The time has come to end this with the ballot box

Tonight I find shame in being a Haligonian…. you all should google the videos of the eviction of Occupy NS  and you will be ashamed  of our Police….

Our Mayor and Council our Regional Police Force have brought great shame on the people of Halifax. A police action against peaceful citizens can not be tolerated  as history has shown. Are our civic leader totalitarians , no  I don’t believe that   but I can only conclude they are idiots who   know nothing of  history they seem destined to repeat.

On November 9-10 1938 a government in Austria stopped civil  voice  on Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, this was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria  it is sad that on this anniversary the government of Halifax was to quell protest and silence the fringes of society… who will be the next silenced?

The time has come  for the people to be heard . A peaceful demonstration was hijacked by lies and duplicity . These men and women trusted and respected the civic authority that today deceived them.

I know Peter Kelly to be a good man but his actions and the actions of the City of Halifax  today can not and will not go quietly. The Occupy Nova Scotia protest was not without its flaws but its message and spirit were and are peaceful. The Mayor and city were by in large trusted and did in appearance support the peaceful demonstration by Occupy. Then without warning during the most solemn ceremony of remembrance begin an eviction worthy of the Gestapo or stazi , political leader showed  cowardice and ran for cover… the NDP government is as great a shame to the people as the city for its silence.. the leader of the liberal party walked past the encampment on Friday afternoon only to talk with the police and not one word to the protesters … all signals that the time has come to replace these politicians with voices of the people…

In a world of instability the trust in government and police is of paramount importance  and that today was betrayed in Halifax  it doesn’t matter if you supported or opposed the occupy movement the methods used were an attack on the very democracy and freedom they purport to protect.  The time has come to end this with the ballot box and completely replace the voices of ignorance  with voice of the future.

a revolution that will be won in a ballot box

the only thing in life that remains certain is change, the evolution of mankind is marked with moments of ideological change its what differentiates  us from all other life.

idealist, anarchists and revolutionaries are men and women who test the ideology of their beliefs against the measure of the needs of society. if succeful their names echo in history for the changes they bring forth if not their Ideas linger in the minds of man waiting for their moment.

Occupy is such an Idea , the revolutionary changes of democracy are over two centuries old and in need of an evolutionary change , an adaptation to an ever changing world light years away from the roots of democracy. a handful of men on a green in concord stood against taxation without representation , now a handful of citizens across the globe stand united against the lack of representation that has been born of a system filled with apathy and greed.

a day of decision is nearing and we must evaluate our beliefs,  a government for the people of the people and by the people has been hijacked by the peoples representatives, greed and personal interest has superseded the needs of society. the great experiment of democracy is at risk of failure  because of a handful of leaders more bent on personal power and  greed that the common good…. we need leaders with ideals willing to take power initiate change  guide  the ideas to fulfilment and than pass the power to the next generation … allow government to reflect society ,to evolve grow and change as fast as the world around us dictates … truly great leaders are willing to step aside for the greater good of society… the day of political patronage has to end and the dawn of a new brand of leader willing to admit their weaknesses as well as their strengths is critical to the survival of  democracy.

occupy is a movement that must be given a voice it represents the poor ,the homeless and downtrodden it is a  window to the future of society  that many are failing to peer through, the youth, the homeless and those on the edges of society are the first affected by the wave , but the wave as history shows will surely engulf us all …. its up to all of us to stand together and create  change  so that the least among us is equal  to all… in a world of corruption and greed no one is safe from its tyranny, all of us are united in the truth that we could be the next devoured by the system.

Take a moment to listen , then to talk, then to act, change is the only certainty in life and the changes should be careful thought though but not feared….

Occupy is a revolution that can bring change , a revolution that will be won in a ballot box and not a battle ,spilling forth ideas and not bloodshed , another footnote in the great experiment of democracy and the evolution of mankind.

take a moment and listen to the people of Occupy, think about how it can effect you and understand that this is the moment that the future begins

will a handful of tyrants  filled with greed be the voice of tomorrow or will mankind evolve into a better world…. the answer is in your hands in all of our hands …. the x we make when we vote could be the most important  mark we ever make…

will the future be heard……or silenced

As a child a decade seemed like forever…

now it seems like yesterday, I was told this week I’m breathing at nearly 40% of what I should be and the damage to my lungs would at best get me to 60% with treatment…I was scared that  the dust from our work as sculptures had taken its toll but I was assured the damage was all from those few moments in September 10 years ago… the world watched on television ,the moments ,the hours and the days that followed and then moved on… the next generation can’t comprehend the size or scope of the towers ,they have no reference, those who felt connected by television could turn the channel… but in lower Manhattan it was impossible to escape; what we saw that Tuesday morning is seared in my nightmares, and never really goes away…I can taste the smell and feel the dust… the smell of fuel makes me edgy , I burn food and I have to go out to eat until it completely clears… I love overcast days and sunny days make me anxious…I live for this moment and have no trouble giving everything away… I say what I feel regardless… and If I love you and treasure you I always Say it … tomorrow never comes .

