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Spotlight on James Persinger: Musician, Photographer, Writer and Graphic Designer By: Joanne Hobbs
James Persinger has always been drawn to music, writing and photography from as far back as he can remember. He got his first camera for Christmas when he was In third grade. It was one of those really inexpensive ones, but it was enough. He spent hours wandering around the trailer park taking pictures of whatever caught his eye—hubcaps and soda cans, banana peels and pieces of carpet.
Something about these random compositions really got him excited and he remembers thinking, “Man, I really got some great stuff!” Those roles of film piled up until he could save up the money to get them developed. When he finally did, he was disappointed. Where were the scenes that had captivated him so much, he wondered. And then his parents saw the pictures and he remembers his dad shaking his head bemused, asking, “Why are there fifteen pictures of hubcaps?” And so his youthful ambitions in photography were severely stunted. But in time he recovered and his keen interest in shootIng photos emerged once again, strong and vital and virtually untouched by parental misgivings. He still finds himself taking pictures of banana peels and hubcaps.
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When he was eight, he got into the Beatles. In second grade when the other kids were saying they wanted to be teachers and firefighters when they grew up, James proclaimed that he was gonna be a rockstar. He practiced performing in the trailer park on the huge concrete slabs that were left when a trailer had moved. These slabs of concrete became his stage on dark mornings whIle he waited for the school bus. Of course, he thought no one was watchIng him, but as he thinks back on that time today, he is sure that someone in the park was quite amused by a little blonde haired eIght year old boy with holes in his jeans and a ripped jacket jumping around singing “I want to hold your hand”.
He had been askIng for a guitar for years before he received one when
he was in fourth grade. “I was so stoked,” he recalls. But somehow he
expected his passion for this instrument to translate into skill, magically. He
remembers feeling this huge disappointment when he realized he couldn’t play it. Also the guitar was too heavy to hold for long and the strings were strung
too hIgh off the fret board for his young hands. So after a bout wIth a couple
of ImpatIent guItar Instructors and gettIng burned out on spinning classic
rock records while pretending to play, he laid the guitar to rest in the
closet. And there it stayed until he was twelve. A frIend of his who knew
how to play inspired him to pIck it up agaIn. He taught James how to play
the intro to "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. That was the true beginning. He
hasn’t put the guitar down sInce. And playing it led into his writing. He
discovered that he had a natural knack for writing poetry that he picked up
from his mother. He was fourteen when he started laying down songs on a
little hand me down tape recorder.
Aside from the Beatles his greatest influence was Nirvana. “The lyrics and the music represented everything I’ve been influenced by and felt at that point and the first time I heard the song ‘In Bloom’, I got chills. I had no idea what he was singing but it spoke to me very deeply in so many ways. It is kind of ironic now that I know what he's saying in the chorus.”
James’ songs always start out as music first. Chord progressions lead into something that eventually catches his interest. His interest has to be kindled before he can move forward and come up with a melody and hook and then the lyrics. He likens the process to the way he has always approached painting. The musIc Is the broad strokes of color across the canvas and the words are the details. Interestingly, he never writes down the chords though or notes, just the lyrics. He remembers the music through the lyrics.
 James is naturally introverted and his music emerged from a deep place inside him, so playing in front of people has always been a challenge. He used to play open mic nights here and there, and when he was younger he would play in front of his church youth group. One night there was a parent open house at the church and he was invited to play a song. He asked the youth mInIster If he would play drums like the Ramones and he broke out with his punk rock version of “This little light of mine.”
“I thought it was amazing but the conservative church congregation weren’t feeling it,” he remembers with a laugh.
But over the last couple years and especially since playing the Heart of Chaos events, James has really began to overcome his shyness. Studying graphic design has also helped alot by allowing him to disconnect himself from his creations and benefit from constructive criticism.
“I treat music as my primary medium for artist expression. And for me art should provoke something—some feeling, some thought, some memory, some emotion—so if it provokes you to sneeze, it’s beautiful. That is what I try to do with all my creative endeavors. I want to venture into new territories, I want to release myself from things I fear, and I want to make the world a more interesting place.”
His next venture Is starting a band..........
