co-muses

read a great article a few years ago & was quite taken by the true story of tragic romance between two young, clever, talented but ultimately doomed artists. It looks like i wasn't the only one. brett easton ellis & gus van sant are working together on a script for Lionsgate based on the couple, inspired by the same article I read. Below are excerpts from the original article:

co-muses

"She was 'a blonde to make a bishop kick a hole in a stained glass window'....

She was a little bit wild (not sexually, God no -- she was rather demure there -- intellectually) and Jeremy loved wildness in people. 'By wildness I'm not referring to some corny idea of rock 'n roll excess,' he said. 'I'm talking about an internal turbulence and inventiveness that keeps the person and everyone around him or her on their toes.'

She could be combative. She let people know there was a line they couldn't cross with her. 'They were co-muses.....'

He loved that they knew interesting people, had them over all the time -- artists, musicians, writers, producers -- constantly drank, smoked, laughed and never turned on the television.....

As with everything else she did, she was fervent about it.... Her confidence was contagious. It was 'punk.'

Inspired...she made him feel free, and that made him feel loyal."

transcribed from the article "East Village Suicides" by Nancy J. Sales in the January 2008 issue of Vanity Fair about the lives of Theresa Duncan and Jeremy Blake:
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/01/suicides200801

see Theresa's blog here:
http://theresalduncan.typepad.com/

more on the movie:
http://www.slashfilm.com/gus-van-sant-and-bret-easton-ellis-team-to-write-suicide-film/

NY Mag'obit' called "conspiracy of two":
http://nymag.com/news/features/36091/

Vikings in Oklahoma - Heavener Runestone

My great grandfather Buck was born in Indian Territory before it was known as Oklahoma. As an old man he told his grandson the stories passed on to him by his own grandfather about a tribe of red headed giants who would come snatch away naughty children and gobble them up. The story was that long ago all the regional tribes banded together for the last remembered time on a singular mission. Choctaws, Alogonquins, Cherokee, Sioux and others supposedly all worked together to wipe out the giant cannibals; eliminating every man, woman & child. But oral tradition can be embellished with re-telling, and what evidence is there of any tall groups of ginger haired people in the South?


Well actually there are quite a bit of clues. If you ever decide to visit Eastern Oklahoma, spend some time at Heavener Runestone State Park. Around 600 a.d. there may have been a Viking named Glome (nicknamed Gloi) marking his territory on Poteau Mountain in Oklahoma near Heavener. Still vertical it stands at 12 foot tall, 10 feet wide and 16 inches thick, roughly the size of a billboard featuring only 8 letters. The Heavener Runestone translates to say "Glome's Valley" Amazingly, there are seven other known runestone monuments some positioned miles apart in a straight line across the the region. The grey land claim marker is made of Savannah Sandstone withstanding time and bearing an inscription carved in an alphabet used by Northern Europeans long before Columbus crossed the sea.

Runes are a old Germanic & Scandanavian alphabet used from the 3rd to the 13th century. Just like English has gone from the Beowulf Old English spoken by the Anglo-Saxons to the modern newspeak L337 chatted by American teenagers, the runic alphabet being used changed over the centuries as well. The runic alphabet that most modern people recognize does not have the exact same letters as the Old Norse version and this caused a lot of argument in the earlier part of the last century over the authenticity of the norse inscriptions in Oklahoma.


The Heavener Runestone is thought to have been inscribed as early as 600 a.d., and the alphabet used was determined to be from the oldest Germanic (Old Norse) Futhark by Dr. Richard Nielsen in 1986. This Old Norse Futhark was used from about 300 A.D. whereas by 800 A.D the Scandanavian Futhark had become the predominant alphabet for runes. Dr. Nielsen got his doctorate at the University of Denmark and they know an awful lot there about about runes, norsemen and lets just call them vikings.The nearby Poteau Runestone was found by two 13 year old boys on a hill in 1967 and translates to "Magic or Protection to Gloi". The Shawnee Runestone was found face down in a stream about two years later, it appears to be a grave marker for someone named 'Medok." Both markers are written in Old Norse Futhark. Two other smaller stones with fewer letters as well as a binding rune were also found strategically placed in the area, including one near Robbers Cave.


According to oral tradition, the Heavener Runestone was first discovered by a Choctaw hunting party in the 1830's not too long after the tribe had been removed from its ancient home of Mississippi and relocated to Oklahoma. Wilson King was hunting bear with two friends when they found the runestone somtime before reporting it in 1874 and they are the first modern white men on record to have seen the monument. By the time Carl Kemmerer reported finding the stone in 1913 others in the area already knew it as "Indian Rock." But the runes had been there before the Choctaws, before the French trappers named Poteau Mountain, before Desoto's men laid eyes on the mossy grey carved stone. The runic inscription had been there since the norse educated & or viking's descendent put it there.


