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geracaoalpha · 5 years

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Alpha’a Interviews: Mary Gaspar

Photo by Lyndsey Yeomans

Mary Gaspar is an abstract watercolor and acrylic painter from Chicago, Illinois. She painted at the Evanston Art Center throughout her youth and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois. Her abstract “Plant Cell” pieces derived from a “post baby fog” and the need to create work that portrays connection. She has been featured in Architectural Digest, Domino Magazine, Property Brothers and her work is collected internationally. Mary paints in her home studio in Wilmette, Illinois where she lives with her husband, three young daughters and border collie. When she’s not painting, you can find her in her garden.

Who are your influences/inspirations, artistic or otherwise?

People who inspire me...Patti Smith, David Bowie, Anne Lamott, Elizabeth Gilbert...people who continually pursue their curiosities and share their experiments with the world. Painters...Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Franz Kline. I love seeing what is coming out of the studio of Bertrand Fournier. I am inspired (and rejuvenated) by nature...I love taking little road trips with my family and I am always taking pictures...of everything...the flowers, the sky, the rocks. I'm very inspired by spaces...interiors have a huge effect on me. I love interior design and textiles. I think this is evident in my work...the constant search for composition and texture. Balancing an interior space feels similar to creating an exciting composition on canvas. I know I've felt this way all my life. Even as a child...always rearranging my spaces.

When did you decide to become an artist?

When I was a kid I told everyone who asked that I was going to be an artist and an actress. I was very artsy, lol. I started taking art classes at age 6. In high school I got very into theatre and ended up majoring in theatre in college. My painting fell to the way side and I worked as an actress throughout my 20s. It wasn't until 30 years old, staying home with an infant and toddler, that I felt the incredible urge to paint again. I call it my full body and soul grab at my former self in the midst of young motherhood. I started painting again at night, after I put the children to bed. Things slowly snowballed from there. I started sharing work on social media and at a few local shows. I started selling my work to people casually as I raised my babies. It was all very slow...I played the long game. Mostly because art is my life. It sustains me. Now, 10 years later, I run a full-time art business from my home studio.

Rainforest Plant Cell 1

What informs your color palette?

I use pretty simple color palettes in my work...usually just 2 or 3 colors. Black and White, navy...I love the simplicity in a stark, minimal palette. I crave that. Yet my dualistic nature loves pops of color as well. I use a lot of indigo blue and Sienna...together it's a dream. I was very inspired by a recent trip to Zion National Park in Utah. The color palette is all indigo and burnt Sienna. Sky and earth. I am exploring green and yellow...refreshing citrine. I'm very seasonally inspired by color but when in doubt, I will always return to blue.

Describe your studio space.

My studio is my happy place. It's a tiny but mighty 99 square feet. We added this space above our garage when we renovated our home 2 years ago. I have two walls of huge windows and a balcony. The light is incredible. It's an absolute dream. And even though it's small, you can create a lot in here. This year I created a body of work that was my largest size wise....my biggest canvas being 7 ft long. And it's in my home...with 3 young kids who need me a lot, it's nice to have my studio so close...for quick popping in when I need to work.

What are you looking forward to today?

Today I'm looking forward to painting a bunch of small works on canvas for holiday gifting. I'm doing a holiday gift shop on my website this year, which is so much fun! I made hand painted ornaments, a minimalist 2020 fine art calendar and coordinating print sets...I feel like an elf tinkering away in my work shop dreaming up artsy gift ideas ;)

Shop Mary Gaspar’s works here!

She can also be found at marygasparart.com, on Instagram at @marygasparart, and on Facebook at @MaryGasparArt.

#mary gaspar #art #contemporary art #watercolor #interview #artist #alphaa #painting

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gyrlversion · 6 years

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Dumbo flies again! Everything you need to know about blockbuster

The whimsical story of a flying baby elephant melted hearts when it hit the big screen in 1941, and has been a family favourite ever since.

Now, 78 years on, a whole new generation of children are set to fall in love with the tiny elephant with the big ears with Disney’s live-action remake of Dumbo.

And thanks to an array of technical wizardry, the computer- animated junior jumbo looks just as real as his human co-stars.

So just what did it take to bring this £90 million epic to our screens?

