In one of my alley wanderings I came upon this fabulous mural, albeit unfinished.
I kept returning. It remained unfinished, but the scaffolding (in slideshow below) kept moving.
Artist at work on the mural.
If I could just get a shot of her face!
I shot on 4 visits, scaffolding et all
On one visit, I met the business owners next door. From them, I learned that the mural had been started about a year and a half earlier, but the artist had been in an accident.
His injuries required lengthy healing, and he had just recently returned to work on the mural.
Finally one day in November, it was finished. I shot over a hundred pics. Unfortunately, I had to return in December.
I told Trent the day had been dark with black clouds, and the pics came out really warm. I would return on a brighter day.
Confession; like an idiot I accidentally had the camera on a warm setting.
All in all I must have returned to the site 8 times.
Returning to the unfinished mural had become like reading a great book, and I was sad when it was finished.
I love intricate murals, as there is so much detail to take pics of.
The slideshow on the right, presents the details I languished in.
I was going to pick a fave, but I kept changing my mind.
At some point I realized it was the back door to the Schevchenko Museum. The sign was always there, but I ignored it because it was all about the mural, for me.
About the Schevchenko Museum
Taras Schevchenko (1814 – 1861) Ukrainian artist, poet & thinker. Once imprisoned by Russia for his views, his rich creative legacy remembers him.
I was dazed by the collection of images and history on the website. I’ll be visiting over the winter months.
Left: Self portrait – click on portrait to visit museum website.
There were always cars parked on the site.
Sometimes they were clean (ish), and I was able to get some cool reflections.
The greenish one at the end is actually reflecting next door artwork.
Thank You to Trent for this Song!
A Million Miles Away
V1 He said, “You’re a threat” As his tanks gathered on the borderline
He said, “You must be stopped!” As his missiles started flying
He shook his fist And his countrymen fell in line
“It’s us or them” And our babies started dying
Chorus
V2 Another town, another city Turned to rubble over night
In darken cellars the children With each bomb blast, shake in fright
Refugees and wounded Walk and crawl the road of flight
Is anybody out there To listen to our plight?
Chorus
It’s a million miles away
CHORUS
How’s your work? And how’s the weather? How’s your mom and dad?
The traffic sucks It started raining So things have been real bad (1) So things are really bad (2)
My pickup’s dirty The dog’s on the couch Tik Tok has been a bore
The football game On my 80-inch TV Was postponed for some stupid war A million miles away
About the Song in Trent’s Words
Another new song, and, yes, another dark one. The four-note motif that runs through the verse might remind you of “Carol of the Bells”. I was thinking of the music that that carol was based on, Shchedryk, a Ukrainian New Years song arranged by composer Mykola Leontovych. Those four notes, though, are thought to be ancient, going back to before Christianity was introduced to Ukraine.
By this motif you may guess that the “he” in the first verse is “Putin” and the country being invaded is “Ukraine”. You are partially right – it is inspired by that war, but the idea is any war, particularly a war where a dominant power invades a lesser one, and how people here can care less about the lives lost. Anyway, I will let the song speak for itself, except that I want to say I think I did a pretty good job channeling my inner “Bob” on the first chorus…
Years ago I wrote a book. That was fun. Promoting and selling it; a big scary, hairy monster with horns. Eventually, it wound up in the menu on my blog, for free download. Robbie found it, read it and has now reviewed it!
Robbie also found it on amazon. I did tweak the ending after that, which is in the download. Is one version better? I don’t know. Anyway, if you click on the book cover, it will take you to the free download page.
She also said lovely things about my other creative endeavours – Art Gowns drawing & collecting Street Art.
Robbie, this is a wonderful happening for me. Thank you! 🌹
Faces over abstract, on what appeared to be the toe end of skateboards,
were screwed to poles and posts.
It was in the Grarten! Graffiti & Art & Garden = Grarten.
Love it in the Grarten, where art grows like wild flowers, so I went back and found more.
The Silver Lining
Clad in dirty shoes and shorts his face streaked with dirt, he swoops past like a bird in flight thrilled with disaster to flirt. *** Like nothing you’ve ever seen before the skateboard on which he rides, a platform piled high with recyclables no one his wild recklessness chides. *** A pair of dark eyes, wild and bright glow beneath his unkempt crop, he takes a sharp corner rather wide there is no-one to make him stop. *** We find our pleasures in different ways it’s human nature to laugh and enjoy, he’s found a way to make the most of life treating his load like a favourite toy.
Roberta Eton Cheadle
Robbie, who wrote The Silver Lining is a fabulous writer, artist and photographer.
