Stavanger Symphony - 'How do you get to Carnegie Hall?'

Stavanger Symphony prepares to play
at
The Norwegian Seamens Church
317 East 52nd St.
NYC

Arne Almroth - Artistic Director
discusses the state of the 'Arts'
at the Seamens Church Library

If you are in or around Manhattan on Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011,
you have got to get out to see and hear the magnificent
Stavanger Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall;
performing on the Perelman Stage at the Stern Auditorium, at 8PM.

E-Mail me for a discount code if you plan on attending. BILLOSMUNDSEN@aol.com

The Stavanger Symphony brought about half of their full 80 person orchestra to the Norwegian Seamens Church, located on 52nd St. between 1st and 2nd Avenue, NY, this Saturday for a musical appetizer of sorts. The mini concert, which lasted about one hour was led by their gifted Conductor and Violin Soloist, Fabio Biondi and was a taste of what we can expect on Wednesday night, at Carnegie Hall. Like a good appetizer we really can't wait for the 'full course'.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Artistic Director, Arne Almroth and chatting about the orchestra. Soon our discussion led to the 'state of the Arts' in Stavanger, Norway and the US.
I mentioned New York's classical radio station WQXR which with WNEW combined had to go into public broadcasting. WQXR could no-longer pay their own way as a commercial classic radio station and WNEW, which is mostly news and talk, these days, may have NPR's (National Public Radio) , which is it's news division cut from it's government subsidy. This with the cutting of Art and Music programs from public schools paints a bleak cultural picture here in the United States.

Arne explained Stavanger like Houston, Texas is an oil town;- has gained great wealth and is fast growing. But part of the strategic planning for the infrastructure of Stavanger is to expand in all areas, of which, the 'Arts' are important, to the life blood of Stavanger, as an international city.
Since 2008, Stavanger has been working towards the opening, in September of 2012, of a multi-million dollar Concert Hall. http://www.regionstavanger.com/en/Product/?TLp=412757

"We actually feel quite humbled to come and play at Carnegie Hall," Arne reflected, "We have played throughout Europe but this will be our first engagement in the United States."

Did Arne know how to get to Carnegie Hall?
"We are staying in a Hotel on the next block but...
Oh! yes, we have been practicing, practicing, practicing."

Don't miss Wednesdays concert.

Bill Osmundsen
Greenwich Village
NY

new Limited Edition prints by Bill Osmundsen

About Giclee Prints, Print History and these images

For the last ten years I have been working again in paint. During the previous 30 years I spent the better part of my Art Career as a Sculptor and building an Art Foundry. My early childhood training was in oils; the fundamentals of drawing and anatomy. I have always had a special interest in Maritime subjects and portraiture.

I have actively taught life drawing and portrait sculpture throughout my career. I have always been interested in introducing color to my sculptured bronzes in the form of polychrome patinas.
Print-wise I have produced a number of hand-cut serigraphs and I have a great respect for the process of various types of manual printing, such as etching and engravings as well as wood-cuts. These are all labor intensive and can be defined as their own art;- really they go far beyond the reproduction process of say a photo-lithograph, which is designed to faithfully reproduce a work of art without much deviation.

Recently, in the lexicon of art processes, comes the Giclee print. Which means to literally ‘spray’ the ink onto a page. Everyone who has printed with a computer is using that process. As the process has developed the images have become more and more vibrant and the overall print quality finer than or equal to the very best photo-lithograph.

The main difference for both the artist and consumer is lithographs are printed in bulk and Giclee’s can actually be printed one at a time. In both cases a high resolution photo of the artwork can be used for the original positive. With Giclee preparation process, artwork or photography, can be scanned to create a master file of the painting.

It might be interesting to note, in history, the print, in the form of the etching or stone lithograph was used to present a finished artwork, I.e. large painting, to a potential patron or purchaser of that art. This was introduced during the 12th and 13th century throughout cultured Europe.

Very often the Artist thought he had maybe a dozen potential sponsors for the Artwork and he would make a finished study of the Art to be created; -make a plate for an engraved print which could duplicate copies of the design to be sent on to as many clients who might purchase the Artwork, with a letter describing the project.

As time went on a great appreciation rose out of these prints and they were looked at as 'Art' in there own right. The 19th century artist, such as Toulouse-Latrec used the stone lithograph media to advertise Moulin Rouge and he would also number and sell the prints as did many of his contemporaries.

In the late 1800’s many very accurate etchings were hand colored for books and prints. By the mid 20th century the Off-Set press which with a 4-color photo-separation process and lightweight plates for printing really ramped up the possibility of large and consistent print runs. Enter the Giclee process about 10 or 15 years ago and now you have an even greater color and duplication control.

For me these images produced in print and on these pages are highly autobiographical. They follow friends I’ve met and places I have been to. In every case I knew the subject or individual;- lived near or around the location that I painted.

