[Editor's Note]  Our good friend George Tau recently visited Sweden and shares his thoughts with us.  Great article, George!  -Brian

When I told my friends I decided travel to Sweden for my vacation this year they could hardly believe their ears. After all, part of the reason I moved to Florida was to get away from the cold, snowy north.

I chose Sweden for several reasons. The history of the land intrigues me. I love a good Viking story and I knew I would be able to learn about the subject firsthand at the historic Vasa Museum.  I wanted to get out of the States to just experience a whole new culture; to see the world from another angle, and for the excitement of going to a new place to see if I am up to the challenge of being totally displaced from everything I know. I was blessed to have made some friends in Sweden many years ago so when I told them I would be visiting they said they would be ready for me to arrive and show me a good time. With all plans finalized I packed my rucksack, grabbed my brand new passport, threw on my warmest pair of long underwear and headed for the airport.

I only budgeted myself about $600 for the trip after the price of the ticket so I had to be a bit frugal with my funds. While the exchange rate at the time of my travel was 1 SEK for every 14 cents (US Dollars) the relative price of things in Sweden were much higher than  back home.

Stockholm street art

The reason for the high cost of goods in Sweden?  Nearly everything must be imported. A nice dinner here in the States for $25 would cost upwards of $40. (About 290 SEK.) I was happy to find that airplane food is not as bad as everyone says it is. They kept me fed quite well. Upon my landing in Arlanda I was pleasantly surprised to find Taco Bell and Pizza Hut were there. At any point in the trip I was able to get some inexpensive and familiar food. Ordering was not problem because I soon found out nearly everyone there can speak English fairly well. I also felt it appropriate and respectful to learn a little Swedish before I left in kind. I did my best to speak Swedish at first when interacting with people. I found most locals to be very understanding and allowed me my attempt to speak their language, but it always ended in a chuckle and both of us switching to English to better understand one other.

After spending some time in the airport I got a ticket for the Arlanda Express train. A short 20 min ride later I found myself in the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. Stepping out onto the streets of the largest city in Sweden for the first time it reminded me of every big city I’ve ever been to in the States. That was soon to change. After a few hours of wandering around my friend showed up and we hopped a bus to a place called Old Town or Gamla Stan. This was the original city of Sweden set up during the 13th century.

The architecture of old town proudly displayed buildings as early as the 17th century. It is also home to a great number of restaurants, tourist shops, art studios and museums.  I booked my first night’s stay at a hostel called “The 2Kroner” using  Hostelworld, a website that allowed me to compare room prices for all of the hostels in Sweden, consult an interactive map for locations, and receive a very informative tourist guide to the city and book my room on the spot. Normally, when staying at a hostel you pay only for one bed  and most often you share the room with several other people. It’s a great way to get to know other people traveling through the city and make new friends.

The streets of old town

I requested the two-bed room and booked both beds so my friends and I could have the room to ourselves. While hostels are a good place to meet people it’s also a lousy place to stash your gear while you go out on the streets looking for adventure. Renting both beds in the room let us leave our stuff safely locked up all for much less that the price of any hotel room you could find. We stopped at several cafés for pastries and coffee during our walk. As you can imagine, it’s very cold in winter so stopping in for coffee offered us a nice break from the freezing cold. We stopped at a few antique shops, visited a sci-fi book store, wandered by the Royal Palace for an official visit to the monarchy and then we turned in for the night.

The next day we checked out of the hostel and headed straight for the Vasa Museum. The Vasa Museum is home to the largest Viking war ship ever made called the Vasa. The museum is filled mostly with relics from the war ship giving free with guided tours every few hours in both Swedish and English.

A scale model of the Vasa

Once we had our fill of the past we hopped a bus to my friend’s home where we sat and visited with her family for a bit. With generous hospitality they laid out a feast of Swedish food in from of me that included traditional Swedish meatballs, many different varieties of bread, followed up with a healthy helping of pickled herring. I was surprised to learn that there were many different ways to make pickled herring and that, in small portions, it wasn’t that bad. I also had something that resembled breakfast potatoes mixed with sardines. The different breads resembled pita bread or crackers. While sampling I took some jelly and spread a good portion of it on a cracker. I guess  that’s not something the locals do because everyone started to laugh loudly. It took some convincing but I managed to get them to try it. When the initial shock wore off they nodded their head in approval of my strange American custom.

