Interview with artist Matt Wells

Matt Wells and I, Mark Granlund, sat down one Sunday afternoon at the Black Forest Inn to talk about his illustrations for Gerald Teaches A Life Lesson.  This is what resulted.

Gerald Teaches a Life Lesson - Art Work

 

The second story in The Book of Bartholomew, Gerald Teaches a Life Lesson, will be published Friday, October 12. The images for this second story are provided by Matt Wells, artist, illustrator and mural painter.  In the story, Gerald gives his sons advice about what to do if they are ever stranded on a deserted island with a stranger.  Matt has done a wonderful job of capturing this incident, and the variations mentioned in the story.

His rendering of the beach as the setting for the variations on the theme is perfect. The manner in which the horizon line of the beach separates the characters from the "stranger" and from one and other is masterful.  The simple representation of palm trees, surf and sky is pleasing and sets back for the characters to take center stage.  Then he adds the humorous fish skeleton, the crawling jungle roots and the simple surf-lines to create the expressive place for the action.

 

The characters of Xavier, Khua and Mo, a mother and the "stranger" are comical yet expressive of each characters personality. There are two things I love about these pieces.  The cover image of a young man holding a knife and approaching a stranger has such an attitude.  The angling of the hips and shoulders and the raising of the foot completely captures the action and intent behind the young man.  The other thing I love is the use of color.  I chose the knife image for the cover because of the color. It is strong and the red shirt foreshadows the blood that is to come.  The day, his shirt and the lines around his figure are bright and strong, as if your senses are heightened.  As they should be if you are about to witness a knife fight.  Then, in the last image, the color is muted to express the loneliness found in the Xavier character at the end of the story as he walks off pondering his father's instruction.

 

Matt is a very active artist on the Twin Cities scene, making his own art while also working with a group of artists called Rogue Citizen.  Together they perform live paintings at concerts and paint murals.  To find out more about Matt and his art, check out www.lizardmanart.com

To read the first story, Bartholomew Makes a Decision, go to The Book of Bartholomew. And check out Matt's illustrations in Gerald Teaches a Life Lesson this Friday, October 12, 2012.

Gerald Teaches a Life Lesson - the Music

The music for the story Gerald Teaches a Life Lesson is by Yata.

With part of the story taking place on an island, I chose two of Yata's island songs, Cocoabutter and Del Mar.  The songs are story appropriate, but I also met Yata for the first time on Mallard Island on Rainy Lake near International Falls, Minnesota.  Yata was leading a creative collaborators workshop and I was a caretaker of the island.  He was gracious enough to let me be a part of the workshop as well.  I soon found that Yata's energy and repertoire are immense, perhaps verging on legendary.  He had gathered an amazing group of people who were ripe for collaborating and, under his fun leadership, it became a magical week.

One participant had read a Walt Whitman poem early in the week. Well, in no time, Yata had written an amazing song that captured the poem, the week and the island.  Here is a snippet of its unveiling.  Yata was as excited as a six year old to share it with us.

Yata is a singer, guitarist and prolific songwriter performing and recording folk music which incorporates the influences of jazz, rockabilly, gospel,country, blues and ballads into his songs.  I'm honored to have Yata providing the music for this story.  He will be back in story #11.  Please check out his website: http://www.yatayata.com/.

The Book of Bartholomew provides two songs from Twin City area musicians with each story published.  To listen to the songs, go to that weeks story at bookofbartholomew.blogspot.com and click on a story cover.  When the story opens, to listen to the first song or second song, click on the symbols:

 

To stop the songs, click on the symbols:

 

You can listen while you read or afterward.

Gerald Teaches a Life Lesson - Story

"It’s not easy, in this world, to be successful like me. It takes a certain attitude, a certain resolve,” said Gerald.

The boys leaned in closer.

Gerald adjusted his sea foam colored tie and continued.

“I have worked hard my whole life to get where I am. I’m not proud of everything I have done, but I haven’t ever really done anything wrong. I want to share with you something my father, your grandfather, (rest his soul) told me when I was your age. He shared this with me just before he died and it has been one of the keys to my success.”
The boys leaned in even closer.

“Xavier, Khua, Mo, if you ever find yourselves on a deserted island with one other person and there is only enough food for one of you, you will have to kill that other person.”

And thus Xavier's, Khua's and Mo's life lesson begins.  But will they learn anything from it?

This story originated when a friend informed me that a father, for whom she worked as a nanny, actually shared this advice with his son.  Yes, this is real!  Can you believe it?  Of course, in the world of Bartholomew, things never turn out as people intend.  Xavier, Khua and Mo have many questions and concerns about this advice.  The Nanny also chimes in with her two-bits.  And what about grandpa?  How was it that he died?  You'll have to read a back story to find out.

Discover answers to these questions and more when Gerald Teaches a Life Lesson is published this Friday, October 12, 2012 at bookofbartholomew.blogspot.com, the home for the online book The Book of Bartholomew.