Kennedy Creative Works (KCW) Blog

Illustration, Art, Film, Inspiration, Profiles and Cheap Ideas in Seattle

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Changing Tides

End of Day © C. Kennedy

I've decided to end my time here at tumblr and start a new blog.  I hope I'll see you there... KCW blog.

“instinct leads me to another flow” ― Queen Latifah

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LAST SALE OF THE YEAR

  Bear and Poodle © C. Kennedy

~I’m having a Cyber Monday Sale (12/2 & 12/3), 25% off your entire order through my Etsy Store. Just use the code "Homemade" at checkout. ~

The sale includes archival prints of “Bear and Poodle,” pictured above.  This original painting looks great in a child's room. Accepted custom requests are also included in the sale.

ENJOY STAYING HOME WHILE BUYING HOMEMADE! 

See my entire Etsy Store:  Kennedy Creative Works

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Kayaking Puget Sound:  Seahurst © C. Kennedy

~I'm having a Cure for Black Friday Sale (11/11 - 11/29), 10% off your entire order through my Etsy Store. Just use the code BLACKFRIDAY7 at checkout. ~

The sale includes archival prints of "Kayaking Puget Sound," pictured above.  This original painting details the view from Seahurst Park and won two awards this year. Accepted custom requests are also included in the sale.

ENJOY STAYING HOME WHILE BUYING HOMEMADE! 

See my entire Etsy Store:  Kennedy Creative Works

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American Promise: A Free Documentary Film Screening

How Does Opportunity Become Equal In America?

Synopsis from the film's website:

"American Promise spans 13 years as Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, middle-class African-American parents in Brooklyn, N.Y., turn their cameras on their son, Idris, and his best friend, Seun, who make their way through one of the most prestigious private schools in the country. Chronicling the boys’ divergent paths from kindergarten through high school graduation at Manhattan’s Dalton School, this provocative, intimate documentary presents complicated truths about America’s struggle to come of age on issues of race, class and opportunity. An Official Selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival."

See it:  Tues., Nov. 19th at 6:15 pm, at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute in Seattle.  Tickets:  FREE (Suggested Donation)

The screening will be followed by a panel conversation of parents, education experts, and community leaders (organized by African American Leadership Forum Northwest).

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Seeing Stars: The Coolest WA State Park That You Never Knew Existed (Until Now)

Pictured: Goldendale Observatory State Park © C. Kennedy

High on an Eastern Washington hill, with several huge wind turbines in the distance and a small charming town below, lies the Goldendale Observatory, one of our very own Washington State Parks.  This certified “Dark Sky Park” boasts one of the nation's largest public telescopes.  You can look through it yourself and see celestial bodies, possibly unlike you ever have before, just by bringing your Discover Pass. 

Unsure if you are knowledgeable enough to interpret what you are seeing?  Newly appointed Director, Troy Carpenter, will add to your knowledge of the cosmos.  The former College Instructor is able to explain the scientific properties of the stars and planets, without making you feel that you should have studied up before coming in.  He's an engaging host as he presents an overview of what you can see through the eyes of the telescope.  After our discussion on electricity, I found myself driving away thinking about conduits, not the usual fodder for my brain.

I arrived for a daylight experience and was able to see the moon-like glow of Venus and prominences on the Sun's surface.  As things shift in the sky, so does what you can see through the lens.  Later that night, Carpenter planned to offer a viewing of the Space Station.  Who knows what might be visible when you arrive. 

Since it is about 3.5 hour drive from Seattle to get to the observatory, I recommend spending some time at the Columbia River beforehand.  A replica of Stonehenge; the Maryhill Museum of Art, including over 80 works by Auguste Rodin; and Columbia Hills State Park are a mere 15-25 minutes away.  Of special note, you can stop at a viewpoint for the site of the former Celilo Falls. It's a sacred place to many Northwest Tribes and a place you should learn about, if you haven't already.

