a life to remember

How do you remember the times that you laugh and cry, the times that you argue, complain, fear, believe, hope, dream, love, and all of those
other aspects of life?  It is a moment, a simple memory, a fleeting thought, or a long pause?

We have been forced into the reality of life…a life to remember.  our son who has been battling neuroblastoma cancer, was freed from the 
battle on January 9th, 2009.  

Through this struggle we have appreciated having art as a language to express our feelings, thoughts, prayers; understood or not.
Below are poems in response to his life.
____________________________

why did you go?

i know you were strong and brave

our missing you is beyond pain and yet

you are so full of joy —

more than you even left with us,

which is hard to fathom,

excruciating to believe.

faith is unseen but true;

in weakness there is strength.

most don’t understand what you gave,

like the ONE…

your life LIVED not in vain,

but in such love, gifted gain,

welcomed pleasure

building life, home and eternity

with lions, a melting smile and more talent than

can be imagined.

Darin M. White

Copyright 1.22.09

  

Sculptures by Darin White and Drawing by Shannon White, copyright 2009
____________

 

We love you, Caden, One of Joy, our Little Warrior.

Capture the heart of the King.

“Drink the wind”,

Ride the baby lion!

Shine your light;

Twinkle bright so we can See you at night.

Fish, Build, Play, Run fast. 

Fly into the sunrise. 

Live your Dreams now and Forever.

We won’t forget the Treasure you are

Precious little guy who brought us such joy,

A gift we can never replace.

Go with God!

Be at peace with no more pain.

Be Free! 

Be one with the Savior.

Love forever in His open arms.

Eat from the Tree of Life

Fruit of Forgiveness.

Days without end…

 

Shannon N. White  
Copyright 2009

Mystery Art Gathering 10/25/08

Bring visceral proof to any questions you think you may have answered in the form of a piece of artwork, or a query you are pursuing in your work,
to the Carnegie Cultural Center at 5th and Main (Hwy 59) in Ottawa,
Kansas from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, October 25th.
Please bring a pumpkin to paint, and an autumn snack or drink 
at the end of the evening, besides artistic converstations, you will have your own transformed gourd.
Lawrence carpool will be available to leave at 5:45 from the NE corner of the Southwind 12 parking lot. 
Please call d or s at 785.550.3856 with questions.
 
p.s. – Don’t forget to visit Jane’s studio at 1023 New Jersey St for the Lawrence Artwalk between 10-6 on Saturday or 12-6 on Sunday.

Two Person Art Show Invite and Independent Film Promo

You are invited to a two person art show opening entitled “Soil & Seed - Paintings & Prints by Shannon White” and “Material” Sculptures and Prints by Darin M. White. The show opening reception Friday, October 17th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Carnegie Art & Cultural Center will include music, food and a gallery talk with the artists. In addition to claiming the title of artist, they are also married and are each dealing in different ways with issues related to the sickness and healing of their son from neuroblastoma cancer along with other aspects that they address in their work. Come and view both artists’ work and enjoy an early evening in the quaint town of Ottawa, Kansas just 30 minutes South of Lawrence on Hwy 59 (Main St.). Turn left (East) on 5th to park. We hope to see many of you!

Detail Painting Two of Triptych Copyright 2008 Shannon White

“Foundation: Tools: Balance” Copyright Darin M. White 2008

Also, we would like to help promote a movie “And What Remains” by one b.a.l.m.’s own, Marc Havener.  Marc owns Resonate Pictures andrecently was accepted into the Heartland Film Festival and will be shown on the 18th, 22nd and 23rd of October in Indianapolis, Indiana.  The film was just recently in the Temecula International Film Festival in Los Angeles, CA with stellar reviews, and will be in the TallGrass Film Festival in Wichita, Kansas from the 26-28 of October.  Please help him promote his movie at Heartland FF by simply clicking on this link.  Please resit the urge to click on others, as the number of hits is the way that the films are rated on public interest.  Also clicking multiple times doesn’t work either.  We tried.  Thank you for supporting an independent film artist.

