MEMENTO
MOrI
SELECTIONS FROM THE RONGOVIAN ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS BLOG & DAILY ILLLUSTRATIONS BY Q. CASSETTI AUGUST 15 - OCTOBER 1, 2007
8.23.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts
Wellspring It’s funny how we all seem to go back to the well, the same well we have been going to since we picked up a pencil and started to draw or think about drawing. In this well are the personal favorite things...topics, images, techniques that are always there whenever a roadblock is there to start the cycle of thinking and wondering. This memento mori thing has been in my well...and never really been tapped the way I am beginning to. I have always been fascinated with the whole end of chapter thing..death, the death industry, architecture and art, history of traditions and expectations--almost exclusively western culture. I have read books on the subject --and devoured them. I learned to drive in a cemetery near my house as I feared the streets and figured the only people I could really kill were already dead in the Homewood Cemetery. My father was proudly on the board of the oldest cemetery in Pittsburgh, The Allegheny Cemetery, where we would regularly go a visit the family plots and marvel as the bizarre ways that people wanted to memorialize their lives and accomplishments. I love the monuments--particularly the high Victorian ones and the family mausoleums. In the Allegheny Cemetery, there are miniature greek and roman temples, Richardson Romanesque bunkers and some beautifully rendered, high camp Egyptian pyramids with gilded and polychrome sandstone columns. There are urns on columns, of course the plethora of angels, even a stone tree with it’s limbs sawn off (all sandstone) with the bark all carved with care, the names in ovals where the limbs used to be saying “Mother”, “Father”, “Brother”...you get the idea. I love the lettering of any time, the older and odder the better. I love the shapes of the stones (again, the older the better). Trips to Rhode Island and Massachusetts, Philadelphia and Civil War Battlefields always promised a visit to the cemetery so see the illustrations, the shapes, the lettering the sites. It gave context to the antique. When I was
8.18.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts ...there is the automatic writing--which is manifested in wildly decorated letters and numbers and skulls. In the last week I did about 5 skulls in the time creases of the day between jobs, during phone calls, while dinner is cooking. They just seem to spring up...So, there may be a book of these skulls--perhaps entitled “memento mori”---Take them into the computer...see how I can tweak them...or are they just strong enough to be by themselves--some negative,some positive? Instead of limiting myself, I should let this thing run its course and see what happens. I am thinking that regardless of what happens, this idea of working toward a book completes a body of work in a nice way. Maybe not a final use thing...but an interesting use of both my abilities as a designer and the output of work as an illustrator. I could see a portfolio of these books. I could also see partnering with a printer once one of these was done, to co-promote our wares...much in the way of the good old days and the expensive and rich printed little publications on things from tin toys to walks in nature. Lusciously printed,
in Italy for 4 months in college, I was taken to numerous cemetetaries--surprised by the above ground graves, the non-parklike settings we are so used to. I reveled in reliquaries and the bones in the cathedrals and churches. Bones in gilded boxes. Bones with fluffily, serious bows and ribbons. Carved stone bones as part of the decor of the spaces. This was a sensibility I couldn’t wrap my mid-western head around...but loved. I don’t know if I love it as much now...but the sheer oddity is appealing. This is odd that this is what has leapt up out of the well for me. Maybe it’s the contemplation I have been doing about being fifty (soon), maybe its spurred by the work the Avian Flu series promised, or maybe is a direct reaction to the work I have been focused on for my thesis...or at least maybe that reaction is the spur to try some new stuff and get it out. Having this Lulu project has been the incentive. Whatever. You poor devils are going to see a bunch on this stuff (so much so, I have made a label for this sort of chat for the blog..so it’s not going anywhere fast). 8.21.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts Am doing a little research on colonial grave markers/ tombstones--something I have loved from way way back. Now, another reason to go there with this Memento Mori project. I love the way the wings are drawn, the crazy and beautiful typographic affects, and the simplicity of the skulls. I am going to go down this road a little in my notebooks. The ever wonderful Edward Gorey is very derivative of this work...and so to go to the source gives me permission to ramp it up a little beyond the limited stuff for the Day of the Dead. Gravematters.com is a tremendous resource.