Every morning when I wake up the cough is painful and choking if I lay down my breathing causes pain and a cough, my nose is perpetually blocked all an endless reminder of that few moments when the world changed…..

we all changed that day, no who was in lower Manhattan really talks about what we saw, once you saw it… it was never to go away, saying it might make it real and all the specials and  movies and talking is a Disney version of Hell… no one really wants to remember it all… I talked this summer to a school group about that beautiful Tuesday morning…..and what it became, it was such a beautiful day, perfect …I was up by 7 am that alone a miracle … after I tried to describe it I spent the next weeks trying to forget… mans inhumanity to man, it should and must be shown, I hear sympathy for the extremist who terrorize our world , a generation has been brainwashed to believe that we can talk to them, I tried  I went to meet the monsters in my dreams and they are monsters ,the hatred is so deep that I fear nothing will change it, so we live our lives as an example , we fight and defend our values, we stand resolute in our convictions , we never back down to tyranny… their faith is their rally cry and we must recognize that it is not true faith but extreme ignorance that these few  follow… I was changed 10 years ago , we all were  now we must fight inside to find our humanity, we cannot crave peace at the expense of freedom… we cannot turn a blind eye in ignorance, we cannot raise arms in fear … we must grow and adapt, all men are created equal , a few will deviate , we can’t judge a team by one member …but we can be more cautious with the team until we are sure of its intent…. the game of Life has moved on and we were sent back ward  its time to catch up and move forward … once again we should build to the skies , reach for the moon and dream of the achievements of man kind its time to live…….

I’ll take a moment Sunday and say a prayer and then I will live… I cant forget but its time to let someone else remember….

On notepaper from the St. Regis with a borrowed pen I began the words that defined our resilience that night. As years have past I often forget the words to Spirit of America as I wrote it that night in September. The feelings and smells will haunt me for a lifetime; the city has moved on but the scar will always remind us of the moment we lost our innocence.  That night it became clear it is not where you are born or what’s on your passport that defines a nationality alone, the true definition of nationality is what’s in your heart, what you are prepared to defend with your last measure of life. These beliefs are the definition of America the common threads that bind us together woven into the symbolisms of a flag and country…and understood by the heart.

 Spirit of America      

© 2001 Joseph Landry  R.H.

 

 

I stood alone in terror and watched the towers fall
I feared I lost my very way and feared I lost it all
Our heart and soul stripped bare and spread across the land
As I fell to my knees I felt a welcome hand.

 

From east and west you raised me high
And gave me cause to stand
And through the smoke I saw her fly bright colors, stars to dream
I know what freedom is; it’s inside of me

 

I am an American And proud to stand by you
I’ve felt freedom in my heart and nothing else will do
Stars and Stripes will wave forever
Forever I’ll be true
America, God Bless You 

 

I was on the bridge at Concord when the shot was fired wild
I heard the cry of liberty reach across the land
I was ready in a minute to lend a helping hand
I know what freedom is I am an American
And proud to stand by you
I’ve felt freedom in my heart and nothing else will do
Stars and Stripes will wave forever
Forever I’ll be true
America, God Bless You 

 

I stood alone at Gettysburg, I saw our darkest day when brothers’ blood was spilt in haste
I nearly lost my way.
Yet when the war was over. United one we stood
I knew what freedom was I am an American
And proud to stand by you
I’ve felt freedom in my heart and nothing else will do
Stars and Stripes will wave forever
Forever I’ll be true
America, God Bless You 

 

I was there the day Pearl Harbor cried, I heard the country call
I marched so proud at Normandy, I knew Berlin would fall
and when the war was over and Okinawa calm
I know what freedom isI am an American
And proud to stand by you
I’ve felt freedom in my heart and nothing else will do
Stars and Stripes will wave forever
Forever I’ll be true
America, God Bless You 

 

I’ll be in every breath you take, insure that freedom lives
I’ll defend the constitution and the rights of God it gives
I’ll give to you my final breath to save your liberty
I am what freedom is I am an American
And proud to stand by you
I’ve felt freedom in my heart and nothing else will do
Stars and Stripes will wave forever
Forever I’ll be true
America, God Bless You

It’s Sunny….

