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January 27, 2011 | Issue 54
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Artist Brian Baker. Photo by Philip Laubner.
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Artist Brian Baker
Brian Baker creates life-size pieces of art with, as he puts it, “gods and goddesses, angels and demons, spirits and aliens.” Most of his work is created on un-stretched canvas, some rolled up to save space. The large scale paintings can be intense, many of them over eight feet tall. Brian has visions or waking dreams that began when he was a child, and he paints to reinterpret these visions.
“i make these images to communicate a near reflection of the original experience of being confronted by such beings. i need the space to explore variations of a theme within one canvas and to develop atmosphere around the beings.” -Brian Baker
Photo and story by Philip Laubner.
This isn’t the death of idealism, people. This is What Weekly.
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WHAT WEEKLY MAGAZINE
Editors/Curators
Justin Allen
Brooke Hall
Photo Contributors
Philip Laubner
Tedd Henn
James Hodges
Editorial Contributors
Philip Laubner
Brett Yale
Peter Cardamone
Sponsor
Robert W. Deutsch Foundation
Contact
charmcity@whatweekly.com
www.whatweekly.com
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9 Out Of 10 Starving Artists Agree…
Free Money Is Surprisingly More Satisfying Than No Money At All.
On February 1, Creative Capital will begin accepting online Letters of Inquiry for its upcoming grant round to fund innovative projects in Film/Video and Visual Arts.
Creative Capital provides integrated financial and advisory support to artists pursuing adventurous projects; whose work is provocative, timely and relevant; who are deeply engaged with their artforms, yet are also boldly original; who create work that carries the potential to reshape the cultural landscape.
Inquiries must be submitted by March 1. Guidelines and eligibility information are available online, and information sessions will be held throughout January and February.
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Artist Profile: Brian Baker
Brian, as alchemist, evokes these visions with a blend of oil, acrylic, pencil, charcoal, typography, spray paint and found photography. The sheer scale of the work envelops and draws the viewer into lucidity — sometimes with reverie, often with reverence and occasionally accompanied by a demon or nightmare.
Photo and story by Philip Laubner.
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Photo by Philip Laubner
When I first visited Brian’s studio I was amazed by the variety and volume of literature and reference material. What I admired was that amidst all of that intellectual energy, his work seemed to originate more from the spirit than from the mind. His inspiration seems to be born from a place before books, when rituals meant more to men and the veil between worlds was next to non-existent.
It’s not that Brian or his work is without modern influence. While attending MICA he met a brilliant graffiti artist with the tag Voke. This artist challenged Brian to expand his palette of materials, he opened his ears to ambient music, both the genre and his own music written under the name Telekinetic Soulmate. He also introduced Brian to a whole new set of open-minded modern artists.
Photo and story by Philip Laubner.
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Photo by Philip Laubner
Heather Joi and Brian Baker
“Voke is the one mentor i have been granted that is more valuable than all the rest and as much as i hate to admit that in the midst of many paternal and even guru-like teachers, this young man and i pierced the veils of mysterium via intense visual study of ancient art and the rare modern masters who were looking into a universal layer of reality beneath the smoothed over surface of matter.” -Brian Baker
Voke also introduced Brian to Ernst Fuchs, who many regard as the father of Fantastic Realism. On the subject of Fuchs Brian remarked, “Fuchs is Austrian, Messianic, Jewish, Christian, psychedelic, mystic, and as much a magician as a master craftsman with his paint and eye. His influence is vast; Dali, Giger, Robert Venosa, Mati Klarwein, and Alex Grey to name a few.”
Photo and story by Philip Laubner.
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Painting by Brian Baker
KRSNA (Krishna)
by Brian Baker
8 ft by 6 ft
The painting KRSNA (Krishna) is 8ft tall; the larger-than-life scale portraits of divinities are meant to serve as a mirror-like window to the unseen soul, literally offering a mystical image of God.
Brian is attempting to recreate the encounters with spiritual entities he has experienced in dreams and waking visions. It is to this end that he employs various painting techniques as a kind of visionary photography.
In this work, he has specifically included aliens, God the Father, and the Hindu trinity (Lord Krishna Dattatreya) as a Vishnu Deity holding Jesus Christ in the form of a Pieta.
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Photo by Philip Laubner
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Sound and Fury Signifying… Oscar.
