The inspiration behind the art work

My friend Anna Kallis does all my art work, and here are her comments on her process:

Cover art for The Bright Knowledge
This is my second illustration work for Diana.

For Diana’s first cd I had used aquatic images, sparked by the title, Panta Rhei,  which refers to the ancient idea that everything is fluid or in flux. The content supported the watery palette and images evoked by the title: seafaring peoples and songs, the celtic and mediterranean traditions brought together over water. Metaphorically, water stood for traditional music both staying the same through time and changing with each fresh approach. The black and white portrait of Diana by Andy Stewart captured an introspection and serenity that suited the mood, and allowed me to overlay my various washes and layers, such as sirens’ hair, harp strings and ogham script.
As a finishing, playful touch, I added a rebus of the artist’s name using an old print of a statue of Diana, a moon goddess (for me the moon and the sea always go together), next to a leaf from a rowan tree with it’s botanical latin inscription. Though I was only aiming for a visual tease, a sort of subliminal repetition of her name, it occured to me afterwards that the songs were summed up in these two juxtaposed images: the mediterranean and celtic side by side.

Talking about The Bright Knowledge cover over the phone for the first time, I knew this was going to be an album to do with light. Before Diana even explained the ancient irish custom of imbas forosnai, I had doodled onto some note paper a triangular beam of light centered in an otherwise dark background. She then told me how bright knowledge was obtained, through long meditation in dark isolation and then sudden release into the light, that brings the seeker all kinds of enlightenment. It all somehow made sense, but when we met in Berkeley this summer I still only had my first drawing of that beam against the darkness. I knew I wanted some rich golden tones and they were provided by the photo taken by Michael van Auken. I enhanced the beam of light and took it from there. The embroidery on the inside cover is drawn in pencil, scanned and painted in Photoshop. I’ve always admired the traditional embroidery of Skyros, with it’s crazy motifs of people, animals, birds, ships and vegitation utilizing every bit of space, as if trying to fit the world into a length of fabric. In the cypriot song that forms part of Devoted, this is what the maiden is asked to do in a futile attempt to escape the clutches of the dark rider, Death. “Embroider for him, daughter, It might sate his hunger. Embroider the dark sea With its harbours, The plains and the mountains with their forests…” The linen background, golden hues and ripples were added in Photoshop. When an illustration works out, several unplanned things come together to enhance it. In this case I keep finding new ones: the warp and weft in the embroidered handkerchief didn’t even occur to me until afterwards. Diana’s eye drawn directly from her close-up photo worked as a Protective Eye talisman, when I placed it in the lozenge shape on the disc panel.

Harp Teaching DVD

I find teaching DVDs really helpful and would love to create my own harp teaching DVD.  Having studied with both lever & pedal harpists, classical, folk & early music peeps, plus having taught music for over 15 years (yikes!), I want to offer a powerful, imaginative approach to harp technique, expression and arranging, and take on this challenge.

What would YOU like to see in a harp teaching DVD?

Thanks for your help!

Diana

Please comment on & rate my video!

Hello harpies,

Please check out my video at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pug_v8AFu0s

and comment & rate if you get a chance – it helps a lot with rankings

Cheers,

Diana

Flying with your harp

Hello friends,

I’ll be flying with my harp again this week (to Australia), so logistics are on my mind.  Here’s a little article I wrote for Harpbeat about traveling with your harp:

Up High in the Clouds

If you are attached to your harp as much as I am, playing on a different harp is wildly disconcerting.  While renting a harp for far-flung engagements works for some, air travel with your own harp can be easier than it sounds, provided you plan ahead.  First, your harp in its case must weigh less than 100lbs for domestic flights, and less than 70lbs internationally.  Some airlines are more restrictive than others; for example United would not allow my Cithara Nova on a flight to Sydney due to its dimensions, even though it is only 61lbs in the case, while Qantas had no problem.  So be sure to check individual airline requirements before you buy your ticket.

Also recommended is booking flights with the least connections.  Each connection is an opportunity for your unusual luggage to get lost.  Booking through a travel agent can sometimes smooth the path for you.  Call the airline a week in advance to warn them you’re bringing a harp.  It might not make much difference, but can head off  problems at check in.

The check in agent is the gatekeeper, the one to make the call on how much you will be charged in terms of excess weight and dimension fees.  Some harpists even bring CDs and schmooze.  I’ve been charged anywhere between $150 (American Airlines to Boston) to $0 (Qantas to Sydney), so this is a really discretionary area.  If an agent gives you particular hassle, be sure to call in a manager.  I had to do this once, where a bad tempered agent was determined not to let my harp on board due to being slightly overweight (I was using my first flight case, now retired.)

Your harp will be taken at check in, and will be handled by the oversize baggage people.  Some separation anxiety may occur, this arrangement makes travel easier, as you don’t have to lug the harp around the whole airport.

To feel confident about your harp while out of your sight, a hard case is essential, with your soft case inside it.  The only one I recommend is the Colorado Case Company fiberglass model.  It’s light and super tough.  It comes with detachable back wheels – attached ones will only get ripped off on some conveyor belt, plus I recommend attaching a mini dolly (about 6 inches wide, $15 at ACE) to the front with Velcro so none of the weight of the harp is on your body.  Order your case well in advance, as Colorado Case has a lot of customers and it could be months before your case is ready.

Some people recommend detuning the harp, but apparently the Cithara Nova is so light tension it wouldn’t make a difference – check with your harp maker.  Throw in some clothes for extra padding if you weight permits.  Your harp will get opened along the way by security, so if you have a particular way of packing it, leave a note inside.

Once you arrive, your harp will arrive away from the carousel, in the oversize baggage area.  Well, hopefully – once I saw my harp getting launched out with all the regular baggage, making an almighty thump as it landed on the belt.

Plan your ground transportation in advance, as you’ll need an SUV, van, wagon, or some such large car on the ground, and these can be rarer than you’d think.  If you will not be flying internally, consider stashing your hard case somewhere and using your soft case only.  I needed to take a bus 5 hours south of Sydney, and they would not have let the hard case in the hold due to size restrictions.  You’ll have a lot more flexibility with cars that way too.

If this sounds too daunting, I also test drove a Harpsicle all over Europe and Cyprus for 3 weeks.  This can be brought on board with no hard case, and weighs 4.5 lbs.  I had it just to keep my fingers moving, not as a performance instrument, although for people who haven’t heard harp much it can a charming thing (and got me some great offers for harp gigs with my Cithara in the Fall!)  I brought the Harpsicle onboard many of the budget airlines, Ryanair, Easyjet, etc., which are notorious for giving people baggage hassle, with no problem.  So if you won’t be performing or studying, the Harpsicle can be a good stopgap measure.  I rented one from Diana Stork for a very reasonable $40/month, and was impressed enough to order my own one now.