We live in a youth obsessed culture. And when it comes to artists, new technologies have created a big buzz. In pursuit of the newest, latest trends, sometimes it can be easy to overlook what age and experience give to a person or a project. But life experiences themselves can lend a depth and extra dimension to a piece of music or a literary work.
How does age influence a person's outlook on life? How does it affect the work we produce? In "Old Masters," a series of special reports, five Seattle artists talk to KUOW's Marcie Sillman about their work. Their lives have been shaped by the art they create. In turn, their work has evolved as they've aged.
Reported by Marcie Sillman.
Five Fridays of Old Masters during Morning Edition and KUOW Presents at 9:00 p.m.
April 3 Madeline Defrees, Poet
April 10 Dominique Gabella, Dancer
April 17 Bill Smith, Musician
April 24 Fay Jones, Painter
May 1 Armandino Batali, Food Artisan
Madeline Defrees
Madeline DeFrees, Poet
Friday, April 03, 2009
For most working artists, making art is about more than making the rent. For Madeline DeFrees, its about understanding experience. In her 89 years, DeFrees has looked at her life through poetry. Writing has been a constant — through her four decades as a nun, and for almost four more after she left the teaching order of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. She has published eight volumes of poetry, along with non–fiction, memoir and short stories. And DeFrees has won an array of awards and critical acclaim for her work. For the first in our series "Old Masters," about how art shapes artists, and how age shapes the art they create, KUOW's Marcie Sillman paid a visit to Madeline DeFrees' Ballard bungalow.
Dominique Gabella. Photographer Steve Shelton.
Dominique Gabella, Dancer
Friday, April 10, 2009
Dominique Gabella can't imagine her world without dance. She said that is "like silk; it's an ingredient of my life." Gabella has been a professional dancer for more than 40 years. Unfortunately, the older she gets, the less her body is able to cooperate with her creative spirit. Today we continue our weekly series "Old Masters." It's about how art shapes artists, and how age influences their art. KUOW's Marcie Sillman introduces us to a woman who says age won't keep her from the artform she loves.
Bill Smith
Bill Smith, Musician
Friday, April 17, 2009
Some people fret about what they want to do with their lives. For musician Bill Smith, the moment he picked up the clarinet, there was nothing else he wanted to do. Smith started clarinet lessons more than 70 years ago. Over his long career, he's been a touring musician and a university professor; a classical music innovator and a jazz man. As part of the series "Old Masters," about how art shapes artists, and how age shapes their art, KUOW's Marcie Sillman has this story about a man and his instrument.
Fay Jones
Fay Jones, Painter
Friday, April 24, 2009
Painter Fay Jones took a few detours along her creative trail. Like many women of her generation, career took a back seat to raising a family. In the latest installment in our series "Old Masters," about how art shapes artists, and how age influences their art, KUOW's Marcie Sillman brings us the story of one woman's life as both an artist and a mother.
Armandino Batali. Photo by Sage Van Wing.
Armandino Batali, Food Artisan
Friday, May 01, 2009
They call him the Prince of Pork. It's a title Armandino Batali wears with pride. Batali's love affair with pork goes way back, to his childhood in Yakima. That's where his father taught him to cure meat. But Armandino Batali and pork didn't have a full–time relationship until recently. At the age of 58, Batali quit his job at Boeing to create the salami, prosciutto and pancetta that make foodies drool. In the final story in our series, "Old Masters," about how art shapes artists and how age influences their art, KUOW's Marcie Sillman reports on a man who rediscovered his creative outlet in food and family.
Music Notes
Story #1: Madeline Defrees, Poet
- "Where Things Leave Off," Japancakes, "Waking Hours"
Story #3: Bill Smith, Musician
- "Rhapsody in Blue," Sir Simon Rattle, London Sinfonietta
- "Sing, Sing, Sing," Benny Goodman "Live at Carnegie Hall"
- "Le creation du Monde," Darius Milhaud
- Closing Theme, Dave Brubeck, "Dave Brubeck Octet"
"Schizophrenic Scherzo," (MP3) Bill Smith, "Dave Brubeck Octet" - "How High the Moon," Dave Brubeck Octet, Bill Smith Clarinet
Links
Special Thanks
Photo: Poetic License Renewal (Triptych) by Fay Jones. Acrylic and sumi on Okawara, 72 x 39 inches (each), 2007. Courtesy of Grover–Thurston Gallery.
To corrupt an old saying, it takes a village to create a radio series. That's been particularly true with "Old Masters." I'd like to extend warm thanks to the people who shared portions of their lives with me:
- poet Madeline Defrees, a master writer and a kind soul,
- dancer Dominique Gabella, who was enthusiastic about the project from its inception,
- musician Bill Smith, who proves that you don't have to be young to be cutting edge,
- painter Fay Jones, who is not only gracious, but also an artist whose work inspires me,
- and Armandino Batali, whose table welcomes everyone as a friend.