The Oscars are silly but I love them anyway, so here’s my contribution to the water cooler discourse. I would be happy if True Grit won a lot of awards, but The Social Network will enjoy the biggest partial sweep, and for good reason. I realize there is a Weinstein-led warm and fuzzy attack from The King’s Speech, but I don’t think it is ultimately going to friend the Academy on Face Book. However, Colin Firth’s relationship status to Oscar will change, as will Annette Bening’s. The Black Swan will remain an ugly duckling. Inception will become a video game. The Fighter is TKO’d. 127 Hours, while disarming, lacks scale and faces a rocky road. As for Winter’s Bone, shame on the system that does not place it in multiplexes. Toy Story 3 gets its win in the animation category. The Kids are just all right.
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN SHOULD WIN
The Kids Are All Right The Kids Are All Right
The Fighter is a good script and movie, but too formulaic to feel special. Inception is a muddle, script-wise. The King’s Speech, with its high-brow bromanticism and multiplex-friendliness makes a tight race with the gender-political defense-of-family message (well delivered) found in The Kids Are All Right. The ostensibly liberal Academy membership should vote for The Kids Are All Right, not because it is politically correct, but because it delivers a big truth in a subtle, masterfully crafted package.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WILL WIN SHOULD WIN
The Social Network The Social Network
The nominees in this category are all excellent. Even if the tide turns against The Social Network, the script will win… keep going.
-David Warfield
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David Warfield, Confessions of a Mad Filmmaker
A What Weekly Column
“And so here we have a unique opportunity to track the production of a truly independent film from the moment of conception (the script is not yet completed) to the first public screening, and beyond.”
Were not talking about EPK filler here, were talking about life, and its bound to get messy.”
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Celebration Microshow at Mobtown Studios
Last Thursday’s Microshow was a spiritually intimate performance by Celebration, one of my favorite musical tribes from Baltimore. I could tell you about how Sean Antanaitis’ vintage organ’s notes lead way, while David Bergander’s cosmically calculated drumming owned the beat and Katrina Ford’s thoughtful and gentle vocals entranced those who filled the tiny space (not to mention Walker and Tony‘s contributions), but I suppose it’d be more interesting for me to start from the beginning…
I first met Celebration a few years back, when they invited me over to their home to discuss an upcoming show. I had just left a Snoop Dogg concert downtown, so Katrina and Sean’s place in Remington was a welcome change of pace. While this was the first time I had met the band, I’d spent a handful of years prior infatuated with two records from my hometown – Celebration and The Modern Tribe.
Somewhere between then and now we began working together and this month our label, Friends Records, is releasing Celebration’s highly anticipated new LP, Hello Paradise – Electric Tarot. This is the band’s first release since their last record, which came out three years ago on the prestigious 4AD Records out of the U.K.
Photo by Tedd Henn, story by Brett Yale.
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Photo by Tedd Henn
Celebration has remained a Baltimore phenomenon, planting their seeds in this town over ten years ago when Sean and Katrina relocated from the Midwest to Baltimore. They’ve experienced a variety of different influences and scenes, finding their place in each and every creative nook and cranny. Their current form is a six-piece lineup that summons a fierce blend of psychedelic soul from beyond.
Photo by Tedd Henn, story by Brett Yale.
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Books, Live Music, Art Gallery and more!
Same block as Windup Space, across from Joe Squared. Plenty of room inside for your bike; FREE street parking for your car (well plug your meter before 6, after that its free anyway) come on over…
30 West North Ave.
Baltimore, MD, 21201
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Photo by Tedd Henn
Thursday’s cast was slightly stripped down for a Microshow performance at our friendly neighborhood Mobtown Studios. Five of the six current members performed, with Walker Teret on upright bass and guitar and Tony Drummond supporting vocals and keys. Old favorites like “Pressure” and “Holiday” were on the set list, while “Open Your Heart” from Hello Paradise and new songs like “Don’t Stop Dreaming” and “Solstice Rite” offered much to boast for the band’s current stage of evolution.
Photo by Tedd Henn, story by Brett Yale.
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Video by Miranda Pfeiffer
What is this current state of being, you ask? A growing beast of metamorphic galaxies, shaped and molded by the city of Baltimore. This, as opposed to the sharp twists and capitalistic truths of the bloated and waining music industry they once steered their journey away from. Thriving on their surroundings, their current agenda involves the Electric Tarot — a project where each song and/or video represents a different card in the deck. The first nine cards will be found on Hello Paradise – Electric Tarot , while this Mobtown session may offer a glimpse into the Tarot’s future.