Degage Soup Gathering Invitation 9/27/08

Jane and Phil have kindly volunteered to host this casual gathering at Jane’s painting studio on 1023 New Jersey St 66044 this Saturday 6-9 p.m.

Come join the mix, as we put together our artistic abilities, scouring the alley and then assembling a sculpture and enjoy steaming soup, cornbread and conversation together. Please feel free to bring something you are working on to share or an item for the assemblage and something to go with soup. 

Répondez s’il vous plaît! Darin or Shannon 785.550.3856.

SUNDAY BRUNCH & Hike 9/21/08

Who would like to get outside for a healthy hike together for this SUNDAY BRUNCH?  Those who want to carpool to West Clinton’s Woodridge Park can meet at 9:30 a.m. at 2554 Stowe Dr to fill up water and coffee and tea thermoses and leave promptly at 9:40.  If you want to meet us at Woodridge Park, please be there at 10 to start the hike (take 6th Street west, left on the curve on Stull Rd, left on E 250, left on N 1400 and left on 350 to Woodridge Park campsite area) .  We will bring frisbees & badminton, and our sketchbooks.    You are welcome to bring guitars, drums, a poem, magnifying glasses, binoculars, containers for studying insects, etc… 

Please bring a pack with finger food or trail mix so we can stop and have a light brunch in the woods.  We will try our hand at some scones to share and leave some crumbs for the birds.  We will also discuss future ideas for gatherings and projects, as we have a few possibilities.  Please bring ideas to mutually encourage, learn, deepen and support what sustains everyday life and culture, as well as explore the relationship between sustainability and creativity.  Quality relationships are symbiotic – food for thought.  Think, pray, live, create, share …enjoy.

We enjoyed and will make a link available to Kali’s dairy farm documentary and an image of Eric’s blueberry harvesting rake replica, as they gave us a beautiful picture of the roots they have grown from — healthy food, family, friends, the outdoors, hard work, preserving, developing and innovating techniques and natural resources, simple pleasures, several of the important factors that sustain our lives.

September 14th, 2008 Blueberry Fields SUNDAY BRUNCH

Blueberry fields forever. This SUNDAY BRUNCH September 14th, 2008 will feature a blueberry theme and a documentary about the harvest of blueberry fields by Kali. Please join us from 10am – 12pm for creative conversations and dialog.

"Blueberry Field in Bloom, East Machias" Alana Ranney Copyright 2008 - used with permission

Menu
Blueberry cobbler
Pork tenderloin
Please bring a side dish or juice to share.

Details of location and contact information to let us know you are coming is here.

September 7th, 2008 SUNDAY BRUNCH

With versatility, diverseness, and protein, the subject of many debates; beauty, art & life movements next SUNDAY BRUNCH is featuring…the egg.

Please join us from 10am – 12pm around our continued discussions of the cycles of art and life. Please feel free to bring a work in progress. Last week Brad & Carrie brought a new recording they just finished producing.

Menu
Create your own egg sandwichettes with tapenade & garden vegetables on Organic Potato Asiago or Roasted Garlic Bread
Pavlova – Australian baked sweet meringue (named for a ballerina) topped with fresh fruit
Coffee or Spiced Organic Cider
Please bring a side dish or juice to share.

Details of location and contact information to let us know you are coming is here.

Please keep in mind this will be reoccurring every week if you can’t make it this week, we would love to have
you come another time for sustainable and creative conversations.

Thank you,

b.a.l.m (beauty, art & life movement)

August 31st, 2008 SUNDAY BRUNCH

Tis the season to eat apples for Sunday Brunch and talk about cycles that sustain life. Think of what becomes an apple… What is your connection between life and art? We are interdisciplinary, and your art can be defined as loosely as your creativity and vision of the world around you. Everyone has a part in this discussion and something valuable to offer. We are thankful for the people and conversations enjoyed at the last week.

Menu

Pfannekuchen with Apples

Ham

and as always good strong coffee

Please bring something to add to the menu for example; juice, tea, good coffee beans, bread, cheese, vegetable, side or an apple themed dish.

