“Battle Cry” by Jennifer Whitmore

I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Nashville and film a good friend and a talented songwriter, Jennifer Whitmore.

After having a pleasant dinner and a cup of delicious coffee with her family, we decided to have a living room recording session.

Her words speak truth and love from our Father above. Listen and be blessed.

“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind”

Here is a quick project I did to take a few years off of this man’s appearance. By removing blemishes and “healing” the outer appearance of a person, I got the tiniest taste of the weird and awkward things God puts us through in order to transform our minds and our hearts into His likeness. Just as this man submitted his photo to me to Photoshop years of pain and stress away, we as Christians should submit our lives to the Lord, the one who created us, and let Him do his crazy awesome work in our life changing who we are not just on the outside, but on the inside as well. Notice that we don’t have to do anything, just let God do His work…essentially give him permission to push, pull, heal, warp, pluck, trim, burn any part of us that isn’t a reflection of Him (which is the epitome of perfection).

“Trista” Trailer

I’ve been working hard on pulling together a team of talented people to produce a short film for a local film festival.  We filmed and edited the trailer in one day and were selected as one of the finalist in the director’s division based on our trailer.  I won’t leak the film to you online, but I would at least like to show you the trailer to whet your appetite.

“Trista” will be premiering at the Realife Campus at James River Assembly on November 16, 2011 at 7 pm.
See you there!

 

Trista Trailer from Dancing Fox Films on Vimeo.

Trailer submission for Coming Soon Film Festival

Directed by Christopher Kaspar
Produced by Elana Carson
Assistant Director: Liz Blomenkamp

Mousebird

Here is a quick little silly composite I put together…aint it cute?

Kindness Foundation Promo

This is a brief, yet intense promotional video I filmed in Russia. The trip was fun and the team I worked with was great, but even more exciting was the use of the Bible as the foundational curriculum in Russian schools today.  Watch and be amazed at what God is doing in Russia.

Videoblog: What I’ve Been Painting This Summer

Portrait of the Day “Andrew”

 

B&W Portriats

I’m amazed at the technical simplicity and stunning message of a simple black and white portrait.  Here are a few I did with some guys from Focus On The Family.

Moving to Missouri

I recently got accepted into the Master’s of Studio Art and Theory program at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri.  I’m packing my bags both literally and spiritually as I prepare for a new stage in my life.

More than anything, I’m excited because for the first time in my life I get to create art because that is what I am actually supposed to be doing, rather than what I do when I should be doing something else (like studying).  I’m also excited to be closer to a good friend who goes to school nearby and see how our friendship grows.

As soon as I move to Missouri, I plan to (in order of urgency and importance)

1) Find a long term place to live

2) Get connected with a church nearby

3) Find a men’s Bible study (hopefully with older men)

4) Find a mentor

5) Be a mentor

6) Get a dog (any suggestions for medium size dogs?)

7) Take piano lessons again

8) Paint!

9) Read a ton!

Triste, triste… triste.

Address to Death

Наблюдения (Observations)

I just got back from a brief trip to Russia.  During my stay in Moscow and my visits to Vladimir and a few outlying towns, I made a list of observations that caught my eye.  One thing is certain;  life in Russia is quite different than here in America.  Here are some fun, interesting, and sad observations I made while there.

• There are hired security guards inside every store, hotel and complex.  Just to enter the hotel, we had to walk through metal detectors.
• My hotel window on the 21st floor opened all the way…this would never happen in America due to the liability issues involved
• Yes, there was a 13th floor
• Many prominent building have roofs plated in gold
• gas was around $4 per gallon (or 25 Rubles per Liter)
• Nobody smiles
• It is supposedly bad luck to whistle, when I did so I got unusual looks
• there are about 3 to 4 times the number of policemen you normally see
• There is a strong ethic of hard work built into the culture… almost nobody is lazy
• The entire town is desaturated…everything is grey…both literally and metaphorically
• 80% of people smoke…it’s inexpensive because the government does not tax cigarettes.
• You are expected to bargain for goods…even in many established shops
• All women are required to cover their heads in church
• High school only has 11 grades
• A typical school classroom will have 1 guy for every 10 girls
• The school library for a 600 student school might have 150 books…many which are textbooks which are shared between multiple classes.
• Outward appearance is placed at a very high priority;  this is reflected in people’s desire to drive nice cars, wear nice clothes, and have a few nice things while choosing to live in run down subsidized apartments.
• There are no overweight people…seriously everyone has a slender or normal figure
• The only church that exists in any popularity is the Russian Orthodox Church, similar in belief and structure to the Roman Catholic Church here.
• Education is place on a very high pedestal and teachers are ranked as the #1 most trusted profession.
• In the corporate world, if you have enemies or competition, rather than trying to beat the competition in the market, you just have the CEO killed.  It happens quite regularly
• The KGB (under a new name of FSB) is still monitoring the activities of foreigners within the country.
• There are still areas of Russia where foreigners are not allowed to travel.
• I only saw 1 pregnant lady (out of thousands of people) in the period of a week…I inquired on this abnormality and was told that the average Russian woman has 6 abortions and as a result, infertility rates are through the roof.
• Abortion rates are some of the highest in the world; In 2001, 1.3 million children were born in Russia, while 1.8 million abortions were performed.    citation