You can skateboard virtually to either of her 2 blog sites. ROBBIE’S INSPIRATION
As the year draws to a close, I’m excited because days are getting longer, and I have a new Art Gown to share. She’s super special, so pop by Art Gowns on December 27th. It’s a holiday feast for the eyes.
In the meantime I wish all the very best, no matter what you celebrate this December!
Christmas
Holy Family with Saints Margaret and Francis (1578- oil on canvas) – Lavinia Fontana (1552 – 1614) Italian
Hanukkah
As I don’t have a photo of a Menorah, here’s one from Pexels. However, I have a photo of a Tora binder, rimmonim and yad. (below)
Torah binder (1696/97) – Simcha, wife of Levi of Buttrio – silk embroidered with silk thread
Kwanza
Kwanzaa – an annual celebration of African-American culture, culminating in Karamu, a communal feast. (December 26 to January 1)
Yule
Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals, with origins among the ancient Norse thousands of years ago. That would be what the Vikings celebrated.
Well, I don’t have any Vikings, but I just happen to have some VI-QUEENS.
There had been some cool alley finds on this hot day, but not a real prize.
Then I turned into a shady alley, sweet smelling and comforting.
It was a Healing Garden.
Turns out this alley is one of 2 Healing Gardens. A concept designed by artist Monica Wickeler & Indigenous artist Nyle Miigizi, the alley is filled with native plants and healing medicines. The Anishinaabe Nation’s story of the gift of Jewelweed was handed down to Nyle from his grandmother, Verna Patronella Johnston.
Mural artist Gosia Komorski was hired to paint.
Healing… we can all use some right now.
Best to be whole and positive, as we go into what seems will be a hectic new year.
Now it’s winter, but I fully intend to find the other Healing Garden, in late spring when the herbs are happening.
Pics taken by Resa – August 30, 2024
Toronto, Canada
Mural Artist:
If you click on the document below, you can read about the project. Pardon for the sloppy shot!
This song is not about a Healing Garden, but it feels like one. (Yes, the image is moving!)
My new blog pal, Ruth Maramis, wrote and executive produced “HEARTS WANT”.As I watch it for an enjoyable third time, I have some questions for her.
Resa – The location is fabulous. Tell me about it!
Ruth – It was in a historic, 100+ year-old theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA., that looks like it’s in Europe. It’s perfect as my story is supposed to take place in England. I set the story in a real place in the UK., a small cathedral city called Chichester in West Sussex, England (about a 1.5-hour drive south of London).
The following clip is 31 seconds long. Not necessary to watch it, but will add context to the conversation.
Logline: Two former lovers who reunite for a play by their terminally ill mentor face the consequences of a secret that could change their lives forever.
Resa – This would make a fab feature. Have you scripted it out as a feature?
Ruth – Yes I have written the full script, as the short was actually born out of a feature-length live script reading with actors.
Resa – As a feature does it have a happier (not necessarily happy) ending?
Ruth – The feature-length script has a hopeful ending, not a perfect ending tied with a big red bow, but it hints that Jacques and Lily are back together. Without giving too much away, it’s book-ended with a stage performance that makes the story come full circle. I envision the story as more than just a romantic drama but also a redemption story for Martin, the playwright whose voiceover is heard at the beginning of the short. He has a much more prominent role in the full story, and it’s he who brought Lily & Jacques together for his play, which is somehow connected to his past.
I love stories of second chances, as we all sometimes need a do-over and a chance to make amends. As a fan of stage performances, there’s something so intriguing about the world of theatre to set a story in.
Resa – The actors playing the two former lovers Lily (Sam Simmons) and Jacques (Peter Christian Hansen), are fabulous. Tell me a bit about them. I see Peter got a Best Actor Nominee at the YES! Let’s Make a Movie Film Festival in Montreal.
Ruth – Oh, believe it or not, Sam is from a nearby town in Sussex, though I had met her here in Minneapolis at a film festival and she had just moved from England a year prior!! Talk about serendipity, there are actually a lot of crazy serendipitous things about my film project!
I met Peter for the first time at the full script reading back in January 2017, four months before we shot the short film! My friend Kirsten suggested him to me for Jacques, as they had worked together in a film before. Both of the leads were playing Jacques and Lily at the reading, and had such great chemistry. Everything happened so fast after the reading at my friend JoJo’s home. (She ended up becoming one of the film’s producers).
Peter is quite a prominent theatre actor here in the Twin Cities, though I didn’t know that until I met him. He’s been in so many local plays; he’s also the artistic director of his own theatre company, Gremlin Theatre, in St. Paul, MN. I’m grateful to have found such terrific actors for the short film. They truly brought my characters to life beautifully!
