Arts and Music at Redeemer

untitled, oil on canvas, 14″x14″, ©Jill Eggers 2007

Jill Eggers is an associate professor in the Department of Art and Design at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Three of her paintings will be in the exhibit, and she says this about her work:

I have been working with exploring realms of consciousness that
access ideas of God or spirituality through silence and meditation.
A 30+ years meditation practice has led in the spiritual life to
recognition of common truths and validity to all spiritual practices/
religions and belief systems.  A 30 year artistic practice has led
from representational work to more abstract modes of working that
explore consciousness as subject matter and attempt to enter the
’spaces between’ linear thought and ‘objective’ reality.

“Well”, wood panel, wood veneer and colored foil, 15 3/4″x12″x3″, ©Michelle Draper-Lorton

Michelle is another Northwest artist, very active in the Diocese of Olympia. She says this about “Well”:

Silence becomes a place from which all things are possible.  ”Be still
and know that I am God” is a command, not a suggestion.  From
Stillness, the knowledge of who God is and what God longs for can
emerge.  ”Well” is a response to experiencing depths of stillness in
the context of sorrow — from which God spoke.

“White Birch”, oil on canvas, 36″x36″, ©Renee Cooke

Once again, Northwest artist Renee Cooke’s work will grace our walls.  About “White Birch” she says:

“In the still of the night, where it is cold and dark, there is a mystery
that lies within the tall white birch trees. It unfolds to the imagination,
where quietly, silently, we ponder it’s complexity. And for a moment, we are
disconnected from all that is electronic, but totally connected as one with
the universe.”

Renee can be contacted at reneemonet@comcast.net.

“Homage to CDF”, cut paper collage on board, 9″x12″, ©Laurie Joan Aron

Laurie’s artwork comes to us from New York City and this is one of her two pieces that were accepted into this exhibit. She says this about her work:

My pictures are both called “Homage to CDF”. CDF is Caspar David
Friedrich, an artist of the early 19th century who created, in
painting, scenes of intense silent reverence using emotionally charged
natural settings. A lone tree, twisted with age, a lone figure at a
moonlit beach…these were his subjects, simple, but radiating a sense
of power greater than man.

Most of my art, which is cut paper collage, is inspired by art
movements of the past. In these pieces, I’m working in a modern,
abstract mode to recapture the silent reverence that Friedrich so
eloquently captured in painting.

You can see similar work of mine at
http://www.manhattanarts.com/Gallery/LaurieJoanAron.htm

Please contact me at 212 866 7499 or by e-mail at ljaron@mindspring.com

“Be Still And Know”, textile painting, ©Faith Alexander 2007

This entry is from one of our parishioners, a very active member of our Ecclesiastical Arts Committee, Faith Alexander. I’ve dubbed it a textile painting, sort of a painted quilt/wall-hanging. You can contact Faith at fcalexander@earthlink.net.

Faith says: The title “Be Still and Know” is taken from the Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God.” A figure floats in a bubble of calm amid a busy stream. Warm washes and bits of bright color represent the frenzy of what the outside world calls ‘holiday season’ while Advent blue and purple sustain a meditative atmosphere.

When: December 13th, 20th, and 27th, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Where: Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore (Map)

Admission: Free

As part of its 23 Weeks of spiritual discovery, and in celebration of the Advent season of contemplation, Episcopal Church of the Redeemer invites you to a screening of the film Into Great Silence on three Thursday nights in December.

The next showing will be on December 27th.

(Note: Into Great Silence is 162 minutes long, and we realize that not everyone will be able to arrive at the beginning or stay through the end. We ask that as you come and go during the movie, please do so quietly.)

Watch the trailer at the film’s Web site.

Nestled deep in the postcard-perfect French Alps, the Grande Chartreuse is considered one of the world s most ascetic monasteries. In 1984, German filmmaker Philip Gröning wrote to the Carthusian order for permission to make a documentary about them. They said they would get back to him. Sixteen years later, they were ready. Gröning, sans crew or artificial lighting, lived in the monks quarters for six months filming their daily prayers, tasks, rituals and rare outdoor excursions. This transcendent, closely observed film seeks to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one it has no score, no voiceover and no archival footage. What remains is stunningly elemental: time, space and light. One of the most mesmerizing and poetic chronicles of spirituality ever created, INTO GREAT SILENCE dissolves the border between screen and audience with a total immersion into the hush of monastic life. More meditation than documentary, it s a rare, transformative experience for all.

