From Mermaid series by Michelle Casey, “Ascension” (detail), Digital Collage, 9 inches x 6 inches (approximately), 2006
“What if …” This is the question that propels my reality as an artist into the faraway reaches of my imagination. I frequent it as often as I can because the feeling of making something real and concrete that’s never existed before gives me a rush like no other. It has the ability to make me feel superhuman for a little while, and, I like that because some days I really feel like a puny, powerless human being. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been drawn to art in all its guises from a young age. Painting, drawing and cutting things up always makes me feel God-like. Growing up and seeing how other kinds of artists were making things real fascinated me even more. As a child I recall obsessively watching the stop-motion animated films made with the vision of special effects expert Ray Harryhausen … it just blew me away that whole fictional worlds could be realized entirely from someone’s imagination on film. Some of Harryhausen’s most famous effects were used in some of the Sinbad the sailor movies* which I loved very much. Seeing the one-eyed cyclops in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) both thrilled and terrified me. Emblazoned in my mind forever is the image of its towering figure roasting screaming sailors over a fire pit! Equally mesmerizing was watching a beautiful Arabian princess being transformed into a miniature version of herself by an evil magician. That the art of film could make these things real made it seem like pure magic for me. Since then I’ve always felt creatives, whether they be film makers, authors, dancers, actors or singers etc. are akin to magicians… and for a long time I knew I wanted to become one of them. I wanted to create worlds and characters that would blow people away… worlds they could get lost in… this is one of my dreams as an artist.
There are dreams but then there’s also reality. Lately my worries have been devouring me and I long to find that place of solace and magic again. Some days it’s been hard to concentrate long enough to channel my creative spirit into venturing into “what if” land. It’s times like this, when I’m just trying to survive, I wonder what crucial role, if any, art serves in my life. For me, it’s always when I’m seconds away from falling off the mental cliff in my mind that art in some incredible form or another makes its serendipitous appearance. This month it happened when I re-discovered the awe of making things real again as I did with those old Sinbad movies. While watching TV the other week I caught a preview of a documentary: Mermaids: The Body Found (2012). Being a great fan of these mythical creatures, I felt compelled to watch it. The documentary claimed that a biologist, Dr. Paul Robertson, had discovered the remains of what he believed might be a real mermaid; piecing together a plausible theory of their existence with the help of other esteemed professionals, he posited that mermaids did indeed exist in the icy waters of our coldest oceans! Although I missed the live segment, I found it on Youtube; I sat riveted to my laptop watching it… forgetting all my life’s worries, intent on discovering that in this crazy mixed up world if there might really be evidence that one of my childhood fantasies really existed!
Now, I don’t want to give the film away, so I’ll let you discover the outcome of Dr. Roberston’s find for yourself. Here’s the link to Mermaids: The Body Found if you’d like to watch it. It’s about an hour and a half long – great for whenever you decide to declare a movie night. If you’re a fantasy fan like me, I guarantee you the time will fly by at the speed of light leaving you hungering for more. Should that be the case, you may be elated to learn that there’s a follow-up to it: Mermaids: New Evidence. If you have a chance to watch it, I’d love to know if it made you believe in the possibility of mermaids. It worked it’s magic on me and made me realize whether I make art or share in the pleasures of what others create and whether what they make is true/real or not, one of the things I love about art is that it gives me faith in the impossible… and it’s one of the things that inspires my sense of creativity as well as gives me strength to hope and carry on in troubled times.
When I first started experimenting with collaging in Photoshop, one of the first series I made was one inspired by mermaids. Naturally, films like Sinbad drove my desire to bring these fictional beings to life through my art. Have you ever created any fantastical creatures of your own? If you have, I’d love to see them and learn the story behind their making.
* Note: As a kid growing up in the 1970’s, Sinbad movies were akin to more contemporary ground-breaking visual effects films such as Star Wars and Avatar.
PLEASE NOTE for October and November 2013: We’ve finally sold our home and are in the midst of packing and moving from now until early December 2013. There may be times when I post only every other week. So don’t worry, I’m still around and haven’t forgotten about you… I’m just tied up for a bit… rest assured I’ve got plenty more great blogging stories and tips to share with you in between.
Other Related Links:
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958) Trailer
Little Mermaid (A short film from the Vancouver Film School)
Imagine: Making Your Dream Real
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