Marten Evergreen: The Journey

Many of you may know that I am embarking on an upcoming move away from Idaho for awhile. This past weekend, the Boise based performance art company that I am co-founder of, Marten Evergreen performed live at my going away party. We create one of a kind live avant-garde art performances incorporating choreographed dance, painting, music, and story. We create a 3D experience and create a 2D painting. We've been performing since 2011. The company is myself, Lisa Marten and local Boise artist/performer/producer Lukas Evergreen. Over the years we've had many dancers, musicians, and technicians join us at various points to create our unique performances. We've performed at local art and music events in the city, a national art competition, private events, and charity fundraisers. We create each performance as a unique experience for the specific venue and event we are performing for...so each one has different purpose and meaning. This performance was our 16th and was created and performed at my going away party at my house. 

Video was taken of the performance but is unavailable to me at this moment. I do have some photos to share with you right away and once I have video I will add that to this post. 

MARTEN EVERGREEN 

Lisa Marten

Lukas Evergreen

Naomi Psalm

FIRST MOVEMENT

recorded song: Green Mountain State by Trevor Hall

dancer/painter: Lisa Marten

We're all called to enter into the journey of life with open arms, minds, hearts, and spirits. But it's not always easy. It can be quite hard and messy and we might even struggle with our footing, our hearing, or our vision. We get the choice to stay open, to keep going, and to fully enter in to what comes our way. This is the journey of self awareness. 

SECOND MOVEMENT:

song: Head to the Heart by United Pursuit

live musician: Naomi Psalm

dancers/painters: Lisa Marten and Lukas Evergreen

When we allow ourselves to enter into the journey of life with our Creator we get the opportunity to learn how to journey Him, to let go of whatever holds us back so we can listen to His heart for us, to receive love and to follow where He leads us. This is the journey of relationship. 

THIRD MOVEMENT

recorded song: We Are All Earthlings by Michael Franti

participants: All of US!!!

And as we allow ourselves to embrace who we are made to be and to enter into the beautiful mess that the journey of life ist, we are more able to give and receive love and enter into the conversations that our Creator is having with others through love...and we get the opportunity to enter into those conversations in creative ways. This is the journey of LOVE! 

GO LOVE PEOPLE! 

Matters of the HeART...interacting with other artists about creative process that engages

I really enjoy the creative process...and I really really enjoy getting to know other artists and connecting with them about their creative process that engages their heart and the hearts of those who interact with their work. 

My friend, mixed media artist Patrick Slaughter had his first solo art opening tonight at the Front Porch Gallery in Garden City (sponsored by VineArts Boise). 

The show is called "matters of the HEART" and will be up from February 9-March 11, 2018 at The Front Porch Gallery, 4902 W. Chinden Blvd., Boise, ID 83714. Open Saturdays Noon-4pm. 

Patrick gave a talk about his series of hearts done in mixed media on paper (each depicting an emotional journey) and shared from his own heart about his creative process and inspiration for each of them. His work is real, emotive, and speaks of the human experience. The show is truly moving and I found myself tearing up as I engaged with it. 

My friend, abstract artist and singer-songwriter Naomi Psalm (https://www.reverbnation.com/naomipsalm) joined me in my art studio today to creatively collaborate on a painting together. 

We have collaborated together through performance art before (working together within Marten Evergreen with artist Lukas Evergreen) but we have never collaborated together to paint on the same canvas, just the 2 of us. We had no plan ahead of time but instead worked intuitively together as we listened to music and conversed while we painted. We used a limited color palate of acrylic paints, along with jute string and tools and techniques to create various textures. Although I've collaborated many times with artists in this way, this was Naomi's first experience painting like this. It was really fun to watch the paint and texture materials, the music and our conversation, guide our paintbrushes and direct our movement. 

I think we both found this to be a fun experience together and were pleased with the outcome. 

INTERSECT

c. 2018 Naomi Psalm and Lisa Marten

24x30 mixed media on canvas

(acrylic paint, jute string)

EPHPHATHA: a New Years Creative Collaboration

I love collaboration! 

I'm used to painting live during church worship services at various churches (either accompanying the music or the pastor's sermon or the entire service). 

I'm used to performing live (along with artist Lukas Evergreen) with our performance art company  MARTEN EVERGREEN (creating choreographed pieces that include dance, painting, music, and spoken word) for city art events, fundraiser events, and private events. 

But recently I had the honor of being asked to be a part of a creative collaboration unlike anything I've experienced so far. 

