Geraldine - Story

           “You really are nice looking. I mean you are attractive, but you also look like someone who is nice to people,” said Geraldine.

             Bartholomew blushed a little. He was not used to young women telling him he was attractive. But he had to agree that he was kind to people. It was one of Bartholomew’s strengths that he always tried to be polite and kind.

“Thank you,” he said, “you are so kind to say so.”

“Well,” responded Geraldine, “I am as kind as I am pretty.” 

Gather round for the introduction of Geraldine, soon to be Bartholomew's girlfriend.  Is she delovely?  Is she delightlful?  Is she de-devil?  Some people will find Geraldine repulsive.  Some will find her rude.  Some will find her to be an animal.  Bartholomew sees the good in her.  Geraldine is the daughter of Gerald, so right there you know things will not be normal.

I have greatly enjoyed writing about Geraldine.  She is an unlovely character who has major issues around relationships.  But there is a side of her that appeals to Bartholomew.  I have taken to the challenge of writing sympathetically about a rude and unattractive individual. My first notes about Geraldine were that she is incontinent, in the old sense.  She is unable to control her body and its functions.  Her body is unattractive and unkempt.  Her physical desires are out of control.  As far as I know, she is not incontinent in the contemporary sense of the word.  There is also an aspect of her incontinence that I do not write about, but secretly informs my writing about her.  As her story unfolds over the next 45 stories, I hope you come to understand who she is and why she is - and see her in a sympathetic light - like Bartholomew.  But I must say that I see each character in these stories as a different aspect of my own personality.  Geraldine is the one aspect of my personality I am least likely to confess publicly.

During the course of a long term relationship, partners come to see aspects of each other that they love and admire.  But, they also see behaviors and attitudes that are not as lovely, not as welcomed.  What is the balance?  Bartholomew is very unpracticed at making these kinds of decisions.  What happens when the negatives start to outweigh the positives?  What happens when one BIG negative outweighs many positives?  Bartholomew does not know his "deal-breakers," do you?

High school and college relationships are one thing.  Once you are both out on your own, not under the surveillance of an authority, what you really need in a partner changes.  In fact, it is then when you really start to understand what it is you need on an independent personal level.  Because of some tragic events in his life, Bartholomew is a little behind others in this arena.  Perhaps I was, too, at his age.

Geraldine, will be published this Friday, at The Book of Bartholomew.

Bartholomew Asks...What Have You Learned From Your Parents?

This week's Bartholomew Asks... is about what we have learned from our parents.  This week's story is about Gerald trying to teach his boys a lesson.  It's not a lesson most of us would try to teach, but that's Gerald.  Of course, there is much we have learned from our parents that we are not even aware of; a tick, a sneer, a laugh, a smile when we are reading, an attitude toward country music, an attitude toward anyone who is different in some manner or another, etc.  But, we are aware of what they tried to teach us through advice, good or bad.  We also know that we are just like them in some ways, whether good or bad.

What have you learned from your parents?  Here is this week's video question.

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.

Bartholomew Kickstarter Campaign

On Friday, October 12, 2012, The Book of Bartholomew will begin a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to print a box set of stories.  The Book of Bartholomew, Bartholomew Makes a Garden, Volume 1 consists of the first twelve illustrated stories in The Book of Bartholomew.  Most of the stories are fun accordion fold books.  The longer stories are cd-booklets.  All stories are printed in full color highlighting the wonderful illustrations of the artists Mark Granlund, Matt Wells, Martha Iserman, Mary Esch, and Tim Jennen .  The twelve stories come in a handsome box with a printed cover.

The goal of the campaign is to raise $5,000 to print 250 box sets.  There will be original artwork and fine art prints available as well.  The Book of Bartholomew oil paintings, watercolor illustrations, framed prints and production artwork will all be made available to reach the goal.

 Campaign begins Friday!

Bartholomew Makes a Decision - Published TODAY!!

The first story in The Book of Bartholomew, Bartholomew Makes a Decision, is now published at  bookofbartholomew.blogspot.com.  Enjoy this short story, Bartholomew Makes a Decision, which introduces Bartholomew and Gerald. 

Bartholomew sits down to eat his favorite dinner and listen to Dionne Warwick songs when he is interrupted by a phone call.  By the end of the story, Bartholomew makes a decision that will change his life forever.

The story features illustrations by artist Mark Granlund and songs by Dalia.  The story also includes animations, video, back stories, recipes, and audio clips.  

The Book of Bartholomew is an online book of short stories/tales about a group of young friends learning about life as adults.  Every two weeks another illustrated story will be published at bookofbartholomew.blogspot.com.  Each story is written by Mark Granlund and illustrated by Mr. Granlund or other Twin City artists, including: Mary Esch, Martha Iserman, Matt Wells and Tim Jennen.

ENJOY!!!  BARTHOLOMEW IS HERE!!

Bartholomew Makes a Decision - Music

Two songs by Dalia, Abandoned Routine and  Tiny Footprints, accompany this first story in The Book of Bartholomew, Bartholomew Makes a Decision. Dalia is the first musician featured at The Book of Bartholomew and comes through a connection with Last Triumph Collective.