How much time did it take a Viking to get there himself? Months? Generations? This band of Norsemen had to travel from the known settlements in Greenland around the New England coast around Florida through the Gulf of Mexica and into Oklahoma by taking the Mississippi North to the Arkansas River in their flatbottomed long boats which easily navigated the rivers of the South.

Back in 1923, Kemmerer started the process of authentication by sending copies of the strange symbols to the Smithsonian Institute. In 1928, he showed the runes to a 12 year old little girl named Gloria Farley who was to devote the rest of her life to the research, translation and preservation of the monument over the next seventy years. It wasn't till 1965 that Oklahoma considered it as a site for state park. Over the next five years, support built for the project in Heavener (pronounced like heave-ho, not like with angels) and land was donated by the Leland Dial family. Senator Clem Hamilton appropriated funds for the park and a winding road was soon built up the mountainside to the park site.

At the top of Runestone Road on the other side of the railroad tracks in Heavener is the day use state park. A stone path leads down stairs to the place where the marker has been naturally protected from erosion by rock overhangs and pokeberry bushes. Mrs. Farley's state park effort originally built a cage around the runestone to prevent vandalism in 1970 along with an interpretive center. Now the cage is gone and Heavener Runestone still remains settled in the same spot as it has for centuries, although enclosed behind plexiglass in a lovely cedar building. Encased to its right are reproductions of the other stones found in the area along with translations, history and a few security cameras to keep everything safe and undisturbed.

One of the park's best feature is its spectacular view of the Poteau Valley... Glome's Valley I should say. Park is open from 8 a.m. till sunset and offers picnic tables, grills, gazebo and open air ampitheatre along with adequate bathroom facilities. Bring a picnic basket and your viking helmet.

On your way out, stop in Heavener at the Southern Belle restaurant for some pie. Southern Belle is on Hwy 59 and housed within an old railroad dining car. They feature at least 10 different daily varieties of pie with a view of the KC Southern train switchyard that is framed by the mountain where you will find evidence of tall, red headed white men that found their way to Oklahoma.


BIBLIOGRAPHY
gallery of photographs taken on my trip to the site

Oklahoma State Park site for Heavener Runestone Park includes amenities list, pics of the park and a video of the late Gloria Farley. Park is about 4 hours north of Dallas in Heavener Oklahoma, about 2.5 miles north on Hwy 59 at the Hwy 270 junction, follow the signs to Runestone Road and enjoy the drive up the mountain.

most of the facts in this blog came from:"The Heavener Runestone" pamphlet by Gloria Farley published by Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Dept., Div. of State Parks, 500 Will Rogers Bldg., OKC, OK 73105. Link to full text >click here<

"In Plain Sight: Old World Records in Ancient America". by Gloria Farley is a hardback documenting her lifelong research. It is 491 pages long with 540 illustrations, photographs and scale drawings and includes 338 pieces of evidence of visitations of her extensive Petroglyph research all over North America. Although strictly a non-fiction work with complete references, the book also contains stories of adventure and humor. It is currently used as a textbook in Heavener High School and Bentley College, Massachusetts. The book may be ordered from I.S.A.C. Press, P.O. Box 1658, Columbus, GA, 31902, The price per copy is $42.50 postpaid.

for more about the translation from ancient Old Norse Futhark, read "The Runestones of Oklahoma" by Dr. Richard Nielsen. Epigraphic Society Occasional Publications, Vol. 16, 1987. ordered from 6625 Bamburgh Dr., San Diego CA 92217

Heavener ISD profile of Gloria Farley

art by kray twins & the ethics of criminal provenance

In the art world, quirky artistic temperament is part of the process & gives value to the dealers role as middle man between the creator & the collector. What role does ethics play in selling the creations made by a cold blooded murderer?

Reggie & Ronnie Kray were infamous mob twins who dominated East London gangland but technically were nightclub owners and boxing promoters. Really they're better known for intimidation, psychotic fits of violence, rigging fights, a platoon of henchmen called "the Firm", celebrity friends, impeccable style and undying devotion to their dear old mum, Violet. The Kray brothers made substantial donations to British boxing charities; Jack Ruby is on record as saying: “boxing and criminality are two faces of the same coin.” It has been theorized that Ronnie's homosexual affairs with several closeted high ranking members of parliament from both parties is what let them get away so long with their criminal enterprises.

When the mob boss twins were finally convicted of something, for Reggie it was for the murder of underworld figure Jack 'The Hat' McVitie. For Ronnie he was convicted of the very public murder of gangster rival, George Cornell in front of a pub full of witnesses (most of whom either "didn't remember" or just flat out refused to testify) . They were both sent to jail for 30 years each in January 1969. At the time it was the longest, most expensive trial in British history. Ronnie, who spent much of his sentence at Broadmoor high-security hospital for the criminally insane, died in 1995 aged 61. Reggie died five years later after being paroled a few weeks before his death in response to his deteriorating health from bladder cancer.