I joined a small team of creatives from Vineyard Boise Church (a missions pastor and dancer: Terra Montford, an accountant and director: Beth Routhier, a soil expert and refugee pastor: Chris Trump,  a film maker: Brandon Freeman, a few musicians: Jeremiah Carlson, Jared Nilo, Jake Nielsen, Brian Hodges, and a senior pastor: Trevor Estes) to create an intimate environment for people to engage personally with a specific text of the Bible that speaks of freedom (Mark 7:31-37). 

I was asked to dramatically perform to an audio recording and the performance would be a visual illustration of what the pastor would be speaking about from the text and asking people to connect personally in their own lives. It would be going beyond the literal of the text to express visually through abstraction what most of us have experienced in life...and perhaps are experiencing....but through a literal concept. 

And this would be a performance without any paint...it would be just me responding with movement and expression. 

the conversation:

the text that sets the story:

the performance:

the stages: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, elderly.

the voices: speaking negative criticisms to who i am, speaking wounding lies about who i am,  speaking what i believe about myself through the negative criticisms and lies.

the actions: choosing to pick up the chains of colored fabrics and carry them (representing the negative criticisms and lies that bind up and weight me with burdens).

the action: choosing to enter the cage (representing complete bondage, surrender, and despair to low self esteem, insecurities, fears, negativity, and a mindset that is self defeating. 

the action: crying out to the only One who can truly transform my mind and heart and bring renewal and freedom, God responds with the word "Ephphatha!" which means "Be Opened!" and the cage wall crashes down with a loud bang. I am released from my own bondage of choice to take in and believe lies about myself that has kept me captive. 

the action: i choose to be released from my fears, my insecurities, and all the negative messages that have kept me in darkness (i take off the chains of colored fabrics). i let go of my bonds and walk out of the cage into a new beginning of hope and love with gratitude and worship. 

What a great way to end 2017 and begin 2018...letting go and entering a new beginning. 

the video:

video and stills by J.K.Downer

Thank you to all who were a part of this collaboration. 

Thank you to all who took photos and video and prayed and supported those of us who were a part of this collaboration. There has been a great deal of positive feedback from those who attended the services and those who were watching the live video feed on-line, from people who really were able to connect and engage on a deep personal level because of the performance and who found freedom and hope within their own inner battles of the mind and heart. 

To that I say:

Let's be intentional with how we speak to ourselves and others and how we choose to live.

May 2018 be a year of new beginnings! a year of freedom and release! 

Ephphatha! Be Opened! 

The Arts and National Mental Health Awareness

In honor of National Mental Health Awareness Month I'd like to repost video of a performance titled "Integration" by Performance Art Company, MARTEN EVERGREEN (which is Lukas Evergreen and myself) performed live at the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) fundraiser in Boise on May 9, 2015 at the Boise State University SPEC. It was an honor to create this piece specifically for NAMI and to perform it live and every time I rewatch the video I'm reminded of the wonderful work they do advocating for those who live with mental illness and for those are their loved ones. 

"Integration"

performance art piece by

MARTEN EVERGREEN

music by The Irrepressibles

artist statement:

The journey of an individual coming to terms with what's within. 

Discovery. Struggle. Acceptance. Embrace.

This is the dance. 

piece summary:

There is full video below of the performance. 

The music really helped us as a guide for this piece. 

Lisa represents the individual going through the process of discovering who they are. Lukas represents the struggles of life (whether that be mental illness, disorder, addiction, hardships. relational, emotional, spiritual, physical. other's initiated or self initiated.) The individual can experience isolation within the struggle. Whatever life brings or throws (from within, from others) whether good or bad, the individual is forced to deal with/handle it only out of what they are capable. At one point Lisa reaches out and together with Lukas they dance with the paint (representing the individual coming to acceptance of themselves and allowing what life is to integrate with them, becoming more of who they are, accepting who they are, and being who they were meant to be.) We really desired this piece to be able to speak to not only those who struggle with mental illness...but to all of us who live and breathe. For we all have our own journeys within. Integration is accomplished when we allow the struggles we face to guide us to who we were meant to be. 

Thank you again to NAMI for asking Marten Evergreen to be a part of such a wonderful event. We have been honored to come along side you to help raise funds for all you do. And thank you Jessie Nilo for filming our performance.  