8.15.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts Drawing skulls of Saint Valentine like mad. Spent the better part of last evening working on a pointy one and a freaky, out of proportion one. Poor Saint Valentine...with his skull on the altar surrounded by roses in a state of dying. The smell I can conjure up of dust, italian chiese, and the wierdness the land of italo catholics surrounds itself with (which I adore) of medals, and smells, and symbols and high and low art...all in one place. Poor R. I think he thinks I have totally cracked. But the lure of ink, the line and the sharp and brush versions of pitt pens beckon. My sirens calling....not to dive deep into the water to drown...but to dive into the Ouija board of impulses and see what the “automatic writing� (as in the Shaker ladies that did that sort of stuff with their dreams) provides. There is a thrill to not knowing what your hand connected to your head will produce. Probably not good enough for prime time..but none the less, relevant to me. I have no idea which cubbie this stuff comes from. All I know is that is a rich and deep vein.
8.28.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts Woke up early, very early this morning and let the stream of images and ideas amuse me until it was time to crawl out and drink coffee at a more “civilized” time. Lots of good ideas I want to capture: Memento Mori: • Consider the gravestone shapes. Some of them are absolutely puritanical (just a rectangle of tremendous proportions), some are slightly embellished rectangles and others go for baroque. Instead of putting borders on an image, consider the image shape...and how does it go someplace from there. • Note that when drawn with a point, a picture goes from nice to mean and scary. Good point. Stick with the points... unless its a cherub. • Yesterday’s fun with cut paper silhouettes manifested some cool stuff with drawn images. Work on that more. Do a spread of urns and a spread of either cherubs or winged skulls and see what happens. Could put the slash style on a better footing. More designed. Also, looks like some of the early Warhol advertising art. Look at that. • Work on more hand lettering. This is the stuff that can be integrated into the drawings. Type for the copy. • Excerpt blog for copy. Edit the crap out of it. • Write a nice acknowledgment to the two people who were the impetus to this work. Write a nice dedication to the home team. Design it as a sticker to print on the epson and can be applied to the book. • Work on line drawings of the willow. Marblehead cemetery had some nice references. Consider a willow spread with an urn knocked out of the pattern for copy. Could be pretty. • Consider using the mighty epson for a book jacket cover (that folds all the way into the spine of the paperback book). • Consider drawing some intense sharp shapes to make a pointy/scary pattern. Remember the ribbon idea (thread it through 2 slits made in the book jacket cover (as the paper folds into the book) on both covers, and run the loose ribbon between the book jacket cover and the cover. The ribbon is only to be seen at the side of the book. Keep the ribbon either black (grosgrain) or a metallic pewter to maintain the one color job-bed ness of the piece.
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9.02.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts
Willows I was talking with my friend Paula the other day about my findings, discoveries and amazing stuff I am learning and observing during this Memento Mori study. Paula, a visual poet, landscape architect and teacher at Cornell had her own observations and interest in this same topic. She set her landscape architecture students a semester long project of drawing graves at the biggest, oldest cemetery in Ithaca. She was intrigued by the stones that said Mother, Father, Sister and Brother...and how that language set up an interesting rhythm--a Philip Glassian, mantra that continued on and on...Paula, upon hearing about Lulu books plans on doing a photographic journal just on that. This prompted us to talk about what about Mother/Father/Sister/Brother...and when those people are gone, and those that carry their memory are gone...are they dead? is memory living? and if you are held in other’s memory--either directly or through the puritanical genealogy that is drubbed into us by our parents--is that a way of justifying our own memories or establishing a structure we as descendants are hung from? Is memory the afterlife beyond own own personal understanding, our personal religious beliefs, our faith? We then spoke about willows and how they are rightful symbols to life everlasting. Paula drew this wonderful line drawing showing how the willows grow, sending suckers down to root in the ground. The new tree grows and evolves--also sending suckers down..and so on. As long as there is plenty of light and even more water, the willows continue. So the Victorian image of the weeping tree, or the leafy version done in New England--represents a natural idea that supports this endless cycle of life. Nice to think about as we speed down the Central New York roads--seeing willow upon willow, the green fountains of life and leaves.
