all around me. I was in heaven!

Being now the venerable veteran of no less than three WisCons I am constantly surprised by the response I get from others when I tell them I am going to a Feminist Science Fiction convention. Women are sardonic and ask if everyone is wearing Spock ears. Men scoff or just look frightened. I was seeing first hand that the battles had not been fought and won – they had been fought and lost.
Artist Connie Toebe, filmmaker Lisa Stock and myself - photo from Lisa Stock - used with permission)
I no longer feel like an impostor there – indeed no-one can feel that way in such an accepting and thoughtful community. I still don’t read much Fantasy or Science fiction – but I have lots in common with those who do since I am engaged in the same work – I just turn my research into works of visual art instead of into works of fiction…

In fact it is one of the few places I feel really at home.






Special thanks to Eric and Nigel for kind permission to use their photos.

I feel like I have been neglecting my Journal. I suppose it's only natural - since the summer is my busy season when I am hard at production work - and travelling a lot to shows.

I love my summers - I like to travel, and I like doing the circuit of shows - some of which are new, where I meet new and interesting contacts - and some of which are old and venerable where I re-connect with old friends. 

with care and aplomb by Robbie O'Connell (above) who has an en-erring sense of the heart needed for traditional singing. Too often these sessions settle into a circle - where the call goes relentlessly from one singer to the person sitting next to them without any sense of spontaneity. What is needed is lots of people with large repertoires - so that one song can remind another singer of a good follow-up and the flow can become magical. This is a rare gathering indeed! This year we had the great Con Fada O Drisceoil humorous songwriter extraordinaire (author of such classics as "The Spoons Murders") who definitely added to the ‘craic’ – an untranslatable Irish word that implies laughter, tears, magic and conviviality all rolled into one.

But there is more than song sessions to the Catskills! There is a small art faculty – but the largest proportion of teachers deal with the great instrumental traditions of Ireland: fiddle, pipes, concertina, flute, guitar, bodhran. There are 600 students and over 50 faculty so the music sessions everywhere are mighty! East Durham, NY 

Rosin White, Tim Dennehy, Myself, Kathy Ludlow, Shannon Heaton, Daithi Sproule, Matt Heaton
Photo by Linda Mason Hood, used with permission.

– the hamlet where this madness takes place is very small – but host to 7 organised sessions, and countless more spontaneous ones every evening. I teach enamelling during the day and then head over to the field to man my booth for the evening concert where the teachers can show off their expertise to their adoring students. Roxanne O’Connell mans the booth that sells the teachers CD’s and she and I work out harmony parts for each others favourite songs as we set up and take down. Then we head off to the song or other sessions that often go on all night. Check out Tim Raab's Photo essay with sound clips if you want to get a good flavour of the week. Just click on the pictures along the bottom and listen to the sound clips that go along with them.

Old Songs is another favorite show. 

Photo by Bill Spence click to see more

The artistic director Andie Spence always finds new and unusual voices to showcase. I have been doing the show for almost 20 yeas - and my customers have become my good friends. Sometimes it’s just the personal connections I make with people when I am at my booth. It has always been my goal to imbue my pieces with meaning – but each time someone comes along and makes an emotional connection with some idea or feeling that I have been trying to embody in a piece of enamelling, it moves me. It’s why I love doing shows – to have that real and personal connection.

I am on my way next week to Goderich, ON – home of the Celtic College and the Celtic Roots Festival. This week is not so intense for me as Catskills – for one thing I am only teaching half days.

enjoying a 10W-30 in "Ontario's Prettiest Town"
 The biggest appeal is the chance to get together again with all my cronies in AnDroichead/The Bridge. We met at Goderich many years ago when the Festival first began and it has been a fruitful, enjoyable and inspiring alliance. Goderich is the only festival that I know that considers the visual artists as important a part of the festival as the music. Rather than opting for the hawkers of mass- produced claddagh rings and celtic crosses, it has fostered a sense of creative community and collaboration that is unprecedented.

So I will leave you there for now – on the itinerary for September is the Philadelphia Ceili Group Festival, and then I will get back to my movies!

Well - I have been working away at my movies (I am doing two - one of the owl necklace - and another of a special order I am working on) both are up at YouTube in their silent form - I hope to get to the soundtrack soon - but I have my mother's birthday this week-end (she'll be 83!)and a show in New York next week-end, so I am not sure when that will happen...

Meanwhile I wanted to show you the progress on the brass bowl that I brought to WisCon - as my first effort in silver smithing. It started as a square piece of metal and was entirely hammered into the shape it is now. I have added the enamel embellishments that I had in mind and it is now mostly finished (a few more polishing things to do) I am calling it "offering bowl" and it will be going in an exhibition organised by my artist collective AnDroichead/The Bridge called "Grave Goods"

When Jane talked me into having a live journal - she sucked me in with the idea of being about to show people something of the process of enameling. I pictured myself taking pictures at various stages of the process and explaining them. Well - when I went to take the first picture I realised there was a movie function on my camera! Eureka!

So I am making a movie! I am recording the process of making the owl necklace that got so much attention at WisCon. Fortuitously I got an order for it - so I have been documenting it. It is slowing me down a little - and since the process takes 5 days it is taking some time - but - impatient as I am - I wanted to show you a little. So here it is so far (I am doing final firing and polishing today and tomorrow and then I will make a soundtrack - at the moment it-s a silent film ;-)

Let me know what you think!