From actors in purple suits covered in tennis balls to an RAF hangar and rumours of an on-set romance, Alison Boshoff reveals the secrets of how Dumbo took flight — and all without a single real elephant . . .

The live-action remake of Disney’s Dumbo, which stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Nico Parker and Finley Hobbin, is set for release on March 29

Based on 1941 animated classic (pictured), the storyline faces some changes including Timothy Mouse, who originally hlps Dumbo, being dropped

The British Boffins who made magic

Like Disney’s 2016 remake of The Jungle Book, the computer-generated animals in Dumbo are hyper-realistic, but have been given human expressions. With his large, liquid, blue-green eyes, the adorable Dumbo has reduced preview audiences to tears.

But bringing Dumbo to life took some doing, with British visual effects firm Moving Picture Company — who won an Oscar for The Jungle Book and are working on this year’s Lion King remake — adding in all the CGI elements after the scenes had been shot.

For the actual takes, the cast came face to face with a range of models and human stand-ins.

Bringing Dumbo to life took some doing, with the British visual effects firm Moving Picture Company behind Oscar-winner The Jungle Book adding in all the CGI elements after the scenes had been shot

Colin Farrell, who stars as former circus performer Holt Farrier, explained: ‘We have a couple of people in green suits, and a couple in aluminium outlines of how big an elephant would be with eyes represented by little tennis balls.

‘The baby was green and the mama was purple, and I guess when they draw it, that’s how they separate it.’

In one scene where the elephants are seen walking off a train, the ramps were pulled down by a hydraulic pump to make it look as if they were bending under the beasts’ weight.

Other special effects included making the straw from which Dumbo first emerges move as if a real elephant was wriggling out.

Danny DeVito, who plays circus owner Max Medici, said: ‘There’s a fake trunk coming out, and the special effects people have little filaments that move the hay. And that’s really cool to watch.’

There’s an animal rights agenda

The original film was a simple fable about an elephant who could fly, if only he believed in himself.

In the new film, the human storylines have been vastly expanded. Set in 1919, just after World War I, much of it is about the men who run rival circuses.

The question of whether it is right to exploit animals is also answered in a way that will appeal to modern sensibilities.

Originally set as a fable about an elephant who can fly, the new version looks at animal rights abuses and whether it should be legal to exploit any animal

Farrell’s character is a war veteran who has lost an arm. ‘He was away for five years, and by the time he comes back, the two children have been raised by the circus and his wife has died,’ says Farrell. ‘So he is a single father ill-equipped to deal with parenthood or the changes in the circus.’

Holt’s friend Medici, in financial trouble, buys an elephant to try to bring in the crowds. Mrs Jumbo has baby Dumbo — and when it’s discovered he can fly, Medici thinks his troubles are over. However, the villainous V.A. Vandevere (Michael Keaton), wants Dumbo for his amusement park, Dreamland.

Farrell adds: ‘It’s a new narrative . . .There’s the shyster type of circus leader with a heart of gold, that’s Danny. Then there’s the evil, megalomaniacal owner of the really big fantastical circus.’

…But Timothy Mouse is dropped

After losing his mother in the original, Dumbo is helped by Timothy Mouse, who persuades him he can fly with the help of a ‘magic feather’.

Yet Timothy doesn’t feature in this version. Instead it is Milly and Joe, the children of Holt Farrier, who discover that Dumbo can fly after he inhales a feather and, while sneezing it out of his trunk, becomes airborne.

Finley Hobbin and Nico Parker star as the children of Holt Farrier to replace Timothy Mouse. They realise that Dumbo can fly when he inhales a magical feather

Roles for Batman and the penguin

Dumbo is directed by Tim Burton, who revamped Alice In Wonderland into a billion-pound blockbuster in 2010; critics say he is about to repeat the trick.

Though Burton has a reputation for the Gothic and phantasmagorical, many of his films have scenes that touch the tear ducts.

Who can forget the magical moment in 1990’s Edward Scissor-hands where Johnny Depp, as Edward, carves an ice sculpture and creates a blizzard under which Winona Ryder dances?

Describing his attraction to the Dumbo project, Burton said: ‘It’s symbolic of things that don’t fit in, and trying to find your place in the world.

‘Also, circuses always seemed to have that kind of . . . you know, just weirdos from all over the world, and that was always appealing.’