Cafeteria in the Jumbo Hostel

After spending several days with old friends and making new ones I got a buss back to Arlanda where I would spend my last night in Sweden. My flight out was at 7am so I needed to find a place near the airport that I could get to very easily, very early in the morning. Once again I visited my favorite site and booked a 2 bed room at the “Jumbo Hostel”. It’s actually a jumbo jet converted into a hostel. It was an amazing site to see. The staff was very friendly, the food was great, the cafeteria was fully stocked with treats and the rooms were immaculate. You could not ask for more. The next morning was full of sad goodbyes.  After taking a connecting flight through Vienna I was back in the states in less than 15 hours.

Overall I would say that my trip to Sweden was excellent. The only thing I will do differently next time would be to go during the summer. Being a Florida resident I don’t hold up very well in the cold. Also it would have been nice to know a bit more Swedish than I did. However, if you don’t know much of the Swedish language don’t let it stop you from going!Almost everyone there knows English and all the importing signs you will need to navigate around the city will be printed in English as well. Remember, politeness while traveling will get you a long way. Now to plan my next adventure.

Download this music.  Now.

I am no music critic.  I do not know fancy schamncy genre terms.  But that’s okay.  This stuff, I like.

The artist behind Xenoglosia/Nerdlab4 is a friend, but that really creates no bias towards the love of his arrangements.  There is something about the placement of each sound, the deft use of tone, tempo, rhythm, and ambient sounds that seem to be inspired by the eeriest, loneliest, natural environments on earth and maybe in orbit, too.    Xenoglosia’s latest release, “Cindy is a Windy Ghost,” is full of excellent pieces.

I am a fan of all Xenoglosia releases, and have had the good fortune to get to hear the odd bit of experimentation here and there.  For any of you out there that have heard me read poetry and literature at Sacred Grounds or Nola Cafe’, Xenoglosia has not only graciously permitted me to occasionally read along with its haunting soundscapes, but I can claim that more than a few of my poems were written while playing the last release, “The Final Finalist” obsessively for days in my office.  My favorite track on that was “The Worm,” which felt like an exploration of madness under the crushing depths of the ocean.  My friends and I often have his releases in rotation in our party soundtrack.

Its weird when you are friends with someone who is a true artist.  At least, for me it is.  I find myself, just every now and then, a little starstruck.  I am like that with my own wife, actually.  One one level, here is a person I respect and admire simply for the friendship and relationship, and then, an an altogether different level, I am simply in awe of the talent and ability of this person.

I am just now grooving along to “Cindy is a Windy Ghost,” and absorbing the new arrangements.  So far, I am struck by how there is this sense that there is no hint of humanity in these pieces.  I feel large expanses of ice, cracking and breaking into one another in the darkest part of arctic night.  I can almost envision  raw nature, with no hint of man in a pristine, unforgiving natural environment.  Or I could just be over thinking it.  I just like it.

Anyway, this post is more of a congratulations than an attempt to describe the release.  So, congrats, Rax.  Its excellent.

Go here now.  If you like what you hear, make sure to donate so the artist can keep producing great works like this one.

Cover artwork (above, top)  by Michael Archibald.

Here is a slideshow from our adventures in Ybor City at Magnum Opus, a tremendously successful art event presented by Square One and produced by Okesene Tilo.

The event was absolutely packed, and people were waiting in line around the block to make their way into the Ritz Theater, that many Tampa kids may recall used to be the old Masquerade.  Since Natalie is an artist that was exhibiting in the show, we were able to skip all the lines and go right in with our crew.  We even had someone tried to gank our in and claim she and her friends were with us.  Ah, love Ybor!

The large space inside was filled fashion divas, acres of canvas spread across the walls that made up what appeared to be a billions pieces of art.  The Ritz is an absolutely perfect space to host this kind of large event.  Looks like it can handle anything from concerts to art shows and everything in between.  Very cool space in which to party.  Bodies were packed tightly, but that was okay.  It was a party and everyone was having a good time.  Music was on stage, the energy was great.  It felt great to see this kind of event in Ybor.  More, please.  And more often.

MAGNUM OPUS, a Square One Creative Event, will take place between 7pm and midnight on Saturday, November 14th, 2009 at The RITZ Ybor in Tampa, Florida.

