October 26th, 2024: 7 pm CT
Official World Premiere Video Release!!!
“Honoring Autumn at Summer’s End”
Original Oil Paintings, Accompanying Poetry, Blues/Jazz Vocal Performance
Featuring Artist in Paint, Poetry, and Voice: Rina Lucas – staffandpalette.com
With Virtual Piano by Composer Arshak Sirunyan – www.arshaksirunyan.com
Including Wine and Cheese Reception
September 26th, 2024: 6 – 8 pm
Artsy Heart – theartsyheart.com
“Throughout my career as an artist I have enjoyed exploring the relationship between the seasons of the year to those of life as metaphors. I find the transition from Summer’s radiance to Autumn’s dignified acquiescence to be one of the most profound, and it’s where I find myself in my own life journey. Change is never easy. Inevitably as one season gives way to the next there is a lamenting as we let go of what has been, but as we do so with courageous acceptance of what is we make room for the jubilant celebration of all that will be.” – Rina Lucas, Staff & Palette
PROGRAM
Wine and Cheese Reception for Patrons: Beginning at 6pm with festivities continuing until 8 pm
Welcome/Artist Introduction: Renee Edmondson, Owner of Artsy Heart – 6:30 pm
“Honoring Autumn at Summer’s End” Multimedia Performance by Rina Lucas – 6:45 – 7:15 pm
Prelude:
“Red Letter Day” Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
Act I: Lamentation – Letting Go
“The Height of Autumn” Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
“The Autumn Leaves” Song by Joseph Kosma
(1905-1969)
arr. by Arshak Sirunyan and Rina Lucas
Act II: Acceptance – Letting Be
“A Walk in Autumn” Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
“September Song” Song by Kurt Weill
(1900-1950)
arr. by Arshak Sirunyan and Rina Lucas
Act III: Celebration – Letting Loose
“Reflections of Autumn” Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
“Come Rain or Come Shine” Song by Harold Arlen
(1905-1986)
arr. by Arshak Sirunyan and Rina Lucas
Postlude:
“Autumn Wildflowers” Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
“Autumn Elevating” Poem by Rina Lucas
“Seasonal Serendipity” Painting by Rina Lucas
PROGRAM NOTES
Opening:
So when I first began to think about this show “Honoring Autumn at Summer’s End”, I wanted to pull together paintings, poetry, and songs that would tell a story. Not just about the time of year we happen to be in, but also for where I am in my life…I think the transition from Summer to Autumn is especially profound, and it’s where my own journey is taking me. Change is never easy. As surely as one season becomes another it’s inevitable that the time comes for letting go of something. Just like the trees releasing their leaves. And that can be painful and frightening. But I find as I have the courage to accept what is, I actually make room for celebrating all that will be. No matter where your life lines up on the calendar, I hope that the images, words, and melodies expressed this evening will meet you personally where you are. All of my paintings on exhibit here are accompanied by poetry, some of which I will share aloud during the program…And the songs, though familiar jazz and blues classics, are arranged by my colleague Arshak Sirunyan and myself. In fact it is his virtual piano accompaniment you will be enjoying tonight as I sing. I sing these tunes to myself as much as to you…as I lament the things I must let go…accept the things I must let be…allowing me to let loose in celebration of all that I am becoming in this moment…
And with this in mind, we open the show…
Prelude:
“Red Letter Day”
Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
Autumn Days Are an hourglass
With light and warmth pouring down
Like sands of time
Diminishing
From the equinox to the solstice,
Darker Colder
Yet Bolder
And this growing season
Is over,
But as the upper vessel empties
The lower fills
With bright blue skies of hope
Overseeing fragrant foliage falling
From reluctant limbs
Bravely becoming bare
Highlighting the hard won harvest
That sustains long Into the snow songs
That serenade until spring,
These days of awe
Experienced at earth’s edge
Are written in red
Across the forest’s calendar
Hailing their deep significance.