Check out his music on myspace and artwork on the Heart of Chaos Virtual Exhibit. |
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| The Sunnyvale Sun published an article in March about the Heart of Chaos Juvenile Hall art program. On the cover HOC co-director Anabella Pinon shows an inmate a portrait that she painted of him during the session. Below is a snippet of the article... |
Juvenile Hall Program Lets Teens Express Themselves
By Stephen Baxter
There are two ways to get to the art room in Unit B7 at Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall. For art instructors such as Ruben Reyes, who teaches at the Mother Earth Clay Art Center in Sunnyvale, it’s fairly simple.
He signs a sheet in the lobby, shows an ID to a clerk behind a glass wall, and winds through a maze of linoleum-floored halls with cream-colored brick walls. Five doors unlock by remote along the way, and surveillance cameras train their lenses on him. He walks up a flight of stairs to a tidy classroom with narrow plastic tables.
If you’re a minor in the B7 art class, you get there another way. Assault someone, run with a gang or have a felony amount of marijuana linked to you, and that might get you in. Youths held for more serious crimes such as rape and murder stay in other units.
To read the full article, click here |
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| Recent images from Juvenile Hall community outreach program |
New Gardening Program
A second Catalyst for Youth program that began this April will focus on gardening with youth inside the compound of buildings that comprise the prison. Gardening alone has been shown to have a multitude of therapeutic benefits. This twice a week activity will also provide a forum for Catalyst mentors and young people to interact in a positive way while learning new skills. Volunteer gardener, landscape architect and artist Erik Plato, pictured below, will lead the new program. |
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Heart of Chaos has received 25 Sabercat tickets for April 6th game with Colorado
Crush at the HP Pavilion. If you would like to swoop up a couple tickets for free please contact Joanne Hobbs. First come, first serve. |
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Invite us to be your friend on myspace! Get updates on exhibits and calls for artists. |
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RE:USE Juried Art Exhibit
GREEN EARTH FRIENDLY ARTS AND CRAFTS
Artwork and Photography created and poetry written for the Re:Use juried competition and the general sustainability theme must be created with materials that have been previously used and probably for an unrelated purpose or recycled materials. You can also create art with natural or earth friendly materials expressing ecological and sustainability themes.
To Enter: Deliver artwork to Brooks College Sunnyvale (canvases don't need to be framed) and/or poetry (framed and illustrated poetry optional) on Saturday April 28th between 9 am 4 pm or May 1st (Tuesday) between 9-12 and 1-7pm. Contact Joanne Hobbs if you need to make alternate arrangements to deliver your artwork (408.269.3356) Fasten labels on back and complete entry form.
Deliver Work to: Brooks College Sunnyvale 1120 Kifer Rd. Sunnyvale, CA 94086
(408) 269-3356
Entry Fees: $5.00 for emerging artist/poet for up to three entries. $15 for established artist for up to 3 entries
(You decide if you are established or emerging) Make checks out to Catalyst for Youth. Cash also accepted
when work is delivered. Please ask HOC representative for a cash receipt.
For Info: Call Joanne at (408) 269-3356 or email Alicia Rice at arice@scu.edu or joanne@catalystforyouth.org
Download entry form and complete guidelines here. |
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UK based Julian Beever has made pavement drawings for over ten
years including many self portraits |
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First Annual Chalk Art Festival in San Jose
Sign Up to Participate in the First Annual Chalk Art Festival in San Jose.
Heart of Chaos (HOC) will put on three chalk festivals at three different locations in San Jose. The first event will be on Saturday June 30th. . The park will be selected according to recommendations by the city and neighborhood associations and by its sidewalk access. The chalk art festival will bring an explosion of color, vitality and a sense of community to the park as HOC artists demonstrate the many varieties of chalk art and invite the children and adults in the neighborhood to create their own art using chalk provided by Heart of Chaos.
Visual artists will work individually on designated sections of the park ¹s sidewalk. In between every artist will be several open sections of concrete with trays of colorful chalk intended for anyone who visits the park on that afternoon and wants to create their own fanciful chalk art painting. Picture adults, youth and children working side by side inspiring and encouraging each other. Picture families creating a collaborative art work.
If you want to participate please send your contact details and examples of your work to Anabella at apinon@gmail.com. |
Have you registered for the Heart of Chaos:: Virtual Exhibit yet?
Our online artist community is growing every day. Have you checked it out yet? You can post image, document, music and movie files for access from our website.
The Heart of Chaos Virtual Exhibit was created to showcase artists and provide a portal for artists to sell their work. Create a FREE profile by visiting http://www.heartofchaos.net/artup.
For details on creating a profile and posting your work, click here.
