Kathryn V. White, Award-Winning Author & Artist
Adventures In Expansion

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Just some thoughts, reflections, inspirations, and things I come across I think are fun, amusing, inspiring, or just plain great!

So welcome to my eclectic musings...

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Film Review: Grand Dame of Photojournalism—Dorothea Lange

6/27/2015

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Picture"Migrant Mother" by Dorothea Lange. Image from Wikipedia.org
Grab a Hunk of Lightning is Dyanna Taylor’s documentary of the life of her grandmother and famous photojournalist, Dorothea Lange.  

It reveals Lange’s challenging childhood (abandonment of her family by her father and contracting polio at age seven); her dream as a young woman (to leave her hometown of Hoboken, NJ and travel the world); and her unconquerable willpower to never give up.  

For example, her dream was sundered when she and her friend were robbed of all their money in San Francisco, CA.

To get out of the situation, Lange got a job at a photography studio in San Francisco and not long after, opened her own portrait studio in the same city.  

Her first marriage in 1920 was to western painter Maynard Dixon.  He had a daughter and together they had two sons.  A major challenge of this marriage was Dixon leaving the three of them for months at a time to paint in the southwest.  In 1935, Lange divorced Dixon and married economist Paul Taylor.  

And it is with the deep love of Taylor and her own adventuresome spirit that Lange matures into the photojournalist we know today.   
Her iconic “Migrant Mother” (shown above) is one of her many heart-wrenching photographs that documented the struggles of migrant workers during the Great Depression.  

Other work that is just as moving and which only became known later in her life are her photographs of the relocation and internment of Japanese-Americans.  At the time, the US military impounded these photographs as they were considered too critical and disparaging of the US government’s decision.  
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"Grandfather and Grandson at Manzanar Relocation Center by Dorothea Lange. Image from Wikipedia.org.
Throughout her life, Lange struggled with the demands of being a wife and mother; her passion to be a photographer; and health issues such as bleeding ulcers and post-polio syndrome. 

Yet, through it all, her indomitable spirit is palatable—from her choice of husbands; to her critical eye and gifted hand that takes us to the depths of injustice and also reveals the hidden beauty and power of individuals; to her courage and unwillingness to let her ill health stop her from her passion of photography; to her love of huge, bold jewelry.

This engaging film is a true tribute to Lange.  

Just click on the DVD cover to learn more about this remarkable woman and become privy to a greater selection of her amazing photographs.
                                 ***
Author and artist, Kathryn V. White loves well-conceived documentaries and life-affirming films.  Her most recent book, Rumble Tumble Joy: A Journey for Healing, Inspiration, and Wholeness, is a finalist in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards.  Find out more at: www.kathrynVwhite.com.

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Calling All Lovers of Dance!

11/22/2014

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The documentary, First Position, will sweep you off your feet and into the lives of several young dancers who aspire to enter one of the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions—The Youth America Grand Prix.  

Auditions are held in several locations of the world, with the finalists going to New York City for the last stage of competitions.  
Bloodied feet, constantly hungry, frequently in pain, these young dancers are disciplined and passionate about achieving their dreams.  Their family backgrounds include wealth, poverty, the American military, and adoption from an African war zone.  

As you watch their awe-inspiring performances, you’ll be rooting for each of them to win one of the elite scholarships and contracts that can help ensure their entry into the professional world of ballet.

Click on the DVD cover to watch Bess Kargman’s award-winning, box office hit documentary.  (Affiliate link)
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From Garbage to Art

5/17/2014

 
Imagine you are in a museum and you spy a painting by Monet on a far wall.  You walk over to it and stand back taking in the entire scene.  

You see the painting in its wholeness; the brush strokes, texture, and splotchy colors of the paint are non-existent.  

Then you move nearer and peer at specific areas of the canvas.  

Rough and smooth textures, globs and thin varnishes of paint, as well as individual brush strokes are clearly visible. 

The painting is no longer a scene of wholeness—you see it in fragments.  You move back and forth between close up viewing and standing farther away.  Each position is important in understanding what it took to create the art and take in the art.

And so it is with the documentary, Waste Land.  Internationally renowned artist, Vik Muniz travels from his home base in Brooklyn, NY to his native Brazil and to the world’s largest garbage dump—Jardim Gramacho.

