We are very excited to share a wonderful interview we recently conducted with Katherine McDaniel.
Katherine McDaniel is classically trained opera singer, poet, painter, and the founder / director of Synkroniciti, “a creative incubator for new art and performance, where generous artists from varied disciplines collaborate to create original work which inspires awareness of the human condition. Based in Houston, Texas, we seek to weave together diverse elements, including visual art, literature, music, theatre, dance, and film. Our latest creation is Synkroniciti Magazine, which seeks to find and amplify new voices from all over the globe.”
Katherine tells us more about what makes Synkroniciti such a unique magazine.
We are excited share with you more of our series dedicated to inspirational art through the ages.
This series seeks to highlight classical pieces that make our hearts skip a beat, are likely to brighten your day, and will help your artistic creativity!
Today’s pick is Eugène Carrière’s lithograph “Sleep”.
“Sleep” is a portrait of Carrière’s young son, Jean-René, and appears in L’Album d’estampes originales de la Galerie Vollard. It is a beautiful example of how the artist worked from dark to light.
Rather than drawing with a lithographic crayon, Carrière covered his entire stone with ink, which he then wiped and scraped away to create areas where the paper would show through when printed. Here, the visual effects of this technique combine with expressive, almost abstract forms to give the subject a fantastic, dreamlike atmosphere.
Carrière (1849-1906) mostly focused on scenes of his domestic life. His work, which features a unique brown monochrome palette, influenced Picasso. “Sleep” may not be his most famous piece, but the sheer simplicity of what it depicts will leave you with a deep sense of peace.
Inspired by this piece?
Create your own artwork and submit it to us for potential inclusion in one of our publications. We now offer ongoing royalties to paying contributors.
Songs in Our Paths: Haiku & Photography (Volume 2) continues offering an opportunity to reflect on the world around us and uncover its mundane, but often overlooked beauty.
The book will be released on May 25, 2021, and is available to pre-order until then! Click here to purchase a copy.
See you soon for more news about our PoArtMo Collective! In the meantime:
The PoArtMo Mini-Reviews are short, quick-read reviews written by members of the PoArtMo Collective. Our goal is to introduce you to art (books, documentaries, movies, etc.) that you may not be familiar with, and that both adults and youths alike can enjoy.
Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the cliff by the sea – Japanese Animated Film)
Genre: Anime, Fantasy, Adventure.
Year: First aired in Japan : 19th July 2008.
Creator(s): Hayao Miyazaki.
Summary:
Sôsuke is a five year old boy living in a small fishing town. One day while playing on the shore, he discovers a strange goldenfish with a human face trapped into a glass jar. He frees the strange creature and names it Ponyo. This strange goldenfish is in fact Brunehild, the daughter of Fujimoto (a once-human wizard) and Gran Mamare (also known as the Goddess of Mercy by humans). Fascinated by Sôsuke and his world, she wants to become human and live on Earth. But her use of magic causes a dangerous unbalance in Nature…
Why we like it: A beautiful story, I’m rarely disappointed by a Ghibli, as usual the characters are well rounded and very moving. Same conclusion with the background, which is absolutely wonderful.
Who can read / watch: Everyone aged 8 and above.
Favorite moment: The appearance of Gran Mamare, I found her to be absolutely beautiful.
PoArtMo verdict: While searching some information about the film, I found out that the animation was totally hand-drawn, which is amazing and incredible! Beautiful music by Joe Hisaishi (as usual I’m tempted to say). I love the references to Andersen and his Little Mermaid and those to Wagner with Brunehild (which is the real name of Ponyo) and ‘The Ride of the Valkyries’ when Ponyo, as a little girl, rides waves to find Sôsuke.
For more information on the show, check out these links below.
The PoArtMo Prompt is a monthly series with a twist. Submissions can only be sixku, kindku, pareiku, or flashku, the forms that we invented.
What’s in it for you? Well, the chance to be featured in a future issue of our magazine or even in a future anthology!
This month’s prompt is “Close to the ground”.
Imagine being an insect or tiny animal. What kind of stories would you have to share with us about the world around you?
Remember: If you choose to write a pareiku then you will need to use two copyright free images to inspire your piece. Here are two images that you can freely use.
1. If it is your first time on our website, please read our FAQ to understand our submission process.
2. Submission deadline: May 31, 2021.
3. Only inspirational / positive / family-friendly art. No politics, no swear words, no erotica.
4. Send us your Sixku, Kindku, Pareiku, or Flashku for potential inclusion in our PoArtMo Anthology.
NB:
If you decide to send us different images instead of using the ones we provide, ensure that you have permission to use them. We also require that said images are not widely available on the Internet. Finally, they must meet the following requirements: 300 ppi (resolution), 1,500 pixels on the longer side and less than 5MB in size.
