Monthly Archives: November 2016

Young artist chronicles a decade of work

30 Wednesday Nov 2016

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josh-tiessen-a-decade-of-inspiration-coverArtist Josh Tiessen has packed more into his 21 years than some of us have packed into two, three or four times as many.

The Stoney Creek, Ontario resident was born in Russia to missionary parents, moved to Canada and has traveled internationally.

He began creating art as a pre-schooler under the tutelage of his Russian nanny. After moving to Canada, Tiessen, mentored by a retired wildlife and pet portrait artist, created his first significant wildlife work at 10: a chalk portrait of Aslan from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. A year later, “Aslan” and other works were displayed the Artway on Two in Burlington’s Joseph Brant Hospital.

Tiessen how has a decade of exhibitions under his belt, along with a number of national and international accolades: at 15 he was mentored by esteemed Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman in a Master Artist Seminar, at 17 he was the youngest person juried into the International Guild of Realism (IGOR) and at 19 received IGOR’s “Creative Achievement Award.” With these accomplishments and a number of requests from friends and fans, Tiessen has put together and published his first monograph: Josh Tiessen: A Decade of Inspiration.

Josh Tiessen hopes people looking at his art will feel the sense of ‘wonder and awesomeness’ that is in the natural world all around us

About half of the book is an intimate and detailed biography which includes family photos, samples of his early work (including “Aslan”) and photos of Tiessen working at his craft or out in public. While someone might think this would be self-indulgent for a 21 year old, in Tiessens case it isn’t. I’ve had the chance to interview Tiessen on a number of occasions and reading through the book found myself learning even more about his life than I had in the interviews. By the time you’re finished reading these chapters, you find yourself amazed by a competent, intelligent and professional young artist.

The second half of the book chronicles Tiessen’s art from some of his early still life images, beginning wildlife paintings (his specialty) to his latest works which combine realism, fantasy and metaphor. Tiessen accompanies each image with a note about it’s development and, in many cases, the spiritual meaning that can be drawn from it. As he states at one point in the biography:

“Although Josh’s art is not necessarily religious in subject matter, he tries to illustrate the beauty and diversity of creation and the image of God in human creativity. He sees his artistic ability as a gift from God. As a contemporary artist in the 21st century, he would like to be a positive and uplifting presence in the art world. Josh says that he hopes people looking at his art will feel the sense of ‘wonder and awesomeness’ that is in the natural world all around us.

As he begins each painting Josh prays, asking God to work through the process. As a result, just like the little penguin family, metaphorical and spiritual meaning seem to be infused into his paintings and people often comment on the analogies they draw from them.”

While I only had a chance to view an electronic version of Josh Tiessen: A Decade of Excellence, I can only imagine what the print product will look like. I’ve watched, through social media and his e-mail newsletters, the progress of some of Josh’s works. This monograph is a fitting tribute to the life of a young artist who has just begun a lifelong journey.

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For more about Josh Tiessen and A Decade of Excellence go to http://www.joshtiessen.com/

To listen to the latest Arts Connection interview with Josh Tiessen, go to http://tinyurl.com/hyjcmez

 

 

The Honour Drum: a children’s book with a grown-up message

24 Thursday Nov 2016

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the-honour-drum-cover-tn-jspIn the first two books of the Compassion Series, author Tim Huff looked at homelessness and the disabled. The third book in the series, The Honour Drum, explores Indigenous peoples’ issues and was co-authored with speaker, teacher and singer/songwriter Cheryl Bear.

The pairing of Huff and Bear is neither inconsequential nor accidental. In the introduction they write of their shared values of home, the Creator’s goodness and Canada’s beauty and diversity, but note that:

“The history of our lineages surely tells a different story. The sacred bloodline of an Indigenous woman from Canada’s west coast and the branches of a Toronto-born Anglo-Canadian man’s family tree cross at complex intersections. Canada at-large knows this uneasy kind of reality from east to west, north to south, only too well.”

Out of these shared values and complex intersections, though, comes a beautiful book that uses images, story, commentary and discussion questions to, as the subtitle states, share “the beauty of Canada’s Indigenous People with Children, Families and Classrooms.”

The Honour Drum hits shelves at a critical time in the relationship between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

The Honour Drum hits shelves at a critical time in the relationship between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Events over the past few years – the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the establishment of the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and a renewed focus, thanks in part to Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip, on the residential school abuse and runaways issues – have brought the themes presented in The Honour Drum to the forefront of Canadians’ minds.

While classified and promoted as a children’s book, The Honour Drum reaches people of all ages. As Bear and Huff explain in a note to parents and teachers, the book can be approached on a number of levels. An initial reading of the rhyming stanza, accompanied by Huff’s inspired illustrations, introduces the book’s content and themes.

An understanding of the book’s themes is enhanced by the discussion guide and questions which provide depth and context to each stanza. For example, in the discussion guide accompanying the stanza “Pow Wow is a time to gather and meet/To sing and remember, to dance and to eat” readers discover that pow wows are “a time for the communities to gather, sing, dance, socialize and honour and celebrate their cultures.” Discussion questions ask readers What kind of “all are welcome” celebrations they’ve been to.

The Honour Drum is an important and integral book for those Canadians grappling with the issues it raises. As Christians it’s even more important because past actions of those associated with the church have been the source of some of the hurt that needs healing. As I read The Honour Drum and thought about the themes it raised, I became more and more convinced of God’s hand in its collaboration and timing.