MAGNUM OPUS will revolve around the ecological themes of creation and self-preservation.  It will feature selections from my Goddess series and new themed artwork by Christopher Michael Zenger, Gary Randall, Gina Rathbun, J.Alfonso, Jason Moriarty, Jedd Lancaster, Jeff Cinco, Julia Ozimek, Kat Wilson, Katy Alderman, KLAAREN, Linda Alexander, Mary Martinez, Matt Moore, Melia, Melissa Fair, Nelani Palomino, Robert Wegmann, Rory O’Neil and Warren Gibson to debut at the event.

Over 80 local artists will be on display with all artwork available for purchase by the general public.

Show times for the MAGNUM OPUS stage shows will take place from 8pm to 9pm and 10pm to 9pm and will feature original performances by Bella Danza (Artistic Director: Maria Capitano Pardo), Enigma Dance Kru, Kinetic Dance Group, HEMISPHERE Dance, a Wear To The Tear Fashion Show (with the Bentley Salon), Disco Dolls, Anye Cole and Jeremy Gloff. Jeremy Gloff will hold an album release party and performance for his upcoming 16th studio album, 21st Century Love Songs, in the side Royal Room from 9pm to 10pm.

MAGNUM OPUS will be open to the general public of all ages. Guests are encouraged to wear the colors green and white to the event. There will be an optional $1.00 donation at the doors of the event to help benefit Dalmation Rescue of Tampa Bay. Reserved Seats for $5.00 each and V.I.P. Tables for $10.00 each will be made available for purchase by visiting Square One’s Magnum Opus event info page.

This Menage a Trois White is a well crafted blend of Chardonnay, Moscato and Chenin Blanc. It is a lighter, playful and delicious wine that suggests all sorts of games. It is great in hot weather on the beach, or on an autumn Florida evening that feels like perfection.

It is not a deep wine to read poetry to, but rather a wine to play. A subtle sweetness delights even those who prefer dry wines because it is modest and dominated by the strength of the Chardonnay. The flavor is like a bouquet of fresh fruit with a lovely finish.

The wine is easy to drink and just tends to flow with pleasure. She reminds me of the natural beauty of California Sun. Grapes on gentle hill sides and and dreams fulfilled by moonlit nights. For each grape takes on the feelings of the culture where it is grown. Her spirit reflects upon the soil she calls her home.

The wine is bottled at Folie A Deux Winery in Napa Valley, California.  In browsing the winery’s website, I came across a wine fact sheet that explains the wine making process on their 2008 Menage a Trois White:

Each variety is individually harvested, gently crushed and cold-fermented in small stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and character and retain the juicy fruit aromas. The Chardonnay is rich and firm. The Muscat is wild and exotic. The Chenin is soft and supportive. Together they make the perfect threesome.

Natalie and I will be taking part in The Progress Energy Gallery’s newest exhibit, “Myth, Mystery and Religion.”  The exhibit will feature images inspired by spiritual and cultural tapestries, ritual, and religion throughout the ages of our shared human history. See what happens when artists attempt to interpret the divine and place that experience on canvas, in steel, or in clay.

The opening reception will be held on October 2nd, from 6 – 9 pm.

Natalie is creating some new pieces inspired by the last few photo shoots we have done that will be exhibited in the upcoming opening.  Its been quite a bit of fun how things are turning out.  Not too long ago, our friends and acquaintances we posing for Natalie to use as reference material for a pastel.  Recently, we started working with some talented models whom we met through Model Mayhem.  We eventually developed a work flow.  Two of her most recent paintings that will be in the exhibit are Nyx: Goddess of Night and Amaterasu along with some of her other work.  I was honored when she asked me to exhibit with her.  A couple of my photographs from the photo shoots are going to be exhibited to showcase the creative process.  Natalie is then able to take the images we get during the shoot and then use them as reference or an inspiration for a new piece of artwork.  Its very cool to see her work.

Natalie spends quite a bit of time preparing for the photo shoots.  She plans nearly every aspect, from set, to theme, and costume. Then we spend the day photographing reference shots that try to find the essence of the goddess Natalie wants to bring to life in her soft pastels.

This last photo shoot we worked with Mai Dang, a model we met through Model Mayhem.  Mai is a runway model who has quite a bit of experience in fashion modeling.  She was a joy and a pleasure with which to work.  Highly professional and very punctual.  We were impressed, from an artistic perspective, at her ability to take direction.  She was eager to get the shot just right.  She brought along costumes and spent time studying and reading up on the goddesses Natalie wanted to portray.  Everyone involved worked long hours.  Mai endured costume changes, and constant hair and makeup. She put her all into the shoot.  What an adventure!