9.8.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts
Spent some time looking at my big book on Byzantine art...which is a nice reinforcement to the Marblehead images for the sketch process for Memento Mori. They have simplified things in a very similar way...I found a tremendous lion and double headed eagle bas reliefs that are good reference with semi-nutty faces and nice simple wings Still doing 3 plus images a day. The evolution has been interesting. I am working exclusively with a fine pitt pen and a pentel pocket brush pens on a bristol board which takes the ink gorgeously. Matte, black. One shot. I just seem to be burning through the cartridges. Perhaps tomorrow, I will open a bottle of the star matte and see what I can do with a real brush.
9.10.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts Cranked out around ten pictures this weekend (and had time for other stuff ) using our small salad plates at the lake as a circle template for fun. While I was musing on what was evolving...I thought of other things that work in this vocabulary beyond the colonial tombstones (still my favorite driver), the wings and simplicity of bas relief and paintings from the Byzantine empire to another old favorite...english brass and incised panel rubbings. So, I buzzed around the web and found some nice brass rubbing imagery to stick in my files for reference--along with some fairly wonderful and poignant text from these antique memorials. Will surface some images for you to give you some context later today. Just discovered this cool site “The Farber Gravestone Collection” from the American Antiquarian Society that will prove to be a great resource. Check it out. My current thinking on this Memento Mori project is the following: • Sketch until October 30. Create the initial book to have to Lulu by Friday of the first week of November. Get a copy to Whitney for the SU work. Refine the book and finalize. Reprint a few more for files. Continue sketching. • Continue drawing from October 30- February 28. Create a second volume of sketches. See what happens. See if there are legs to this work. If so, begin to build a book strictly of references. Print both at Lulu. • Take this sketch process and begin to think about applications/ finalizing 12-18 pieces. This would be the basis of the thesis for the HAS “Dream Project” or the children’s book project. Evolve both? • Go to HAS with 3 finished Lulu sketch books filled with my drawings, my reference etc and really customize those books into something special. This pre work becomes part of the bigger thesis which would make the pre work as part of the final resolution and definition. • Continue to work in theses styles creating simple illustration, typography, borders and frames. Begin to start integrating these elements when it feels right. Continue to research different fields of reference
9.15.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts I was thinking about the Memento Mori work. I seem to be getting 3-4 images a day to add to the book. I have since last Monday, been adding them sequentially to the piece as it shows a train of thinking that may be only understood by me, but that works as the end purpose of this sketch process is to create 2-3 volumes that become the platform from which the HAS (Hartford Art School) thesis will be based. I’ve got 60 pps in the can and figure that we will be closer to 84 or so for the first blush of the first volume. It is strictly images right now...but I am thinking that since I have been writing stream of conscious stuff about my understanding about the topic, the images, technique, conversations with friends, I might cull aspects of the dated writing and cut them into the book as notes etc. Again, more part of the self-discussion--and there might be more there that I cannot see right now that either another reader or me with more time will see. Along with the images and copy, any patterns, shapes, bookplates, dingbats etc that are generated from the sketchbooks will be shoehorned in to add to the dimension. Right now, the process is draw all day, scan at five, sock it into the publication at 5:30 and if there is any time, work with the illustrations as scrap to create more images in the formerly “slash” style. So the work begets more work. The spinning prayer wheel of time. The willow sending out more shoots. Ad infinitum. Or at least until I get bored. I particularly like the willow head of two days ago. I think I may translate it to a piece of crewel work at the same size as the picture. I think the whole texture that the shiny embroidery silks would do something interesting...and we could see if it takes the idea anywhere. Worth the try. Another idea I need to put down is the lock of hair, hair jewelry and hair art that the Victorians created as a way to memorializing those that had gone on. For me, the texture of hair and braids woven(urg) into the work is another element that could evolve with this work. I have been musing about frames and strands either as linear work or in the tigerteeth, lady and skull mode only more formalized. We’ll see. I am just putting this down for the minute the well seems to run dry. Also, the brass rubbings have not been fully investigated. The sketches are also a wonderful wealth of scrap for me. I used two of the illustrations (changed a bit) for wine label proposals for a client. Looks cool...and kind of new for me.
I wonder where this illustrator came from?
9.27.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts Working on frames and urns on Memento Mori. R. took a look at them and remarked they looked very Mary Blair. Not intentional...but a compliment nonetheless. The urns are beginning to look a little more finished and almost logo like. Do I want things to tighten up this much? or is that good? For me, its good as long as I manage it. I could put an image like this in front of a client when I need to do logotypes/ or symbols...and I would have never in recent past, presented a hand drawn image for a logo...only cranked up on the computer, totally finished and finalized. I might not have that need now.