Everyone, whether they have children or not, needs to read, study and meditate on The Honour Drum with this question in mind: what is God calling me to do?

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For more information about The Honour Drum go to http://tinyurl.com/zvcor7g

Enter the Worship Circle brings fresh sound to worship

16 Wednesday Nov 2016

Posted by in CD/Music Review

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down-here-and-up-above-cd-coverEnter the Worship Circle’s new EP, Down Here and Up Above, grew from the seeds planted by two music ministries.

High River, Alberta singer/songwriter Karla Adolphe found herself fatigued after surviving the 2013 flood (which severely damaged their new home), taking care of a growing family and meeting the needs of an expanding music ministry. This led to her taking a break from music as she sought God’s direction.

Enter American singer/songwriter Ben Pasley who Adolphe had worked with as part of a previous version of Enter the Worship Circle. Pasley also found himself searching God’s direction and the path of the pair’s spiritual journey led to a new incarnation of Enter the Worship Circle and an EP of worship songs with their roots in the Psalms.

A fresh sound to worship with songs that have lyrics strongly rooted in scripture

Enter the Worship Circle brings a fresh sound to worship with songs that have lyrics strongly rooted in scripture: “Every knee will bow, every tongue confess, both down here and up above” (“Down Here and Up Above”), “bring the robe and bring the ring” (“Tie Me Down”) and “Every hair on my head a number/You’re counting once again” (“You Will Remember”).

What stands out for me is a theological depth in the lyrics that I often find missing in some of today’s worship songs. “Tear the Veil” talks of the things that get in the way, the noise of the world and the voices “that want to be heard,” all of which prevents us from finding a deeper fellowship, leading to the chorus that expresses a heartfelt cry for intimacy: “Tear the veil, reach on through/Take my hand and lead me to/A quiet place with you.” And that’s only one example of the deep places Pasley and Adolphe plumb in this EP.

Musically, Down Here and Up Above is simple without being simplistic. While instrumental arrangements are bare and laid-back they’re exactly what the songs need. This is refreshing because it means small worship teams won’t feel intimidated in trying to incorporate the songs into their sets

There’s also a freshness to the sometimes raw vocals of Adolphe and Pasley, especially in their harmonies. And for music that was recorded in Pasley’s home studio there’s no lack of quality in the production. In fact, it seems to add an ambience to the EP that would be missing if produced in multi-million dollar facility.

Down Here and Up Above, as a six-song EP, is a treasure. I hope it’s also a harbinger of more to come.

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For more about the Down Here and Up Above EP go to: ttp://entertheworshipcircle.com/#down-here-and-up-above

To listen to an Arts Connection interview with Enter the Worship Circle’s Karla Adolphe, go to: http://tinyurl.com/jt5otuj

“A Secret Music” – a tale of music, mental illness to become a classic

02 Wednesday Nov 2016

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a-secret-music-cover-515uybx3xl-_sx331_bo1204203200_“Lawrence Nolan decided to become a famous pianist on a bright cold Saturday in March when his fingers ached with pain. He was about to turn six.”

These two sentences, which open Susan Doherty Hannaford’s award-winning novel A Secret Music, takes the reader on a journey with Lawrence as he tries to cope with the pressures of music competitions while staying silent about his personal circumstances.

Set in 1930s Montreal, A Secret Music melds two of Doherty Hannaford’s interests – music and de-stigmatizing mental illness – into a cohesive whole. A musician herself, Doherty Hannaford has also served as a board member of the Royal Conservatory of Music. And, according to a May 9, 2015 Montreal Gazette feature, Doherty Hannaford discovered, while researching the novel, many of the great European composers, “suffered from various aspects of lifelong mental disorders — depression, mania, OCD, even schizophrenia.” (http://tinyurl.com/zjjz7rf)

A Secret Music, transports the reader to a Depression-era Montreal complete with its ethnic and linguistic enclaves.

The book introduces use to Lawrence, a child prodigy, whose music-teacher mother honed his natural gifts. Two key factors see Lawrence introduced to other teachers and, eventually, a prestigious music school. The first, and primary one, is his mother’s illness which, today, would be diagnosed as post-partum depression but is called, at the time, “flattened anxiety.” The second is her recognition her recognition that Lawrence’s talent exceeds her ability to continue to teach him.

For Lawrence, though, the music becomes the doorway to his mother’s attention as she battles with mental illness, often staying in bed for days at a time, neglecting Lawrence and his brother and sister. Other times, music becomes the only solace he has in a private world that seems to be falling apart.

Beautifully written, A Secret Music, transports the reader to a Depression-era Montreal complete with its ethnic and linguistic enclaves. The reader can become invested and involved so deeply in the lives of the characters that when a tragedy hits the Nolan family, the reader will feel just as devastated.

A Secret Music was this year’s winner of Grace Irwin Prize—Canada’s largest literary prize for writers who are Christian – an honour it more than deserves. The book’s intricate plot, more-than-realistic characters and timely message of a better understanding for mental illness will make it a classic.

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To listen to an Arts Connection interview with Susan Doherty check: http://artsconnection.ca/content/arts-connection-monday-september-5-2016-susan-doherty-secret-music-grace-irwin-prize

For more information on A Secret Music or the author: http://susandohertyhannaford.com/