Here are my sketches of the armless maiden panel series. There are a couple of projected ones that I don't have a sketch for: the final one especially will be a challenge. I plan to do them as 3" x 3" cloisonne panels which will then be mounted somehow. I have not decided what to do with the text (which I have reduced to a bare minimum) I tried several way of incorporating it in the drawing, but was not happy with the results. I am now thinking of incorporating it in the frame - but I might leave it out altogether ...





This is just the first two layers - I plan to add about ten more incorporating a leafy texture in shades of green. Enamel is ground up glass that is applied wet with a small spoon, or dry with a sifter depending on the effect that you want to create. I am using both silver and gold wire of differing thicknesses.




This one only has one layer and will be shades of brown/green. This colour is deceiving as it looks dark when fired at low temperatures. Cloisonne layers must always be fired very low until all the layers are built up. This gives you more control over the colour reflections and keeps the enamel from climbing the wires and loosing the shading. In the final high firing this colour will be a light golden amber that will shine through the subsequent layers that I build up (hopefully!)





In the above panel I plan to use lace to create the background patterns. I can use the lace as a sort of stencil and sift the enamel over it.

Here will be a panel (which I haven't quite got a satisfactory drawing for yet) called 'he goes away to war, leaving her with child'







I wanted this panel to reflect the second panel but to have a glowing heart, so the forest will be dark, but the window of her home will shine brightly

I am still working on the final panel when the prince comes courting again.

As I mentioned these panels are a huge departure for me - the imagery, the medium and even the design process - which has been a difficult birth. They were fomenting in my mind all last year, after hearing Midori and Terri's panel discussion on Baba Yaga and the Armless Maiden - and came out this winter (which was a difficult and emotionally painful one)

I also have in mind a cremation urn that will be shaped like Baba Yaga's house - but that has been pure fun!

More later!

Catherine

I thought I would move this conversation that I am having with Lisa Stock over here to Live Journal - so that others can comment or join in.

Lisa went to my MySpace music page and (I am delighted to say) enjoyed the songs. She particularly mentioned Blackest Crow, which is one of the very few Appalatian songs in my repertoire. I love its simplicity and the deeply moving imagery of the lyrics. Frank Harte - a great traditional singer from Dublin - said that there was usually a line or a verse in a song that compelled you to learn it - but this whole song compels me!

Historically the songs I do are about 100-200 years old and in some cases I know quite a bit about them. Many have been collected in Canada but are of Irish, English or Scottish origin and were learned from field recordings stored at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

The specifically Irish repertoire is interesting because it is quite different than the usual ballads (which are more common in Scotland and England, though they are certainly found in Ireland too). The songs are more lyrical than narrative (e.g. The Old Grey Sheep: 2^nd song on the MySpace page) and come from a different tradition - affected by the fact that they were first written in another language.

Repertoire is the thing I focus on most and I have about 100 songs that I sing and about 100 more that I 'know of'. Almost all of my songs are about longing and loss. (But I have at least a dozen 'broken token' ballads - which actually have happy endings, even though they are MOSTLY about longing and loss (*wink*).

I struggle always with expressing the authenticity of the songs (which for generations were sung by peasants in their kitchens - such as Banks of the Nile which is a field recording of a classic English broadside ballad and the third song on the MySpace Music page). This singer, Walter Roast, who was a blacksmith from East Chezzetcook, New Brunswick is (to me) a particularly sweet singer, but it can be something of an acquired taste. It is very different than the more contemporary, cleaned up, prettified 'performance' and lush arrangements that most people nowadays associate with "Celtic " music. I often love these arrangements - but I also love the simplicity and spare beauty of some of the old singers.

There is an extraordinary album by Martyn Bennett (sadly now deceased) called Glen Lyons: A Song Cycle that captures a little of both. It is a collaboration with his mother folklorist, singer, writer, storyteller and just plain amazing person Margaret Bennett. (I had the great honour and pleasure to meet her a few years ago). It includes field recordings from wax cylinders of her grandfather’s singing, as well as herself and her son singing and playing, complex but subtle instrumental arrangements and even ambient sounds from the glen in Scotland where the family has lived for so long. (You can hear samples here)

Lisa and I were also discussing the Armless Maiden, and I told her about a series of panels that I am working on - which she expressed an interest in. They are in progress- they will be in enamel eventually but so far I have only begun two of them. My plan, at present, is to do them in cloisonné technique (design is created with thin wires and built up on the metal). This is more time consuming than my regular technique of champlevé (metal is etched and the enamel is inlaid) and somewhat out of my comfort zone. I have to keep setting the project aside and doing regular work for shows, but they are always in my mind. I have drawings - but they are just suggestions and I am rethinking them as I go. I will post them here when I figure out how to upload pictures :-)

I also went to Lisa’s YouTube gallery where I saw (among other amazing things!) her short film about the making of Titania – which was fascinating. It was an interesting window into the process – especially the inspiration that came from Gustav Dore of the small figures in a huge and overpowering landscape. I am particularly impressed by Lisa’s facility in expressing intangible emotional states. I can’t do this easily myself – but her words, which have great beauty, often resonate with my own experience.  Such was the case with the little short Mermaid movie test (and also Cobweb Forest – though I haven’t entirely finished this yet)

Catherine

Well here I am posting my first blog on live Journal - thanks to the help and encouragement of Miss Jane Washburn - doll maker extraordinaire, and magnificent duenna of the Wiscon art Show. I am in a bit of a rush today, as I have a passel of musician friends coming for lunch - but I wanted to say hello - especially to all my Wiscon art friends. I look forward to having many interesting conversations about art and myth and other topics of interest. I have embarked on a project of documenting the process in my studio, and look forward to posting pictures of works in progress.