Getting Publicity the Hard Way at Sundance

Well here’s the kind of publicity I least expected. I’ve not yet turned this lemon into lemonade.

When artwork is destroyed by an accident, does payment for the artwork cover the loss? What about the gift and intention of that artwork. When I make my art, I make it to express peace and healing, something that I feel is of great importance in the world. I work in materials (stone, bronze and cast glass) that will last well beyond the life of most consumer goods. When it is purchased, the intention of the buyer is to enjoy and share my art as a part of their living/working environment. Selling my artwork is the main way that I get to continue making more art.

It was not my intention when I made this sculpture that it would be damaged and not enjoyed by the person who purchased it. When I am paid for damaged artwork it is different than selling my artwork. I have lost one of my creations and the purchaser doesn’t get to enjoy their purchase.

Last winter when I exhibited in the Louvre, I signed up for Google alerts. Yesterday I got the alert for this article. The irony of this article garnering publicity for me during the Sundance Film Festival, is that it was at the cost of a damaged sculpture. The author S.T. VanAirsdale for Movieline twists and turns the story to create what he calls the Sundance Sculpturegate; who pays for the broken sculpture? So now, I get the publicity and a check, and someone who I don’t know gets to pay for the broken sculpture. Unfortunately, it is a loss for both of us and the world as well.

Here’s the link to the article in MovieLine.com.

http://www.movieline.com/2010/01/harvey-weinstein-and-the-curious-case-of-the-broken-sundance-sculpture.php

Phoenix Rising falls and breaks

Well, to dispell the uncertainty and doubt in the article, I will get paid for the broken sculpture, though this is not the way I like to make sales. Getting my artwork into a Harvey Weinstein movie or being purchased at Sundance by the many film makers, actors, and film lovers is one of the benefits of exhibiting in the CODA Gallery in Park City. So as The Sundance Film Festival comes to a close, MIRAMAX Films closes it’s doors, my Phoenix Rising returns to prima materia. Maybe Mr. Weinstein will want a Berman Phoenix sculpture of his own.

Feed an Artist-Feeding your Soul

December 31, 2009, the end of the year, the end of a decade, the end of scarcity and fear. Please continue a list of all that you want to end, taking time today to make it known and commit to something that Feeds your Soul in 2010.

Appreciation is a life-blood for me, and sales are the height of appreciation when it comes to the challenges of hard economic times. During the good times, when sales were covering the costs of new materials, tools that wear out, and the ongoing costs of education, my artwork would flourish and I could feel my Soul’s calling. The artwork would show up in my vision, then in the material, and after a period of transforming the materials, the artwork would be done. Often when working in the “Zone” when my monkey mind was silent, I would wonder how the artwork happened, losing myself in the process, like disappearing and the art continued to be made. Don’t know if this is common for all artists, but this experience is worth returning to the studio day after day searching for that Zone.

As a self-supporting artist for 30 years, I have found this year the most challenging. With galleries closing down, and sales not at all what they used to be, an appreciative audience is hard to find. This economy has forced me to look at how important being appreciated is. Making my artwork  just to satisfy ME is not complete without presentation to an audience that will view it and connect to it. And when my artwork is appreciated, well, I find it’s life enhancing, like oxygen, touch, food, love, water, and communication. Finding ways to receive a note of appreciation, the voice of another, the smile when someone looks at my work is essential for me. Donating to local causes also gives me appreciation, and is one of the ways I feed my soul.

Sculpture is a non-verbal communication and I want mine to be received, valued and appreciated. In a recent exhibition of my sculptures, a woman admiring my work declared in a loud voice, “Your work makes me so Happy!” That has stayed with me every day since hearing her say that.

In galleries, it’s sales that give me appreciation. I love attending an exhibition of my artwork, where I get to hear the comments, to feel the appreciation directly. Those of you who know my work, know how much it takes to transport and display sculpture. I do regional shows so that I can directly connect with the viewer, see their reaction to my art, hear their appreciation, as well as sell my work. I also love installing my work in someone’s home, office, or public setting. The selling obviously keeps the entire cycle in flow.