FULL VIDEO OF OUR LIVE PERFORMANCE:   

Marten Evergreen at NAMI

Tonight's showing at NAMI was absolutely stunning. Enjoy this video of Marten Evergreen's performance!
Posted by Jessie Nilo on Saturday, May 9, 2015

Painting Live

I'm an abstract expressionist artist and live painter, I'm the sole-proprieter of my art business "revelatorART", the co-founder of the local Boise performance art company "Marten Evergreen",  I'm an art minister with the local Boise arts ministry "VineArts", and I travel the world connecting cross culturally in communities through creativity. I work in mixed media painting. I create most of my work in my studio, but I often paint live as a way to allow the creative process to be a collaborative conversation between me (the artist), the audience, and (if available) other artists, musicians, dancers, and speakers. 

Over this last week I had 2 really cool opportunities to paint live in 2 very different venues, collaborating with 2 very different groups, to converse with 2 very different audiences. 

 I painted live on a stage in a church during their Sunday morning services and I also painted live in the display window of a downtown city center vintage clothing shop. 

What I loved about both very different experiences is that in each opportunity, of creating art live in front of people, there was the chance to connect with people not only visually (as I painted) but also conversely (either during or afterwards). Connecting with people is the main reason I paint live. Yes it's a cool thing to get to show the world the creative things that are within me as they find their way onto the canvas. But it's an even cooler thing to talk with people and have them share with me what they are/were experiencing by watching me create the art, or have them share with me what's going on in their lives and how the simple vulnerable act of me creating something in front of them became a safe invitation for them to open up too. It's a really cool thing! 

For me, human interaction is the stuff of life. It doesn't matter to me if I'm in a Christian church, in a shop on a busy city center street, performing at an art event, accompanying a band at a concert, creating something special at a birthday party or private event, or connecting cross culturally in a community overseas. Painting live is like the ice breaker for conversation (art is only the language) so human to human hearts can connect. 

That's what I'm about. I'm all about the heart to heart. I'm all about the love. 

Painting Live at Vineyard Boise Church:

 photo taken by J. Nilo

Abstraction in design within a church.

photo taken by J. Nilo

Collaborating with the band that led the congregation in song.

 photo taken by J. Nilo

Collaborating with Pastor Mike Freeman as he spoke to the congregation. 

The finished painting. A parable of Jesus about being generous to others with what we've been given.

It is only one of many style-similar images that local artists are creating at the church on Sunday mornings May-Sept 2016 to illustrate the parables of Jesus. They are being hung up as a backdrop to the stage in the sanctuary. 

Painting Live at LUX Fashion Lounge in Boise:

Partnering with local shop owners to help support local (both ways!)

 photo taken by R. Rodriquez 

Abstract Expressionism within a shop window.

 photo taken by G. Deeming

Interacting with people watching.

The stopping point for the painting at the end of the night. It morphed and changed throughout the 3 hour time I was creating it. It went from complete abstract to an impression of the Boise River. I don't know what it will end up actually looking like, but I will finish it up in my studio.

And this is the finished painting after spending some more time with it in my art studio. It's still representing the river....but I moved it back into more of an abstract expressionist painting rather than impressionism (which is what it was moving into while I was painting live). I really like how it turned out. I realize that I couldn't really have done the splatter effect the way that I really wanted to do in this painting while painting it live in the shop because of being in close quarters in the display window and in such close proximity to clothes racks and other merchandise. Once I was in my studio I had the freedom to let the painting go where it wanted to go. 

Marten Evergreen performs "amour échange"

We hit a milestone! Marten Evergreen has entered our 6th year together and we performed our 15th avant garde performance art piece titled "Amour Echange" live at a private wedding in Boise. 

MARTEN EVERGREEN
presents

“amour èchange”

performed live at
The Rose Room. Boise, Idaho
Friday March 18, 2016
for The BertMore Wedding

Artist Statement:
Movements inspired by monuments of love. This piece was specifically created to
celebrate relationship.

First Movement: Prayer
music-“Jagadeesha” by Trevor Hall
A dancer interprets a prayer of thanksgiving, peace, and grace extending beyond boundaries of time.

Second Movement: Celebrating Story
music-“The Spark” by Afrojack/Spree Wilson
Dancers interpret an inspired story through dance and expressive collaboration of paint and drip theory.The dance and painting between both that ensues will tell

the story of courtship and relationship.

Color symbolism:
clothing:
white-vulnerability/new beginning
silver-future dreams
gold-commitment for life

MARTEN EVERGREEN is 

Lisa Marten and Lukas Evergreen

Here are some photos from the performance:

 our performance space: "the bubble" 

 first movement: dancing the prayer

 second movement: dancer one

 dancer one is joined by dancer two

 dancer two

 dancer two is joined by dancer one (now in silver)

 dancers in sync

 dancer one

 dancer one is joined by dancer two (now in gold)

 dancers in sync 

 dancers ready for anything

the finished 2D painting created while dancing