According to June Wulff of the Boston Globe, “Robert Castagna and Ksenia Mack married in 1999 and covered 8,000 American miles on their ‘joneymoon’.” This was part of her write up to support our exhibition of sight and sound late last year and can be found at Mickey and Minnie.

When I first read this I was like WTF! Then I noticed the quotes around “joneymoon” and looked back at the email I had sent her from my iphone. There it was! I had misspelled the word “honeymoon” in my rush to provide her with information to make the deadline. This Freudian slip was then picked up by her and used. But what does it mean?

It’s a contraction of two words: “journey” and “honeymoon”. It’s meaning is a honeymoon taken by a couple that turns into a life-long journey. Since our “joneymoon” of 8,000 miles we have since taken a myriad of road trips, covering all the states and have made these voyages a key part of our philosophy of existence. Enjoying the road as we go, often with no destination or planned arrival.

Links for further information:

Trip to Nowhere

The Road Journal

Road Trip

While at Ristorante Olivio in Arlington we decided to discuss our upcoming exhibition and the collaboration of two art forms.

Robert: So we have a show coming up, a collaboration.

Ksenia: It is a collaboration. It was your idea to put a little stick of dynamite under my copious cheeks and say, “You are going to record another CD and this is what it’s going to be.”

Robert: Oh yes – I did that.

Ksenia: You did. I was good about it, then rotten, then was good about it and then rotten.

Robert: But you did it.

Ksenia: I did!

Robert: We postponed the show six months. We were going to do it in the Spring originally.

Ksenia: You postponed it for another reason.

Robert: Money.

Ksenia: Oh right – money! Let’s drink to that! (a clinking of wine glasses ensues)

Robert: So the collaboration of sight and sound…

Ksenia: After we decided to do this and we got it done, then we realized the project had a future fruition for us where it became a road trip in itself. Something came true about it. We put the idea there, made the sounds, and the sounds and the images are like a road trip.

Robert: Right – right. right.

Ksenia: It’s like going down this dirt road and all of a sudden it opens up and you’re on this really beautiful highway with no one else on it of course. It’s like time slows down, a change of pace as it opens up and the car moves faster. But seems slower. It’s like a soundtrack to our road trips which we started on our honeymoon.

Robert: While we were driving on our road trips and looking out our window we would be listening to music. In essence we are capturing that…

Ksenia: Yes we are.

Robert: …in a gallery. The other thing that’s really nice is that we are calling it “Lost across America” and for the first time we realize why we are calling it that after we called it that.

Ksenia: Oh. That was why? Give me a hint.

Robert: What was your lyric that uses “lost”?

Ksenia: Oh, “I forgot the thought I had”, no, “I just lost the thought I had” – well you can look it up! (laughs)

Robert: It was about a lost thought.

Ksenia: A lost thought across America. You get lost in thought when you do a road trip.

Robert: While you are driving and looking at the open space and listening to music you get lost in thought. So really “Lost across America” is just allowing your mind to get lost and wander and have fun. When you’re driving across miles and miles of grasslands or cornfields you tend to get lost and that’s a good thing.

Ksenia: You got lost in a tobacco field right before our wedding as a matter of fact.

Robert: We’re just finally capturing that.

Ksenia: The more we did road trips the less rules. We would know less and less about where we were going. Everything was up in the air. The ultimate road trip, last summer, had no plans at all.

Robert: Finally we encapsulate all of these road trips. It started with 8,000 miles on our honeymoon.

Ksenia: 8,500.

Robert: …and several since. We’ve been to every state.

Ksenia: Not necessarily together.

Robert: No, not necessarily together (waitress serves our food). But we finally get to share it with everyone.

The exhibition “Lost across America” opens November 5th and runs through December at Rolly-Michaux Gallery in Boston. An artist reception and CD release is being held on Friday, November 16th from 5 to  8 PM.

The large scale photographs of urban and rural America by Robert Castagna along with the soundtrack by Ksenia Mack, merge to make a unique art form.  A collaboration of sight and sound. Walk through a gallery with music paired with images from the road trips taken together. A soundtrack for still pictures. Exhibition was on view at Rolly-Michaux Gallery of Boston from November 5 through December 29, 2012.

