The Space Between (New Project)

I have started a new story. The plan is a short novel about adventure, magic, curiosity, monsters, culture, and overcoming ignorance! All set in 1870 steampunk voodoo filled New Orleans!

Here is a brief exert from my introduction. 

"The joyous beat of a tight snare drum mixed with the bouncing melody of a singing saxophone as the sounds of Mardi Gras echoed through the bayou. It was Audrey's favorite time of year. While she'd never been to a parade, or even been within the city, she could always hear the sounds of laughter and song as it snaked through dense bog that surrounded her plantation home. Even the heavy moss on the cypress, which always hung in a perpetual gloom and misery, seemed to sway provocatively in the rhythm of the contagious dance.

She knew her mother was watching from the window, she could feel her stare burning on her as she danced in the tall grass of the yard by the water's edge. Mother never approved of the ruckus, but Audrey didn't care. All this week, she would dance and smile and laugh and skip, though she wouldn't understand why. Mardi Gras had never explained to the young girl, now  twelve years old and living in the isolation of the thick of the bayou. She'd never left the plantation, save a few short ventures into the swamp to collect mushrooms or toads, but that didn't stop her imagination from filling in the gaps of knowledge, painting a vibrant display of ridiculous adventures to go along with the music that floated in the air.

Audrey was a spring of curiosity and imagination that had been tightly bound in a mason jar. Safety was her captor. Love was her restraints. Her mother knew the outside world; had seen its' many horrors and treachery. Her husband's death was all of the proof she needed to condemn the rest of mankind and its seething intolerance. No, if Audrey was to live, she must be in the bayou. There was no room for acceptance in the tiny hearts of men. They would remain here in secrecy, their special talents left in shadow. 

Those who could open the doors to Whu-Jha-Du were very rare. It was an art lost many generations ago when the laws and gods of earth found Whu-Jha-Du to be profane and blasphemous. The witch-hunt had burnt the world to eradicate those with the connections to the arcane dimension, and now it was but a faint echo in a vast cavern of darkness.  She shook away these thoughts, bitterly fighting the notion that she would one day have to explain Voodoo and her daughters deep well of power. She knew they'd be kindling for the fire if ever discovered and her mind recoiled when light was shed upon this knowledge.

Audrey's dancing spin came to an abrupt end, causing her to stagger in dizziness, smiling a beaming smile that bathed the world around her in innocent glee. Her long, curled hair was the color of fire. Red, orange, and yellow mixed from end to end a luminous display of energy.  Her bright, pale skin was littered with freckles and her emerald eyes shone through the shadows of the bog like a lighthouse in the fog. Straightening her dress, she took an index finger and outlined the arcane symbols and runes embroidered on the edge of the fabric. She never quite understood how to read them, but her grandpa had taught her of how important they were and that they would protect her from harm.

The thought of her Grandpa caused her mood to slowly descend, the spring in her step fading into a gentle walk. She missed him terribly. He would visit only once a year, but when he did, the world was a much bigger place. He brought magic with him. He filled her mind with countless tales of heroes and heroines, of monsters and villains, and of Voodoo. He was the guiding light of Whu-Jha-Du and would teach her to master the dimensional doors his bloodline could open. "

Copyright Wayne Butler, 2012. All Rights Reserved. Do not replicate or copy any of the information without permission from the author.

Art of the day, 06 - Ralph Steadman's "What did you do in the war, Daddy?"

Ralph Steadman, "What did you do in the war, Daddy"
Ink and acrylic on paper

Ralph is one of my greatest inspirations. His works are chaotic, emotional and spaztic. Every piece is the result of a wonderful catastrophe, an explosion of life, pain and reality. His works are commonly social critique and satirical, pasted with vibrant color and brash language. He is best known for his works with the journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman is an illustrator who still lives today to continue with his brilliant works.

Art of the Day, 05 - Cy Twombly's "Three Studies from the Temeraire"

Cy Twombly, Three Studies from the Temeraire, Oil on Canvas triptych, 1998-1999

Cy Twombly is known for bringing history to life in his expressionistic minimalist paintings and sculptures. His work has been called primitive be many, but under each blot of oil, each haphazardly strewn stroke, lies a wealth of knowledge and reverence to mankind's legacy on planet earth. This piece in particular piece showcases the battleship Temeraire, famous for the Trafalgar in 1805. After the ship was damaged in combat, it was broken into three seperate pieces and towed back to port to be repaired. It remained in service for many years to come, standing testament to the resilient spirit of Britain.

This piece was named "Britain's Greatest Painting" in a poll by the National Gallery.