Bill Osmundsen
Greenwich Village,
NYC, NY

PS: To purchase or learn more about these prints:- Click here !

Xmas in Greenwich Village

"a Winter scene at Washington Sq Park" Watercolor (c) Bill Osmundsen


Merry Christmas

and a very

Happy New Year!

from Greenwich Village

Bill Osmundsen

The Sloop Clearwater under sail on the Hudson

"Clearwater on the Hudson" Watercolor on Paper (c) Wm Barth Osmundsen

New to our work is a collection of tile Artworks designed for the Clearwater folks up in Beacon New York. They have taken over the 'University Settlement' which is located up in Beacon on 9D. This large woodland camp will be a headquarters for many of their pro-active environmental activities and work with inner City Youth. To see more of these motifs which are planned for rendering in low relief and duplication as ceramic tiles and copper Repousse see 'Whats New' at our BronzeSea.org Web Site.

VIXERAT for Bill Zechel

Bill Zechel a portrait on paper by Bill Osmundsen

I have been visiting in New Hampshire for a good part of this year and after returning only once in 6 years I found a great and dear friend slowly and with some pain dieing. His death occurred in August. I visited Bill in the Hospital and Nursing Home and not reading a regular paper I missed his funeral. Two years before when I presented Bill with the portrait above he told me I've got my funeral music all planned out. Bill loved music and as we sat in Saunders at Rye Harbor, in Rye NH; in the restaurant that he built, he explained each selection of music and what it meant to him. Kind of a crazy evening to spend listening to your friends funeral music selection. Rest assured the music wasn't real sad or pompous. Bill loved life so much that he was even enthusiastic about his own funeral and that is where the Latin word Vixerat comes into play. When a Roman would die they wouldn't say he died;- they would say he lived:- Vixerat.

Bill Osmundsen

Great Blue Heron and Clearwater are new designs for Ceramic Tiles

The Sloop 'Clearwater' 18" x 24" Watercolor on Paper
(c) William Barth Osmundsen (click on image)

Jordan Hanssen Ocean Rower endorses Fox Sculpture

The 29-foot fiberglass Rowing Boat, James Robert Hanssen,
crossed the Atlantic Ocean on June 10th, 2006

Our (The Fox Sculpture Project) Project Director, Victor Samuelsen was recently out to Seattle, Washington where he met with Jordan Hanssen who captained the three man crew of the James Robert Hanssen.

Jordan named the boat for his father who died from an asthma attack when he was just three years old. The young Jordan also developed asthma but quickly set his mind to strengthening his lungs through exercise. As a four-time champion competition rower in the Northwest Conference Rowing Championship he decided to set the bar a little higher and row across the Atlantic Ocean.

His personal story reads a little like the story of George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen, who were the first adventures to cross the Atlantic by oar in 1896. You see, at that time, in 1896, there was a competition award for anyone who would dare to pick-up the challenge to cross the Atlantic. It was $10,000. US and gold medals for the successful oarsmen.

Jordan Hanssen who heard about a transatlantic race much like George Harbo, was a bit of an instigator and began to talk to a former UPS team mate by the name of Brad Vickers. Just as George Harbo spoke to Frank Samuelsen, who was his fishing partner and friend. I'll make a bet that Brad received the idea a little like Frank Samuelsen did more than 110 years earlier.

'Are you really serious or simply insane?'

An article in a paper called the Arches, published in the Autumn of 2006 reports Vickers asked for a meeting and after 10 hours agreed to join on. (Tony Robbins are you reading this? You've got big competition if Jorden Hanssen goes into motivational speaking). Brad Vickers agreed, they added two more men, Greg Spooner and Dylan LeValley and carefully planned the voyage.

The Voyage of the Fox was also meticulously planned, this was part of it's success and certainly a significant part of Jordan's recent crossing. The young crew decided that they would also use the race to raise money for the American Lung Association (ALAW). Approximately half of the funds raised would go to ALAW. The boat and voyage itself cost about $300,000. US. each man borrowed $10,000. US for his stake against achieving their dream.

The four man crew made their goal of Falmouth, England in 71 days about 15 days behind the open wooden surf-boat Fox but they did achieve the fastest time in the race and I recently read they are planning another crossing.

On Victor Samuelsen's recent trip to Seattle he had the pleasure to go out rowing with Captain Hanssen, on the James Robert Hanssen, with his cousin Tom Samuelsen and his son Tor, a young teenager. This remarkable first-hand experience led to our knowledge of these determined young men who are proud to walk or shall we say row in the footsteps of George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen.

I hope you will take time visit our link: BronzeSea.org/JordanHanssen to read his supporting letter for The Fox Sculpture Project and connect with Jordan's web site.

Enjoy the Summer,
Cordially, Bill Osmundsen