if we get sean, they will come

Pat Alley is trying to raise awareness of the Savannah Dance festival. She came to kickstarter with a definite goal: get the funds to bring the Sean Curran Company to town, as the headliner.
Dream big or go home, right?
I don't know much about Sean Curran, except that he was one of the original members of Stomp. That's good enough street cred(entials) for me! I was at their 2005 show when they came to Savannah and consider myself very fortunate. Part of the beauty of the performances was watching the shadows on the walls of the Johnny Mercer Theatre as the dancers leapt and spun and stomped! - it was incredible and I could hardly sit still, dancing my way out into the streets after the show!
So, if the goal was to bring a dance troupe that talented to Savannah for all to enjoy, then sure! I'll put up some cold hard cash for that!
Especially as I'll get two rewards: 1) the posted reward of a T-shirt from the every day i'm shufflin' flash mob event that occured for the 4th of July here, and 2) the reward of being present at the Savannah Dance Festival. Win-win!

digitul monsterz, once more

Very nice! He's back with a new project to table his creatures in a book!
As you may recall, he had an unsuccessful go with this design venture earlier this year. His geometrically themed monsters did their best, but Mr. Wigfall had to step back and regroup. He also had to determine a new funding amount and new focus for his work.
Now, he's back!
This time around, I doubled my support for the project.
In rewardspeak, that means I'll also receive 9x12's of two of his gorgeously hued and wonderfully drawn monsters.
I am so excited - for me, for him, and for monster lovers everywhere!!!

real outdoorsmen - an adventure documentary

Well, bless Pete! The two real outdoorsmen of California are giving it another try!
Disclaimer: I am not disparaging the good people of that large, western state who enjoy being outdoors. One of my best friends is in El Cerrito and is an avid hiker and enjoyer of nature. My little sister, in the southern part of California, takes her family camping on a regular basis.
So, there.
Back to the tale at hand...
When we last tuned in, they were trying to complete a film of their hikes in the Blue Ridge mountains of Georgia. It was to be a regular guy's hike, not that of a naturalist or expert. Just a person with a camera, enjoying the views, the flora, and the fauna, with a good buddy.
When they alerted me to their revived venture, I jumped on in, of course.
I'm their first backer this time, too!
Let's hope they have better fortune this time.

a better summer

For a project which is now a decade old, it sure has turned into a beautiful baby. "God Help The Girl", the brainchild of Stuart Murdoch, begins filming in Glasgow today.
Today.
Actually, as I write this I realize they are probably wrapping up the first day's shoot. Twenty-four more days on the set!
Originally, the songwriter simply wanted to write songs for girl singers to sing. Belle & Sebastian, the band he is in, is not a girl band. It has a girl in it, yes, but is not predominantly girls and Stuart is the lead. So, in 2004, he developed this concept of songs to be sung by girls, songs about girls and young women. Then, he auditioned and finally found the ones to sing on this album he was constructing, of girls singing about girls. Finally, in 2009, God Help The Girl was completed and released.
A couple of the songs made it onto other albums by the band. Here's a video of Stuart singing "Funny Little Frog", a tune found on GHTG as well as The Life Pursuit.
Even with the completion of the album, he wasn't done dreaming about it and the songs. Now, that dream was to turn the music into a film. So he started talking to the kind of people you talk to when you're trying to make a film. No one would buy into his dream.
No one.
At least, not until Barry Mendel stepped in. He would produce the film, but financial backing was needed, more than he could give.
So they tried to obtain funding from the usual sources and no one would agree to underwrite the costs of turning the dream into reality.
No one.
Not until they found www.kickstarter.com. That's where I found out about this grand dream and bought my way into it. I know Mama would definitely see the merit of this use of her money.
Now, I'm one of the collaborators on this project.
Because I "get it", as Stuart said.
I've even received two of my rewards already! I'm listed as one of the 1,334 Supporters on the website for the film. And I received a digital postcard of thanks! (I even printed it and framed it!)
I am so very grateful to have found this beautiful, hopeful project!
Break a leg, y'all!

flower power muralcle

Oh, wow! Fliss has been immortalized!!! Well, at least for a few months, right? I mean, a few months on the Savannah Art Wall at 34th and Habersham Streets, but who knows how long on the internet?
This kickstarter project has been very good to me!
Even if it did come as a little shock to me that I had so much gray in my hair. (Odd; the mirror must lie!)
Two weeks ago, I received a notice from the the good folks at SeeSAW that Troy Wandzel was the next artist to paint the Wall. He likes live models and had asked that local kickstarter supporters, as well as all interested others, come by during his week to get their portraits done. Of course I went!
Thursday, June 21st, fit nicely into my schedule. I had to wait my turn behind three young blonde lasses, but the day was gorgeous and music was provided, so I was good! I even danced a little! Then it was my turn to be captured.
Troy was very fast with his painting. That was partly due to the fast-drying nature of the paint, but also it was his style, perfected over the years. A few quick strokes, some washes of color, and a little fine-tuning: done!

These last two are of the finished Wandzel painting, taken today. I was very pleased that he had incorporated the "Turtle Island" landscape into his world of flower people. Then again, it speaks well of him that he has such respect for another's work.
I wonder what the next artist will do?