 

Notes on Fashion

• Leather is in
• All men wear skinny jeans or slim cut trousers
• Everyone and I mean most everyone, dresses nicely.  I didn’t see a single pair of holey jean, ball caps, tennis shoes and very few t-shirts.
• Women wear skirts much more often than here in the states
• Boots are commonly found and you get the general sense that women are taller because they all wear heels (and I mean heeeeeeeels).

Bishop’s Castle Photo Shoot

So one day old man Bishop was sittin’ on a rock in the middle of the woods deep in the mountains and he thought to himself “I think I’m going to build a castle…”

(and so he did)

The following photos are from a photo shoot we planned at a castle with craggly towers wrought of iron and stone all handcrafted by a single man over the course of forty years.  While we were shooting, Mr. Bishop was hard at work on the new moat which surrounded the front entryway.

I was trying to go for more of a earthy type (Urban Outfitters) casual feel staying away from the normal rules of photography and I shot most of the project in film although the photos posted here are all from my 5D mk-ii or from my iPhone.

 

 

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

-Psalm 18:2

 

God, I pray that YOU are my rock and my castle…YOU be my strength, my protection, my security…not only physically, but spiritually, emotionally, mentally…in all aspects of life.  When this life goes crazy and I don’t know which way is up, I know that I can depend on you even when (and especially when) you are the only solid stable thing within my grasp.

Chelsi and Brant Wedding

This gallery contains 21 photos.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Dallas.  White Rock Lake’s water was gently lapping the shore.  In a few hours, the simple industrial red brick building was soon to be decorated and filled with people celebrating the marriage of … Continue reading →

Blogging; Just Adding to the Noise

I get discouraged by all of the noise in our society.  Why should I add to it?

We listen to ipodstelevisionradiocdplayers tereosynchronasticsterepophonic surrounsoundmultichannel noisenoisenoise 24 hours a day, 7 days a week…constantly.  We put in our ipods when driving with other people in the car, fall asleep to music, leave the TV running in the background etc.  Our fears begin to emerge in silence so we crank it up louder in order to avoid them.  This habit drowns out the more important speech of our friends our family and God.  We fervently pray to hear God’s voice, yet we live noisy lives with ears attuned to our iPods rather than the heavens.

I can’t stand it.

I’ve fought this syndrom in my own life and gone months without music or media.  At times I’ve been scared of facebook because I feel as if my spiritual growth could be hindered by dwelling too much in a world of superficial communication.  I often avoid blogs, the newspaper, even books by Christian authors so that I can redirect that time from good sources of truth to the purest and best source of truth, the Bible.

I avoid the noise.

That being said, I have had a hard time writing blog posts, tweeting, or facebooking because I feel as if I contribute to the very noise which I am attempting to avoid.

Am I adding to messy conglomerate of information over-saturation?

Why should I contribute to this “problem” facing our culture currently?

I recall a conversation with Dr. Leland, director of the Focus Leadership Institute, when I asked him “Why would I want to personally create more when the world is hypersaturated with messages, agendas and cluttered media?”  He flipped the question back at me (typical Jesus tactic) and I responded “because I know that the art and messages I create speak truth and bring life to the people receiving them.”  He smiled and responded “and that’s why you should create.”

So create I will.

I will write, sketch, paint, sing, film, photograph, conceptualize, design, and do fun crazy things because I know that anything I create is simply a reflection of the master Creator.  Even if I’m not painting nativity scenes or writing praise songs, truth and beauty can and will be communicated in the work that I do.  I will work hard to be attune with my Creator and then enjoy doing whatever it is that He made me to do and by doing so, be salt and light for a dark flavorless world.

So although I think that the blog world crams information into overflowing minds, I will blog.  Even though I know (as a Marketing major) that you are exposed to 3500-5000 marketing messages a day, I will write.  Even though I know that there are thousands of personal truth claims in the world, I will share.

Why?  Because I know that by doing so I can bring life and beauty to a dark world.

“If we’re adding to the noise, turn off this song” -Switchfoot

If I’m adding to the noise, quit following this blog