Each twin wrote a bookfrom a cell, but more than 32 books have been written about them (especially well done are those authored by John Pearson). The film The Krays(1990) immortalized their flashy brutal business sense on the big screen. But it turns out they also dabbled in paint while they were locked up.

The personal belongings of the twins that were put up for auction were given to a "very close friend of the Krays" who grew up with them and made regular treks to see Reggie in prison and Ronnie in Broadmoor. Also on sale at the auctions were paintings done by the twins while incarcerated. Every auctioned piece of clothing as well as the art is considered a historic object to collectors of true crime memorabilia.

Collectors of outsider and folk art are known for their affection for interesting work by persons with mental illness, children, monkeys and other self taught artists who rarely make the work with the intention of selling it. The twins should definitely be considered outsider artists due to their limited formal art training. Their work comes with a peculiarly dark provenance which adds market value to the Kray's body of artwork.

ART PRICES:
1st Chiswick Auction in London on January 26, 2009 (160 personal effect items) £110,000 total:
- Ronnie's cufflinks in form of the intials RK £1,000
- letter to Ronnie from artist Francis Bacon £7,400
- Ronnie's oil painting done in Parkhurst prison £4,800

2nd Chiswick Auction in London on March 30, 2009:
- Ronnie's brevet revolver £3,000
- Reggie's paintings
- Ron & Kate's engagement ring £2,900
- Ron & Kate's Cartier diamond cluster wedding ring £2,800

"Outsider art - (n.) Strictly interpreted, outsider art refers to works by those outside of mainstream (art) society...folk and ethnic art as well as by prisoners...Because fewer and fewer people are sufficiently isolated (from art/media) to be truly outsiders, most are either mentally ill or working far from urban art scenes." [as defined by artlex.com]

"A victims’ support group has raised concerns over the sale of a gun belonging to the notorious Kray twins, saying it could reopen 'emotional wounds'. National charity Victim Support, which offers support to those affected by crime, yesterday condemned the sale of items saying many of the Krays’ victims were still living with the memories of what happened to them." A spokesman for Chiswick said '“The trade we work in from day to day is antiques and history – they come hand in hand for use. These items are a part of British history. There is no glamourising of this on our part.'"

AUCTION DATES:
- Bonhams Chelsea: sold Wednesday, August 23, 1995 [Lot 395]
Artist: Reginald Kray
Title: Reggie's turmoil, the despair of a Lifer (oil on board w/2 letters from artist and Ronnie Kray)


- Bloomsbury Auctions: sold Wednesday, November 22, 2006 [Lot 79]
Ronnie Kray, Untitled (oil on board Landscape with house and tree)


-Chiswick Auction in London sold on January 26, 2009
Ronnie Kray oil painting done in Parkhurst prison £4,800

- Chiswick Auction in London sold on March 30, 2009
Reginald Kray oil painting

- Bloomsbury Auctions: sold Thursday, September 30, 2010 [Lot 182]
Artist: Reginald Kray
Title: Untitled (+ 4 others; 5 works), 1986


A few years ago, a friend of mine curated an exhibit of paintings by serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy. What if the mother of one of Gacy's victims had come to the show and had an emotional response to the work being displayed by her child's murderer and violently reacted to the piece or establishment showing it? What if Victim's Support has valid concerns about the torment caused by glamorizing the lesser known talents of an real historical person who in life was despised and eventually punished for the evil done to their victims? Is it any different than the Antiques Roadshow like sale of a gun owned by John Wilkes Boothe or Al Capone? Few capitalists can resist market value when a painting outsells a Cartier diamond ring.

If the line between genius & insanity is so very thin, where do we draw the line in commidifying the art created by known predators? I suppose it is a risk to be assumed by the curators & dealers who choose to indulge their collectors' taste for blood.

In 2010, the three Teale brothers reported they would be releasing a tell-all book about the Kray'sfrom their perspective as henchmen, confidantes to the Twins, and eventual star witnesses who were forced into hiding after their testimonies convicted the Krays and many others. "They are planning to mark their unexpected reunion (after 42 years) with a book they hope will strip away the veneer of glamour around two of the most sadistic and dangerous killers this country has ever known." One of the brothers, Bobby mused 'But it almost looks like a waste of time...and a waste of our lives...when you find out that people are spinning a pack of lies about the Krays, glamorising them, treating them as heroes.'"

Back in 1969, the Kray twins older brother was only sentenced for 10 years. After his release, Charlie Krayreturned to crime and died in prison in 2000 while serving time for masterminding a £69m cocaine smuggling plot. I don't know if the less glamorous Kray brother ever picked up a paintbrush.

[ARTWORK to the left was done by Ron &
ARTWORK to the right was done by Reg]

SOURCES:
Chiswick auction prices
art auction dates provided by artnet.com (except the Chiswick auctions)
Chiswick auction
victim support group commenting on 2nd auction
kray conviction info
article about ronnie's open homosexuality
online chapter book about krays
star witness Teale brothers return after 42 years in hiding