I Wander Lonely As A Cloud

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed---and gazed---but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils

--William Wordsworth

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Love this photo

The Weeki Wachee Spring, 1947, Toni Frissell

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Emily, Shelby, & Chris

Look at these beautiful people. Chris let me borrow his equipment and have my own photoshoot. (yea, that's him in the photos - not only is he an incredible photographer, he can dance!) Setting up was an experiment in itself since I didn't really know what I was doing, but I'd say it turned out ok. I didn't break anything, so that's a plus. Emily and Shelby are both dancers in the Modern Dance dept at the University of Utah and I am so lucky to get to work with these peeps. They made the process so easy. Essentially, all ll I said was "move" and this is what happened. Here are some of my fav's from the sesh, although choosing just a few (x4) was nearly impossible. I can't wait to do more of this. I think I'm in love.

 Fabric makes things pretty

Boots = magic

This = magic

The movement in her hair and the torque in her legs makes this a favorite

 The lighting on her face makes me happy

 Juicy

 I love the negative space between her left foot and his right leg. See it?

This makes me want to shoot fashion stuff. Cause pretty shoes are in

the full gallery is {here}

Fredrik from Sweden

Another product of Sweden...and yet another reason to go there. Fredrik is set to release their album, Flora, next month. Here's a full album stream. Great soundtrack to my late nights in the library. I dig it.

Ashes & Snow

Gregory Colbert.
This. man. is. incredible. He has created a most beautiful art project / cultural observation. 


It's called Ashes and Snow. 


It's a project that "weaves together photographic works, 35mm films, art installations, and a novel in letters". None of these photos have been altered or photoshopped post-process. Keep that in mind as you browse.

"In exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, I am working towards rediscovering the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals. The images depict a world that is without beginning or end, here or there, past or present.”

Impeccable, haunting, mysterious, epic. The exhibit debuted in Venice in 2002, toured through New York, Santa Monica, Tokyo, and was last seen in Mexico City in 2008. No news of where its headed next. 

If anyone feels the need to fill their selfless deed quota...send the dvd my way, please. Or better yet, a confirmed ticket to the exhibit's next locale.

Dance Photography

This is what I'd like to do every day, please. Dance, photography, the creative process, etc etc. YUM.

My friend, Chris (check out his stuff - it will always be a source of inspiration for me), is an incredible photographer and dancer with Repertory Dance Theatre in SLC, and he's oh-so-graciously showin' me the ropes of his lighting technique. I've helped out at a few of his shoots and have gotten to take some photos of my own. Here are a few from this weekend. The first dancer is with Ballet West and the second is Seattle-based.

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Anthropologie + Artists



Pretty, pretty, pretty.

Anthropologie is collaborating with artists from around the world for their newest designs. Love. Here are some of my favorites.


Patch NYC

  
 

Into the Lighthouse, Ana-Willi Highfield






Donna Demari

 

I especially love this stuff by Leslie Oschmann





  

All of this makes me want to make things! Arts and crafts day, anyone?

I'm falling in love with this "Future Shorts" series. In this dance-for-camera, I find the mask unnecessary. I love, however, the simplicity of the large room, minimal clothing and movement, the four men, and her.

Went up Millcreek Canyon with my best friend, Ashley, this weekend. These pictures were inspired by my recent interest in portraits, the artwork displayed at the SLC Gallery Stroll on Friday, and a dance piece I was recently in that explored backs. Let me know what you think.

 

 

Portraits

I would like to play around with portraiture. I like these.

 

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Adele

Oh my, this lady.

Her name's Adele, she's from the UK, she's 21, and she's incredibly talented.

21! Also the name of her newest album (which is set to be released late February but inside sources got my hands on a copy early...). Her first album, "19", she recorded when she was 19. I sure hope this is a trend and she's spewing out such genuine stuff every couple years or so. I'm a fan.

Plus, I love stuff like this: in-home recordings, little blurbs from the artist tagged onto their work. It gives insight into their process.

**Update: I just listened to a short interview with Adele on NPR. Inspiration? Etta James. (No surprise there). And she hates the sound of her own voice; says if she wasn't herself she "wouldn't listen to my music". 

Thought of You

Alright, check this out.

It’s beautiful.

It’s not often I say that about dance. Anyone who has ever sat next to me at a dance concert, listening to my brutal critiques, knows I am not easily impressed.

So when I found this little gem that so intimately captures something raw, I had to know more. I tracked down the film’s website and making-of documentary (which I encourage you to explore).

“Thought of You” was a personal project dreamed up and fulfilled by the obviously talented Ryan Woodward, an animator, designer, and storyboard artist working for the big names in Hollywood – from Disney to Dreamworks – and teaching at his alma mater, BYU. He speaks of his reasons for the project – to “combine several art forms into one exhibition”.

And he clearly does so using music, dance, and animation to tell a story. Abandoning traditional narrative for individual interpretation, Woodward notes “a graceful moving human form can communicate more emotion that any length of dialogue.”  He plays between “academic” and “creative” drawing, letting the story and his aesthetics guide the imagery and style.

To the untrained eye, it’s sometimes hard to discern between quality and sh*t. But to a dancer, every detail matters – the placement of a hand, the sway of the back, the rotation in the hip. It is incredible that Woodward, having no dance training, was able to capture with such precision the subtleties in movement, body placement, and emotions of the dancers sans the use of facial expressions or words. This is dance.

It is a feat in itself to produce good choreography for the stage. When you translate dance for the camera, it’s as if a veil has been placed between the dancers and viewer. Something is lost – that real, raw quality. Thus it’s even harder to capture choreography on film, much less in animation. At 24 frames per second, I can only imagine the absurd attention to detail Woodward had to devote to create this three minute piece. Talk about late nights in the studio…

With nearly 500,000 views on Youtube alone and a busy Film Festival schedule ahead, it is clear that many people are inspired by this film. And needless to say, I am too.

Animation: Ryan Woodward       Music: “World Spins Madly On” by The Weepies