Resa – As a Costume Designer I must ask, why is Jacques wearing a 1940s pilot bomber jacket and Lily a headscarf?
Ruth – Ok so in my original script, the play that the two main characters reunite in is a 1940s WWII romance drama where he’s a British Royal Air Force pilot, so the costume designer found this RAF sheepskin bomber jacket we could rent from Guthrie Theatre (the largest regional playhouse in the country).
I wanted to give a subtle nod to Gregory Peck in Twelve O’Clock High (I had the biggest crush on him since Spellbound), even though Peck’s character in the WWII movie is American. If you notice that it looks a bit big on Peter Hansen (the lead actor) is because I had to find a jacket that would fit both him and the other actor who plays his character’s understudy, and that guy (Noah Gillet) has a slightly larger frame than Peter’s. Same with his pants, as I had to save cost by renting just one set of costumes instead of two, ha..ha!
As for Lily’s headscarf, because she’s a biracial woman with a large ‘fro. She often had to hide her black identity in the 1940s.
Resa – The neck piece Lily wears at the beginning is too, stunning. It is so fabulous, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it.
Ruth – It’s actually Sam Simmons’ own necklace that she let us borrow for the film. My costume designer Caroline loved it and it paired well with the maroon jumpsuit she had on during that scene.
Due to budget constraints, I asked the actors to provide their own wardrobe for the contemporary scenes.
Resa – Tell me, why is Lily holding a suitcase in the “play”, within the short?
Ruth – The scene that appears in the short film is written as a farewell scene where the two lovers have to go separate ways, hence she was holding a suitcase. We decided not to include any dialog so it would not distract from the story of the film, if that makes sense.
Resa – Total sense!
Hearts Want Streams on Prime
With a 15 minute running time, it is well worth the watch!
Resa – So, What’s next on the agenda for Ruth Maramis?
Ruth – I really enjoyed making short films, but at this point, I really want to focus more on getting HEARTS WANTfeature film off the ground, as that is truly my passion project. I’ve done pretty much everything I could to get it developed, I went to AFM (American Film Market) in 2019 to try to pitch it to executives/financiers, did fundraising events, etc. but so far it’s kind of stalled. I know it’ll get made eventually, and I realize this is a marathon, not a sprint.
Click on the above banner and check out the HEARTS WANT website, where you canread more about it!
About Ruth
Ruth was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, but has been residing in Twin Cities, Minnesota for the past 30+ years along with her husband Ivan who’s also from Jakarta. She’s been a lover of movies since she was a little girl, and her dad was actually a filmmaker in Indonesia around the time she was born in the 1970s.
Her blog FLIX CHATTER has become my go to for new film reviews. Once in awhile she reviews a vintage movie.
She also participates in the 52 Films By Women challenge as per Women In Film organization. The basic rules are simple: watch 52 films directed by women within the course of one year. Share about the films you’re watching on social media, using the hashtag #52FilmsByWomen to spread the word.
P.S. Tom Bateman is one of the actors on Ruth’s dream list to play the lead male character in “Hearts Want” feature. As the story is set in the UK, she’d love to get British actors for the lead roles.
She is a RottenTomatoes-approved critic, which means her reviews count toward the critics’ Tomatometer. The full review appears on her website, but an excerpt of it appears on the individual Rotten Tomatoes review page, i.e., this one for La Cocina.
Same thing with Cherry Picks, which is a collective of movie and TV recommendations + reviews exclusively from female and non-binary critics.
Big Thank you to Ruth for joining me today, and to all who have taken the time to read!
Recently, wandering the urban forest, I espied a patch of colour. Turning the corner, a stunning autumn hued tarn with hikers appeared.
Instantly, I thought of Lauren Scott, and her love of country hiking. The next thought was “Isn’t she writing a children’s book? It must be almost finished.”
Well, I asked her. Turns out YES! Cora’s Quest is just released! As we are having an endless postal strike in Canada, I purchased the EBook.
The Blurb
Cora is a curious fawn who loves spending time with her parents. On one beautiful day, they stroll deep into the wilderness. They trot along on the trails, and Cora finds other animals fascinating. They skitter and fly around her with joyful purpose. Every unique sound catches her attention, stirring her curiosity to discover just where that sound came from. But suddenly her delightful family day takes a turn that begins to test the courage inside of her…
I know Lauren is unhappy with how the Ebook formatting came out. She got one from amazon. I got mine from Kobo. Yes, it is not perfect, but it’s all there.
Geared to 2- 5 year old children, this sweet and loving story, complete with enchanting illustrations by Chris Mendez, is the type of book a child might want to hold, carry around or even take to bed.
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