Poet T.R. Woodruff
© Copyright, T.R. Woodruff, 2010.
Reproduced with permission to: Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises, from T.R. Woodruff
Goddess
I had never touched a woman
with an immortal beauty, & while
what I know of goddesses
wouldn’t satisfy the curiosity of scholars,
something in me summoned up
the archetypal figure in my head
of Aphrodite.
With your long hair, exposed
breasts silhouetted & I watched you enter
moonlit waters, that pale reflection
distorted in the rippling pond,
your flesh an eternal glow.
I asked you if you were real, your stare
declaring war against my body,
while untruths filled your eyes like inky pools,
swirling with obscurity, your lips
whispering promises to the darkness, perhaps
even to me.
Come! you said when first you took me
into the glistening midnight pond, rippling
rings spread outward. You in its middle,
standing nude, waist deep.
Softness, your tender skin
cleansed with an earlier rain, gentle—
—locks of hair
caressed the midsummer wind,
like a child’s giggle somewhere off in the distance.
Grey mist twisted from the surface of the water
I was afraid of you, afraid
of your embrace. That I the liar & you the thief,
would lead us into trickery, into deceit
I knew my flesh betrayed me
to you in that moment
your pale radiance the prison.
I surrendered to you,
your sexual shape, my sexual lust, & the writhing creature
our bodies twisted into, yours equally strong—
the proof of passion,
small scratches on my skin.
Goddess! I said out loud
to the hooting owl & trickling fish,
I had to read your lips above the crickets, whining—
My tongue swollen in my mouth
kissed midnight dew drops from your skin.
In the water, as we embraced
in the wavering reflection of the moon,
you kissed me hard & with a smile
said, You are a surprising lover!
I awoke in the moist earth, stuck against
a stone & mud soaked stalks.
My feet touched the pond.
You, the goddess I loved hard, gone & I tried
to shake the image of your nakedness
from my mind,
but my body collapsed into the soil,
slurping muck, my own nakedness
my lust & lost underthings.
Whether we loved under the moon
or only I imagined you on your pedestal
that night, there’s no telling.
But something made me wonder,
that you touched me before I got there. Let me to believe
you were with me all along.
About the Author: T.R. Woodruff lives in the Midwestern grasslands of Missouri. In the spring of 2010, he left behind more than fourteen years of corporate America to pursue his passion for words. He is wrapping up his MFA from Lindenwood University, holds his MBA from Webster University, and plans to pursue his PhD in 2011.
© Copyright, 2010 Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises
As seen in the October Issue of Main Street Magazine.
Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises
To find out how to receive your free copy of MSM check out
www.mainstreetmagazine.net
Budget Travel
Off Season Travel
By Mark Kahler
During an enjoyable and unhurried visit to Venice, my budget travel curiosity prompted a question for the desk clerk. I asked him what our room would cost in July.
His response came in two parts: The first was "if it's available" and the second was a quote of about $110 USD.
Notice "part one" of the answer. Smaller budget hotels that build loyal clientele often have their rooms booked months or even years ahead. This little budget gem might not even be an option for the July budget traveler.
Now to part two: although $110 is a reasonable rate, it was about 40 percent more than I was paying in March. It's the same room, with the same complimentary breakfast and the same short walk to St. Mark's.
Many European hotels have a "menu" of prices almost as extensive as the restaurants down the street. November rates are low, December can rise one week, sink the next, with January lower still.
One drawback to this strategy is that some European inns close during the off-season, content to remodel and retool for the next tourist onslaught. So off-season travelers need to do even more homework than most. That great deal in the guidebooks might come with fine print that says "closed" on your intended travel dates.
Dark and Cold
The weather can be a big problem. It's not much fun admiring the architectural beauty of Rome when a biting wind is in your face. Be sure to dress in thin layers that can be peeled off as the weather warms during the day.
Burning sun can be a turn-off, too. That's something to think about if you're bound for Italy. Personally, a cool day with occasional showers is fine for sightseeing. A day with overwhelming heat and humidity is much less enjoyable.
Bonus
I'm told Venice is a crowded place in summer. Every other person you see has a camera and a bag of souvenirs in hand. The natives love it because they can sell lots of high-priced film and kitsch.
These are things I have read about. Remember, I went in the off-season.
I got to meet restaurant owners and shopkeepers. They were relaxed enough to talk to me and answer my wide-eyed questions about their beautiful city. A few were able to share money-saving tips.