Child star with a ‘lioness’ Mum

Nico Parker, the 14-year-old daughter of British actress Thandie Newton and director Oliver Parker, makes her acting debut playing Milly Farrier. Finley Hobbins plays her brother, Joe.

‘At first it was nerve-racking remaking such a classic story,’ said Nico. ‘In the end, though, I got swept up in the magic of it all — the costumes, stunts, effects.’

As Nico was 12, a tutor provided her with lessons on set. But this wasn’t the only person watching over her.

Nico Parker, the 14-year-old daughter of British actress Thandie Newton and director Oliver Parker, makes her acting debut playing Milly Farrier

Mum Thandie said: ‘Having a mother and father in the industry . . . she’s been on endless sets. It’s not that she takes it for granted, but it’s not a world she feels she’s not entitled to be in.

‘She has her mum right there like a lioness checking that everything is looked after.’

Romance on the flying trapeze

Neither cares to confirm it, but director Burton, 60, appears to be enjoying a romance with 38-year-old French actress Eva Green — who is also his muse.

She appears in Dumbo as trapeze artist Colette Marchant.

They met when she starred in his 2012 film Dark Shadows and seem to have started dating in late 2015, about a year after he and actress Helena Bonham Carter announced their 13-year relationship was over.

Did Walt mock his striking staff?

At only 64 minutes long, the 1941 original was the shortest Disney feature ever made. The new version is 130 minutes.

Walt Disney declined to write more for the first movie, saying: ‘You can stretch a story so far, and after that it won’t hold together.’ It was based on 1938 book Dumbo The Flying Elephant, by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl.

Following on from Pinocchio and Fantasia — both costly and relative flops — Walt instructed animators to keep the film inexpensive.

Veteran filmmaker Tim Burton (right) is in the director’s chair for the first time since 2016’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. Colin Farrell (left) stars as Holt Farrier

The characters are simpler and backgrounds less detailed, with the film costing just £715,000 (£12.2million today) to make — half what Snow White had in 1938.

Yet it became an instant hit and was the most successful Disney film of the 1940s, grossing £1.2 million (equivalent to £20.5 million) during its original release.

Time magazine even had plans to honour Dumbo as ‘Mammal of the Year’. But then the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and they opted for a more serious cover.

Dumbo’s beautiful animations took some time. A scene where the clowns decide to ‘hit the big boss for a raise’ seems to be Walt mocking the animators who went on a five-week strike during production.

Hankies out…the song is back

One of the most poignant moments in the 1941 film is the lullaby Baby Mine, sung to Dumbo by his mother during a brief reunion.

It has been re-worked by the band Arcade Fire for the new film, where it is sung by Glaswegian actress Sharon Rooney — made famous by E4 TV drama My Mad Fat Diary — who plays circus performer Miss Atlantis.

A behemoth in Bedfordshire

The 2019 Dumbo was mostly shot in Shed 2 at Cardington, Bedfordshire — a behemoth originally built by the RAF during World War I to hold airships.

Movies shot there include Batman Begins, Inception and Fantastic Beasts. The total amount of floor space is 223,000 sq ft — or five acres — making it five times the size of the largest sound stage available in Hollywood.

The sheds fell out of service after an experimental hydrogen-filled airship, the R101, crashed during its maiden voyage in 1930, killing 48 of the 54 people on board.

Cardington became a storage station and the RAF ended its association with it in 2000. Warner Brothers started using it in 2005 and the hangars became available for renting by other film studios in 2012.

Sets created in Shed 2 for Dumbo included a full-size circus big top. Farrell said: ‘Cardington, the stage is like nothing I’ve ever seen.

‘I’ve been lucky enough in the past 20 years to be around some extraordinary sets. But I’ve never seen anything like the boulevard.’

Oscar winners’ artful outlook

Production designer Rick Heinrichs, who won an Oscar for Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, is behind the look of the film.

He wanted it to look like a painting by American Depression-era master Edward Hopper. Period circus costumes are by Colleen Atwood, who has won four Oscars.

The sequel that never happened

After the millennium, plans were made for a Dumbo II, with him and his circus friends stranded in the city. There were to be twin bears, Claude and Lolly, a zebra, an ostrich and a hippo.

Announced in 2001, it was cancelled in 2006 by the new chief creative officer of Disney Animation Studios, John Lasseter.

DUMBO arrives in cinemas on March 29.

