Chris Koelle has completed his poster for the Dalit Freedom Network. Today the organization called to let us know that they're wanting to move forward with setting up an online store where people can go to buy the poster. So I'll be setting that up soon. We want to be involved in doing what is in our power to help humanitarian organizations succeed in their mission. We feel that the Dalit Freedom Network is a perfect use for our time and talents--particularly because they do a great job unifying practical social application with clear Gospel witness.
Last night Justin Gerard, Tim Pike (who is visiting), and I put a coat of polyurethane on the floor of our new studio. One more coat this morning---then let it dry---and we're moving in.
By the way, Justin has joined the Creative Talent Network...
www.creativetalentnetwork.com
I'm going to be switching to Firefox 1.0, I think. I'm going to give the browser a few days and see how it goes. This is your test period, Mozilla. I've been a fan of Safari for a long time. If Safari offered an A9.com search toolbar, I'd go with that.
Today we got the floors sanded down at our new office space. The hardwood should come out looking pretty nice in the end. Jeff Gray came down to help some along with Cory Godbey, Chris Koelle, and Justin Gerard. I think we'll be moving into our studio in about a week or two. As soon as the floors are stained, our desks will be set up in the office.
Ran the Turkey Run at BJU today. Didn't do as well as I would have liked, but I could have been training much more. 3.1 miles in 26:00. Oh well, now I have something to try to beat. But the first mile was my fastest ever, I think.
The short film concept with Cory Godbey is coming along well. The pieces of the story include WWII, a troll who is a postman, and an important package. We're still hammering out the details. A very talented character model builder in Brazil is doing our main character as a maquette for our inspiration and drawing help.
There are, I believe three basic possibilities concerning the nature of a work of art. The first view is the relatively recent theory of art for art’s sake. This is the notion that art is just there and that is all there is to it. You can’t talk about it, you can’t analyse it, it doesn’t say anything. This view is, I think, quite misguided. The great modern artists such as Picasso never worked for only art for art’s sake either. Picasso has a philosophy that showed through in his paintings.
The second, which I spoke of above, is that art is only an embodiment of a message, a vehicle for prorogation of a particular message about the world or the artist or man or whatever. Christians as well as non-Christians have held this view, the difference between the two versions being the nature of the message that the art embodies. But, as I have said, this view reduces art to an intellectual statement and the work of art as a work of art disappears.
The third basic notion of the nature of art – the one that I think is right, the one that really produces great art and the possibility of great art – is that the artist make a body of work and this body of work shows his world view… I emphasise the body of an artists work because it is impossible for any single painting, for example, to reflect the totality of an artist’s view of reality. But when we see a collection of an artist’s paintings or a series of a poet’s poems or a number of a novelist’s novels, both the outline and some of the details of the artist’s conception of life shine through. [p 36-37]
I've been quite busy these days getting ready to get started out on my own--after leaving BJU. There are a lot of considerations---insurance, bills to pay, time management, etc. Thank the Lord that He is helping me work through all this.
Things are starting to change at the Press. A large slice of the video work I would have been doing is already being shifted over to Craig Oestering now. He's got my monitor and DV deck as of today too.
The office downtown (for Portland Studios) is shaping up. Saturday will be filled with stripping and sanding the floors. Then the next week I hope we'll be putting in crown molding and painting. We'll see.
By the way, it's just one room, but it's a great start for us.
We're working on many projects now:
New book cover for Houghton-Mifflin.
Another book cover for Houghton-Mifflin.
Getting some details worked out with the Free the Dalits poster. (That piece will be used in a new book about the Dalit people being put out by the Dalit Freedom Network.)
Working on e-cards for the Portland Studios site. (These aren't you mother's e-cards.)
Some characters for Neighborhood Bible Time.
Working on a pitch to Tommy Nelson of a new children's book by Andrew Peterson that we're representing.
Waiting on getting If I Were A Monster through the next pitch level at Tommy Nelson.
Doing a new front page illustration for www.driftlab.com
Doing a cover for a Dictionary of Christian Biography for Ambassador-Emerald.
Short film based on WWII trolls---Cory Godbey is art directing and writing.
And lots of other little pieces of ideas going on.
LOTS of new story developments stuff.