When sales (and appreciations) don’t happen over an extended period of time, it brings up big questions about my motivation for making new sculptures. Would I do it without appreciation? Could I provide my own appreciation, as a path to self-sufficiency? I pretty much stopped blogging for many months, after last December’s Louvre exhibition in Paris and returned back to the states to the economic freeze. I found it hard to write about the dark night that didn’t fade away at dawn. I moved through that frozen state by teaching, which lead to creative ideas, and new sculptures emerged in my studio.

So now I sit here at the computer writing this on the last day of 2009. I remember back to Y2K, when the last decade of the 20th century was being hyped by all the fear mongers as well as good intentioned friends. Because of some computer glitch, all the banking systems would stop, all the markets would collapse, all the airlines would crash down in some way. Well we got through, that within a split second it was proven to be a myth of no proportion. Yet it was 9/11 that brought the biggest change to me as an artist, as I upped my social artistry, and shifted my sculpture focus towards Art of Peace.. There is a big story there, and it is best read about on the www.BermanHealingArts.com website.

As the year comes to a close, my soul has been fed by all those who gave appreciation, and by the many creative impulses that have bubbled up to the surface with new sculptures and projects. My thanks to those who found and purchased my artwork. My artist plan which I call Art of Peace is to continue to make artwork that connects people to themselves and to others. To me, our Soul’s nature is peace and love. I know these are such common words that they have lost their value and meaning. But please know this, Peace is our birthright and love is our purpose for being. Let us end the year, with a commitment to support each other with love and appreciation. Let us live the power of peace which is within each of us. It is my prayer that my artwork helps connect us all in our one shared humanity.

May 2010 bring us all closer to our dreams. May the entire world find peace and joy.

Omega Series

Getting Back to Sculpting

After my inspirational days at Pilchuck, I began a remodel of my studio space. Over the past 18 years, I have mostly worked outdoors under a roof but without walls. This is invaluable for the heavy removal of stone material which generates large amounts of dust. During the winter months, I would be tempered by the weather and this winter I wanted to work on glass and stone sculptures without the concerns of the weather conditions. This would require building walls, and plumbing the studio with hot water for the wet polishing that I do. Besides enclosing my studio, having warm water is one of the most important improvements I have made in my new studio space.

Well, I thought it would take a few weeks with some hired help to get the studio in shape. Well, three months later I finally called it quits, knowing that I could continue improving the workspace and building some new tools and work benches. Little did I know how important getting back to sculpting would be for me. When the sculptures I had in mind began to take shape, I became a nicer person. I felt like I had been carrying them inside and they needed to come out, and like the birthing process, I wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around. Yet once they took form, I was much more at peace, and even friendlier. Here is a photo album you can view the transformation of my outdoor studio:

http://picasaweb.google.com/blb4peace/StudioRemodel?feat=directlink

As I had a couple of exhibitions and some shows to apply for I needed to get back to sculpting. I have been carrying ideas from Pilchuck Glass School days inside of me, and waiting to get them started. As my shows approached, I needed to work quickly to get some sculptures completed and cast glass sculptures are not quick to make. Casting glass is the most indirect sculpting I do. Imagine making a sculpture in clay or wax, and then making a rubber mold with a plaster mother mold, then making a wax of the sculpture which needs to be worked to the look I want, then making an investment mold in preparation for the glass casting stage. Then the wax is steamed out of the mold and the mold is then dried. This stage is the most critical in prepping for the glass to melt into the mold. Now the part that’s really slow, bringing the mold and the glass up to melting temperature, soaking it to allow the bubbles to rise, then cooling it ever so slowly to relieve the stresses in the glass, when it reaches room temperature, it is best to leave it in the unopened kiln for an additional day. The the devesting of the mold is the exciting part, where the quality of the  casting is realized. If it is a good casting then the cold working and polishing of the glass sculpture begins. If the casting is not good, then you go back to the making of the wax and start the process over. This is why many people don’t cast glass, as it’s such a slow indirect method of sculpting.  So I worked on stone sculptures, as I only had 6 weeks before the exhibition.

So I let my imagination open to work with my signature stone, an Onyx that is a beautiful orange/yellow calcite. And a new series began to be birthed. Bringing sculptures of light into this world is a great joy. See posted photos of the new work.

Soon I will begin preparation for glass castings. I will post some photos soon to show you the direction I am taking with the same theme of bringing light into this world.

