What I Love

When Ken Scherer  sent me his improvisation song “Love”, with trumpetist Saskia Laroo, he knew that would inspire me. After weeks of listening to this beautiful piece and letting it brew and ferment, it just popped during my sleep.Here’s the result:  http://www.vimeo.com/7855051 . Listen/Buy Koen’s music at :: http://www.myspace.com/koenschererdrijfveren I decided to use Marc Chagalls’ themes and paintings. Thought it would be a great complement to Koen’s music. I hope you enjoy it. Check Saskia Laroo at  :: http://www.saskialaroo.nl ~~~ About Marc Chagall (1887-1985); Chagall was a Russian painter of the 20th Century and one of the best known representatives of the Russian Avant-Garde in the West. Chagall painted in a style all his own, combining elements of Expressionism, Symbolism, Cubism and, to a lesser degree, other Modernist art movements. A prolific and multi-faceted artist, Chagall left behind him thousands of works in many different techniques and media that have established him as one of the foremost artists of the 20th Century. Marc Chagall, whose real name is Moishe Shagal, grew up as the eldest of 9 children in a happy but impoverished Jewish family, where his father was a herring merchant. He moved to St. Petersburg and joined the school of the Society of Art Supporters. Eventually he met his future wife, Bella Rosenfeld, in his home town in 1909. Chagall and his wife settled in Paris in order to be close to the art community. In 1944 Chagall’s wife passed away from an illness – she was a constant subject of his art. Chagall took Virginia Haggard as a lover and had a son – he came out of his depression, and rediscovered bright fun colors and his works are filled with the joy of life. He also started working with ceramics, stained glass, and sculpture. Chagall remarried in 1952 to Valentina Brodsky, traveled to Greece, and created stained glass windows for the synagogue of the Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem in 1960. Marc Chagall passed away at the age of 97, in Saint-Paul de Vence, France. ~~~ Leo Pix In Motion Leo Bar Creative Imagining

A Quick Update – New Project

I’m beginning to work on a project that includes paintings of Marc Chagall combined with music improvised by Koen Scherer (a pianist friend and collaborator) and Saskia Laroo (professional trumpet player and great lady musician), both from Holland. The music is called “Love” and was done in one sitting while both improvised…… I was given the honor to do something creative with this little jewel. Stay tuned… Leo

Wine Country – Napa & Sonoma

Napa and Sonoma counties in California are known as Wine Country in the U.S. Having been recognized as world-class producers of high quality wines, the area is also known for great food, beautiful views, care for the environment and pastoral settings. Its Spanish roots and architecture can still be seen everywhere one travels. See the video at: http://www.vimeo.com/7730214 ~ Produced in collaboration with Teraluma Pictures ~ Felipe Rojas ~ This video-montage includes: ~ Photographs by: F Rojas & L Bar ~ Video by: Teraluma Pictures :: teraluma.com ~ Art by: Ronald Pratt :: ronaldpratt.com , Paul Ranson (1864 – 1909) ~ Aerial images by: http://Flickr.com/photos/Lyng833′s ~ Music: “Song from a secret garden” by Secret Garden We worked hard and (we believe) smart to craft this piece over a period of 3-4 weeks. From the inception we knew we had some challenges, such as, to appear like a commercial for a winery, or worse yet, to look like a travelogue clip. Great effort was invested to make a high-quality representation with the flavors, pace and pastoral mood of the Napa and Sonoma regions. We were told by early reviewers that we had achieved this feeling, and we’re glad for that. Enjoy, Pix In Motion Leo Bar Creative Imagining

Tango Complicado

With excelent photography of my good internet friends Cris Fer and Marcelo Romeo Photography, from Buenos Aires, I started developing this montage. The music, Epoca by Gotan Project, was so special that it lent itself for a lot of interpretation and historical retrospective.  So I went for it, and included chapters of a tragic war (that shouldn’t have ocurred), a deflation and financial disaster (that was waiting to happen) and a few other chaotic events in the past of Argentinians. Together with some local flavor images and sensual poses, this piece has a lot of moving pieces which I tried to tie into a cohesive story. The song addresses (vaguely) to events in the past, so I felt free to give it my own interpretation. Besides this, I liked the beat, tempo and flow of the music, which guided me with some striking images to put together a different type of tango, than what I did in the past. I Included also some mattes and treatments to the dance sequences to surround it in as if in another era (and mystery). See the video at: http://www.vimeo.com/7624403 Hope you enjoy it… Pix In Motion Leo Bar

The Sacred Valley – Peru

The Sacred Valley of the Incas or Urubamba Valley is located below the Andes of Peru, close to the Inca capital of Cusco and below the ancient sacred city of Machu Picchu.The valley is generally understood to include everything between Písac and Ollantaytambo, parallel to the Urubamba River, or Vilcanota River or Wilcamayu, as this Sacred river is called when passing through the valley. It is fed by numerous rivers which descend through adjoining valleys and gorges, and contains numerous archaeological remains and villages. The valley was appreciated by the Incas due to its special geographical and climatic qualities. It was one of the empire’s main points for the extraction of natural wealth, and the best place for maize production in Peru. Watch the video at ===> http://www.vimeo.com/7460757 I was inspired to create this montage when I saw the people of this land and valley many years ago. It took a long time to put these memories to images. What is more powerful in my mind’s eye is not just the scenery but the beatiful people and their humble demeanor. They are the descendants of the proud Incas, a civilization that discovered star gazing, calendars, unique building methods, innovations in agriculture, irrigation, aquaculture, mining, smelting of metals, and beautiful colors/art. Unfortunately they decayed into poverty and descended as a civilization due to plague, brute force, war and dominance by the spanish conquistadors who together with the roman catholic/spanish church were in search of gold, riches, slaves and converts at all costs.  If anything, I had to shorten this piece, because there was so much to say and so little space/time. Used in this production: Aerial shots and rotations, photos from colleagues and friends, public domain, art and antiquities. Enjoy, and let me know what you really think… Leo Bar Pix In Motion – Creative Imagining