Posted by Elena del Valle on May 26, 2021
It’s Not A Burden poster
Photo, video: Greenie Films
It’s Not A Burden The Humor and Heartache of Raising Elderly Parents, a new 90-minute documentary from Michelle Boyaner and Greenie Films spotlights the issues faced by the adult children of several elderly people. Some of them are living in assisted living facilities, some with dementia and or debilitating health conditions; some had passed away by the time the film was made. Boyaner and her mother feature prominently, often in video taken in the car. The emotionally charged 2020 film features candid conversations with the adult caregivers and their parents in several locations in California as well as Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Scroll down to watch a short video introduction.
“Sometimes I pretend like she’s somebody else’s mother and that way I can be nicer to her,” Boyaner, who had been estranged from her mother until she made a promise to look after her to her sister, says in the documentary.
A bit later in the documentary one of the adult women who is her mother’s full-time caregiver asks, “Who’s going to take care of me?” when she gets old like her mother since she has no children. The producers found participants among their circle of friends and their friends. When asked about the goal of the documentary a spokesperson explained by phone that they hoped to remind viewers that when they look at their aged parents they remember who they were and that they are still those same people inside.
Made with the fiscal support of The Film Collaborative and Kickstarter funding. The film was written, directed and produced by Emmy®-nominated filmmaker Boyaner (Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson). Barbara Green (A Finished Life: The Goodbye and No Regrets Tour) served as cinematographer, editor and producer. Katie Ford (Miss Congeniality) and Wendy Zipes Hunter (Voices of Parkland) were producers. The original score composed by Joanna Katcher (Nice Manners) featuring songs by Danielle Ate The Sandwich. Maxine Lapiduss, Aaron Lustig and Barb Held were executive producers.
Gravitas Ventures (North American), a Red Arrow Studios Company, will distribute the documentary due to be released on video on demand (VOD) in the United States June 1, 2021 on iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, and Vimeo.
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 19, 2021
Elizabeth Lauder at Stanley Park
Photos: Abernathy & Smyth Publishing
The work of Elizabeth Cameron Lauder, a Canadian artist known for her oil on semi-precious stone and watercolors, is featured posthumously in two recently published softcover books: Elizabeth Lauder: Memoirs of a Plein Air Painter Volume One Watercolors (Abernathy & Smyth Publishing, $59.95) and Volume Two Oil on Semi-Precious Stone (Abernathy & Smyth Publishing, $69.95) edited by J.R. Boleyn, her life partner. Two additional volumes completing the series of four are scheduled to be published by year’s end.
Volume One includes 125 color images and Volume Two includes 200 images. Most pages feature a single image of her art. Many of the photos were taken and selected for inclusion by the artist, according to Boleyn who responded to questions via email.
“What defines Elizabeth, and separates her from other artists in that regard, was her ability to incorporate the stone itself as part of the final painting,” said Boleyn. “A prime example of that is the painting titled ‘Renaissance Girl’ (Volume One, page 117) where the wreath around the subjects head is the actual rubies embedded in the imperial jade stone. This made Elizabeth’s work unique in all the world, and why it became so valuable. She was the first!”
Elizabeth Lauder Volume One
All of her rock paintings in Volume Two and watercolors in Volume One have been previously sold to private collectors in over eighty countries. The artist owned a studio in Quartzsite, Arizona a town known for its international gem and mineral shows.
J.R. Boleyn, publisher, Abernathy & Smyth
“I have in my personal collection, which will be featured in her ‘Volume Three’ to be published by late summer, over 200 originals that will be for sale,” said Boleyn. “Yes, they are all watercolors, over 200 signed originals ranging in size from 8 x 11 to 22 x 30 and sizes in between, priced at a minimum $550 for the smallest to $4,500 for the larger sizes.”
According to promotional materials, she is a relative of film director James Cameron. Her work has been exhibited around the world and sold through Sotheby’s Fine Art Auctions and Sotheby’s Private Contemporary Artist’s Sales in New York and London. Her art has been collected by patrons in over eighty countries around the world, according to a press release that also indicates Elizabeth’s watercolors are currently under consideration for permanent exhibition in the National Gallery of Canada.
Elizabeth Lauder Volume Two
The art was compiled by Boleyn, an American songwriter, author, and founder of Abernathy and Smyth. Born April 8, 1948, in Ontario, Elizabeth’s first 18 years were spent growing up on a farm in the Caledon Hills where she was inspired by pastoral landscapes and abrupt and beautiful dramatic seasonal changes. Her formal education was completed in 1971 with an associate’s degree in sculpture from the Ontario College of Art and Design. The following year Elizabeth moved to the west coast, trading chisels and bronze for brushes and palette.
Already distinguished for her watercolors of Vancouver’s cherry blossoms, she spent the next seven years traveling throughout Mexico and painting southwest mining scenes. According to her website she was inspired by her travels to paint on massive slabs of semi-precious stone.
Comments:
Filed Under: Books
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 10, 2021
Sofia Tafich, freelance journalist, WhoWhatWhy
Photo: Sofia Tafich
A podcast interview with Sofia Tafich, freelance journalist, WhoWhatWhy, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. She discusses the low representation of Latinx authors in the United States with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico Sofia has written about culture and arts for The Austin Chronicle, including a print cover story about the pandemic’s effect on the film and television industry. She was a web content writer at University of Texas Austin’s History Department and content writer at Overlooked Beauty. She loves writing about women and Latinx issues, entertainment, arts and culture.
To listen to the interview, scroll down and click on the play button below. You can listen by looking for “Podcast” then select “HMPR Sofia Tafich” and download the MP3 file to your audio player. You can also find it on the RSS feed. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the May 2021 section of the podcast archive.
Posted by Elena del Valle on May 3, 2021
Tony Hereau, vice president of Cross-Platform Insights, Nielsen
Photo: Nielsen
A podcast interview with Tony Hereau, vice president of Cross-Platform Insights, Nielsen, is available in the Podcast Section of Hispanic Marketing and Public Relations, HispanicMPR.com. He discusses podcast insights with Elena del Valle, host of the HispanicMPR.com podcast.
In his job Tony strives to demonstrate the impact that audio has on media investment, marketing execution, and sales outcomes. He has over 20 years of experience in the buying and selling of media, championed the radio reach story via the Total Audience Report, and most recently developed a measurement service for the podcasting industry.
To listen to the interview, scroll down and click on the play button below. You can listen by looking for “Podcast” then select “HMPR Tony Hereau” and download the MP3 file to your audio player. You can also find it on the RSS feed. To download it, click on the arrow of the recording you wish to copy and save it to disk. The podcast will remain listed in the May 2021 section of the podcast archive.
