Something New

Late last night I got an email, the latest newsletter from Amy Kucharik.   No problem, as I signed up to get these.   Amy was a student of mine back in Carbondale, in what I think was her first semester.  Had her for 2D Foundations.  An excellent student, and I kept up with her.  The following semester the took 3D, which included making giant boats out of cardboard and waterproofing, but nothing else,  and she made this giant Viking style dragon boat- seated 6.  (as part of this project, students had to race their boats around the large lake in the middle of campus, for multiple heats if the boats could take it, with people in motor boats to rescue those whose boats had disintegrated) She loved comic books and sci-fi, and wrote me that one year for Halloween she and a boyfriend and gone out as two characters from one of Dave Lasky's mini-comics, Bettie Page versus Nosferatu.  (in the comic Nosferatu realizes he's no match for her and gives up)  Another year her costume was a perfect rendition of the Bride of Frankenstein.  (she sent a photo) She was an art major as an undergrad, and I think she studied literature in grad school, but while still in Carbondale she got a guitar and learned to play.  These days she works as a professional musician specializing in ukulele, which is why she has the newsletter.  As such, she plays festivals, puts out albums, had made videos, and was doing lessons until covid 19 ended in person lessons and public performances.  (These days she lives in the Boston area.)  Isolation is no fun for musicians either, and lately she's been using her time to explore digital video making, some of them for songs that she recorded a few years ago.

This newsletter included her recruiting people to help her with a new video of an old song. Images of musicians performing together are hard to do these days, so what she's looking to try is a lyric video. The words of the part of the song that is playing is shown as the song plays.  She figures to get art from interested outsiders, something that matches the specific lyrics, but she'll find a way to use anything.  Of course the more technical parts of the process are hers to handle, but she wants people to do what they can, so she lists resolution goals and other format things. I've never done this before, but it could be interesting. A lot of the things I'll need to do are related to things I needed to do for the jigsaw request.  So late last night I sent word I was interested.  This morning I was sent a phase to adapt, and a few more instructions.  I think I'll be able to handle it, but you'll see the results as they happen.