We will be choosing future featured artists from the Virtual Exhibit to spotlight in upcoming issues of this newsletter, We look forward to seeing your work! |
Heart of Chaos Phantom Gallery?
We would like to find out how many artists would be interested in participating in a Phantom Gallery.
The Phantom Gallery is comprised of temporary art exhibits in vacant downtown San Jose stores. The exhibits draw attention to the available retail space while giving the artist(s) visibility.If you would be interested in participating, please email Joanne. |
Check out more calls for artists on our website!
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Celebrate the Creation of Art from Junk, Recyclables and Natural Materials!
Join us for the opening reception of a unique art exhibit called RE:USE on May 4th from 4pm to 9pm at Brooks College Sunnyvale (1120 Kifer Rd. Sunnyvale, CA 94086). Artwork in the juried portion of the show will reward artists for their creativity and choice of materials. Artwork in the non juried section will feature work that revolves around sustainability and ecological issues. We will also have recycle bins available so bring any products that need to be recycled including those difficult items like oil and paint.
Join us for food, live painting, earth friendly crafts for sale, entertainment and of course great art!
Contact curator Alicia Rice for more information or to participate as an artist or vendor. arice@scu.edu
A big thank you to Darlene Garcia for designing the RE:USE promotional materials!
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Summer Exhibit:
Animals and Artists
A celebration of the human-animal bond. Guidelines and Saturday opening reception in August will be posted on our website soon. |
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Donate to Catalyst for Youth, the non profit public charity and educational 501 c 3 that funds Heart of Chaos |
Support Heart of Chaos with Goodsearch, just type Catalyst for Youth in San Jose into the charity you support section and start searching. It's easy and FREE! |
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| Get your Heart of Chaos apparel! A $5 donation will be made to Heart of Chaos for every item purchased. There are tons of items to choose from and something for everyone. Go Shopping! |
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We always welcome new volunteers and are in need of as much help as we can get! Below are some volunteer opportunities, if you are interested in volunteering with Heart of Chaos, please email Joanne Hobbs.
Graphic Designers and Editors needed for collaboration on
Heart of Chaos Zines
File Maker Pro Data Entry Volunteer Needed
Heart of Chaos needs a data base of its artists created in a Mac platform File Maker Pro. We can provide the software if you can do the time.
First Annual Chalk Art Festival - Artists and Volunteers needed
• 10-15 live HOC artists to create chalk art (can work alone or in collaboration) stipends paid
• 2 people to run the clay arts and craft table for children
• Festive family appropriate music/entertainment
• 2 people to run the food and drink table |
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| In San Jose you can find plenty of art exhibits to fuel your creativity. Here is a listing of some must see exhibits. If you will be exhibiting locally and would like to have us mention your show, please email us. |
South FIRST FRIDAYS
An eclectic evening of Arts & Culture in downtown
San Jose's SoFA district every First Friday of the month
KALEID gallery
88 South Fourth Street
Downtown San Jose
Gallery Hours
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T-F Noon-7pm
Saturday Noon-5pm
MACLA
Domestic Alchemy:
featuring new work by Alejandra Chaverri, Caleb Duarte,
Cristina Velazquez and Nora Raggio
Exhibition: February 2-April 7, 2007
Black and Brown - buy,sell,trade (fashion & art)
Black and Brown is a Used, Vintage, Consignment
Store and showcases monthly art shows
1225 San Carlos Street
San Jose, CA 95106
(408) 298-1970
April - paintings & mixed media by San Jose artists
Francis Marin & Kim Chritman
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The Overpass Gallery
859 West Hedding
San Jose, CA 95126
for more info email Al at apreciado@bcp.org
The Overpass Gallery named after the nearby Hedding Street overpass. It began
in March 2006 to promote local artists.
The gallery mission was to simply showcase visual art, poetry and collaborative music without the agenda of selling or money being part of the process. The artists were the cause of their own being helping to facilitate press, installations , receptions and all the other requirements of putting together a show.
Upcoming Overpass Gallery Shows:
April 21, 3pm-midnite
artist - John Kurtyka, Francesca Lovecchio and Tim Cottengim.
A group painting exhibition exploring the human condition.
Poetry and Drum Circle 8pm
May 19th, 3pm - midnite
Al Preciado/ Retrospectivepainting, sculpture, drawings and mixed media
Open Mike and Drum Circle 8pm
The May show will be the last show at the Overpass gallery. |
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