To purchase the Lost Across America concept album go to Ksenia Mack on CD Baby or download on itunes

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Art Life: People everywhere seem to be carrying around yoga mats with them! Why are they turning to yoga?

SJ: Yoga has exploded in popularity in the last decade; an estimated 20 million Americans practice yoga of some sort! I think this is part of the reason: In the States these days, life moves fast. Too fast. Both business and personal communications have increased in amounts and speed, with ever-evolving technological devices and networks competing for our attention and encouraging us to check-out and live virtually. People suffer from isolation, thoughtless acquisitiveness, financial insecurity, you name it. I think more and more people are seeking relief from the deleterious effects of modern living, an antidote to overwork and chronic stress. They are finding it in the contemplative practices of yoga and meditation.

Art Life: What is the importance behind breathing and poses in yoga? What links them together?

SJ: Bring your attention to your breath and you are connecting the mind (the agent of attention) to the body (where the physical phenomena of breathing happens). Put simply, the breath is a vehicle for mind-body connection. Dwelling in this connection through mindful breathing generates a great sense of calm and ease. Practiced often, it is revolutionary! Adding deliberate manipulation of the breath — changing the rate and proportion of our inhales and exhales, as in pranayama (breathwork) — we can reset the nervous system and metabolic rates. Indeed, we can use our breath to change our mind states — from agitated to calm, sluggish to alert, depressed to invigorated. Using lengthened and steadied breath in asana (poses) helps you to pace and control your movements (say, in vinyasa yoga or viniyoga) and create the steadiness of mind to stay put for longer static (held) poses. In fact, when you breath mindfully and deliberately, a whole lot seems possible that wouldn’t otherwise seem so.

Art Life: You provide private classes to students at your studio. What are some of the benefits of private classes over group ones?

SJ: No two people are alike — we don’t all wear size 8 shoe and like broccoli — and we don’t all benefit from the same yoga practice. People who are tight in particular areas of the body will become more facile by doing particular stretches. On the other end of the spectrum, people who are extremely flexible can gain more stability by developing strength. Even with pose modifications, a typical group class accommodates a limited range of people. For a truly transformative practice, you need a sequence customized to you, with your history, injuries, vulnerabilities, capacities, and goals. When people come to see me individually, we do some experimenting and find their yoga. I provide them with a sequence they can practice at home, and for long-term students, I adjust it as their capacities change. Make a tailored yoga practice part of your routine and beware: increased health, well-being, productivity, creativity, and happiness result! I’ve seen people change their bodies, attitudes, and lives through yoga.

Art Life: How can yoga assist someone who has a creative lifestyle and/or is in the field of the arts?

SJ: Yoga is vast and varied and includes all sorts of techniques — including physical poses, pranayama, and meditation. It teaches you how to deal with obstacles such as distraction, boredom, and frustration. (Believe me, these things come up routinely on the mat.) And it cultivates focus, concentration, self-awareness, and discipline. It sets you up to bring your best self to your work and life. Some people use yoga as a way to tap into something larger than themselves, but I think just from living awake we acquire within a rich universe of ideas with which to play. Unfortunately, so much of ourselves remains pushed down, hidden, and covered over by habit, conditioning, and societal expectations. Yoga is a process of uncovering what’s there, and that’s a journey that rewards along the way. Approach your art and your life with open awareness and courageous maturity, and the possibilities are limitless.

For more information visit Yoga with Sarah Jane.

Photographs by Robert Castagna

For more information on Noel Danforth visit Gold Star Studios.

To view the entire photo shoot go to Boston Art Life gallery.

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is considered the best rock album by Rolling Stone Magazine. And “A Day in the Life”, the LP’s last song, might possibly be the Beatle’s best. Why that is in a moment. For starters I’d like to recommend a book by Geoff Emerick entitled HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE. I recently read this book and loved it! Mr. Emerick is the Grammy Award winning audio engineer from the Pepper album and his insight and contribution to making it, makes for a great read.

