Author: Artsy Chow Roamer

Inspiration from Smart Women

ROLE MODELS FOR 2020

While women still haven’t broken the glass ceiling in every category of things to do and be, every year gets just a little closer to the year of the woman for real. This blog will visit a few of my favorite ladies I have recently discovered who are giving us both inspiration and modeling for our own dreams and schemes.

ARTIST-WOMAN ON WOMEN

ERIN CONE-PAINTER

“I emphasize visual impact over narrative context, focusing on the subtle orchestration of my subject within a framework of design. I create a deliberate push-and-pull between near-photo realistic detail and my own vocabulary of visual glitches that challenge that very realism. This duality is central to my work and allows the figures I paint to remain wholly representational while functioning abstractly — evoking emotion without defining it.”

Erin’s own statement about her work pretty much tells you what you need to know. When I was first alerted to her paintings by a gallery friend, I studied them at length. Fresh and modern, all were single images of women in different poses and states of dress.

A series of portraits were hauntingly beautiful; with luminous near colorless eyes that stared at you in rank assessment or looked away in almost a fear of the same. What were they trying to say I asked myself?

Still others showed full figures with half faces bleeding off the canvas in an effort to get away; negative space outlining the women in an even more evocative way. Ladies in long black dresses pay homage to some sense of fashion with both quiet dignity or a sense of isolation.

Erin’s own portrait captures the same face she continually paints; the look of bold assessment just as sure as the brushstrokes used to recreate it every day. Having graduated from the University of Texas, Erin has been recognized by numerous prestigious art magazines and has been interviewed by PBS about her work. Enjoy some highlights from the interview in the video below.

You can find Erin’s art at the Nuart Gallery in Sante Fe as well as others. I love her work don’t you?

Hollywood-Woman Challenged

GRETA GERWIG & LITTLE WOMEN

The Oscar nominations are out and while the movie Little Women was deemed good enough for Best Picture and Adapted Screen Play, it didn’t net a nod for best director for Greta Gerwig. While that category seems ever elusive, women continue to make headway in both numbers and budgets for mainstream enjoyable movies. And not just chick flicks either!

Greta Gerwig handles this retelling of the classic story of the March sisters in a refreshing take with Jo floating back and forth between present and past. While Laura Dern and Meryl Streep bring home the bacon with the characters of Marmee and Aunt March, it is Saorise Ronan as Jo and Florence Pugh as Amy who steal the show and get two of the six nominations received by the movie.

While some have criticized it for it’s too white of a take on the story as every other previous movie has done; one writer did beg the question of why a side story couldn’t have been developed around the true life of Ellen Garrison Jackson. She of African American descent who filed the first lawsuit against segregated public transportation during the same time period as the movie. Yet another Little Woman of courage.

Greta Gerwig is beloved in Hollywood and will probably win for Best Adapted Screenplay if for no other reason because she was denied a nod for Best Director. I’m rooting for her. Enjoy this trailer on the movie.

Dance-The Art of Ballet

THE STAR THAT IS MISTY COPELAND

Misty Copeland made history as the first African American female principal dancer for the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. Named in 2015, her story is one of a child prodigy from the very beginning.

Living in a shabby hotel room with five siblings, she began taking ballet at age 13 and was en pointe within three months; performing professionally within a year. A feat unheard of by any other classical dancer.

I first saw her photos on Pinterest while searching for pictures to go on my Artists Who Inspire board. I was mesmerized by her body; so fluid and muscular with the long lean lines of someone who is 5’-8” while being only 5’-2”. How did she do that?

Born in Missouri and raised in California, Misty’s rise to stardom could only be described as meteoric. Major awards and full scholarships to the San Francisco Ballet school and the American Ballet Theatre led to joining ABT in 2000, becaming a soloist in 2007 and a principal dancer by 2015.

One of Misty’s most important roles came in 2012 in Firebird created especially for her by choreographer Alex Ratmansky. She went on to play the beloved Clara in The Nutcracker in 2014 and Odette in Swan Lake as well as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet in 2015.

Numerous awards and endorsements made her an ambassador for the Under Armour commercial of “I Will What I Want” that went viral with over 9 million views. She loves giving back and mentors young girls and boys. President Obama appointed her to the President’s Council on Fitness. I find her smart, inspiring, fit and one of the best role models around for 2020.