During the shoot, our good friend George Tau serendipitously was able to attend.  Natalie  wanted to capture the essence of  a goddess in action so she decided to have Mai  in some poses with traditional weaponry, from swords and blades to staffs and spears.  George acted as our weapons consultant that day.  Mai was very eager to learn the proper poses and forms for each weapon and George provided his extensive martial arts training to create some very dramatic shots.  He was very creative with the poses, superimposing traditional goddess poses with weaponry and a sense of action.  George has is Black Sash in San Soo Kung Fu , a Krav Maga artist, and is also available for Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy.

Micheal also acted again as the sun.  I love having him around for shoots, he is always willing to do whatever it takes to make for a successful shoot.  He is getting good at the lighting rigging.  We’ll probably have to get him some strobe lights and soft boxes soon to play with.

Also, we again had the services of the lovely Georgette Khaziran of Verdecia Salon.  She was incredible.  Not only did she do amazing work through four costume changes, several hair changes, and plenty of makeup changes, she stayed on set during photographing process to do constant touch ups and the make sure Mai was present as best as possible for the camera.

We had a great time with this last shoot and we absolutely pleased with how everything came out.  We are very grateful to all the people who worked so hard to make it happen and look forward to the next shoot.  I can’t believe its already time to start thinking about the next one…

Georgette Khaziran is available for appointments at Verdecia Salon in Citrus Park,

call 813-852-1509 to schedule an appointment.

George Tau is available for Tibetan Bowl Sound Therapy sessions, visit

http://www.tibetanbowltherapy.com to learn more.

Raleigh Michigan Studios - Artist Model of Planned Development

In a recent article published by the New York Times, a tax incentive that was approved by the govenor, Jennifer M. Granholm, in April 2008 is beginning to have some results in Michigan.  The tax incentive provides a 40 percent tax credit or cash rebate for studios on their business tax returns.  There is also a 25 percent infrastructure credit, which is applied against expenditures on construction of a studio and its contents.  The article highlights a couple recent purchases of auto plants by film executives including:

Linden Nelson, 49, chief executive of Nelson Ventures, a private investment company, has started Michigan Motion Picture Studios, doing business as Raleigh Michigan Studios, for $75.8 million…After looking at about 100 abandoned buildings, including an airplane hangar, the Pontiac Silverdome (the former home of the Detroit Lions football team) and vacant auto plants, Mr. Nelson and his partners chose a location within a former General Motors complex in Pontiac….The three-story, 369,000-square-foot building was built in 1999 for $55 million, and 3,000 G.M. truck and bus engineers once worked there. Raleigh’s goal is for a similar number of people to be employed at a range of film industry jobs.

As a former resident of Michigan, it is uplifting to hear that this approved bill is having a positive impact so far.  Even excluding the recent collapse of the auto industry, Michigan’s primary means of business in manufacturing has been in decline the past thirty years.  More tax incentives such as these will need to continue to be passed to help bring additional types of business to the state and help reduce the unemployment rate that was 15% as of July.

Michigan is a beautiful state with some of the nation’s best produce, universities, and landscapes that change with each season.  While it’s a great place to visit, there is definitely a need to create more jobs so visitors can become full time residents.  It will be interesting to see what films come out of the state.  Possibly they might even create a film festival to help bring more tourism into the state.

My current series of works are inspired by various goddesses.  With each goddess, I’m researching their mythology and symbolism.  Then I’m devising a list of photo shoot ideas to explore with local models and a talented team that includes my husband, Brian, who photographs the shoot.

For this most recent Asian Goddess shoot, we had the  talented and beautiful local runway model, Mai Dang. She brought a full suitcase of various traditional Asian outfits.  Prior to the shoot, I had a brainstorming session with our hair/make-up artist,  Georgette Khaziran of Verdecia Salon, who came up with a complete list of hair styles and make-up combinations that would complement each goddess.

We also had our two friends, Michael and George, on site that provided tech support.  In addition, George was able to put his martial arts training to work by demonstrating marital art poses and forms for the model during the weapon shots that ranged from holding swords of all sizes and lengths to daggers and even an axe!

For my first Asian goddess painting I decided to paint Amaterasu, who is known in Japanese mythology as a sun goddess and the most important Shinto deity.  Her full name is Amaterasu-o-mi-kami (天照大神) which means “glorious goddess who shines in the heavens.”