Celebration marches onward, as their first physical product in years hits turntables worldwide at the end of this month. They’ll play shows along the East Coast, with their release party taking place on March 5 with Future Islands and Arbouretum at Baltimore’s 2640 Space. Tickets are available online through Missiontix, and also at Red Emma’s.
Story by Brett Yale.
Video by Miranda Pfeiffer // www.mirandapfeiffer.com
“Honeysuckle Blue” by Celebration // www.celebrationelectrictarot.com
Friends Records // www.friendsrecordsbaltimore.com
Pre-order LP// www.friendsrecordsbaltimore.com/releases/celebration_electrictarot/
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Peace Spore
Blood soaked Vietnam draft papers, peace mantras, deep ethical questions that might never be answered discussed during a no-holds-barred forum whose participants were merely asked to respect one another. It seems as though candid and non-partisan debate had all but gone the way of civility in modern discourse. That is, with the exception of gatherings like the Peace Spore hosted by Evolver Baltimore.
Photo by James Hodges, story by Peter Cardamone.
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Photo by James Hodges
Barefoot and sock laden individuals from all different backgrounds sat in a circle to discuss and quandary the great questions and actions that arise from a life devoted to peace. Dave Eberhart, a poet and one of the Baltimore Four, (the group that was considered the first of more than 100 draft board actions across the country) led us into a peaceable mindset by reading several of his vivid and thought provoking poems. Words that arose from his mouth and planted themselves in one’s mind, activated the conscience and provoked an urge to stand up for something worth fighting for.
Photo by James Hodges, story by Peter Cardamone.
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Photo by James Hodges
And then, discussion ensued. The spectrum of opinions ranged from those that want peace through war, others who want peace through peace and individuals who want their own little piece of peace. Everyone felt free to say what they thought or felt about certain issues that plague the minds of our modern citizenry. And in a city where we are quick to honk a horn and flick the bird, (and in some neighborhoods, pull a gun) I saw such patience and respect between these Baltimoreans that I expected Keisuke Miyagi to walk in any minute and wax on, wax off.
Photo by James Hodges, story by Peter Cardamone.
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Shodekeh at the Meyerhoff from TuffNerd Productions on Vimeo.
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New single from The Death Set LP “Michel Poiccard”.
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What is What Weekly?
What Weekly is a multimedia magazine chronicling the real Baltimore movers and shakers- not the corporations, not the politics, What Weekly spotlights the people. Were paying attention to the good things happening in Baltimore and sharing it all with you.
Why online? Disposable print media is wasteful and, with the advent and proliferation of the Internet, it is becoming more difficult to justify. Technology is a gift and a tool. Let’s evolve and build things together.
If you want to be a part of the movement, you can send us your photos to publish, your events to promote and your ideas to talk about. Forward the email, share a link, start a movement. Your audience is the world, pass it on.
Whats the Goal?
One day soon you will hear a bit of news like this, “Online Magazine Reaches One Million People.” If we dont do it, someone else will. We want to build a large independent distribution channel and well use it to tell the world what you’re doing. We want as many people as possible clicking on the links to your websites and ultimately taking an interest in the Baltimore Renaissance and its artists.
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Whats the point?
This is a movement dedicated to uniting the creative community in and around Baltimore City and then sharing it throughout the world for the benefit of Baltimore and its people. The movement has already begun; we just gave it a name.
Using a multimedia platform, we want to put Baltimore on the map so it’s recognized globally for the artistic and intellectual hub that it is. We start by chronicling your amazing work.
We understand that the distribution of ideas is no longer bound by geography. This paradigm shift allows for cultural movements to exist locally and globally simultaneously. We can share everything, we can create anything and we can reach everyone. It’s time to do something with that power.
What Weekly does not exist without you. You are the soul of this movement.
Submit Your Idea.
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Whats the Mission?
1. Document the Baltimore Renaissance
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4. Build a tribe, start a movement
5. Encourage more facetoface interaction within the community
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7. Put Baltimore on the (global) map
Read more about the mission.
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We believe in spreading the good news, which also means spotlighting organizations that do good things.
Submit Your Good Deeds.
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