His mission is to make art from the garbage and somehow use this same art to help the catadores—the people that people turn away from in disgust and ignorance.  These are the people who are the self-designated pickers of recyclable materials.  To earn a living and support their families, they scale the smelly mountains of tons of refuse dumped from trucks each day.    

Vik looks at the entire dump site from aerial photos and then he moves in closer by walking throughout the dump and talking with the catadores.  Out of the many, he ends up working with seven of them in a collaboration of art-making.  He decides to create photographic portraits of the catadores in positions reflecting iconic images of art. 

These images become the basis of huge renditions of the photographs through creating them with the recyclables gathered and placed by the catadores.  And then he photographs these renditions and blows them up into huge photographs that are then sold at an auction house in London.  Each of the participating catadores receives some of the proceeds and some of it goes to fund the programs the catadores' union is working to develop.

Vik works in layers and layers of art-making process just as the garbage dump contains layers and layers of human refuse and history.

The documentary is fascinating and heart-filling.  It sweeps away ignorance, prejudice, and generalizations.  You see the struggle, the bad luck, and the achievements that can be wrested from poverty.  You'll cry, cheer, and be inspired by the power of the human spirit to transcend insurmountable challenges.  You'll be amazed at the power of art to transform how people see themselves and then their lives. You’ll want others to watch this film.

Don’t wait.  Click on the DVD cover and learn more.  (Affiliate link)

The Ugly Side of Beauty

2/22/2014

 
Director Darryl Roberts in the documentary, America the Beautiful, follows the rise and fall of a teenager as she enters and is ejected from the modeling world and the ups and downs of her self-esteem as she grapples with the situation. 

He uses this real-life story as the framework to explore the damaging impacts on all our lives of media brainwashing on what is beautiful.

Body image, self-esteem, and beauty are further explored through statistics and interviews covering cosmetics, cosmetic surgery, eating disorders, and other body-image issues.

Enlightening, engrossing, and often shocking, this film shows how much we are conditioned to viewing distorted, unattainable beauty images as the yardstick of female perfection and how much we all lose by uncritically accepting this perspective.  

Click on the above DVD cover to find out more. (Affiliate Link)


Miss Representation

7/25/2013

 
Miss Representation is a gripping documentary that engages and 
disturbs the viewer at the same time.  It includes interviews of powerful women, stories from teenagers, and examples of media misogyny.

With so much media emphasis on female youth, sexuality, and unattainable body appearance--girls' perspectives of their bodies and what they believe they can achieve are negatively impacted.  In addition, depression, low self-esteem, and nasty peer pressure are enhanced.

Watching this film provides an excellent opening for deeper discussions with peers, friends, and family.

Click on the DVD cover to find out more about the film. (Affiliate link)

Learn more about what you can do to stop detrimental media messaging.


 

Sync Or Swim

5/31/2013

 
How much do you know about women's synchronized swimming?

I knew nothing and was engrossed in Cheryl Furjanic's documentary on the topic.

Such self-discipline and self-motivation! These women are true athletes. Seriously, how many people could train this hard and be in a pool for over 10 hours a day several days a week!  

Synchronized swimming is just as beautiful as women's gymnastics and ice skating.  And the strength of these young women --physically, mentally, and emotionally, is something to behold! 

It's time this athletic form got more recognition. Increase your own understanding by clicking on the cover at the left to find out more! (Affiliate link)

One Lucky Elephant

5/20/2013

 
Click the DVD cover to find out more.
(Affiliate link)
One Lucky Elephant is an emotionally wrenching, yet inspiring film about the love between David Balding and Flora, his adopted elephant. 

We journey with David as he comes to the conclusion that after 18 years of circus life, Flora needs a better place to live. 

Will David find a good home for Flora outside the worlds of zoos and circuses?

And, in terms of the bigger picture, what must humans ultimately understand and do differently for more harmonious relationships with the animals of this planet?


Love Etc.

4/17/2013

 
Click on the above DVD cover to find out more.
(Affiliate link)
Love Etc. is a sweet documentary which includes five real stories of people in love or searching for love over the course of a year.  They span a diversity of lifestyles, neighborhoods, ages, and ethnicities.

While all these people live in NYC, the challenges they face are universal. 

Ready to explore love?

Life 2.0

4/5/2013

 
Click on the DVD cover to find out more.
(Affiliate link)
Life 2.0 introduces you to Second Life and the players who straddle the virtual realm of Second Life and their own lives outside of the game.