Its seems as though Rain was the only choice of weather for months now in Canada…

I usually don’t care about the weather but it got to be a bit much.  I was shopping last week and a woman came up to me and started to lecture me on updating the web sites. She was a passionate fan of our work who also felt she knew us. I asked her to join Brian and me for coffee and an hour later we all saw things differently. She realized that we are no different then her in our artistic process and we realized that to some of you we are a muse as you are to us… I will try to update more often, yet we will expect you to tell us more about your adventures in art and inspiration when you write us….

Now for a bit of catch up…

We have been sculpting 4 major works we are keeping under wraps until their unveiling in the fall of 2011.

As of Monday we are working on 26 pieces for the National Portrait collection the 26 people that we are sculpting thus far are each and everyone a treasure in our life… and each have enriched or even changed our life in so many ways and the journey is only beginning…. there has been a period over the last few months where I questioned spending time living in Canada and contemplated a change… Monday one of the Faces we sculpted was a spectacular subject the structure and shape, the proportions as near perfect as I’ve seen until now my favourite work was Patrick Steward now The Bust of Greg moves into The Favourite spot, add to that his view of life and his values are an inspiration… how lucky are Brian and I that work offers us a chance to grow for the better just by doing what we love…

We have spent a great deal of time working on projects for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards  and there will be some fun and exciting things happing  on the Duke  front that you can be a part off… so check back and I’ll keep you informed. We had a few wonderful highlight moments A silver Award ceremony with the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia was a chance to see some of the youth we have got to know shine and the Gold Award Ceremony with The Governor General of Canada was fantastic, a few of the young men and women honoured have worked with us and we were very proud. The Governor General’s one of the most wonderful heads of state when he is talking to you he is with you and nothing else matters he is captivating and his breath of knowledge immense  … Canada is fortunate.

For the royal wedding we were blessed to sit at a table representing the Duke of Edinburgh in The queen’s official residence with Mayann E. Francis the Lt. Governor of Nova Scotia Making the event a memorable and personal one.

We helped create a Music Video with Vital scenes Productions for the Church of England Canada for the Royal couple and to be shown during the wedding that was a very fun adventure that helped inspire the young Duke participants who helped create it…

All in all it’s been a fun and busy few months

Tonight we begin sculpting a resurrection sculpture with Tristan that I have very wonderful feelings for I think this work will redefine our career.

Now on one last bit of house keeping there have been reports that I was ill and they are true… in April I suffered an unbelievable pain in my head the ER doctors wanted to go into my head right away. that night I didn’t die so your sculptures are have not gone up in value yet…. I also opted not to have surgery of any kind… I have a wonderful life and if it long or short it was as near perfect as anyone could ask … after the last year I can’t say if I believe in the church or God, as I knew it… but I believe in good and evil and I’m secure in my life so I hand it to the force of good to do with as it pleases… if I’m meant to create I will; otherwise I am very happy and blessed. So no lectures please…. let’s just toast to a sunny day… for the next 50 years…

I won’t be flying for awhile so keep in touch and we’ll arrange a couple of events this summer in the east where you can come and meet us and get to know each other

P.S.  I hear  many young gay men and women repeating the myth life is hard, its only what you make it, stop searching for perfect and perfect will happen when you least expect it…  July 4^th is our 25^th anniversary we were committed in a civil ceremony at sea of the coast of Kennebunkport Maine, July 1^st is our 8^th anniversary of legal marriage in Toronto, Canada.  As of today its been 25 years and not a single night apart… we didn’t plan it that way it just happened  and to be honest it has been a very easy 25 years  and it only seems like yesterday… just let love happen don’t over think it and don’t listen to your friends and family  trust your heart….

We begin to sculpt the life of David…

Hesiod says: (ll. 75-103) “These things, then, the Muses sang who dwell on Olympus, nine daughters begotten by great Zeus, Cleio and Euterpe, Thaleia, Melpomene and Terpsichore, and Erato and Polyhymnia and Urania and Calliope (3), who is the chiefest of them all, for she attends on worshipful princes: whomsoever of heaven-nourished princes the daughters of great Zeus honour, and behold him at his birth, they pour sweet dew upon his tongue, and from his lips flow gracious words.”