His works are awe inspiring, yet simple and spastic. The brilliance behind the accident is none other than Cy Twombly.

Art of the day, 04 - Francis Bacon's "Head IV"

Title: Head VI
Year: 1949
Original Size: 93.2 x 76.5 cm
Technic: Oil on Canvas
Location: Arts Council / Londra - İngiltere

Francis Bacon's works are alarming and breath taking. Their extreme jostling nature pierces our conception of the human body and spirit in their intimate and meaty figures. Born in Dublin in 1900, he would be known as one of the greatest painters of the twentieth century.

Bacon dealt directly with the nature of humanity and the presence that lurks beneath the skin. His horrific filets of vibrantly colored living corpses stared surrealistically at the onlooker as if forever caught in some moment of intense agony. Flat backdrops, ambiguous scenery and high-contrast color palettes commonly accompanied this blasphemies, giving a brilliant juxtaposition of poppy cleanliness and gore.

"I would like my pictures to look as if a human being had passed between them, like a snail leaving its trail of the human presence... as a snail leaves its slime." - Francis Bacon.

His works are groundbreaking in their direct assault of the human form. A destructive appreciation for all things in man, as well as a deep and moral loathing. His work would lay the ground for many expressionist artist in years to come, such as Ralph Steadman.

Art of the Day, 03 - "Female Nude" by Egon Schiele

Egon Schielle, "Female Nude"
1910, Czech Republic
Watercolor, Indian Ink
44x30cm

Egon Schielle's work challenged the art establishment's sense of tasteful and artistic. His pieces are provocative, sexual and enticing while its strong angular and emaciated characters give the viewer a sense of surreal desire. His works are controversial and strange and often leave the onlooker a bit disturbed, but always are they remembered. This piece in particular is a part of a series of nudes, a common ground for Mr. Schielle, and begs the question "is it art, or is it porn?"

What difference lies between appreciating the human form and desiring the human form? Are the Greek statues not a testament to their blatant homo-eroticism? Are our modern film romances not a showcase of sexual repression and desire? Egon was one of the first to truly push the envelope and insult his audiences while captivating them with his masterfully sketched torsos, detailed genitalia and gorgeous organic line-work. If ever there was a text-book definition for organic line, Egon Schielle would be under its wordage.

Art of the Day, 02 - Selection Ninth November Night

"Selection - Ninth November Night" by Gottfied Helnwein.

This large demonstrative piece showcases a hundred meter long wall covered in the faces of christian, Jewish and handicapped children in Germany. Many of this artists works are consumed by the loss of innocence and the destructive power of war and men. A German artist, many of his concentrations are based on Nazi's and the abuse of children. This particular piece lines up countless children in extreme detail as if selected for some greater (or malevolent) cause.

Link to Ninth November Night Gallery ---> http://www.helnwein.com/werke/photo/tafel_2.html

The children's faces are not pleasant or easy to look upon. Their eyes tell stories of anger, loss, hate and sadness. The work parallels nicely to his other mixed media pieces showcasing children in military dress with guns and weapons. This day and age is a troubled time and the loss of youth is only but one of the plagues we bear witness too. Gottfried takes us to a very real and very dark place with each child's face. Gottfried shows us we cannot ignore the suffering of our time, and that we must face it with open clarity.

In the words of Art Director Sean Penn, "Well, the world is a haunted house, and Helnwein at times is our tour guide through it."

One the second day that Ninth November Night was on display, unknown vandals cut each and every canvas with a knife...along every child's throat.

Art of the Day, 01 - Laocoon and Sons

Laocoon and Sons, Hellenistic Greece.
"Equo ne credite, Teucri / Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentis"
or "Do not Trust the horse, Trojans."

Its sensuous and emotional qualities combine with a sense of action in this masterful adoration of the human form. The drapes upon Laocoon's sons are a clear hallmark of this time period in Greek sculpture, as well as the tactile hair. Upon it's completion, this statue would have been very controversial as the end of the classical period had just occurred, and the present taste had been far more conservative. The piece has also, unfortunately, suffered from Iconoclasm, most likely from christian moralists.

Laocoon was trusted with the knowledge that the invading Greeks would set a trap for the Trojans by giving them a gift. "Beware Greeks bearing gifts." When the Greeks presented the Trojans with a giant wooden horse, he attempted to convince the Trojans not to accept. Poseidon, who was in favor of the Greeks, sent a giant sea serpent to kill Laocoon and his sons for his treachery. This piece captures that traumatizing moment in time.

This artwork would help set the stage for action painters, Hellenistic sculpture and narrative artists of the future.Its beautiful classic Greek bodies standing monument to the human form.