Dalia is an independent singer-songwriter from Minneapolis, MN. Determined to not be pinned to any one genre or stereotype, her songs bridge musical gaps from folk to hip hop to ambient. She has been actively performing around the Twin Cities since 2005, and released her debut album, Treetops and Telephone Wires, in late 2007. A true DIY artist, she writes and records all of her music, designs all of her own artwork, and does all of her own booking and promotion. For her second album, Abstract Habitat, which was released earlier this year, she personally hand-screenprinted 250 limited edition copies on recycled packaging. Keeping an arms length from the commercial music scene at all times, she is committed to making music that is real, organic, inspiring and fresh.

Dalia's websites:
https://www.facebook.com/acousticdalia
http://www.myspace.com/acousticdalia

Bartholomew Makes a Decision - Art Work

Here are images showing the progression for creating the cover for the first story of The Book of  Bartholomew.  The first two sketches are my first ideas of what I wanted to paint: a plate of corn, green beans and kale.  The first is very rough and was only about 1.25" square.  The second image represents another plate of food with the words "KNOCK, KNOCK" on the cover.  This is because Bartholomew is interrupted during his meal by a knock at the door. All Bartholomew wants to do is find some decent food but once he sits down to eat he is interrupted by the phone and the door.

Then it was time to do some research. This meant enjoying a few meals of corn, green beans and kale.  I cooked the kale once and the other time my girlfriend cooked it.  Hers was much better.  We cooked the food and then I went to work rearranging it on the plate to somehow match what I wanted to do.  I did not find my final composition, but it was fun and informative for the final painting.  The food was good.  I wish the green beans were from my garden. But I didn't grow any this year. 

I used these images to layout the composition of the painting and made the first layer of paint on canvas. From there I built up the surfaces and colors to create a finished painting of a plate of kale, corn and green beans.  The cooked kale was the hardest to paint.  It was hard to get a focused picture of it as its edges are rather soft and difficult to pick out.  In case you were wondering, yes, those are pine nuts on the kale in the final painting.

After completing the painting, I took the image to Photoshop and added the words KNOCK KNOCK and the title. This was a fun stage - turning a painting into a book cover

The next step was to create a background for the inside text pages of the story. Continuing with a food theme, I created drawings of forks and spoons. These images line the text pages and are faded behind the text. This was a very fun story to illustrate.  I like the idea of not showing Bartholomew or Gerald, but letting the reader develop their own physical image of the characters.

As mentioned, Bartholomew Makes a Decision, the first story of The Book of Bartholomew, will be published on Friday, October 5, 2012 at bookofbartholomew.blogspot.com

Friends, Friends, Friends

This first story in The Book of Bartholomew is about Bartholomew discovering he needs friends.  Do people really need friends?  Do you need your friends?  Yes, people do become more capable as they get older and do not need as much assistance with life.  And some people are introverts and like being alone.  But everybody has and needs friends.

I am introducing a feature of The Book of Bartholomew: Bartholomew Asks...   Each week, a short video is presented with a question for that week's story.  In the video, people give short answers to the question.  This week, Bartholomew Asks: What is it you appreciate about your friends?  What do you look for in a friend?

You can write an answer here at the blog or share a text or video response at The Book of Bartholomew Facebook Page.

Bartholomew Makes a Decision - Story

"There once was a young man named Bartholomew who was far too young to be on his own, but there he was. Being a little unsure of himself, he could not always tell when people were being sincere or when people were trying to take advantage of him. But when he knew what he wanted to do, that was what he did.

One evening, while enjoying Dionne Warwick songs and his favorite evening meal of fresh hot corn on the cob, apple red onion marmalade, beans and some kale, one of his twelve telephones rang.

“Hello,” said Bartholomew.

“Hello sir, how are you this evening?” asked the voice on Bartholomew’s cellular telephone.

“I am well. Who am I talking to?” asked Bartholomew in return.

“My name is Gerald. Can I ask you how the siding is on your house?”

And with that, Bartholomew's story begins to be told. It is a simple story of a not so simple life. But isn't that the way life is? Our lives are full of complications and nuances, yet to tell it, it comes out so simple. "I was born in Minnesota, spent most of my early childhood in New Jersey, grew up outside Chicago in the Western suburbs. I went to Bethel College in Saint Paul, MN..."  The whole story is not known by anyone but me.  Sometimes, I'm not even sure I know the whole story.  The other day someone shared the story of the first time they had met me.  It was at an event I attended with two of my friends.  I do not remember the event and didn't remember one of my supposed friends (my apologies Darren).  There are few people who have a context for my life - and that is the way for most of us.

Throughout history, people have used story to give children context for the life to come, to give them a way to understand situations they might find themselves in so they can make good decisions. The Book of Bartholomew stories function in a similar fashion, they are stories about situations. Perhaps they are situations you have been, or will be, in.  There are not morals at the end, as with many children's stories.  I do not presume to know what is right for most other people, although I suggest you stop killing people if that is what you are about.  But, I have had some fun and interesting experiences (some scary) and I am sharing them here through the characters of Bartholomew's world.  And I would love to hear your experiences and situations.

I have enjoyed exploring while writing these stories. I can only hope that you will enjoy them, and in turn, think well of me and come take care of me instead of me having to do everything for myself.  Perhaps you will bring ice cream and chocolate and let me watch football until I am fat with digital overload.  Then you will draw me a bath (with a 2h pencil) and massage the digital fat out of me with your powerful soothing fingers and feed me sweet potatoes and kale.  Perhaps you will take me to France?  Perhaps that is too much to ask.

- Mark Granlund