It is with great joy that I announce the release of Life & Art Entangled. I hope it inspires the world.
Check out film maker David Cowardin's blog post Here.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Life & Art Entangled @ Zeitgeist Arts
I am an artist and certified zentangle (R) teacher. My husband Paul is a registered piano technician. It only made sense that an artistic collaboration was necessary. In December 2014, he and his then business partner found me a free, 1977 Krakauer studio upright piano with water damage to its lid and battered casework, but its insides were solid. I painted it white in January 2015 and then began to draw. As black zentangle inspired lines filled that white surface, I imagined preserving those lines on film.
In April 2015, David Cowardin and Joe Oliveiri of Lola Visuals made that dream come true with the completion of the art documentary Life & Art Entangled featuring the videography and story telling skills of Lola Visuals, Jazz pianist Peter Brown's musicality, my artistry, and my husband's piano technical skills. Life & Art Entangled premiered at the Duluth Superior Film Festival in June 2016.
Last night I was overwhelmed with gratitude for the support and enthusiasm of those who attended the joint film release party/art opening at Zeitgeist Arts in downtown Duluth. This opening was a celebration for me of so many dreams come true:
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| ~16" stoneware platter created by Dorian Beaulieu, patterned by Esther Piszczek. |
- the release and screening of Life & Art Entangled documenting my first completed art piano;
- patterns on clay, on the wall, following a year of ceramics classes at Lake Superior Community College, including a collaborative piece with my ceramics teacher Dorian Beaulieu;
- the completion of my first coloring book with local publisher Whole Person Associates filled with original zentangle inspired art; and
- a dress made out of fabric printed with my own designs.
Me, posing with the art piano on Monday, August 1, 2016,
wearing a dress designed and sewn by my niece Vivian
on fabric printed with my patterns.
It was a truly magical evening. Dreams really do come true.
Zeitgeist hosts Life & Art Entangled Exhibit, Fox 21 News, Duluth, August 2, 2016.
Duluth filmmakers document life, by Esther Piszczek, Duluth Budgeteer News, July 29, 2016.
Patterned Peace: a dream realized, by Esther Piszczek, episzczek.blogspot.com, July 1, 2016.
Friday, July 1, 2016
Patterned Peace: A dream realized
It's funny how things happen ... One Saturday last July I attended an artist fair and my friend Patty, who was bombarded by customers eager to buy her beautiful hand felted creations, had only two seconds to speak to me. She said something like, "Coloring books are all the rage. Your artwork is perfect for it. You should do this." It got me thinking. I had already considered the possibility of creating a coloring book, so this wasn't a brand new idea, but her words got me thinking more seriously about the idea.
The following Thursday, a group of friends attended my art reception at a local restaurant. The next day I received an email from one of those friends, Jack Kosmach, who works for a well established health and wellness publisher, Whole Person Associates, in Duluth. The company was considering publishing a coloring book to add to their already diverse offering in the health and wellness field and he thought my artwork would be perfect for it. I was thrilled and couldn't believe that within a week of my friend Patty mentioning the idea to me that I was actually approached by a publisher. I said, "Yes!" immediately.
Today, my coloring book is available on Amazon.com. I am particularly proud of this effort because it isn't just a coloring book. Every pattern used to create the 40 pieces of hand-drawn artwork in the book are included in a tangle index with information on where to find visual step-by-step directions on-line so coloring enthusiasts, who may want to draw their own patterns to color, can find out how to do that line by line.
I am hopeful that this book, which is so very different from the others I've seen on-line and in almost every store I visit, is well received and loved by those who choose to own it. Over and over and over again I am reminded that all things really are possible.
The following Thursday, a group of friends attended my art reception at a local restaurant. The next day I received an email from one of those friends, Jack Kosmach, who works for a well established health and wellness publisher, Whole Person Associates, in Duluth. The company was considering publishing a coloring book to add to their already diverse offering in the health and wellness field and he thought my artwork would be perfect for it. I was thrilled and couldn't believe that within a week of my friend Patty mentioning the idea to me that I was actually approached by a publisher. I said, "Yes!" immediately.
Today, my coloring book is available on Amazon.com. I am particularly proud of this effort because it isn't just a coloring book. Every pattern used to create the 40 pieces of hand-drawn artwork in the book are included in a tangle index with information on where to find visual step-by-step directions on-line so coloring enthusiasts, who may want to draw their own patterns to color, can find out how to do that line by line.