Now the Song:

“A Day in the Life” is the ne plus ultra of Lennon/McCartney songwriting. It not only highlights their disparate characters and divergent looks on life, but also showcases their unique ability to collaborate and make music. Opposites attract they say…

John, dreamy and aloof, speaks about universal themes, subjective narratives, a barrage of news media events and background noise. Think of his later songs “Imagine” and “Watching the Wheels”. He has a way of remaining exterior to the whole that is existence, providing us with that “Lucy in the Sky” point of view.

But then a crescendo of orchestral tunings fills the void transporting us from that universal platform of god and all-knowingness to the alarm clock of the daily routine. It is here where Paul resides to take us on a ride. He reminds us that no matter how lofty our thoughts, how universal our themes, we must wake up to the ordinary. That life in its mundane can be artful too. Think “When I’m 64″ and “Eleanor Rigby”. Everywhere around us is a song. Paul is the perfect antidote to John’s imagination, setting both our feet on firm ground.

The Dream:

But as all days must come to an end and return to night, in that darkness we again move to dream. It’s inevitable as the song suggests. Once again it is the purview of John Lennon, a dreamscape to awaken us from our usual slumber.

 Art Life: Describe your move from art collector to artist.

Paul: I’ve always loved art. I remember my final art class in eighth grade. I was upset because I realized art would not be mandatory in the next school year. But then I just forgot about it, went on to high school, to college and a career in advertising that eventually allowed me to buy art that I liked. It didn’t occur to me until about six years ago that I should be painting myself. It was like a “calling.” So I took classes, got studio space and just kept painting. This led to juried shows, sales, interest from the press and gallery representation. All it took was a decision to begin painting. Then everything in the universe seemed to line up for me. The doors kept opening.

“Ocean Edge” Acrylic on Canvas 30″x30″

Art Life: How is it that space came to be such a dominant theme in your paintings? Have you always been drawn to the sky?

Paul: When I was a kid, I’d lie on my back in the grass and watch the clouds go by. So, yes, the sky has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. It is a dominant theme in much of my work, along with the unexpected cropping of natural and man-made landscape features. I do have work with no sky at all, such as in a newer piece titled INTO THE WOODS. But even in this painting, the freeing feeling of space along with some unanswered questions make it pretty clear the composition is mine.

 Art Life: Your work has a great ability to connect with people, yet there are no people in your paintings. Why?

Paul: Doesn’t it feel as though people don’t belong in my paintings? It seems that way to me. When one looks at one of my pieces, there is a distinct feeling what was left out is as important as what was included. Clearly, people have been left out and that feels right somehow. However, I wouldn’t rule out including a figure in a future piece. It may or may not happen. I mostly don’t know what will come out when I’m in my studio painting. If I’m prompted to include a person in a composition, it will happen. That may surprise us all.

“Lemon Lime” Acrylic on Canvas  20″x16″

 Art Life: Your paintings are organized and distilled to a simplicity. Where did you glean such an aesthetic?

Paul: This question may be best answered with an anecdotal story. It goes back to 2008, my second year in the juried group show at South End Open Studios, before I had more permanent studio space at 450 Harrison Ave. Three women in their early twenties came by my exhibition area. They liked my work very much. One smiled and said to me, “I bet you have a very neat apartment.” She got that right away just from looking at my work. I laughed and responded, “How did you guess?” I’m drawn to simple, clean lines, a certain degree of starkness and a generally uncluttered life, both on the canvas and in my day-to-day world. I think this resonates with a lot of people and provides a sense of peace. At least this is the feedback I get consistently.

 Art Life: Do other art forms influence your artistry?

Sure, I’m influenced by many art forms, including film, photography, sculpture, music, theater and so much more. I’m particularly drawn to conceptual ideas in whatever form they may take. You’ve probably noticed there’s a somewhat mutually dependent relationship between the titles of some of my paintings and the piece itself. This comes in part from years of conceptual thinking as a creative person in the advertising industry.