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beat-weightlosstips · 8 years

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Summiting Mt. Rainier in Summer

Hey guys! Because my brother Steve’s final guest post about his epic winter ascent of Mt. Hood was this kind of a hit, he’s back to share an additional guest submit, this time about summiting Mt. Rainier final summer!

I’ll let him get it away – thanks for sharing with us, Steve! (Psst: although you are at it, check out out my recap from the Mt. St. Helens summit hike Matt and I did with Steve back in October – most extreme hike of my existence!)

Summiting Mt. Rainier A guest publish by Anne’s brother Steve

Climbing Mt. Rainier has been on my list of items to do because I moved to Washington State – you can see the mountain super plainly from Ft. Lewis (where I’m stationed). I can don’t forget it becoming a welcome sight as it towered in excess of almost everything when I took my first journey out right here back in 2008. As a end result, when a good friend of mine from described that he was placing together a Mt. Rainier journey, I jumped at the opportunity to tag along. Pictured below is Mt. Rainier in the background of a hike Anne and I did back in late summer of 2015 (here’s a website link to her blog recap from that: Hiking Mount Rainier National Park).

Summiting Mt. Rainier needs a bit a lot more tools than I had, even though, even with all of the military gear I’ve been issued. So, I had to choose up/lease a bunch of new stuff. Pictured below is my packing checklist:

I brought the half-rope (30 meter 8.5mm rope) for rescue/emergency we utilized a 60 meter 10mm rope that my buddy Dustin (the most experienced of us) brought. Ended up cutting two of the MREs out and it was just adequate meals for 3 days, two nights. I had a bunch of Larabars, which I like a good deal simply because even when they freeze they do not get hard, so you can nevertheless chew them. Also had a great deal of Gatorade gel packs, which are fantastic for quick energy. Pictured is my pack with almost everything in it:

We left early on the morning of June 27th, obtaining to the mountain and registered by about 9:thirty. To climb Mt. Rainier, you go and fill out an data sheet for your party, shell out a charge, and then get an annual climbing pass for the mountain. We started out from Paradise, which is the main lodge spot on the mountain and had tons of individuals hanging out and staying there for day hikes. Pictured beneath is Rainier from Paradise.

The route up to Camp Muir goes along some fairly nicely-trafficked paths for a bit, generally taking you up to the Muir Snowfields, which is the final element of the route going up to Camp Muir. We started out in hiking shoes with no trekking poles and then switched to heavier boots and poles as we hit the snowfield.

We had a bit of an emergency when one particular of Dustin’s shoulder straps ripped out from his bag. He repaired it with parachute cord tied to the frame and used it the remainder of the trip. We had been quite worried, as if he hadn’t been capable to repair it, he would’ve been with out a bag for the rest of the journey! This is a photo of the fix:

The Muir snowfields get rather steep, so poles were very beneficial. Didn’t use crampons, though, as it was mainly soft snow at this time for the duration of the summer. It is a bit of a meandering route, also. We followed the flags that had been place down by a variety of groups or rangers heading up and it was relatively simple to make it. The photograph under shows how steep it could get.

Produced it to Camp Muir at about two pm or so, and when we received there we set up our (rented) mountaineering tent and commenced melting snow for water and obtaining ready to flip in. Unfortunately all of us received a horrible sunburn on our elbows on the way up in spite of putting on a great deal of sunscreen, the reflection from the snow and the intense sun burned the back of our arms and elbows to a crisp.

Camp Muir is a assortment of brick buildings, like a handful of latrines and a number of shelters/guidebook stations. There were plenty of guided groups with scorching soup and scorching water – created us a bit jealous as we melted our snow! This is a photo of Camp Muir:

And a photo of our little setup, in a tiny depression sheltered from the wind:

After going to sleep early Monday night, we woke up late Tuesday and spent the day practicing mountaineering expertise/prepping for our summit attempt. We roped up and walked close to for a whilst, produced positive our crampons have been fitted nicely, practiced some knots, and set up a snow anchor and a z-pulley to practice doing a rescue in the occasion a person fell into a crevasse/off the side. So, a great day of prep. Right here&#8217s a photo of the water boiling setup in camp as I made dinner:

We got up at about 10pm that night to prep and left at 11pm. We left then so we could do the ascent just before the sun came up, partly so that it was cooler and we would get there as the sun did, and partly simply because the sun was going to flip the snow to slush and could also deliver in clouds, also. We went to rest at about six or so, but I do not feel numerous of us acquired a lot sleep. This is a photograph of us acquiring prepared that night:

This is me with the harness on acquiring attached to the rope. You can see my water bottle dangling from my harness, as well as my down jacket in its stuff sack on my hip. I carried almost everything in a small waist-pack as an alternative of taking my complete backpack on the ascent.