Director Jason Spingarn-Koff does a great job in showing how seductive non-reality can be and how choices made based on learnings from the virtual world can be deceiving and enlightening.

The Power Of Art

2/11/2013

 
The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh from Wikipaintings.org
The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh
I recently had the fortunate experience of watching Simon Schama's Power of Art.  If you are ready to watch something provocative, entertaining, and intelligent, get this DVD series. 

Simon and his masterful team use narration, storytelling, dramatic reconstruction, photography, lighting, and acting to full effect.  The series focuses on Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, David, Turner, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko.

Each historically based segment is engaging and brings humanity and a deeper understanding of the lives and creations of each of these artists. It is hard not to watch the entire series in one sitting. 

The actors used in all the segments were superb, especially  Andy Serkis as Van Gogh. I was bought to tears watching the Van Gogh and Rothko segments. 

Be sure to watch the commentaries as well, they deepen your appreciation of the hard work and skill required to create such a quality series and reveal a more humorous and approachable side to Simon as he can be somewhat intimidating in his full narrative eloquence!

So if you are looking for something that engages as well as enlightens, take a look at this amazing series.

And Simon, if you read this blog, I (and I'm sure many of your fans) enthusiastically vote for more!

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    Author

    Kathryn V. White is an author and artist who dreams of rousingly playing a djembe in a drum circle.  

    Two of my books are finalists in the 2014 Wishing Shelf Book Awards!  Click on the below book covers to learn more.
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    Rumble Tumble Joy book reviews: San Francisco Book Review (4 star) & Story Circle Book Reviews (4 star).
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    2020 Juried Exhibit at the Washington State History Museum 
    Kathryn's collage, "Resonating Truth" has been juried into a show at the Washington State History Museum in Tacoma, Washington. The exhibit runs from April 9 to August 20, 2020.

    2019 - 2020 Juried Traveling Art Exhibit in Virginia

    Kathryn's papercutting plus collage  "Summer Interlude" has been juried into a traveling show.  The exhibit runs September 9, 2019 to December 8, 2019 at Gallery 3700 in Arlington, Virginia and from December 17, 2019 to February 18, 2020 at Westover Library in Arlington, Virginia.
    2019 Juried Exhibit at the Washington State Convention Center
    Kathryn's large collage "When I'm Gone, Who Will Remember Me?" has been juried into a show at the Washington State Convention Center's Phyllis Lamphere Gallery.  The exhibit runs January 12, 2019 to March 31, 2019.
    Poetry On Buses 
    Kathryn's poem, The Sound Soothes, was selected for the ​2017 Poetry on Buses: Your Body of Water Program and is a part of the online collection! Click here to read it!

    2018 Juried Exhibit at the Rosehill Community Center

    ​*Three of Kathryn's collages have been juried into an exhibit at the Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo, WA from April 3 through June 24, 2018. "Phoenix" won the Northwest Collage Society's prestigious Eleanor Wolters Smith Memorial Award.

    2017 SOLO SHOW at the University Business Center

    *20 of Kathryn's artworks were on exhibit in a solo show from October 16 through December 7, 2017 at the University Business Center's Gallery 4500 in Seattle's U-District.
    2017 Juried Exhibit at Seattle City Hall 
    ​Kathryn's collage, "Welcome to My Universe" was juried into the exhibit, "Hot Town: Summer in the City" at the Seattle City Hall in downtown Seattle that ran from July 7 through August 30, 2017.
     
    2017 Juried Exhibit at Seattle University  
    ​Kathryn had a large collage, "Broadway at Times Square" juried into the 2017 Search for Meaning Art Exhibition (part of the Search for Meaning Book Festival) from February  16 to 25, 2017 at Seattle University's Vachon Gallery. 
    2017 Juried Exhibit at Cascadia Art Museum  
    ​Kathryn had a collage, "Indra's Net" juried into the exhibit, "Collaged Impressions of the Northwest Social Realism and the American Scene 1930 to 1950" that ran January 19 to March 26, 2017 at the Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds, WA.
    2017 Exhibit at Dreamclinic 
    ​Kathryn had 10 artworks exhibited from January through April 12, 2017 at Dreamclinic in Seattle's Roosevelt neighborhood.
    BUY ART: 
    Kathryn's art is available as fine art prints. Click here to find out more.

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    "You have everything when you embrace the full circle of life."— Kathryn V. White

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