Tonight the choice to pursue a safe and simple course of art or to face the David; a life of love and devotion, faith, betrayal and even murder; a man flawed to an extreme yet an impact of purity upon mankind… how to translate the vast difference with in the biblical and the man into stone, yet give it life and heart…

Paramount to David was the love, had he followed the path of his heart would the atrocities have come to pass would his ultimate message of love be heard… a new David, a new icon, for a new age will not be without controversy…the beauty and the darkness, the passion and the pathos ,must a have a voice from within the stone.

Can we give the stone a voice can Brian and I give the next decade of our life to a series of works that  may sing to few , whisper to some, but be silent to many…. we cannot do this alone we need to find the spirit that gives our hands  a voice and our hearts the music, we need to find the essence of David the purity of heart and love that gives life to words and fills silence with sound… do we begin this journey with only the faith of a feeling that it must be created  or do we wait for logic to whisper fears into our ears… from passion and love comes inspiration and greatness can such a passion guide us to destiny to create our epic can calliopes words and love guide our hands .

Salivador Dali created and prospered from 1929 until 1982 with his Muse Gala (Elena Diakonova ) by his side after her death in 1982 his brilliant creativity was extinguished. Picasso, Rubens, Bonnard, Renoir, Charles Blackman, all created with the voice of passion given life in the muse… every great artist has been fueled by love in the form of a muse  someone whose love give life to art…

Michelangelo gave the world the David in 1504 but who gave the David to Michelangelo who was the muse that gave the stone a heart, can we be so blessed as to find a muse to give warmth and life to the cold stone, can we find a muse that makes our hands sing… is our Calliope here has the muse of epic come into our life…  will the sweet dew of passion touch our lips and hands

Could the third time be a charm … could this be a vision of forever carved in stone…

We begin our epic David

who knows what the rain today may bring….

Spring has proven to be busy, we had an Unvieling of 5 pieces a few weeks ago and it was wonderful we were surprised by Admirals and senators and hundreds of friends. many of whom we were not expecting it was a great night and although the works were all private commissions and will be in homes and offices away from public view they are among my favourite of the last few years… Cory Hill Preformed wonderfully representing the Duke of Edinburgh Awards program.

We are working on a Video that has proven to be an amazing project, we were asked to head up a Video for “THE WEDDING” it involved choirs and a composer we never met it had to be shoot in 3D and 2D high def and we had only a couple weeks to bring it in… We said yes and called our friends; last weekend the composer Barry Peters flew in, the Choir and dignitaries gathered and the team that we have pulled together created magic! Some are multiple award winners some getting their first break for their resume, yet they worked together so well that our jobs as producer /director were unnecessary… they created magic and we get to share it with them… when artists from many disciplines work together and we all share the glory nothing is impossible I’ll post a link here after the end of the month when it airs.

2 plays are in finial draft re writes and then my babies leave, I hope who ever directs them understands the heart behind their words….

We will be working all summer preparing for 5 big touring shows of our work, hopefully we will see you in one of the cities where our shows will unveil new works… so far Toronto,, Washington, New York, London with one and maybe even two more locations to be added… as always we will highlight emerging artists from each of the selected cities as well as our home towns of Halifax and midtown-NYC

  on a high note…Brian and I received the Canadian Navy’s Centennial Challenge award in conjunction with the Duke of Edinburgh from Rear Admiral and fleet Commander Atlantic Joint Task Force, David Gardam only 50 were awarded in Canada and we are proud to be a part of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards program.

last month  the Landry Gazeley Foundation Sponsored  the play  “Pride and Prejudice Produced and Directed by John Mackenzie for the SMU drama society , we were proud of the actors  and crew all did a great job and played to full houses every night… a sold out success

Lastly many of you have had questions… I am not wearing my Family crest /wedding ring and you have asked why, Brian and I are as always loving life… we met someone we trusted and he claimed to be a Spanish national, he had full access to our home and studio and visited and stayed with us on his travels . the friends who introduced us we learned later really didn’t know him… first my credit cards went missing, then the ring and Ipad ect… by the time the dust cleared we only know he was a Muslim not a Christian his nationality could be anywhere from Pakistan to Saudi Arabia and it was not the first time he did his and disappeared.. yes Canada has to be more diligent on our immigration how dose he have drivers licence in at least 3 names and he is not even a citizen of Canada…I will admit it hurt and the next person I tried to trust was the wrong choice … we thought we had found a new friend who inspired our work , only to discover it was merely a ship passing through the fog…. now I only hope we find a muse to inspire our trust as well as our creativity… some where is calliope and we will really find that muse some day until then each false lead inspires something on the journey and we learn and build…..