The route we took, pictured under, was the normal a single (named the Disappointment Cleaver route due to the fact of one particular of the terrain features you traverse).

You go via some nasty scrambles on rock in the route. I was the #one man on the rope, so I had to locate the route as we had been going, which was rather demanding as I didn&#8217t know the place we were going. Fortunately it hadn&#8217t snowed lately so I could comply with tracks in the snow, but the rock portions had been quite perplexing, and I had to guess which way to go. Figured it out, though! Here’s a photograph showing just how dark it was just before the sun came up along the route:

Due to the fact it was practically pitch black, you had to adhere to a blend of boot tracks in the snow and reflective flags in the rock regions. Right here&#8217s a good image of sunrise as we neared the Substantial Break.

I didn&#8217t genuinely feel the altitude at all, honestly. I was feeling really powerful and energetic the complete time. Some of the other folks in our group were hurting more from the elevation – obtaining really brief of breath and light headed. Had to pull a bit on the rope at times to keep every person moving, as I was up front. Made it to the prime, although, and then it was effortless going down. No big crevasses to cross nevertheless &#8211 we crossed about six or seven but they had snow bridges or have been quick ample to hop across no ladders. Just before hitting the best, you go via the crater, which is quite neat. Really flat and open soon after steep and mountainous terrain:

Took us about 7 hrs general. Right here&#8217s a photograph of our entire group at the best (14,416 feet):

Here&#8217s me consuming a can of Rainier beer at the summit (a summit tradition). Quite refreshing!

And right here are two panoramas from the top. (Note from Anne: click on these panorama images to see them bigger!)

The way down was pretty straightforward, the snow was softening so you had to be a bit much more mindful not to slide, but total not that difficult. Right here are some photographs from the descent:

This is me as we started out the descent. You can see I have a significant portion of the rope coiled close to me – I had a lot of rope and the rear guy did as nicely. This was because we didn’t want too much slack in between every individual on the rope, and since it gave us further slack on both end with which to set up anchors in the occasion somebody in amongst fell. You can also see I even now have my goggles on – I forgot my sunglasses at the tent!

Going down switchbacks, you can see me up front:

These are the flags that marked the route. Thankfully they are reflective, so it is simple to inform where you’re going at night.

This is a photograph displaying us let another group go previous that was moving faster, as I recall. You can see the dramatic view you have as you go down. Produced the stroll down fun being ready to see the mountains so plainly!

This is a view of a crevasse near the route. Most of the crevasses had been not very huge nevertheless, as it was still early in the summertime. As it continues to warm, they broaden and the snowbridges more than them will collapse and be replaced by ladders.

Took us about 4 hours to get back down. We got off track in the rocky regions a bit, but had been in a position to get down easily, just a bit much more scrambling. Was really nice to get back to camp and have some sizzling foods after about 12 hrs up on the mountain! Here&#8217s a photo of one of the crevasses we crossed, taken from the crossing point and looking into it. It continued like this on the opposite side as properly:

Once we got back to camp, a few of the guys took a nap and we boiled some much more snow for the walk down and broke down our camp. I was keen to be done and get my boots off, so I bombed down to the parking good deal and got there about an hour ahead of the rest of the group. Was wonderful, as I was able to get rid of all my trash, sign out at the climbing info center, and lay my wet stuff out to dry although I waited. I consider I also had some pent up power right after currently being roped in all day! We then drove back, getting a burger at a diner out in the Washington boonies, just before parting techniques. Total, a extremely fun trip, and I&#8217m hoping to carry on on to some of the other large mountains in Washington ahead of I depart!

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for one particular a lot more recap, coming quickly, of my Mt. Adams climbs. – Steve

Read More Recipes At http://naturallycurvy.com/summiting-mt-rainier-in-summer/

#Rainier #Summer #Summiting

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