Friday, March 18, 2016

Elaine Weiner-Reed Invites Writers & Musicians to Participate in May 2016 EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG Competition; Shares Viewer Entries




Every Painting is a Song






Elaine Weiner-Reed invites you to her upcoming May 2016 Solo Exhibition

Bernice Kish Gallery - Columbia, Maryland 



Three Events in One:
Solo Exhibition
Gallery Talk 
Creative Collaboration



Every Painting is a Song

Fine art, defying boundaries.

Thoughtful art from action...leading to meaningful art in action. Art – the universal human language: touching hearts and connecting minds, bridging cultures, and embracing diversity.

     Elaine Weiner-Reed's Solo Exhibition"Revealing Layers"   will officially open Saturday, 14 May 2016, from 2PM to 4PM in the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House in the Village of Wilde Lake: 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia, Maryland 21044.

 Join the artist on this next step in her artistic adventure and show your support for the arts!
 
In the artist’s own words…

      "My art focuses on unraveling the complexity and mystery of human emotions, behavior, and relationships, featuring the individual within or outside of a group dynamic. Layers of color, shape, and line etched with calm or charged energy coalesce to convey a mood: intimacy, loneliness, alienation, joy, solidarity, sensuality, conflict, harmony, or mystery.  Depending on the story, I zoom in on an individual, defining their character in layers, or I depict them only as silhouettes or after-thoughts. Are they center stage or out of focus? Do they wear a mask?... [I ask you:]  If my paintings were songs, how would they sound to you…?" 



Every Painting is a Song


    That question, and the thinking behind it dating back some three or more years, was the genesis for Weiner-Reed's first annual "Every Painting is a Song" National Competition for writers, poets, songwriters, and musicians. 



 Your Questions and My Responses.

 Q & A   -  FAQs


QUESTIONs, ANSWERs, & EXAMPLEs OF ACCEPTABLE/UNACCEPTABLE ENTRIES 

    Note:  
         I will be sharing competition-related information in the four or more Blog posts leading up to the EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG Competition Launch on 14 May 2016


     In this next section of today’s post, I am very pleased to share viewer questions, comments, and YES a couple early sample entries!  Entries received prior to 14 May are not eligible in their current format, but thanks to these excited Creatives who wanted to try their hand at this early so they can be ready in under two months, we have examples to share with you! Their proactive nature and creative enthusiasm helps us all!  

     As a final “shout-out” to these wonderful folks, although their entries will not be eligible for the official competition, we have come to a mutually acceptable agreement. I have permission to cite them by their first name and publish their entry and questions and they have allowed me to share their words and ideas to serve as samples for you of WHAT TO DO and WHAT NOT TO DO.  Where needed, I will provide amplifying information in my replies to these fellow Creatives.



EXAMPLE 1 – Sample Entry for EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG
  
QUESTION 1: “What in the world does she want & what are we supposed to do?”

Meet  Donovan, a poet from The Main Line

   Donovan chose to create a poem based on a painting entitled “Primal Scream” that he found on my Artist website. Donovan thought he might like to enter the competition, and wanted to see if he was on the right track. As he began to get excited about creating something inspired by a painting and ideas beyond his own Muse, he wondered how to go about it, and thought “What the heck…! I’ll try something and then ask her.” [Great idea!] So, that is exactly what he did: He chose a painting that intrigued him, then picked up his pen and wrote… Donovan then reached out to me to ask if his approach was in line with what I had in mind with my EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG collaboration initiative. I told him that is EXACTLY what I had in mind and envisioned. Well done, Donovan! You gave us a great example of how to proceed!

   As a quick note, so you are not angry with me and do not feel bad for him, Donovan realized from the beginning that his “inspirational painting” choice would likely not be featured in my “Revealing Layers” Solo Exhibition and would therefore be ineligible - since it resides in the permanent collection of the Southern Nevada Museum of Fine Art (SNMFA). Nonetheless, Donovan said it was not a loss for him at all. He was excited, focused on creating, and found it energizing. Plus, he also realized that he would be helping others…and helping me…by writing his poem and reaching out to me.  I cannot thank him enough. It is with his type of nice and creative person that I was hoping to work!! 

  Here is my painting… "Primal Scream"




  Here is Donovan’s poem inspired by my painting “Primal Scream”


         It Ended and Began with one Primal Scream

A loss and pain so deep…

    I had an uninvited guest the other day: Pain came knocking.
Pain so intense and set on its purpose… 
Pain like an armor-piercing arrow to my heart…
Pain entered…and then took root.

  And with pain, my heart went dark, to sleep (not dead, I hope)
                  …my soul felt empty, sucked dry….

A loss and pain so deep...

  and one that I never saw coming.  

