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| Jerry Wennstrom | | Biography: "In the Hands of Alchemy is a delightful film, an alchemical mixture in itself of inspiration, spirituality, art and the story of a remarkable human being." - David Spangler, author, Blessings; Parent as Mystic, Mystic as Parent and Everyday Miracles: The Inner Art of Manifestation
Announcing
Jerry Wennstrom's
Upcoming Parabola Video
About the film:
In the Hands of Alchemy:
The Art and Life of Jerry Wennstrom
In the Hands of Alchemy is a portrait of artist Jerry Wennstrom whose work and life have become one -- a spontaneous exercise in joy and inspiration for all who aspire to make art out of life.
By the 1970s, Jerry had acquired a loft space in Nyack, New York and was leading the life of a successful artist, frequently delving into the dark side with his work. However he eventually "painted himself out of painting." Unattached to his creations, he decided after a lengthy fast that the ultimate leap was to destroy all his work. "It was a powerful, holy experience that left me shaken and empty, but exhilarated," says Jerry.
He walked out of his loft and for the next ten years lived with nothing, trusting God to take care of him. His journey eventually led him to Whidbey Island in Washington where he met and married teacher/singer Marilyn Strong. Here he birthed a new art from his unconditional soul.
"Jerry Wennstrom is an ordinary man who has made the extraordinary choice to live, work and be in relationship in a state of surrender to the will of divine energy. This choice affects everyone he comes in contact with. In the Hands of Alchemy is a documentary of this choice and its effect." (Written for Parabola's "Cinema of the Spirit" festival, New York City, October 2000. The film was selected by a committee chaired by director Martin Scorsese.).
The film by Phil Lucas and photographer Mark Sadan features friends and colleagues as well as the monks of the Depung-Losleling Tibetan Monastery. Interviewed are artist Deborah Koff-Chapin, poet David Whyte, Christina Baldwin, Erica Moseley, and Nanda Milton.
Appended to the half-hour In the Hands of Alchemy video is a film from 1979. Titled The Works of Jerry Wennstrom, this 20-minute documentary by Deborah Koff-Chapin <http://www.touchdrawing.com> and Mark Sadan shows a partial record of the enormous body of work later destroyed during Jerry's process of letting go. One day, the film crew arrived to find that Jerry had destroyed his art (not by burning, as many assume).
"The f... to see complete biography, click on artists name Country: USA Birthyear: 1/13/50 Media: sculpture Subjects: other |
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