I am hopeful that this book, which is so very different from the others I've seen on-line and in almost every store I visit, is well received and loved by those who choose to own it. Over and over and over again I am reminded that all things really are possible.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Since my post on May 13 entitled Spring, Sunshine, and Free Flowers, I've received some lovely photographs of dandelions. Here is one of my favorites from just outside Duluth, MN. Thank you Krista!
Friday, May 13, 2016
Spring, Sunshine, and Free Flowers
As Spring gently settles into the Northland, tiny green leaves sprout from branches, tulips, daffodils, and blue bells add dashes of color to many a still gray day, and the birds sing a cheerful song even when the temperature dips far below what anyone might imagine for this time of year. The local weather forecasts a low of 26 degrees Fahrenheit for Saturday night, May 14, and the possibility of snow flurries for Sunday morning. Brrr!
I admit that I visit my family in Pennsylvania at the end of May to experience Spring in a much more Southern clime where the trees are fully leaved, the entire world smells like flowers, and shorts are actually temperature appropriate for at least some of my two week stay. After enduring winter's lengthy stroll toward Spring's slow unfurling, I'm impatient for consistently warm sunny days that I know are still at least a month away in Duluth, MN, where it doesn't really feel like Summer until July 4 each year.
This Spring has been exceptionally genteel featuring spurts of glorious warmth, stunning blue skies and unending sunshine. Predictably and seasonably, however, the weather returns to days of cloudy gray where a 20-25 mile per hour wind off of chilly Lake Superior is mildly described as breezy.
Since moving here 4 years ago, I've truly come to appreciate the value of seizing the moment where the weather is concerned. I used to take sunshine for granted. No longer. Now when the sun shines I make it a priority to spend time outside soaking in its beautiful warmth and energy while walking along Lake Superior or sitting on my favorite park bench with a good book. And, although some here still fight the juxtaposition of the calendar month and actual real-weather-feel, my full length down coat is there for me regardless of what my mind tells me the temperature ought to be.
Today a short span of sunshine brightened what was otherwise a gray and dismal week and brought a lawn full of Dandelions to my attention. The Dandelion is thought of highly in healing circles for its liver cleansing greens and edible flowers, however, it is much maligned in lawn circles for its tenacity and propensity to overtake any available grassy area.
While I was pondering their bad rep, however, it occurred to me that Dandelions are FREE flowers. You don't have to buy them, you never have to plant them or replant them, and guaranteed they will appear on next year's lawn as well. Dandelions just keep popping up spreading sunshine. And I like sunshine, no matter what the thermometer reads.
I admit that I visit my family in Pennsylvania at the end of May to experience Spring in a much more Southern clime where the trees are fully leaved, the entire world smells like flowers, and shorts are actually temperature appropriate for at least some of my two week stay. After enduring winter's lengthy stroll toward Spring's slow unfurling, I'm impatient for consistently warm sunny days that I know are still at least a month away in Duluth, MN, where it doesn't really feel like Summer until July 4 each year.
This Spring has been exceptionally genteel featuring spurts of glorious warmth, stunning blue skies and unending sunshine. Predictably and seasonably, however, the weather returns to days of cloudy gray where a 20-25 mile per hour wind off of chilly Lake Superior is mildly described as breezy.
Since moving here 4 years ago, I've truly come to appreciate the value of seizing the moment where the weather is concerned. I used to take sunshine for granted. No longer. Now when the sun shines I make it a priority to spend time outside soaking in its beautiful warmth and energy while walking along Lake Superior or sitting on my favorite park bench with a good book. And, although some here still fight the juxtaposition of the calendar month and actual real-weather-feel, my full length down coat is there for me regardless of what my mind tells me the temperature ought to be.
Today a short span of sunshine brightened what was otherwise a gray and dismal week and brought a lawn full of Dandelions to my attention. The Dandelion is thought of highly in healing circles for its liver cleansing greens and edible flowers, however, it is much maligned in lawn circles for its tenacity and propensity to overtake any available grassy area.
While I was pondering their bad rep, however, it occurred to me that Dandelions are FREE flowers. You don't have to buy them, you never have to plant them or replant them, and guaranteed they will appear on next year's lawn as well. Dandelions just keep popping up spreading sunshine. And I like sunshine, no matter what the thermometer reads.
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| Photo courtesy of publicdomainpictures.net |
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