Art Life: What does the “art life” mean to you?

I think we are all artists in that each morning when we wake up, we have the opportunity to “paint our own canvas” figuratively. In other words, we can and do make up the day we experience. As a painter, I can take this a step further and express my creativity literally on an actual canvas. The image and emotions that result will no doubt resonate with others, too. The painting then becomes more than just my expression. It is an idea that belongs to the world and is open to a variety of individual interpretations.

Visit Paul Pedulla for more information!

For more pictures of Paul visit Boston Art Life Photo Gallery.

Space within which an artist creates is called a studio. The word “studio” derives from root words that mean study, zeal, care, devotion and diligence. In a studio one is free to concentrate undistracted, often set apart from the rest of the world. It is a focused freedom. It is different from an “office” where one is busy with the workaday world. In a studio there is a degree of isolation and in that isolation your ideas flow. Later you may share those ideas and creations, or not. It is the studio where the physical space and the mental space collide, or more gently, overlap.

Experimentations occurs here and the experiment is key to art and the final art form. Often the experimental turns final, as in it lies the beauty of creation. To see a masterpiece painting is stunning. But to see the sketches and studies that went before is sublime – the evolution of creativity lies before you.

All artists need a studio and each studio is as unique and personal as the various eccentricities and novelties of the art and the artist.

To view lots of examples of artist studios go to A Peek Inside Artist Studios!

There are a lot of elements that go into art and one of them happens to be authenticity. Being true to who you are. I ran into authenticity while at the crossroads of the blues in Clarksdale MI recently. Heading over the tracks to check out a juke joint I was stopped by a man sitting on a bench on the side of the road.

“You know me!” he exerted.

I stared back and said, “Sorry but I don’t think so.”

“You know me!” he again emphatically stated. Leaving no doubt that I did.

Deciding to play along I said, “Oh yeah right, remind me of your name?”

“T-Model Ford!”

That was my introduction to 92 year old T-Model Ford who was slated to play the juke joint called Reds on the other side of the tracks in Clarksdale Mississippi.

When I returned a couple hours later it was with my wife and mother, both of which were traveling along on a southern road trip which included Gettysburg, Nashville, Graceland and now Clarksdale as we headed south on the Blues Highway.

Reds is basically a shack. Ramshackle and pasted together with sheet metal and glue. I would have never thought to enter but for the recommendation of a few locals. Entering was transporting. Red glowing and lurid stringed lights were the only illumination. Cigarettes, large bottles of beer and a local crowd enjoyed the scene. With a smattering of out-of-towners coming in, wide eyed and gaping with smiles of gratitude. The gratitude was due to the “authenticity” of the joint – juke joint. And the realness of the player behind the guitar – T-Model Ford.

It was real. And the playing was real too. It wasn’t the best playing, but one became transfixed, mesmerized by the scene, the smells and the sounds. Looking up T-Model Ford on the internet one finds that he has about 26 children from various women, was sentenced to prison for murder, and when he was asked how many times he has been to jail he responded, “Every Saturday night there for a while.” Hailing from Greenville I realized I was looking at blues dead straight in the eyes.

So back to authenticity. You are who you are. If you’re a bluesman, you’re a bluesman. There’s something special about embracing that which makes you, you.

Art Life: You quit your day job to live the life of art and music. How did you do this and why?

Lauren: Let’s start with the reason why. When I was 16, I was diagnosed with Hodgekin’s Lymphoma. That’s pretty scary when you are 16 years old. But I learned at a very young age, usually when you think you are indestructible, that life is pretty short. Since then, I like embracing every day and living it like it is your last. Unfortunately, working a day job and then sitting in traffic were not the ideal situations for me and my adventurist spirit.

I decided I needed a vacation and I went on this great cruise called Cayamo. I got to meet one of my idols, Brandi Carlile, and play blackjack with her. It was fantastic. I got to go on stage and play the acoustic for the lead singer of Collective Soul, Ed Rolands, and I performed in the little lounges on the ship in my spare time. When I got back to my job, I decided there was no way I could take much more of living my life the way I was. I loved music and I wanted to do it every day.

