Tag Archives: hollywood

wild prairie influence…

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My focus (obsession) continues to be my paternal great-granduncle, author & Sioux Falls, South Dakota dentist—William Otis Lillibridge 1879-1909. His 1905 book, Ben Blair was turned into a silent film in 1916, seven years after his death. His widow, Edith Keller Lillibridge was instrumental in getting the film made by Paramount.

I’ve sort of adopted my Uncle Will as my muse…a fellow creative. Reading his work and researching his life has made him feel quite real to me. I’ve learned a lot about his parents, siblings, the home he grew up in on the border of the Dakota Territory in Akron, Iowa, and his life in Sioux Falls. NOTE: I went to college in Sioux Falls and never knew his dental office was down the block from one of our favorite restaurants, Minerva’s.

“As everywhere upon the prairie, the quiet was almost a thing to feel.” —Ben Blair

We certainly have a shared love of the prairie. Maybe he would approve of me recasting myself in his film just for fun…or possibly find no humor in these images whatsoever. From what I’m learning, he seems like he was a rather serious fellow. However, with no one left one to ask, I’m left with little to base my hunches on.

BEN BLAIR—ACT I

The Sanity of the Wild

…in the warm sunny plat south of the barn, a small boy and a still smaller girl were engaged in the fascinating occupation of becoming acquainted. The little girl was decidedly taking the initiative.
…she had an independence, a dominance, born perhaps of the wild prairie influence, that at times made her parents almost gasp.
…bleared faces and keen hawk-like eyes were more closely drawn. The dull rattle of poker chips lasted longer, frequently far into the night, and even after the tardy light of morning had come to the rescue of the sputtering stumps in the candlesticks.

Florence touched his arm. “Ben,” she pleaded,

“Ben, forgive me. I’ve hurt you. I can’t say I love you.”

The End

SOURCES: 

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0510388/

BEN BLAIR on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NfwmMA3JNBE?feature=shared
READ ONLINE: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/17844/pg17844-images.html

looking back at 2023…

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As a creative who struggles with the blues, looking back at another trip around the sun can be marked by what I didn’t do. I don’t want to drag this feeling of lack & sorrow into 2024. Instead, I want to acknowledge what I DID in 2023. 

My inventory isn’t only about my creative life, that’s just the most tangible for me. Taking time to do this inventory isn’t only better for me but for those in my orbit too. 

A SENSE OF AWE

I witnessed a lot of remarkably soul-stirring predawn light. That time of day is truly sacred to me.

I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim, and now I am overwhelmed by this decent and good feeling. —Frida Kahlo

MY HEROES

I learned that my creative heroes, photographer, Dorthea Lange and Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo were friends. Since I read about their friendship, I’ve imagined spending time with these creative, ambitious, and unconventional women.

TIME TRAVELING

I’ve begun a deep dive into my ancestry. Learning about the events that shaped their lives, their successes, and their heartaches has given me a new sort of grounding in my identity. 

MILDRED, THE MISSING YEARS…

I’m working on a project creating a “what if” multi-media body of work about my maternal grandmother, Mildred. She was living in California in the late 1930s, and no one seems to know much about those few years of her life. I’ve narrowed my research to 1934—1939.

I’m lost in birth, death, illness, dust storms, drought, pre-US involvement in WWII, the Great Depression, fashion, films, music, the New Deal, and the pull of California for Midwesterners. Mildred is becoming so much more alive to me as I research her life in the context of family, cultural, and historical events.

Mildred died in 1964 at the age of 48, a few years before I was born. She’s described as witty, stylish, intelligent, complex, and a good dancer too.

What if she had become an actress in California and never went back to South Dakota?

I’m borrowing photos of the actress Evelyn Brent as inspiration for this project. Putting myself in these images is helping me imagine the story I want to construct about my grandmother’s alternative life. 

A 1930s actress also happens to be my alter ego…so darling, this project is simply marvelous to me.

see, I was a hoofer

music was in my bones

I was real good too

maybe a little too good for the Bible Belt

ART

I’ve made a lot of art and often forget about it until I’m searching for something else. I want to be more deliberate about sharing what I create this year. I used to think of my creative work as a form of meditation. However, energetically I now believe art in whatever form is meant to be shared. 

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE PHOTOS OF THE YEAR

Happy 2024!

I wish you a year filled with whatever sparks you, the courage to let go of what no longer does, and the wisdom to know the difference.

NOTE: The photo of me on the beach was taken by fellow sunrise photographer, Joe Johnson.