When I contemplate transitions, the first theme I explore is “Lamentation”…the necessary letting go of one season to make room for the next…and the normal grief that can accompany this…
Act I: Lamentation – Letting Go
“The Height of Autumn”
Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
As we rise to new heights
Above the details
Of every leaf and branch and twig
Suddenly we have…
Fresh perspective
To see
How our current circumstances
Uncomfortable as they may be
Fit into our marvelous journey,
Renewed courage To stand tall
Atop the mountain we have just climbed
And embrace change
Even as our path bids us forward,
Strong serenity
To know and respect
The sacrifice paid
By foliage this brilliant
But whose purpose
Will yet be remade
As dying dreams
Nurture the soil
Of new ones.
“The Autumn Leaves” – Song
I was thinking about something as I shared this song, and I wanted to ask you…have you ever missed…yourself? I mean…a version of you that you used to be? In a season that was especially joyous or prosperous? Well…me too. And I think it’s an experience that’s common to most of us. But here’s the thing. I never realized in those past moments…that I would miss myself then. I was maybe too busy missing an earlier version of myself to realize how special and significant the current one was. And you know what? One day…the me that’s right here right now…I WILL MISS…as season leads on to season. Life is like a long walk. I am learning to give due respect, love, and ACCEPTANCE to each version of myself, including the current one, that has brought me here thus far on my journey….
Act II: Acceptance – Letting Be
“A Walk in Autumn”
Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
Autumn does not grasp
With futile efforts
Summer’s fading rays,
She gracefully allows her light
To bend
Illuminating her changing visage
From a more flattering angle,
She does not try to be
Different than she is
In this stunning moment,
She recognizes
The dignified splendor
Evolving within her
And exuding from her,
She has no need
For the dewy youth
Of Springtime
Or the sultry seductiveness
Of Summer,
She has no worry
For Winter’s impending approach,
She dwells in this
Her cathedral of color,
Her canopy of songs
Sung in rhythmic cascades
Of descending leaves
Against azure oceans in the air
Is her home,
She is ever changing
Even as she stays the same,
She is perfect in every way
Just as she is.
“September Song” – Song
These few precious days
I will spend with you
Not some other time
Right here
Right now
Just as I am
Just as WE are…
I want to be here for it
Act III: Celebration – Letting Loose
And there is something about accepting myself where I am that actually opens up space to notice all that I am still becoming! Acceptance doesn’t mean I stop growing and changing. In fact, it may be the very thing that keeps me evolving into my best self. And that is something to CELEBRATE.
“Reflections of Autumn”
Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
Clarity walks
Autumn’s leaf littered paths
And pauses
Beneath forests aflame with color
To reflect,
Here arbors gracefully accept
Their inevitable transformation
From green goddesses
To natural red heads,
Life is draining from their leaves,
And soon they will offer
Only the icy, barren embrace
Of grey limbs once gloriously garbed,
Yet in this short season of their splendor
How they celebrate.
“Come Rain or Come Shine” – Song
Every time I sing this song, I think of my husband John who is here tonight. He is my rock…my roadie…my muse…and my biggest fan. Maybe as you were listening, there was someone you had in mind…your ride or die soul mate. But I hope you might also hear the words of this melody as a love song we can sing to ourselves…
I am gonna love you like NOBODY’s loved you
Come rain or come shine
No matter the circumstances…
Postlude:
As our performance winds down this evening, I have two last poems I would like to share with you…
“Autumn Wildflowers”
Painting and Poem by Rina Lucas
As the sun’s deluge of warmth diminishes
Responding to the Earth’s coy change
Of perspective and position
Color drains from a landscape
Once rich with a kaleidoscope
Of flirtation,
It’s as if nature seeks a drab wardrobe
To cause her suitor to lose interest
In her fading charms,
She’s content to sit quietly
Amid her greying features
And absorb the true beauty
Of graceful change,
Her passionate observer
Finds this dignified acceptance
More intriguing than ever,
Though she pulls further away
Along her pleasing path
Dancing with decadent delight
Against the pull and pursuit
Of her lover,
When the time is right
And she has had her fill
Of darkness’s cold caress,
Her orbit will once again approach
The center of her universe
And allow his light
To paint her canvas anew.
