Set painter, cartoonist, actor and assistant director at the Stable Theatre (2009-2012), Bamberg, Germany.
Currently operate slate, camera, teleprompter and switcher for video projects at Scottsdale Community College, in Arizona (USA).
I interrupt a long-term hiatus to help raise awareness towards the new Copyright Laws that might come into effect starting next week unless we join efforts to stop it.
A friend and fellow artist, Will Terry, has joined forces with Brad Holland to help us understand what this Copyright Law is all about, here is their message:
“Orphan Works in a Nutshell:
- Congress is drafting a new US Copyright Act. If passed, it would replace current US Copyright law. There isn’t any bill yet, but the Copyright Office has issued its recommendations for one. Their Report is 234 pages long and is very complicated, so it’s risky to try reducing it to a few words. But here’s a summary of its basic features:
It would void your Constitutional right to the EXCLUSIVE CONTROL of YOUR work.
It would effectively reverse the default premise of copyright law; which means…
It would make the public’s right to use your work its defining goal; which means…
You would have to make your work available to the public.
You would have to do this by registering every picture you want to retain the rights to with for-profit registries.
Unregistered work would be considered legally “orphaned.”
Orphaned work would be available for commercial infringement by “good faith” infringers.
Good faith infringers would be anyone who believed they had made a “reasonably diligent,” but unsuccessful effort to find you.
Infringers could also ALTER your work and copyright the “derivative works” in their own names.
This would affect all visual art: drawings, paintings, sketches, photos, etc.; past, present and future; published and unpublished; domestic and foreign.
It would include family snapshots and any picture or work you ever put on the Internet.
The Copyright Office acknowledges that this would pose special “challenges” for visual artists…
But they conclude that it’s in the public interest for your work to be available for anyone to use.
The Copyright Office has also recommended the following:
Mass Digitization of the world’s intellectual property by corporate interests.
Extended Collective Licensing, a form of socialized corporate licensing that would replace voluntary agreements between artists and clients.
A Copyright Small Claims Court to handle the expected flood of orphan works lawsuits.
—> The deadline is This Thursday, July 23, 2015″ <—
– WHAT CAN WE DO? –
Write a letter —>HERE <— Let them know why this isn’t a good idea!
More fun lettering on the Hefty Hideaway! Fonts are my favorite. I helped design and paint the whole Hefty Hideaway storefront, but the other kooky buildings were done by different artists. They were rolled along on wheels and tucked tightly backstage where it was only four feet wide behind the wings. Still not sure how we pulled that off. (Photo courtesy of Julie Swenson Photography)
Some little snippets of the teen pageant scoreboard on the left, and the giant Ultra Clutch spray can on the right, both of which were built by our awesome volunteer set builders, and I did the lettering on. The Ultra Clutch font is especially fun! (Photo courtesy of Julie Swenson Photography)
A large styrofoam gravestone for the family Von Trapp to hide behind while they escape the Nazis. Working in styrofoam is fun! I “weathered” the stone with a crowbar and used plain old latex house paint, as we do on most of our canvases at the Stable Theatre.
My design for the pink candy boat from Willy Wonka. Painted by another volunteer artist, whose name escapes me, ATM. Yes, as you suspect, it is a big sheet of plywood, just use your imaginations, people!
Of all the sets I loved painting, my fave is the Kit Kat Klub, and in all the hubbub, we never got a proper picture of it. I love my kitty-cat logo on the sides, which would have gone great on some cocktail napkins or sconces if we’d had more time.
A faux wrought-iron gate for Willy Wonka, which I painted on canvas. It was then painstakingly cut out and mounted on black hanging mesh, under the direction of Jack Austin, so the gates would appear to glide open as we meet Wonka for the first time. A lot of work for one sweet shot, but worth it! :)
I got to be the Jailhouse Matron in Hairspray. If you can’t get a big role, get a memorable role, I say. Third image: “Hunnny, just drop the soap in BIG DOLL HOUSE!” That song was so swank! (Photo courtesy of Julie Swenson Photography)
