studio tour: franz and josie

Remember how I told you that Hum and I just so happened to move onto a cul de sac full of artists?  I still can't get over how cool that is.  We have become great friends with our neighbor Lance that I introduced you to a while back.  Remember that post?  He stops by our house occasionally and says, "let's go get lunch in 20 minutes" and we always go because it is such a treat to spend time with him.  We got the chance to meet our other neighbors last weekend.  We saw them out raking their leaves so we walked over there with gloves in hand and offered to help.  They wouldn't let us rake, but instead we got a full studio and house tour.  They are amazing, let me introduce you to them.

Their names are Franz and Josie and they are a handsome couple, are they not?  Here's the great part of the story.  They met each other in England way back when they were teenagers.  They went their separate ways, they each got married and had children, both of their spouses passed on and they were left alone.  They met up again just over a year ago (thanks to the internet), they got married, and they are are the cutest couple I have ever met.  When they told me the story of how they met Franz said, "I was about ready to give up and die, and then she came along and resurrected me".

(!!!).  I should readily end my post now because that story is as good as it gets.  However, let me continue.

Josie is a singer.  She sang for us and she still has a great voice.  She flipped through photo books and showed us memories from the many decades she spent in broadway style plays where she always played the lead female part.

Franz is an artist, and I don't say that lightly.  He sculpts, paints, and was an art professor for many years.  He showed us photo books with his bronzes and told us about the many galleries that show his work and where all of his permanent commission reside.

As you can tell, Franz works with the nude figure as (you know) I do too.  I had a great conversation with him about the beauties and difficulties of working with the nude figure.  He had a very interesting and enlightening perspective and talked about how he has seen pornography have an increasingly negative effect on nude art over the years.  He studied the figure extensively in Paris in his 20's and painting the nude was (and is) considered one of the highest forms of beauty in art.  It is so unfortunate that no-thanks to the prevalence of pornography, nude art has been defiled for many viewers.  It was nice to talk to someone with so much experience and see how he has found solutions to create the art that he loves and that can also be uplifting to many viewers.

(If you or anyone you love struggles with pornography and you're looking for help, Fight the New Drug is a great online organization.)

My favorite thing about Josie and Franz was they were both very humble about their accomplishments.  Franz made Josie sing for us, and Josie took us on tour of Franz's studio.  I said to them, "are you each other's managers?" and they laughed and said, "yeah, that's right".  I could see similarity in how Hum and I encourage each other.  When people visit our home I always say, "Hum, play that new song song that you wrote" and he's always telling people to step inside my studio space.  It warmed my heart to meet these wonderful neighbors.  I hope Hum and I can still have the same kind of love and passion they do when we are their age, and that we can always be each others managers in all of life's endeavors.

PS. I just love visiting studio spaces and meeting creative people.  I think I will make studio tours a more regular thing here on the blog, sound okay to you?

PPS. If you live in the Provo area I'm going to stop by this blogger party wednesday night, you should come!  It's for bloggers, readers, shoppers, and pretty much everyone!  I think they're giving away prizes and I am guessing it will be a real fun night.  Come say hi if you can!