9.26.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts
Working on some borders and frames re MM. Also intrigued with the flipped image idea. Need to seriously design one prior to scaling up the sketch. Also, need more patterns (willow, basket, woven) to incorporate in the work. Need more cut shapes. Like what’s happening with the urns. Was looking at a plaster mirror frame we have that is in black and old gold...very empire...could really work with this stuff. I was thumbing through one of the many house magazines we had lying about and ran across a wonderful article on transferware (which I totally adore). There is a nice memento mori hook with this...and would be intrigued about taking a picture of some white china... and merging my illustrations with the shape...or applying illustration to it...as part of either the sketch process or part of the finalization. Let’s think, china decoration, skateboards, tattoos, hooked rugs? The Memento Mori lifestyle? Must force orange, lime green and magenta into the designs...
9.30.07 From The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts
New Career: Spiritualist? We were talking this morning about my first gleanings on the spiritualist world. I have done a little work and reading on --but the new discovery, The Temple of Truth (unbelievable name, isn’t it) makes me quake. Lilydale is a little community near the Chautauqua Institution in way Western New York, known for it’s spiritualist community...and spiritual hotspots that mediums use to have easier access to those they communicate with. The hotels, to date, warn that seances are inappropriate and forbidden in the lobbies. Here’s what they say about themselves (http://www.lilydaleassembly.com): Since it was established in 1879, Lily Dale has been the world’s largest center for spiritual development and the practice of the Spiritualist religion. For nearly 130 years, Lily Dale has offered a world-renowned summer program of lectures, workshops and other activities featuring best-selling authors, leaders in academic and scientific research into psychic phenomena, as well as the world’s most powerful mediums, teachers and healers. Lily Dale is widely known as a place where knowledge and enlightenment converge in ways that deepen faith and heighten awareness. The energy of the universal life force can be felt, experienced and developed here in this serene 19th century lakeside community surrounded by towering, old-growth forest. The heart of the Lily Dale year is our summer season, from late June through the first Sunday in September, when tens of thousands of visitors attend the wide array of programs offered on the grounds. A full schedule of workshops and seminars is highlighted by special events featuring some of the leading names in spirituality. Daily and weekly activities, mediumship demonstrations, healing services, evening entertainment, and a variety of attractions throughout the grounds will make your visit to Lily Dale uplifting and renewing. Accommodations at either of our historic hotels, campgrounds, or in one of several private guest homes make taking in all that Lily Dale has to offer relaxing and even more enjoyable.
But your spiritual journey needn’t end with the summer season. There are an increasing number of opportunities offered off season in Lily Dale through the Church of the Living Spirit and the Lily Dale Spiritualist Church, as well as through the growing network of Spiritualist churches, schools and camps throughout the United States and Canada. On spiritual healing at Lily Dale, From Abundance Magazine, the writer,Mindy Sommers recounts their experience at the “Inspiration Stump”: Inspiration Stump, one of Lily Dale’s most famous landmarks, is where registered mediums (and nervous mediums-in-training) “give back to spirit” by offering free readings to those visitors assembled. Inspiration Stump is actually a huge tree stump in the middle of a dense forest at the end of a long and narrow footpath. After you walk for about a quarter mile, the forest opens up to a clearing where there are dozens of benches assembled, facing the five or six foot wide stump. Medium after medium stands or paces in front of the stump, getting impressions from those assembled, and when one is to receive a message, they will say, “May I speak to you?” or “Can spirit speak with you?” Most of the mediums are female, but the one who embarrassed my husband out of his private reverie was male. “Sir, may spirit speak with you?” We were sitting all the way in the back, and Glen was jerked out of his daydreaming but managed to answer “yes” in a strong voice. For some reason, everybody turned to look at him, which was unusual. The medium’s staccato bursts of information were unusual, too. His rhythm had changed. He spoke louder and more strongly, and was more specific with Glen than he had been with the others he had read. It came like machine-gun fire. “A death of someone from your past is near, you will be asked to speak at his funeral.” Bang. “You are a preacher, or could have been one if you chose, and you have a preacher in your family.” Bang. “You are a landlord.” Bang. “You