Click here to visit the Goldendale Observatory State Park web site  Entrance Fee:  FREE, Discover Pass required for parking, Winter Hours:  Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1-9p.m., Clear Sky Chart

Pictured:  Troy Carpenter, Director / Interpretive Specialist with a Solar Telescope (above); the Goldendale Observatory State Park (below); the site of the historical Celilo Falls on the Columbia River (bottom) © C. Kennedy

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NEW WORK:  The Tooth Fairy and Her Cello © C. Kennedy

Inspired by a friend.

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FREE Museum Tickets to DB Cooper Exhibit and Others

DB Cooper Sketch.  Photo © C. Kennedy

If you are a card carrying member of the King County Library you can register online for FREE museum tickets for the Washington State History Museum, Bellevue Arts Museum, or KidsQuest Children's Museum. 

Of particular note, the Washington State History Museum has a great D.B. Cooper Exhibit.  Study the fate of the ever-elusive parachuting bank robber, the subject of a 1971 case which the FBI is still trying to solve.  Beyond the mystery of D.B. Cooper, this exhibit examines the larger historical context of airline safety, including present day threats. 

You'll be pondering this heady subject as you enter a faux airline cabin with a substitute D.B. Cooper seated in the rear.  Overhead, you will hear a reenacted version of the original radio transmissions between the hijacked airliner and air traffic control. It's an eerie way to get a sense of the tension of the actual event.  This, along with the other interactive offerings, ties the intriguing mystery with one's own experiences of being an airline passenger.  It also serves as a reminder of how much the FAA has had to reconsider and radically transform after 9-11.

Visit "Cooper," now until January 5, 2014, at the Washington State History Museum, 1911 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, WA, 253-272-9747

Directions

Items similar to those found left behind by DB Cooper (above) and Timeline of the Cooper Hijacking (below).  Photos © C. Kennedy

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Cheap Skate: Free Documentary Film

The Graduates/LOS GRADUADOS

A Generation in Crisis

From the website for Community Cinema

The Graduates/LOS GRADUADOS

"Much more than a survey of contemporary policy debates, the student profiles in The Graduates/Los Graduados offer a first-hand perspective on the challenges facing many Latino high school students, including over-crowded schools, crime-ridden neighborhoods, teen pregnancy, and pressure to contribute to the family finances. The stories in this compelling documentary make you root along with the successes and challenges of los graduados. The Graduates/Los Graduados is an eye-opening introduction to many of the determined and resilient young people who will shape America's future."

The film features actor Wilmer Valderrama; Maria Teresa Kumar, the founding President and CEO of Voto Latino and an Emmy-nominated contributor on MSNBC; and Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles (2005-2013) a former high school dropout himself.

See this film for FREE:

SEATTLE

Sat., Oct. 19, 2:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:30 p.m.)

The Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave., Seattle, WA 98104

VASHON ISLAND

Tues., Oct 29th, 6p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)

The Vashon Theatre, 17723 Vashon Highway SW, Vashon, WA 98070B

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Inspiration Point: Love Takes Hostages

Movement © C. Kennedy

"…then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life…You give them a piece of you. They didn’t ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn’t your own anymore. Love takes hostages…." ― Neil Gaiman

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ARTISTÉ OF THE WEEK: Lisa Jones Moore, Jones Moore Studio Art

   Calling Me Softly © JonesMoore Studio Art

One thing that the Northwest is truly composed of is water.  We are surrounded by the Puget Sound, the Olympic Rainforest, the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River, and all the rainy days that one can imagine.  I think that's why I was immediately drawn to Lisa Jones Moore's work.  She is mirroring back the nature of this water-based region.

One of Jones Moore's recent series is comprised of encaustic paintings, which make use of hot beeswax, and include sea shells, barnacles, and birch bark.  Also of note, she has sprinkled in text from "Gift from the Sea."  The tactile feeling of the pieces are like remnants of time spent at water's edge. 

So this Friday, our hats are off to you, Lisa Jones Moore, you are KCW’s Artisté of the Week!

See more of this Artisté’s work on her website: http://artid.com/members/jonesmoore

Or see in-person at the Hanson Scott Gallery.