Wishing you readers the best for the upcoming holidays. I am thankful of all the support I have received this year and throughout my life. Your comments are welcomed. Brian

Pilchuck Glass School is a dangerous place

Though I was only a few miles away from my usual summer sculpting symposium hosted by NWSSA.org, as the crow flies, I was attending the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA, and I was in dangerous territory. Stepping away from Camp Brotherhood (site for NWSSA’s Symposium) for the first summer time since 1992, to enter the glass community at Pilchuck was a great opportunity as well as a great risk. As I went to continue my study of glass casting there, the exposure to print making, glass blowing, glass everything, as well as a complete wood shop and metal shop to make whatever, was soooooo tempting to just explore these realms. Yet there was a need for sleep, which was something that I have done a lot of since returning home. The awakener was one day being asked how it felt to be the oldest student at Pilchuck this session. I hadn’t noticed nor felt that way. What’s a number anyway??? I was likely one of the earliest to climb the steep hill to my room, most nights after midnight. My roommate often came in when the morning birds were chirping and then would show up for breakfast at 7:45.

Well on to the art itself….. I took a turn at print making to visually show the inner volume(“in reverse”) of my last glass casting.  I had a great time and got lots of praise for what I created. To see some images of my and some observing photos and time there, here’s a link: http://picasaweb.google.com/blb4peace/PilchuckSession32009?authkey=Gv1sRgCOK-uuPgv83R5AE#

Here’s a few photos of what I set up in my home to show the new artwork. Hope you are all having a creative time this summer.
Here are a few shots of the glass cast sculptures.

5 prints and two glass castings

I will be teaching a hand carving workshop this coming weekend in Poulsbo, WA, August 1 & 2 if anyone is interested, please email me. Sculpt and print proud! Brian

The “Mid Time” – spaces between and what to do….

Mid Time is what I’m feeling on the inner world. I am exploring this feeling of mid. Midlife is what mostly comes to my mind, yet as I recently turned 60, I am most likely past the mid point. It shows in my artwork as I took a passionate turn a few years ago, just when I was reaching a great level of accomplishment with my artwork and with my peace work, and started my second attempt to use cast glass as a sculpting medium. After three years of casting, I can now say that the work that I am producing in glass is very satisfying as each sculpture is the realization of what I envisioned. I am dreaming some new ideas, but that is for another day of writing. Today I’m addressing the mid time, between the beginning and the end, the place where I have enough life experience to know that I don’t have to begin again, yet what will carry me through till the end? I hope to capture some of this in my latest sculptures, and stone seems to be my sketch book, though it doesn’t ever feel like graphite on paper. I am happy that my body is cooperating with my passion, though there are many groans and slower movements these days. After nearly 20 years of stone carving, I’m slowing down, lifting less weight, and enjoying making sculptures from remnants of other sculptures. These remnant assemblages give me the advantage of not having to carve every part of the sculpture, just some of the parts and then assemble with my pinning method.

I’ve been partaking in some talks lately with mythopoetic men, Daniel Deardorff, Martin Shaw, and Michael Meade. Some speak of the soul as what one accesses in the forest, and the village is mostly where we access mind. Taking time in the forest experience, turning away from the electronic world, connecting with my inner nature where my true nature lives. The trials of this time of change, are the trails leading me into the forest. Stepping away from the village can be of great risk to the norm. My daily routine and work will suffer from my absence. And what is to gain….maybe this is the mid time, how to hold back from the doing. Oh this is challenges my drive towards responsible behaviour. What will my culture and society say if I no longer produce, if I don’t pay my bills, if I take time for something new to emerge like a spring to fill up.

During the time I wrote about in my recent blog (6months to the day), I found that my body and what felt like “my cells wanting me to stop”, and at first I felt frozen like I was connecting with some kind of trauma, then when I asked my soul what it wants, I was told stillness. I rejoyced in knowing that something wasn’t wrong and that listening and spending more time in the stillness, would give me renewal and strength to face the hard times which might be ahead for me, as the art market and the peace work has slowed dramatically with the economic downturn. Stillness was available to me in each moment and risking “missing something” like a sales inquirey, or the news or the internet, was what I had to let go of. What a difference it made not to follow the political conflict streams and the news of war and economic crisis that pervades our media.