will go to Fort Lauderdale.” Bang. Glen’s father was a preacher. We have rented an apartment in our home. I can’t vouch for the other stuff, not yet anyway. But the man’s change in tone and force struck us both, as did his specific references. Glen, who usually walks around with a slightly cynical smile, was shaken a bit. In the spirit of Memento Mori, automatic writing and the thinking around remembering death, remembering our mortality, I think this sidebar into spiritualism might be a nice rich add to this mix as it is dealing with death in an interesting way. Mediums are the thin scrim between those living and those on the spiritual plane--acting as the voice and hands of those that have passed on. And, to that, reinterpreting death to those that believe, proving in a way that life continues beyond the grave-- giving comfort and better health to the living. To my labyrinthine thinking, the link to the NY State burn out zone amazingness, that time of spiritual fervor, consciousness of individuals, and the emergent religions and cults stemming from eccentric and amazing personalities that lead people to follow and believe. Lets recall Joseph Smith and his magic seer stone (the
stone he placed in a hat with some of the golden plates within which he placed his face to read the plates); The fervor of Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Fredrick Douglas; the sacred passions of Mr. Humphries and the Oneida Community; of course, the Fox Sisters and the establishment of commerce, growth and expansionism with the construction of the Erie Canal and all the smaller connecting canals and lakes that made this wilderness accessible to all creating a link to the sea via the Hudson River. Remember, Samuel Clemens spent summers here, and the world came to Trumansburg and Sheldrake for their health and rest on boats and trains...bringing culture to the locals.I haven’t really overlapped the dates, by to my thinking, this truly was an amazing time. Rich and weird. The Shakers were inspired by the rapping that the Fox sisters translated--and participated in that. A group of Shakers established a community on Sodus Bay (outside of Rochester) in the 1820s--so they could have been influenced. According to the page www.spirithistory.com, there was a period of time that is termed “A Manifestation of Spirit presence” among the Shakers from 1837-1847: “Their visions never came from any active, religious thought, nor from any prayerful anxiety of the mind. Neither was it from any educational lessons by which pious teachers were [4] trying to make little angels of them before the proper time. Visions were not the order of the day any more than were the spirit rappings before the appearance of the Fox children. The origin of spiritualism with this family was through the medium of obscure and simple rappings and were as foreign to the mind as were the visions among the children of the several Communities. The whole affair, of both parties, at first seemed very childish and hardly worth the serious attention of more mature age. But the intelligent taps that were heard by the little Fox girls have made themselves heard throughout the whole earth, and thousands of believers in spiritualism have been blest through this simple medium.” “...These little girls were moved with singular [57] operations, as shaking, dancing and whirling. Sometimes they were prostrated upon the floor and would remain in an unconscious state for several hours. At other times they would be conversing with unseen friends whom they frequently designated by name.” From these trances and spiritual manifestations came the inspiration for music (many of their hymns) and automatic drawings (think the wonderful tree of life illustration that is signature Shaker). More links to the life beyond. As we think about remembering our death, should we be thinking (or at least illustrating regardless of what we think) about communicating with those beyond. Who-whee...
This book was inspired by a class project assigned by Whitney Sherman August 6-10, 2007 at Syracuse University. Whitney’s enthusiasm and vision was just the right push to inspire this greater body of work. I have been encouraged and challenged by Rob, Kitty and Alex Cassetti and Tom Eddy with my sketches, the development of the complete project idea and evolving technique. Their insight and humor keep my wheels going and my head spinning. I would like to thank my blog community and the participants of Illustration Friday for their ideas and involvement. Thank you for accepting this mid-life pursuit of an idea. All sketches have been rendered in pencil, Faber Castell Pitt pens and the Pentel Pocket Brush pen on a Canson Montval All Media sketchbook. The blog quotations are from “The Rongovian Academy of Fine Arts” (www.qcassetti.blogspot. com). The font used in this booklet is Requiem Display Roman and Italic designed by Jonathan Hoefler (www.typographv.com). All page assembly is in Adobe InDesign CS2. All scanning and image correction is in Adobe Photoshop CS2 on an Apple Macintosh G-5 Tower with a Wacom Intuos tablet. Printing and production is by Lulu.com. ©2007, Q. Cassetti