On Canvas & Screen

      Passing along a couple of items on relationship with place as reflected in art.

     The Laffer Gallery in Schulerville currently has an exhibit of over 200 works by Harry Orlyk. Based in Salem, he paints landscapes on location, even in winter, while ensconced in his black Dodge van. For those familiar with southern Washington County the fields, streams and barns he puts on canvas are recognizable old friends.  The show is up till March 26 and Orlyk will be at the gallery on Saturday, March 18 at 6:30 pm for an artist talk. Gallery hours are Thursday - Sunday from 12 to 5 pm. Visit their website and facebook page for more info.

     In Days of Heaven there are scenes of reapers all but lost in endless fields of wheat. These sequences have special resonance for me. Family lore tells of my great-great-grandfather bringing the first mechanical reaper to Washington County. He would move from place to place with horses, machine and crews of men bringing in the late summer harvest. Today, whenever I drive by a field in Easton or Argyle I wonder, did my ancestor from over a hundred years ago once work here?

Still from Days of Heaven

     Terence Malick's 1978 film is oft cited for its beautiful cinematography. It takes place in early 1900's Texas but was actually filmed in Canada. It somehow manages to convey both the beauty and the harshness of the American heartland as well as the struggle and joy of those who worked it. Richard Gere, Brooke Adams and Sam Shepard anchor the love triangle plot and there's Linda Manz's unforgettable narration. What's its message? Maybe something that can't be put into words. Something that can only be conveyed thru images and the emotions they provoke. One of the most sensitive evocations of place ever captured on film. Days of Heaven can be streamed and is available on DVD from local libraries.