Even though I maybe should have….
So, things were bad.
And scary…because my reserve of sustaining memories
   ...of light and hope... was swallowed up in that Black Hole, that sink hole of pain.  
Primal.  Bottomless. Soul-splitting pain.

I was paralyzed in pain for heaven knows how long.
Finally, I knew what I had to do first.
To begin to heal, I had to honor the loss, memorialize the pain…
Only by first letting go…could I move on.
Only then, in the aftermath of such pain, could I begin the slow crawl to healing.

   So, finally, I let it rip: that ear-splitting, octave-breaking, wailing and endless primal scream.
 It might have lasted for weeks...eons.

A loss and pain so deep.

      I embraced it as humanity’s scream, torn from the womb…

Connected in and beyond time and space, stretching and reverberating across planet, solar system, heavens…
Timeless and solitary – universal.
Oh, powerful, deep, and primal scream. 

Shrouded now and quiet: With you, came rebirth.

  - By Donovan 

[Donovan recently asked: Could someone now put HIS poem to music?”...See, this is collaboration at work! And I think his work is heartfelt, unique, and creative. Kudos, Donovan!]




EXAMPLE 2 – Sample Entry for EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG

 QUESTION 1: “What in the world does she want & what are we supposed to do?”

Meet Sheila, a musician from Charleston

   Sheila chose a painting from my website entitled “Coloring Outside the Lines” that WILL actually be part of my Solo Exhibition and therefore would have been a valid entry if submitted after the launch date – but which she did not know at the time. (Her entry is ineligible, however, for reasons I will explain shortly.

     Sheila thought the idea of the EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG collaboration initiative was to PAIR my painting to an Existing Song. [My answer: No, Sheila – that was not the intent of this initiative and cannot happen.] So, what we can do, however, is show you Sheila’s song choices as examples of songs that do map to a painting, but that were NOT created based on the painting. Does that make sense? 

      You see: All creative writings/music/songs submitted to this competition MUST be the original work of the creative person submitting and not anything created by someone else--and most especially not a famous/celebrated OTHER creative person.
 
     Now, that said, as I told Sheila, her idea of pairing a song to a painting is correct and within the parameters of the EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG collaboration initiative, but I explained that any song entered must be HER creation—an original—and one that was created based on or inspired by one of my solo show paintings in my "Revealing Layers" Solo Exhibition.  

      Sheila’s thought process and example can still help us, however, if we can imagine that the FAMOUS SONG (and therefore copyrighted!) that she paired to my painting were her own.  

  Here is my painting… “Coloring Outside the Lines




  Here, Sheila paired existing songs by OTHER musicians [a no-no] to my painting “Coloring Outside the Lines” 

[Note: WHAT WE NEED FOR THIS COMPETITION ARE ONLY ORIGINAL LYRICS/MUSIC CREATED BASED ON INSPIRATION FROM ONE OF MY PAINTINGS. No copies or plagiarized works permitted!]

     Sheila chose two different and famous songs she felt conveyed stories she could visualize mapping to or as interpretations of my painting. I confess that while I like both her choices very much, that would be illegal and not allowed in this competition. 

     To participate, Sheila must now create her OWN, ORIGINAL SONG and pair it to one of my paintings in the show. I do hope she does! She is now on the right track, so I hope she is inspired and submits her own work after 14 May. [She said she hopes her example helps clarify the rules and intent of my competition for others! Thanks, Sheila!]

     Sheila’s no-no song choice number 1: 

“Going to the Chapel”




     Sheila’s no-no choice number 2:

“Life is a Cabaret”



       Note: I hope these two Examples from Donovan and Sheila are helpful. 
       I appreciate and thank them for their interest, time, and talents!


Request:



     Please share this news, invitation, and my related blog links and posts within your Creative Social Circles - to include creative writing and music/composing groups on FACEBOOK, Twitter, etc. The more creatives we meet and interact with, the better and the more fun we will have with this collaboration. 
     
      The goal is to inspire each other (beginning with my paintings serving as inspiration for you), enrich our creative wells, and expand our circles and networks. Once we connect, we will inspire each other to new levels of creativity and unique collaborations. I can create paintings based on YOUR creations..., and so moves the circle...expanding ever upward and outward. 

The Sky's the Limit!




For more information, watch for newsletters, blog posts
    and/or contact us at:   


     I hope these examples by two Creatives helps guide you in your own creative submissions to the first annual EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG collaboration initiative. 

     Please don’t hesitate to do as they have done: REACH OUT AND ASK THOSE WONDERFUL QUESTIONS! 

               Thank you for your interest and continued patronage and support.  

Stay tuned in and connected for important information as it breaks…

     The EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG Blog and the Official EVERY-PAINTING-IS-A-SONG Entry/Submission forms will be available the first week in May.

Yours in Art,
Elaine