So I decided to join a music careers program online and started my own guitar and voice teaching business. At the age of 27, I recorded my first album and quit my job. It was fantastic. I had never felt so free. It’s great! If I want to sit and write music for a few hours or even the whole day, I’m able to do that.

Art Life: Writing songs can be daunting to some can you provide some tips on how to keep inspired and productive?

Lauren: I get a lot of inspiration from every day life. It’s funny, I might not write a song for a few weeks or even a month or two and then I get an avalanche of ideas and write 4 or 5 songs in a day. The best thing to do is to look to your life, your friend’s lives, the news, Facebook, movies, etc. You never know when something will spark your interest and motivate you to get writing.

I usually start with the music and melody first, but sometimes just brain storming ideas of what you want to write about is a great start. What’s a story you want to tell? Is there a moral to the song? Is there a happy or twist ending? Sometimes playing with lyrical rhyming can be fun. The best thing to do is to keep your creative juices flowing even if you are not writing a song. Sometimes it’s crap, sometimes it’s great, but practice makes perfect.

Art Life: How do you get ready for a performance?

Lauren: Before performances, if I am with my band, we will rehearse our set going over the little details like the order of the songs, different dynamic changes, will we make this song slightly different from the CD, etc. A lot of people concentrate on the songs when they are performing and it’s really not about that live. Think about why you go and see a performance. It’s the experience. It’s about giving people a great performance.

So do not think because you wrote a song that it HAS TO be performed that same way every time. Think of ways you can switch things up, for example, playing a different instrument. I am not an amazing drummer or lead guitar player, but there are times on stage when I will play drums, hand my guitar off to someone else to play or pick up an electric and rock out with the guys. People like when you do those things, it makes the show fun and entertaining.

Other than that, a little vocal warm up before the show and we are rocking and rolling. I do not really get nervous any more so there is not a lot of psyching myself up for things.

Art Life: Are there other musicians and artists that inspire your creativity?

Lauren: Oh absolutely. One of my biggest influences is Brandi Carlile. I love the way that woman plays guitar and she is a great songwriter. Her dynamics and stage presence have really made me sit back and analyze my writing and performance. I am also a big Pat Benatar and Melissa Etheridge fan.  I get a rock element from those artists. I also like Sheryl Crow, U2 and Natalie Merchant. Great songs. I will even be listening to classical music sometimes and you will here this cool rhythm in the background on the violin or the drums and you go, “Wow, that was really cool”. Then you go home and try to write a song that imitates that.

Art Life: Your last album was titled “I’ve Been Waiting” and your soon to be released album is “Here I Am”.  There seems to be a message here?

Lauren: Yeah, there definitely is a little bit of a message. “I’ve Been Waiting” was kind of the, alright, I made it, I’m totally doing this after so many years kind of thing. Some of the songs on that album were written years before they were ever recorded. I think I had secretly always dreamed of recording my own music but never really believed it until that album was done.

“Here I Am” I feel is more of who I am as an artist today. Even though it has only been a couple of years, I have really grown so much in my playing and writing. It’s almost like it was not the same person. I am really proud of this album. I was proud of the first one, but I always felt it could be so much better and I feel this album is everything I was hoping to do with the first album. So I wanted to let people know, “Here I am. This is the real Lauren Bateman and she is ready for prime time.”

Art Life: How does “life” and “art” relate for you?

For me, life is art. Life is the expression of who you are and what moves you. That can be many different things for different people, but for me, art is what moves me and makes me feel alive. I do not know what my life would be like without the art of music. But I think that even if you are not musically inclined, music will always find a way to touch you at some point in your life. It could be a song that brings you back to high school or a song that reminds you of an old friend or lover. Art has a way of touching the soul in ways we can not comprehend and I am so excited to be a part of that.

Art Life: Thank you!

For more information visit Lauren Bateman

Her CD “Here I Am” will be released Saturday May 5th 8 PM at Sally O’Briens of Somerville, MA