Perfume, Art, Love, More

Even though my wife Roxana Villa and I work out of our home sometimes we are not privy to what each other is doing because our studios are in different locations. I get lost in my projects and sometimes do not pay enough attention to what is happening in the next room.

When I do have a moment it’s wonderful checking out her laboratory of beautiful fragrances as well as her  Roxana Illuminated Perfume Journal which she works on most diligently. It is filled with all the things she loves, from low tech to high touch to transcendent observations of life in all its fascinations. Roxana’s visual vocabulary has a unique aura. Much of her writing revolves around the world of scent but threads of art are woven throughout. The only thing missing is the scent of the awesome botanical perfumes she creates. Alas, you must procure samples to experience those.

In the meantime peruse her posts, even back through the years. I guarantee there is inspiration for you all.

Manga Fascination

I received some Manga as a Christmas gift, specifically Blade of the Immortal written and illustrated by Hiroaki Samura and Vagabond written and illustrated by Takehiko Inoue, both samurai epics. It appears that people either love or dislike Japanese comics. In Japan everyone reads them. When I was visiting Tokyo in the mid 90′s I even witnessed homeless people reading the large volumes filled with many different stories.

Every type of concept you can imagine exists in the manga world from the most innocent to the hard core. What amazes me is the talent that crops up in some of these books. The visual development of characters, environments, pacing, composition, page design, are very well done and pulls the reader through the tale. It is film on paper. The drawing and pen and ink skills some of the artists showcase is quite beautiful and stunning. I am sharing a few highlights of  Blade of the Immortal, Vagabond, and Tegami Bachi written and illustrated by Hiroyuki Asada. Notice that the artist in these cases is also the writer! Talk about multi-talented.

It is interesting that many manga stories become animated features (anime) for TV especially in Asia. I have yet seen a manga translated into film that truly captures the life and spirit of the original artwork in these books. You can experience hundreds upon hundreds of different Manga, cover to cover, for free (including the ones I just mentioned) on mangareader.net. How they are able to offer all these books which have high rez scans of every page of the book is a mystery. I have written them to ask if the site is sanctioned by all the publishers. Pretty amazing what they have accomplished.

Do you have a favorite manga that you feel transcends the medium? Let me know.

Peace

Greg

Change is Coming

My lovely friend, artist, singer/song writer, Michelle Barnes (my song writing partner on The Visions of Vespertina) has written an anthem for change in the spirit of the wall street occupiers.

The Hand of Destiny

Look at the palms of your hands and recall what you accomplished with them in 2011. At the end of every year I look back at my life to review what I learned, what goals I attained, who I helped, and how I could have made more of a difference. The lines in my palms connect to the lines in yours reminding me we are all in this together, hand in hand on our journey of love, life, art, spirit.

I place my palms together and bow to the compass of your heart. May it guide your creativity, and prosperity in 2012.

Peace

Greg

Peace On Earth

The Project-Peace on Earth concert was broadcast live from Manger Square, Bethlehem on Christmas Day, 9:00 AM, PST. It was an intimate concert. Let’s hope that Steve continues to put on these concerts and that an idea that started small with humble beginnings can grow into something substantial. We can all use more peace.

Go here.

Some of the musicians included-

Joanne Shenandoah – Grammy winning Native American singer (featured performer on the new Prayer Cycle “Path to Zero” album)
Leah Shenandoah who performed on Jonathan Elias’s new Prayer Cycle album called “Path to Zero”
Gary Nicholson - Grammy winning Texas Hall of Fame song writer
Hani Naser - world renown Jordanian percussionist and Oud player
Fox Lima - composer and vocalist of the famed Enigma MXX Social Song

Happy Holidays to all!

Vespertina Revealed X

“The creatures collapsed into a heap.”

“That’s it!” Elizabeth jumped high above the four beasts. Grabbing the silver thread snaking from the back of her neck she pulled sharply on it in a downward motion. Her cord reeled in from the ethers above. In a large swooping motion she propelled the line toward the trolls. A whirling sound filled the air.
The thread flickered with an inner glow, and arced above with incredible speed. It raced over the heads of the trolls and began its descent in front of them. Elizabeth jerked back on the line.

The thread which only a moment ago appeared to be a gentle spider web flowing in the wind returned sharply and at an angle perfectly aligned with the trolls shins, severing their legs. The creatures collapsed into a heap. Human souls went tumbling. Some stood up shakily and stumbled away, others remained tangled in the thick hair. Thumping could be felt through the ground while the misshapen beasts flayed arms and stubby appendages like overgrown babies.”

*Excerpt from The Visions of Vespertina.

The Artist As Brand Workbook Is Here!

© 2011 Greg Spalenka and Artist As Brand ®

“The Artist As Brand Workbook is an easy read and jam packed with all kinds of resources. It’s great to keep looking back to.”
-Miranda Sharp, Student, Kendall College of Art & Design, Michigan

“I received a map and tools—where to go and what to do when I got there. And confidence, that I CAN be an entrepreneur with my own art and not have to rely on other people giving me work.”
-Gina Terzino, Artist, Los Angeles

“You have finally put it all in perspective. I understand how to make my unique voice heard. I see the power and goodness of where my heart is telling me to go. I can finally stop waiting and dive into a new blue sea.”
-Kari Christensen, Professional Illustrator, New York

THE ARTIST AS BRAND WORKSHOP IN A BOOK

You can now own the official PDF textbook participants use while taking my Artist As Brand Workshop. It is for serious creative individuals, students and professionals who want to manifest prosperity from their art, on their own terms. You will learn about the history behind Artist As Brand as well as it’s synergistic principles. It has live links throughout that can be utilized while reading through the material.

The Artist As Brand Workshop is sharing the culmination of what I learned from my 30 year art career. The Artist As Brand Workbook encapsulates this in a book. If you are an artist who wants to manifest prosperity from your art, on your own terms this is for you. It takes talent, courage and tenacity, but the independence and freedom is empowering.

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“Greg, I wanted to thank you for giving us the tools to really go forward with our art businesses.
- Diana Levin, Artist, Los Angeles

I gained perspective on my future and myself. There is a world of possibilities for artists.”
-Tannie Duong, Student, San Francisco Academy of Art

“I finished the Artist As Brand Workbook and really liked it. It has everything an artist needs to know to get started.”
-Mariana Benkovic Zeljko, Artist, Croatia