To go ones own way is a challenge yet the rewards are great. The path is authenticity. I hope this gives you an idea of what my mid time is about and what I am doing with the time. May peace and stillness be with you as well as your creative productive self. And if you find yourself in mid-time, know that you are not alone.

Here are some of my latest sculptures photographed around our home gallery. When I get enough of them completed, I’ll do a photo shoot with better lighting. Enjoy!

6 Months to the Day – New Work

I don’t know what kept me from writing all these months. I guess when I returned from Europe, having had a peak experience of showing in the Louvre, sculpting in the Czech Republic glass studio, and living in Berlin with our friends and family, I just wasn’t ready for the frozen economic climate we returned to.

Without going into much of the details, my gallery presence and livelihood derived from gallery sales were in a free fall. There had been no income during the 5 weeks of travel, no sales, and with the grim news of the economic downturn and possible collapse of our banking and economic structures, I was in a personal crisis which I couldn’t write about. I noticed that without appreciative art lovers, buyers, and art patrons I felt I was no longer needed. My message of Art for Peace was not timely, though the wars continue to rage. As the fallout from the money crisis continued, galleries began to fail, I lost two right away and a third is ending today.

As spring began, so began my creativity again. I think that I had needed the rest after one breakthrough year, I wasn’t yet ready to maintain such a pace. I found that turning 60 was another factor. In the slow winter months of this year, I pondered whether I was to begin a new direction. My sculpting was not yet calling and I felt like I was in a second mid-life crisis. I pondered each day what would I do if my art livelihood had ended. I DON’T KNOW! This was the continued message, and though I have many other gifts and skills, I didn’t feel done with my art. So I waited and soon I received the beautiful glass sculptures that I designed in the Czech Republic. ART = RENEWABLE ENERGY. I had found my renewed energy resource, my artwork. This was a timely shift in perspective, as I don’t know how long I could stay in the I don’t know place.

The excitement I feel when I see the sculptures that I originally envisioned, returned me to my passion for creating this kind of Art for Peace, beautiful forms, simply presented, playing with light. Sitting on my work beach was a calcite stone that I had begun last year and now I was ready to  bring it to a completion. I had found the spirit and energy it takes for me to suit up in protective gear and take on the slow reduction of stone, to find the final form and the look I’m after.

Here is the latest in my Omega Series, call Light Maker…..

Onyx/Granite 29x27x16

I’m now back in the studio working on a new series of sculptures some for the garden and some for indoor, and I will post them as I finish them. I have scheduled an Open House and Art Sale for July 26th from 1-6pm to share the new work as well as what I create at the Pilchuck Glass School where I will be a student under the direction of Australian glass artist Richard Whiteley. I’ve also scheduled a stone carving workshop for August 1 & 2, so let me know if you are interested.

Don’t hesitate to leave a comment, so that I know that you are interested in seeing and reading more from me. Thanks, Brian

Christmas – Hanukah in Berlin

Now that the holidays are here, I take some time to celebrate our journey with friends in Berlin. Just to keep the theme of art for peace alive and well, I will show you some images that bring me this feeling. As the holiday feasting is also upon us, I share some artful edibles as well. Happy Holidays to all of you readers. Thanks for sharing the journey with us. Brian and Lisa

Beautiful street lights in Berlin

Berlin’s Menorah for Hanukah

Brian and Lisa at Christmas Dinner

Artful Soup

A Restored Well

Kai inspecting the well.

Here’s a peak into the well

Looking up at the Church

The Dove of Peace in Stained Glass

Artful Soup 2

Artful Soup 3

How do you top Paris-visit Family and Friends

I don’t know if topping Paris is possible, yet the warmth of Paris pales in comparison to the warmth of family and friends. Our time now is relaxed and we are spending Christmas and New Year in Berlin with Doris and Kai and visiting with many Berlin friends. I will post some photos now of our journey up north to Lisa’s sister Heike, and brother-in-law Ziggy, and nephew Manu. Then we will travel to Lisa’s parents where we will have cake and coffee with her mother and father, her older sister and her husband, and her younger brother and his wife and daughter.