I have found Calliope….

Words and music seem to flow as though the river Styx is over flowing…

Could any muse be so powerful as to change ones very essence?

Could fear of losing this feeling be any greater…

Everyone who dares tempt creativity has faced fear; the fear of failing and the fear of succeeding.

If silence is golden then I choose not to be a wealthy man…

To hear a voice, to feel music to be reassured that all is real and the future

Is as beautiful as its vision…

Tonight as I lay to sleep the muses will continue to sing, I have no doubt I have found Calliope

But has Calliope found me… will the muse of muses gift me with a voice;

In my hands, in my heart and in my very soul…

I can not fight to win what I want most; I have no power over what I need most,

I have only love … I fear, is it enough….

So little to offer for such a wonderful future….

The Happiest day….

Sometimes the earth stands still and the planets align and every star in the sky shines just for you… Tonight was such a night! What can I say , I haven’t written in awhile just because life got busy, but today everything changed and the things that really matter came into focus, work and social commitments , birthdays and friendships are all just window dressing… real happiness is so very easy , its a kiss at a red light…. its wanting something so much you could wait forever …its a touch that says I love you… its knowing that the most important moment of your life has final come and nothing else will ever be the same , its skipping dessert and forgetting anything else … its the famous 2 AM call but this time its to say I love you…. over the last year ,my trust was betrayed my wedding ring stolen and my heart cold … tonight all is changed my heart beats stronger than ever Brian and I can see Forever oh so clearly… if only for one night the puzzle is complete and the world stopped ..It’s ours … tonight as I go to sleep my world is for the first time in my life perfect… now its time to get back out into the world and fly…

When a violet blooms an angle shines upon us….

We had the great pleasure of sculpting Elizabeth Taylor  ; waking up to a phone call this morning that she had passed away left us feeling an emptiness … Elizabeth became a very special friend who stood by those she drew near … she had away of making you feel like you were the most important person and she would bring you up to her level of grace and class even if you felt it beyond you, a teacher, a mother, a friend and  the worlds greatest actress, funny to say but an actress was one of the most real people we ever sculpted…

I just walk through the gallery and had to touch one of the sculptures we did of Elizabeth, I can hear that wonderful laugh as she saw it for the first time, we felt so proud I wish we could have captured the magic of Elizabeth and those eyes, they were indescribable violet and no picture could ever do her justice…

I am glad we are artist; it allowed us to know an angle and today she got her wings…

y’he lehon ul’khon sh’lama rabba

יְהֵא לְהוֹן וּלְכוֹן שְׁלָמָא רַבָּא

The summer and fall were extremely busy and wonderfully productive….

We haven’t written a lot last year because life got in the way; we have met so many people who spend too much time emailing and texting and worrying about face book and far too little time living and enjoying the world around them…

A few pictures from the last few months since the start of summer we finished six large sculptures and over a dozen life-size or smaller pieces.

Over all life has been wonderful, the controversial pieces of our work as seems to always be the case brought us more work and success and the world in general has been very good to us this year…

With the holidays upon us a hectic life has kicked into hyper drive but we are very lucky and we know it…

Thank you all for the thousands of emails and letters often they were at moments that we really needed a smile. As many of you are aware we have received a large number of threats and hate both because we are an openly gay family and because we are true to our art , the nude depiction of the Christ  has only been done by us when it is historically accurate and  often precedent set by many other artists yet still there are so called Catholics  who find it a pleasure to act like the Taliban , they send us hate mail and death threats  what is really amusing is one of the holier than thou , once lived near us and was always wanting to be taught Gay sexual methods! Yes we  rejected the closet case and now he is so holy that he and his WIFE believe we should be burnt in hell… but that’s life when you spend  your life searching for the love of GOD … thankfully we don’t search it out we feel it in our daily life and work….

And it’s validated by the thousands of wonderful and supportive letters you write…

Although we haven’t blogged in a while we have taken a more productive  route and answered many of you personally… we will  write more often but until then we look forward to meeting many  more of you   at our shows and hope our work continues to inspire your creativity , after all its you  all who also inspire us.

Thanks

Joseph and Brian