How does artist, writer, musician, performer, and filmmaker Jay Bolotin choose one form of creative expression? Well, he doesnāt. He writes a script, composes a score, and animates woodblock prints that he cut himself. In November, Landmarks Video featured the product of Bolotinās creative outpour, "_The Jackleg Testament Part I: The Story of Jack & Eve_":http://landmarks.utexas.edu/projects/video/bolotin, and in January Landmarks will present an opportunity to meet the artist and learn about his woodcut motion picture.
Jay Bolotin is known in the art world primarily for his woodcuts, although he has composed and performed musical scores and designed sets for opera, dance, film, and documentaries. When he lived in Nashville, Bolotin worked with Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, and Dan Fogelberg. His songs have been recorded by Fogelberg, Porter Wagoner, Dickey Betts, and David Allan Coe. More recently, he created the worldās first woodcut motion picture, _The Jackleg Testament Part I: The Story of Jack & Eve_; it won Best Animation at the 2007 Santa Fe Film Festival.
Steven Rosen of the _Cincinnati CityBeat_ writes āthe complexity, mysterious beauty, level of accomplishment and downright strangeness of Jay Bolotinās art is continually amazing.ā Bolotinās commitment to his vision is uncompromising and admirable. _The Jackleg Testament Part I: The Story of Jack & Eve_ retells of the biblical narrative of Adam and Eve from Bolotinās inimitable perspective, including the character Jack, a mannequin housed inside of a jack-in-the-box toy. āI never understood what Eve did wrong,ā says Bolotin, whose Eve suffers a similar fate as in the original. Stylistic influence from Northern Renaissance prints and the work of master printer William Blake can be seen through the motion picture.
"PrintAustin":http://printaustin.org kicks off on January 15, a month-long, citywide celebration of prints and printmaking in which museums, galleries, and studios present artist talks, demonstrations, and workshops. Landmarks will present a performance and Q&A with Jay Bolotin, preceded by a screening of _The Jackleg Testament_ and followed by a reception. The event is free and open to filmmakers, printmakers, and lovers of both. Refreshments will be provided and seating is limited.
*WHAT: Performance and Q&A with Woodcut Motion Picture Artist Jay Bolotin*
*WHEN: Thursday, 15 January 2015*
*Screening: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.*
*Q&A: Approximately 6:30 p.m., followed by a reception*
*WHERE: "The Off Center":http://www.rudemechs.com/off_center, 2211-A Hidalgo, Austin, Texas, 78702 ("MAP":http://goo.gl/maps/ptJ7u)*
For more information about the screening and Q&A, contact "landmarks@austin.utexas.edu":mailto:landmarks@austin.utexas.edu.