In this soft pastel painting, I illustrated some of her symbols including the rising sun disc, which is also shown on the Japanese Flag. The sword or blade represents might and honor.  I also incorporated Japanese Kanji characters which, when translated into English, reads as “The Goddess of Sun”.

The goddess Amaterasu called out to me because of her diverse character.  As a sun goddess, she oversees the Japanese fields of rice.  She was also known as an accomplished weaver of stunning satins, silks, and brocades.  And for those of you interested in reading more about the myths written about Amaterasu, you can find more information at Goddess Gift, a site dedicated to “celebrate, to nurture, and to share understandings of the goddess in every woman.”

Her inner strength is part of her beauty, and thus, I thought it appropriate to include this work in this week’s theme at Illustration Friday, “Strong”.

Recently Natalie was contacted by a representative from Shire Publishing in regards to an image she photographed of her Magnetic Poetry Project that was posted on our Flickr account.  In the project, Natalie used a printable magnetic sheet that she could feed through our printer.  Inspired by a similar kit she found at a bookstore, Natalie wanted to create a kit that contained words that she wanted.  The idea was to design many little magnets with a single word printed on each one.  The fun part is then creating word arrangements by going through the pile of words, arranging them until they form sentences or even poetry.  You can get some really neat results and some rather serendipitous combinations by quickly and randomly pulling words from the pile.  In a previous post, Natalie describes the process of how she created the kit.

Long ago, she uploaded the image to our Flickr account and was recently approached to to use one of the images from the kit’s creation for the cover of a new book entitled “Discovering Words” by author Julian Walker, to be published by Shire Publishing.  Natalie, being the utmost and consummate perfectionist, decided to create a newer, and higher resolution image for the book.  The book is an exploration of etymology of the English language and the origins of common words.  With excellent communication from the publisher, she created a new version of her original image that showcased some of the words that are explored in the book.

Shire Publishing describes the title as a “treasury of word histories, showing the variety of ways the words we use have evolved. The book is arranged into subjects, within which a selection of words are traced back through the stages by which they came to be part of the English language, and through more recent changes over time in form and meaning.”

The book is currently available for pre-order via Amazon.com and also through Random House, and will be available October 9th, 2009.

You can also download a desktop wallpaper image of the original magnetic poetry design to decorate your workspace.

We’re looking forward to getting our own copy!

Natalie and I had the fortune to visit Michigan this summer and run around all over Muskegon.  Summer flowers were blooming everywhere.  Beautiful buds sprang forth on every hillside, driveway, and even on the side of the road.  Large, abundant flowers, heavily laden stalks of corn, and produce of all types were visible in fields simply by driving down a country road on the way to the next town or a trip down to the cool shores of Lake Michigan.  This time of year, Michigan was alive and thriving with vegetation of all sorts.

During our stay, Natalie’s mom and sister Sarah took us to the Farmer’s Market in Muskegon.  It was the middle of the week, so only half of the market was occupied, but we were simply floored at the variety and quality of the products available.  Corn was especially good.  I purchased a variety called “Peaches and Cream” which was an almost candy-sweet, juicy bi-color ear of buttery goodness.  We bought and ate plenty of goods during our stay.  The vendors and shoppers alike were friendly, smiling people.  Everyone seemed to be having a good time at the Farmer’s Market.  Not to mention, the best blueberries in the world were in season.

While there, the vendors were kind enough to allow me to snap picture after picture.  I tend to go a little nuts when we have the camera with us.  I took shot after shot of everything from crisp, brightly colored radishes to deeply hued and unusually shaped eggplants.  It was a culinarian’s dream come true.

The Muskegon Farmer’s Market can be found at 700 Yuba St., Muskegon, MI 49442. (Map and Directions)

The market is open May through December Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Make sure to visit the official site for information,  the special events calendar, and even a video about the market.

According to the market’s official site, “The Muskegon Farmer’s Market is a division of the City of Muskegon and is dedicated to showcasing the best in locally-grown foods, flowers, nursery stock, handicrafts and baked goods. The Market also hosts a giant Flea Market where everything imaginable is sold.”

If you ever find yourself anywhere near Muskegon, it is most certainly worth a drive.  A sea of flowers, piles and piles of the best produce Michigan has to offer, and dedicated vendors make this a must-visit for any cook or anyone that just happens to like to eat.