From the Sea (above) and Sea Grid (below) © JonesMoore Studio Art

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MONDAY: Inspiration Point

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” ― Shel Silverstein

Three Views of Mt. Pilchuck (above) © C. Kennedy

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FRIDAY ARTISTÉ OF THE WEEK: Preston Singletary

House Beneath the Water © Preston Singletary

Over 10 years after the famed Pilchuck Glass School had its humble beginning, Preston Singletary made his way to a summer workshop there.  Other than that experience, Singletary learned everything he knows about glass on the job.  He traveled to Europe to see different approaches to the art, where glass blowing traditions have deep roots.  After that, Singletary really came into his own through his own roots.  He began to  incorporate designs inspired by his Tlingit heritage into glass.

In 2013, after over 30 years working with the medium, Singletary is a winner of the Seattle Mayor's Art Award in the Raising the Bar category.  His work is important, as he is preserving ancient Northwest cultural designs and ideas into the fragile cradle of glass.  As Singletary himself has pointed out the example of the ancient Egyptian glass pieces, longevity is possible in this art.  For now, when light illuminates each piece, it is a real sight to see.  

So this Friday, our hats are off to you, Preston Singletary, you are KCW’s Artisté of the Week!

See more of this Artisté’s work on his website: http://www.prestonsingletary.com/

See Preston Singletary's work at:

Oct. 3 - 31st, Preston Singletary:  Bronze and Glass, Stonington Gallery, Seattle.  Artist Reception: First Thursday, October 3, 6-8pm

The Tacoma Museum of Glass (currently part of the Northwest Artists Collect show and the traveling exhibition Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows).

Clan House © Preston Singletary (pictured above)

Raven Woman © Preston Singletary (above photo by C. Kennedy)

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MONDAY: Inspiration Point

"Forever fades black and Comes up cold..."

-"Desire Lines" by Deerhunter                                                                 lyrics by LOCKETT PUNDT, BRADFORD COX

Undertones I and II © C. Kennedy

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FRIDAY ARTISTÉ OF THE WEEK: Jason Waskey

   Beacon Hill View (L) and Langley Waterfront (R) © Jason Waskey

Seattle artist Jason Waskey paints, as he describes, "...the world around him...."  I must say his world sometimes looks remarkably Northwest.  At first glance, I was able to recognize the real world locations depicted in the paintings above.  There is something very familiar in these scenes.  Hailing from New Mexico, Waskey is a transplant who seems able to easily transcribe our local landscape into paint. 

Maybe more recognizable in a universal way, Waskey can paint people.  He doesn't call them portraits, as he shows individuals within their own moments and environments.  Something real emotes from these "scenes."  The look in the face of our barista, someone reading a book, these are moments we all witness everyday but he holds them still in time.

So this Friday, our hats are off to you, Jason Waskey, you are KCW’s Artisté of the Week!

See more of this Artisté’s work on his website: http://jasonwaskey.com/

    Paris Dress (L) and Orange Scarf (R) © Jason Waskey

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On September 11th: Lost in the Forest

"...as if suddenly the roots I had left behind cried out to me, the land I had lost with my childhood-- and I stopped, wounded by the wandering scent." 

"...como si me buscaran de pronto las raíces que abandoné, la tierra perdida con mi infancia, y me detuve herido por el aroma errante."

-from "En los bosques, perdido, corté una rama oscura" by Pablo Neruda,                                                

Posted In Honor of Those Who Suffered Under the September 11th 1973 Coup and It's Aftermath in Chile

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FRIDAY - Inspiration Point

"History says, Don't hope

on this side of the grave.

But then, once in a lifetime

the longed for tidal wave

of justice can rise up,

and hope and history rhyme."

- R.I.P. Seamus Heaney

To Hurt the Inner Man © Cindi deChannes Photography

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FRIDAY - Inspiration Point

"When I can look Life in the eyes, Grown calm and very coldly wise, Life will have given me the Truth, And taken in exchange - my youth." - Sara Teasdale

Barred Owl © C. Kennedy