Organ Plus Concert
Sunday, January 27, 2:00 PM
St. Mark’s Cathedral
www.saintmarks.org
Admission: $10

Dear friends,

I wanted to let you know that I will be performing an eclectic solo organ program and accompanying my favorite baritone, Glenn Guhr, on a couple of solo cantatas at St. Mark’s in January. I hope you’ll come!
Opera fans, FYI: Glenn is making his directing debut with Bellevue Opera’s production of “The Magic Flute”.

Yesterday was a very busy day of getting ready for “Silence”, the next exhibit at the CR Gallery. While the arts committee worked on getting the space ready, most of the local artists dropped off their work in the morning. It was really great to finally meet them and see their beautiful work in person! Unfortunately in all the buzz and excitement, I forgot to take pictures of all the activity yesterday.

I am really looking forward to this show. (I look forward to all the shows I’ve curated, but the excitement just keeps growing with each new show.) We had a great response from all over the country, and a few from other countries too. Narrowing it down to what we could fit on the walls was a difficult. We’ve had to expand the gallery space in order to accommodate all the wonderful art that the jury accepted, and that involved a lot of drilling into poured concrete. Not fun, but luckily I didn’t have to do that myself. :)

I’ll be posting on each artist individually in the coming weeks, but to give you an idea of the fine caliber of work we’ll be exhibiting, check out these links:
Jeremy Fahringer, Bridgette Guerzon Mills, Andrea Pratt, Dayton Knipher, Kathy Thaden, and, well, me
(There are more artists, but I unfortunately I don’t have websites for all of them.)

I’m leaving tomorrow to visit with family in Southern California for Thanksgiving. When I get back, look for more information about the show and the artists.

Hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Peace,
Angela

When: Saturday, December 1st from 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Where: Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Kenmore (map)

Angela Wales Rockett, artist-in-residence at Church of the Redeemer, is opening her studio to the public and displaying her art on Saturday, December 1st in the church undercroft. She will be joined by other local artists whose work has been shown previously in the CR Gallery. There will be plenty of beautiful artwork to see (and buy).
Guests will also get a sneak preview of “Silence”, the upcoming art exhibit at Redeemer. The show features nearly 30 pieces of art from across the U.S. and Canada exploring the theme of silence.

Please join us for an afternoon of art and refreshments. Bring your friends, meet some artists, and maybe find the perfect gift for that someone special!

“Nave I” by Angela Wales Rockett

Concerto Baroque will present their first performance on Saturday, November 24, 7:30 PM at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer. The ensemble brings together five busy early music performers of the Pacific Northwest to present chamber works featuring trumpet, violin and soprano by Baroque masters.

Concerto Baroque is Linda Tsatsanis, soprano; Stephen Cresswell, violin; Judson Scott, trumpet; Nathan Whitaker, cello; and Sheila Bristow, continuo. Individually they have performed through out North America for established ensembles such as Portland Baroque, Seattle Baroque, Northwest Baroque, Seattle Pro Musica, Tafel Music and St. Mary’s Chamber Orchestra.

The ensemble performs on the instruments current when the music was written and in the styles the composers would have assumed. For example, the trumpet is a valveless instrument and the violin and cello are strung with gut strings, creating the warm tonal colors called for in the music.

This first program includes vocal and instrumental music of Italy and Germany including works by Telemann, Fantini, Caccini and Corbett which broadly sketch the bounderies of the Baroque style.

The music selected for this program spans the range of the Baroque period. The earliest music on the program, a few short sonatas by Fantini, are the first examples of the trumpet leaving the parade ground and stepping into the concert hall (ca 1630); similarly the vocal works by Caccini were groundbreaking in establishing the Baroque vocal style. The works by Handel and Telemann define the most refined acheivements at the close of the Baroque era. Bridging the these extremes is a sonata by Corbett.