Collage 513

I used more of the crossword puzzle here that I used in a previous piece. At the Moscow airport on the trip home, I bought a Russian crossword puzzle for kids, which had little visual clues. That will one day make it's way into future collages -- if I can figure out how to solve the questions!

Here are 2 translations of TV interviews that we found on the internet today. When we gave the first "master class" at Yasnaya Polyana, I was interviewed by 3 TV cameras and one newspaper.  We used Google translator which gives a funny interpretation but given that my Russian is rudimentary, it will have to stand! -- Lola

From TulaTV

http://www.tnews.tula.net/rubric/culture/3650

Translated by Google translator

Grab a book and pulls out her page - instructs participants an unusual master-class on making a collage, held yesterday at the rest house "Clear Glade", American Christian Carney Johnson. - Carefully read and choose the most expressive sentences. They will form the basis for future work.

Nearly a half years ago Boston artist Lola Baltzell began to implement a large-scale and perhaps even unprecedented project - to create a unique illustration of emotions that arise when reading "War and Peace."

- Probably, the love of Tolstoy's works - something genetic - she jokes now. - Because my grandfather - from Russia. After the first acquaintance with the novel, I realized that this is the greatest work of all time ...

According to the concept of Lola, "War and Peace" has become a series of collages. Most of them are already ready: Six hundred of the 750 planned activities. - At first we felt a bit barbaric, merciless when one pulled out sheets of the book - says Christian. - But then are used to. After all, art requires sacrifice.

... Gradually, the project began to join Lola-minded people, and eventually emerged a small organization - "Team Tolstoy." They meet weekly to work together in the studio. - Each member of the group goes to the page - says Lola. - And you can tell by reading the text, all we live a small life. Kollazhist determines what kind of emotions makes it printed. Then selects the most impressed with its passage, cut it, take colored paper, watercolors, ink, pencil - and begins to create ...The result is a bright color or black and white pictures, when you look at that, it is clear that he felt a particular author by reading the immortal creature Yasnaya Polyana genius. - At the end of last year we organized the exhibition in his native Boston says Lola. - It was interesting to make such an impression on the audience creativity. The success was enormous. It turned out that we do, people need and interest.

First arrived at the home a classic, members of "Team Tolstoy" have decided that we should share with the Tula acquired skills by making collages, and everyone was invited to a free master classes. - Tear the books of Tolstoy in this almost sacred place in my hand does not rise - smiles Christian Carney Johnson. - That is why we have specially brought a few books by American authors. In the Clear Glade sacrifice for the art works assembled by Jerome Salinger decided. - That I have, for example, read the text created a romantic mood -  recognized tulyachka Tatiana Rebrov, carefully okleivaya pink paper, "Scrapbook" from "The Catcher in the Rye", which tells of the scope of the protagonist confused. - Actually I'm doing fine art, but the experience of making this kind of collage in my first one. Are rather entertaining pieces. I feel that after such a master-class home library will suffer significant damage. A 750 professional collages on "Howl, and not the world," Tula will not see until next year: to bring the fruits of their labor to their homeland genius "Team Tolstoy's" promised in the summer of 2012. Pauline Krymova Photo by Yelena Kuznetsova
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author: Irina Skibinski. Photo: Michael Ignatieff.

http://mk.tula.ru/articles/a/11061/

Translated by Google translator

"Kids, do not rip, please book!" - Refers Boston artist Lola Baltzell to the participants of the master class, held recently at Yasana Polyana.

Both children and adults - and only the second master-class art group Team Tolstoy (United States) have about 40 people - smiling. Smiles and Lola herself - in fact the essence of a creative project War and Peace Project - creating a collage of torn out of an old edition of "War and Peace" Leo Tolstoy Un. Lola stresses that tear the book just like that - this is, of course, vandalism. However, what does she and her colleagues from the "Team Tolstoy" - a creative act. And art, as is known, requires sacrifice.

The ancestors of Lola - Russian roots and love of Tolstoy in her blood. In 1981, during a visit to Moscow, the artist bought in Russia, "War and Peace" in Russian. Over the years, carefully kept this book - and more recently he began to realize why she has a special place in her library. The old edition of Tolstoy's novel inspired by Lola to their own creative project. She began to make collages of pages of the book, then it joined her friends - the artists. Today, the "Team Tolstoy" - 8 people.

- There should be created 750 collages, number of pages in the book: one page - a collage says Lola. 

- We already have over 600 copies ... The work we adhere to several rules. The first is before you pull the next page, read the text- and we take it one that emotionally "hooked" at the moment. Second, all collages are doing on vellum format 7 × 5 inches. Third: work with the same set of materials. Finally, it is very important - always worked together to make creative energy was multiplied ... The last, 750th collage "Team Tolstoy's" plans to finish by the end of 2011, and the next is going to show an exhibition of his work in Yasnaya. But before the Boston artists decided to come to Tolstoy's country estate for yourself - to get acquainted with his future audience. But at the same time to teach all who want to work in collage technique. 

Together with Lola conduct a master class, Christian, Trish and Mark. Ladies explain in detail and show what to do. Mark - pictures of what the result was a beginner kollazhistov. Editorial images after every training session and laid out in the blog on a page on Facebook, dedicated to the project (respectively - blogspot.com and warpeaceprodject). On the tables are placed a jar with a glue and water - for breeding colors. Laid out on a window sill material that Boston artists brought with them: thin, soft and easily draped paper of different shades and colors. 

And also: old magazines, music, newspapers, and other patterns. If necessary, the author can use crayons, markers, ink or paint. But all of this - more money. The main, original material - a page from an old book. Participants at the mercy of the master-class "Command Tolstoy's" brought a couple of little volumes of works of genius Yasnaya Polyana, an anthology of Russian poetry in English translation, as well as a collection of American poetry and a book of his classics - Salinger. The main condition - the first read, and then choose. Your correspondent, thumbing through a volume of Tolstoy's story shows, "Love one another" - a request from Leo Tolstoy to the circle of young people. Highly instructive text, which causes sudden contradictory emotional responses. Just touches - that meant we had to take. To pull a page from the book a normal person, it appears very difficult - if in breach of taboo, as if to hurt a certain living thing ... But then begins a sort of religious rite. Here the main thing - to act intuitively. Choosing materials with patriarchal patriarchal colors. All this, including the pages torn out, his hands tearing into pieces, spread on a piece of cardboard - and begin to stick together. What emerged, of course, is hardly a work of art, however, a good Lola nods approvingly: "Oh! Beautiful!

My neighbor on the left, Mary, chose the chapter on "Maria" from Tolstoy's "Adolescence." At its piece of cardboard it, using the finest paper pastel tones, creates an image of its namesake - the work is obtained by air, lace, all in "ryushah" and "frills."

Machine girlfriend Daria found in the collection of American poetry poetry about the moon at night. Her materials - paper in matte black anthracite sequins, scraps of rich blue and gold foil.

Right-hand man, Cyril, inspired by the bleak English- language poem about death. In his collage he inserts a fragment torn from a magazine photo: chef knife, cut a hefty piece of meat.

They do it all: adults, children and professional artists and people who can not draw. What is surprising, the faces of all - absolutely happy. Observing this process, you begin to understand why the cardinal rule of the project War and Peace Project - always work together. 

This is what Lola calls the "multiplication of energy."

Lola Baltzell
from page 281-282, volume 2 of original text
collage, ink
made 5/13/11
Pevear/Volokhonsky translation page 828-829