It would be helpful to have an email note, a fb post, or call that you are coming unless you have already let us know you will be here.

thank you!

balm

SUNDAY BRUNCH, Clouds & Produce…

SUNDAY BRUNCH

Join us for some vegetable inspired food, music and creative conversations at our weekly SUNDAY BRUNCH tomorrow August 24th, 2008. We are making an egg fritata with fresh herbs and fresh vegetables with dips (and coffee). Bring something else to the mix to share and let us know if you are coming! We thought that you might like to see an interesting use of vegetables as a musical instrument in this amazing concert of the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra. Feel free to bring a musical instrument. We are going to try and make a carrot recorder.

“Hope Carrot” Shannon White 2007

Cloud recap

Last night we had a great time at the percolator for the “clouds are easy to love” opening reception. We jammed to Karl Ramberg’s unique music which I would consider a blend between experimental keyboard, electronic sounds of chaos, and off tempo/ miss-beats, with a little bit of ambient thrown in for good measure. I absolutely loved the sound. It takes an artist to keep a good sound going while doing so much. Karl happens to be an excellent stone carver as well. He has helped with Myles Mountain stone carve on numerous occasions. We unfortunately missed the poetry last night, but were glad to see some interesting and thought provoking cloud inspired artwork. One piece that stuck out as interesting (at least to a three dimensional artists) was an installation by Anne Bruce. It’s materials was cloth, gold fishing hooks, sugar and flour. The material was hung with fishing hooks on the end of fishing line suspending the varying heights of expanded cloth, SIFTING loads of flour and sugar. Some of the flour and sugar drifted below the fabric on the ground. Another piece that engaged everyone with interest and laughter was the paper mache cloud, on which a childlike face was painted, and below a group of simple paper cutout flowers that were attached to a crank that when turned made the flowers dance up and down. We enjoyed seeing many artists including Spencer Art Museum Director Sara Lynn Reece Hardy. Our kids while disappointed not to find the cloud themed inspired smores that they were looking forward to, enjoyed producing more cloud art for the ceiling of the art space. Add to this some cloud themed snacks, and other drinks, with a fanciful hop-scotch-esque spray painting on the concrete in front of the gallery by David Lowenstien to top off the cooler than normal artistic evening.

Dot Dot Dot ArtSpace Opening “Overcoming the Fears that Overcome Us”

Join us tonight at Dot Dot Dot ArtSpace (a Fresh Produce Collective Event) for a Show Opening called “Overcoming the Fears that Overcome Us” with artist Whit Bone. According to artist Ostaf Heller, this is Whit’s first solo show. Dot Dot Dot ArtSpace is located at 1910 Haskell, Lawrence, KS in a new gallery that was converted from a liquor stores back stock room. The space is simplistic and unassuming, but the art is as the name of the founding group suggests “fresh”. Here is hoping for some “fresh” art and creative characters tonight at the ArtSpace.

clouds are easy to love

A few people involved in b.a.l.m. are going to have work shown on the ceiling at the Alley Gallery a Percolator Project during the new show, “clouds are easy to love”.

Opening Friday, August 22
7 to 10 p.m.

poetry by Peter Wright
music by Karl Ramberg

& more
food & drinks, art inside and out

The exhibition features work by

Charlene Boehne
Anne Bruce
Christa Dalien
Natalie Anne Dye
Lisa Grossman
Chantel Guidry & Laurie L. G. Troyani
Andrew Hadle & Amanda Schwegler
Christina Hoxie
Dave Loewenstein
Justin Marable
Molly Murphy
John Reeves
Ailecia Ruscin
Samuel Smith
Beatrice vonHolten
KT Walsh
Bernadette Rose Zacharias

Related cloud events:

August 28 @ 7:30pm
A presentation by Channel 6 meteorologist Jennifer Schack on the science of clouds.

September 18 @ 7pm
Artist talk

And a cloud watching fieldtrip, date tbd.

Exhibition will be on view through October 4 Saturdays & Sundays 12-6pm.

Location:
Look for the green awnings in the alley between the Lawrence Art Center and Ninth Street.

:: be sure and look up ::

_____________________________________________________________________

"seen in a cloud"