We had a Jewish German reunion on our way back to Berlin by stopping in Hamburg and hosted by our dear friend Ulrich and his wife Henrike. They gave us a warm welcome with a special family pancake “friesentorte” with plum sauce and whipped cream, yummy. Our time together was warm and a sharing of our lives and we ate and we ate some more and even when it was time to leave, Ulrich gave us all bags of holiday chocolates for our trip back to Berlin. It was a beautiful time and we so much enjoyed our short Hamburg visit. We even got to take a walk between courses so that we had room for the next meal. What fun. Germany is so much more food friendly than Paris. Even when you don’t eat Bratwurst, you can find delicious foods everywhere.

Now for the photos, click on them for the descriptions. Happy Holidays and we wish you all great peace and joy!

Manu gets the Christmas present of his dreams

Our first Salad – a Work of Art

A Plate of Artful Fruits

Eggs nesting in a basket

We visit an Ice Palace

Potato Latkes with Apple Sause or Marmalade

The Famous Bremen Musicians

Another beautiful salad.

OH, Did I mention the German Cakes?

Menorah as we entered the Jewish Cafe and Bookstore

A painting showing the Jewish community fracturing

Once here was a Jewish Synagogue

Sitting in the Jewish Cafe

Stubble Stone memorial

Ulrich prepares a family Christmas treat

Sitting around the table catching up with each other.

Back into the train station for one more journey to Berlin

Here too the decorations for the holidays are everywhere

Computer Skype view

Kai and Doris’ Christmas tree

Jewish Museum in Berlin

Art and Wellness in Berlin

If you have been checking this blog every day, you have noticed that I took a break after all the action in Paris. Well, it has been quite a long journey since the early planning of this trip and all the steps that it took to get here. Now that we are in Berlin we are relaxing quite a bit and yesterday we went off downtown to do some errands and take in a wellness break. As we left Kai and Doris’ home I took a few shots of some of the sculptures here before we headed to the bus, then the subway to get downtown. It takes about 3/4 hour to get into the downtown parts of Berlin that we want to go. We visit our favorite falafel restaurant – Habibi, and I’ve included a couple of pictures. The tickets give you two hours of travel, so we are making our stops quite short so that we can get to our final stop before buying another ticket for the way home. As we are racing at times, I think that this isn’t what I’d call a wellness pace. When we finally get to the Liquidrom, all stresses are released into the warm waters. I’ll post a link to a video of the place, though it is in German, you can still get a feeling for the place. Here’s the link, you may have to cut and paste it into your browser: http://cms.cityguide.com/detail.jsp?itemId=80629030241970005&lang=de&cty=DEUTSCHLAND&feed=pub&view=list

Enjoy the photos and we will be heading north to visit Lisa’s family and likely won’t have internet access for posting for a few days. Check back when you have time and hopefully, I will get some new images and information posted soon. Happy Holidays to you as we come closer to the darkest day and the soon aproach of more light. One of my favorite season changes.

A reminder to bow when entering this new place

Pan is in the garden

Painted Ceramic Hen

Griffen atop the world

One of my favorite Kai Draeger Sculptures

A taller Buddha at the entry to the garden

Lunch for our favorite Falafel – Habibi

Lisa bringing her falafel for lunch

We finally arrive at our wellness destination

Paris- The Berman’s Last Night in the Apartment

How to find your way in Paris

Well, after recovering from all the cakes and coffee’s today, Lisa and I settle in for our last night in the apartment. We take some pictures for the memories of this place where we lived for the last week. The hard work is over for me. Seems like I’ve been working towards this trip to Paris since the springtime and especially with a narrow focus since September. It remains to be seen what future benefits this exhibition holds for me. Certainly, it is a milestone in my life and a great accomplishment to have been at an exhibition in the Louvre.

Now we will pack and clean and tomorrow morning we will head off to the airport and make our way to Berlin. Many of you have written, and a few of you have commented on my postings. Please feel free to express whatever you like and if it isn’t too insulting I’ll post it. Seriously, this blog is interactive and since starting it, there have been over 2300 visits. That’s a lot of viewing for such a travelogue.
Well, here are more pictures to share.

Even when Brian rests, he’s looking at you

How long is he…….resting

Butterflies in the apartment on the curtains

Another butterfly

No wonder I don’t sleep much-we’ve got a rooster

A hen to go along with the rooster

The view of one of the book shelves.

Lisa keeps up with her emails

Lisa’s smiling face