Music-Could’ve Been Several Women

BUT KAT EDMONSON CHARMS

One could consider Taylor Swift for this one. I mean after all, she has been waging a near apocalyptic war against the record labels owning the creativity and music of their artists in order to launch careers. A battle that has made her richer by far than her competition-that’s pretty smart.

It could have been Camila Cabello, a star whose Havana hypnotized in a way not seen since Santana put out Smooth. Did you see that performance on the Grammy’s that brought them to their feet?

Taylor Swift-Photo by Frazer Harrison Getty Images Camila Cabello-Photo by Kevin Mazur Mastercard

But I chose a different route. A quieter, sweeter more unexpected lady. I was playing jazz vocals on my music channel on TV-usually standards from the older well known performers. Low in the background, I heard a voice so pure and haunting that I stopped my work to strain to listen.

I knew it wasn’t a golden oldy voice I was hearing. Intrigued, I got up and went to the remote for more information. Hmmmm….no name…just a title…Old Fashioned Gal.

Thank you Mr. Goggle machine as I got the name of Kat Edmonson. Kat….unusual just like her voice. Speaking of which, have you heard the song on the video below…”A Voice”? Oh boy does she have one and a song that speaks from the heart and brings tears to your eyes.

Making an appearance on the second season of American Idol, this little dream of a gal with the pixie haircut got told by Randy Jackson that “she didn’t look like a star”. Say wwhhhhaaattt? I mean like having curves and hair like J Lo is a requirement for a successful singing career?

So what did she do? She went on Kickstarter and raised herself some money for the production of her first album Way Down Low. She went on to work with legends like Lyle Lovett and Phil Ramone. She pulled out her Great American Song Book and started looking at classics by Gershwin and Porter.

Old Fashioned Gal was born which the above cut was on. She is getting ready to release her latest album called Dreamers Do that is “a story for all those who dream of a different path in life”. The story of which unfolds during the course of one sleepless night.

The album begins with a promising invitation to settle in for the night and to dream (“Go to Sleep”). Joy and magic are revealed (“In a World of My Own”), but soon a left turn is taken (“When You Wish Upon a Star”), and a wild night ensues.

Kat says the album begs the question of whether or not it is ever too late to dream big. I think not and I find her story particularly inspiring. I want to be her when I grow up-you?

Politics-Last but Not Least

ELIZABETH WARREN & AMY KLOBUCHAR

The last two standing, not to mention the other ladies who have already dropped outta the race like Kamela Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar. Altogether, six different women were in the race to the top for the 2020 election. All, for the most part, are inspiring and worthy of being called role models.

For the first time ever the editorial board of The New York Times decided to endorse not just one candidate….but two and BOTH are women. Wow! I understand it. Warren is running around like an energetic young spring chicken with big progressive ideas and a plan for everything. I like that!

Klobuchar, the moderate, is plodding along. No big shake ups just practical “honest” talk about what she thinks can actually get done over what we ought to do. Hmmmm….I don’t know. While I appreciate truth speaking….you gotta fight for what you want.

Which one do I see on the stage driving Trump to have that tic in his face and the melt down that always follows? Elizabeth….she has a way of getting under his skin in a funny non bully kind of way that just speaks to truth.

She is strong and has got a plan for literally everything that could come down the pike. She has good experience with her work in the Senate and as the person who literally put together the department that keeps watch over the credit industry.

I am proud of the women who have stepped forward. It is not easy to put yourself out there and run for the highest office in the land. I certainly wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t put my family through it. I wouldn’t put myself on the slide under the microscope for people to rip apart. Public service is important-it’s just supposed to be that. Service to the people. Women are used to it-they’re good multi-taskers.

CONCLUSION

So you now have the women on my top five list of categories that I think are inspiring, smart and worthy of being role models for our girls (and boys BTW) in the year 2020. I hope you enjoyed reading about them and watching the videos.

If you liked what you read, you might like other blogs under Artful Ideal and Just Because. Hey, don’t be a stranger! Let me hear from you especially if you have ladies you think should have been on the list for this year. Send me your thoughts. Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

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