Finally, to pull everything together…
lamentation, acceptance, and celebration…past, present, and future…
“Seasonal Serendipity”
Painting by Rina Lucas
“Autumn Elevating”
Poem by Rina Lucas
Ah the calm confidence
Of towering trees
Willing to change
To gain beauty
Even as they lose it
To allow the past
To become fuel for the future
And peace for the present.
And that’s what it’s all about. I hope you enjoyed this evening’s artistic journey through Autumn. I want to take a moment to thank our gracious hosts, Renee and Matt Edmondson of Artsy Heart, whose time, efforts, and resources have made tonight’s event possible. They are simply amazing people who do so much for local artists on a regular basis. Would you join me in showing appreciation for all they do?
I would love to meet each of you if I have not already and answer any questions you might have about my work. There are original oil paintings, prints, and CD’s available for sale if you are interested in taking home a piece of what you experienced this evening. There is even jewelry and home decor products designed by my colleague, Chicago based artist Theresa Daniel of Beau Lou Designs, inspired by some of my paintings and poems here tonight. We would love to show you those treasures as well. Again I thank you for being here with us tonight. I know there are a lot of places to be on a Thursday night in Chicagoland, and I am so honored and grateful that you spent it here at Artsy Heart with me.
Rina Lucas
Staff & Palette
Artist Statement
“With the change of seasons, both in the year and in life, there can be an initial lament in the letting go of what is to make room for what will be. But as we find the courage to embrace these evolutions with acceptance and even celebration, we experience their true beauty and purpose. Lessons learned as Summer gives way to Autumn seem especially profound. It is at this time when the Fall Equinox works her magical metamorphosis on our landscapes and lives, teaching us to balance transformations within and without. Throughout my career as an artist, I have enjoyed exploring these images with my paintings, poetry, and vocal performances. I am excited to share these themes with the gracious patrons of Artsy Heart as we gather for a festive evening of artistic expression ‘Honoring Autumn at Summer’s End’.” – Rina Lucas
Artist Bio
Soprano Rina Lucas is known for her powerful instrument, effortless range, and musical versatility. Comfortable in multiple genres, she has performed as a soloist with the Charleston Symphony, with the Lowcountry Voices, during the televised Spotlight Awards, in her own multimedia Piccolo Spoleto productions in SC alongside pianist and composer Arshak Sirunyan, and in her original virtual and live shows at The Moss Center and the Floyd Center for the Arts in VA. In addition to her accomplishments as a vocalist, Rina is also a gifted poet and visual artist working in oils. All of her paintings, rich and diverse in subject and style, are accompanied by poetry and signed in Hebrew as a nod to her roots. She has been featured in numerous juried exhibitions along the East Coast and beyond. Her interdisciplinary work has also been recognized by Artistonish Magazine, Classical Singer Music Magazine, Medici International Music Competition, Music International Grand Prix, National Association of Teachers of Singing, and TERAVARNA. With a Bachelor of Science from James Madison University and a Master of Physical Therapy from Gannon University, Rina’s path to performance has been nontraditional, having turned to the arts full time in 2012 after a career as a Physical Therapist. Since that time, she has developed her talents with several excellent mentors including: Professors of Voice – Sandra Barnhardt, Patricia Clevenger, Dr. Jill Terhaar Lewis, and Ariana Wyatt, Artists – Michael Farrar, Z.L. Feng, Jonathan Green, and Terry Lyon, as well as the former Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC, Marcus Amaker. She owns Staff & Palette, her studio for paint, poetry, and voice in the Greater Chicago area where she has recently relocated with her husband John and their beloved pups, Ariel and Eli.