This could happen on a crowded, hot summer day, too. But the odds are much more in your favour from November through March.
Low prices, smaller crowds, and better opportunities to meet the natives. Who says it's "off" season, anyway?
© Copyright, 2010 Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises
As seen in the October Issue of Main Street Magazine.
Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises
To find out how to receive your free copy of MSM check out
www.mainstreetmagazine.net
By Mark Kahler
During an enjoyable and unhurried visit to Venice, my budget travel curiosity prompted a question for the desk clerk. I asked him what our room would cost in July.
His response came in two parts: The first was "if it's available" and the second was a quote of about $110 USD.
Notice "part one" of the answer. Smaller budget hotels that build loyal clientele often have their rooms booked months or even years ahead. This little budget gem might not even be an option for the July budget traveler.
Now to part two: although $110 is a reasonable rate, it was about 40 percent more than I was paying in March. It's the same room, with the same complimentary breakfast and the same short walk to St. Mark's.
Many European hotels have a "menu" of prices almost as extensive as the restaurants down the street. November rates are low, December can rise one week, sink the next, with January lower still.
One drawback to this strategy is that some European inns close during the off-season, content to remodel and retool for the next tourist onslaught. So off-season travelers need to do even more homework than most. That great deal in the guidebooks might come with fine print that says "closed" on your intended travel dates.
Dark and Cold
The weather can be a big problem. It's not much fun admiring the architectural beauty of Rome when a biting wind is in your face. Be sure to dress in thin layers that can be peeled off as the weather warms during the day.
Burning sun can be a turn-off, too. That's something to think about if you're bound for Italy. Personally, a cool day with occasional showers is fine for sightseeing. A day with overwhelming heat and humidity is much less enjoyable.
Bonus
I'm told Venice is a crowded place in summer. Every other person you see has a camera and a bag of souvenirs in hand. The natives love it because they can sell lots of high-priced film and kitsch.
These are things I have read about. Remember, I went in the off-season.
I got to meet restaurant owners and shopkeepers. They were relaxed enough to talk to me and answer my wide-eyed questions about their beautiful city. A few were able to share money-saving tips.
This could happen on a crowded, hot summer day, too. But the odds are much more in your favour from November through March.
Low prices, smaller crowds, and better opportunities to meet the natives. Who says it's "off" season, anyway?
© Copyright, 2010 Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises
As seen in the October Issue of Main Street Magazine.
Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises
To find out how to receive your free copy of MSM check out
www.mainstreetmagazine.net
ART in ACTION: Interview with Nick Rose
|For the complete interview including photos and art work download a pdf copy of MSM on the website. |Copyright Main Street Magazine, October 2010 issue. ISSN:1920-4299, Printed and published in Canada. For your FREE copy of MSM go to www.mainstreetmagazine.net
Nick Rose is a traditional illustrator who is renowned for his of pictorial storytelling, and influence he acquired by studying the work and teachings of Howard Pyle, the father of American illustrations as taught to him by Master Daniel Horne.
Not only has he trained under a Master, he also trained under Todd Lockwood, one of the all time greats in the fantasy field. Though the years Mr. Rose has done 100’s of book and magazine covers as well as interior illustrations. He also has an impressive list of commercial clients, including Sea World, the Carolina Panthers, the Williamsburg VA civil war museum, and Quay Publishing in London England to name a very few.
Some of the more notable publishers he has worked for are Dragon Magazine, Evil Nerd Empire, Hero Games Inc, 100 Kingdom games, Whiskey Creek Press (The Torrid Romance division, yes, he even did erotic romance covers) and many, many more.
Main Street Magazine had the opportunity to interview “Nick”, and we are happy to have him in our first “ART IN ACTION” article! We know too that as you read his story, walk in his shoes and get to the man, the artist and the vision of “Nick Rose”- that you too will love him as much as we do!
“I was born with the name William “Nick” Johns”, Nick told MSM, “but after becoming a professional artist, I decided to go by a name I had used in my days of doing fandom art, Nick Rose. I always have had a love for roses, and I felt like my life was a lot like a rose. After a long time I bloomed into something beautiful, but still would draw blood if you were not careful. That’s one reason I named my blog “Every Rose has its Thorn” like the song by Poison. If you’re interested in reading it, you can find it at http://nickroseart.blogspot.com/
I talk about my life as an artist, the work I do, and share the lessons I was taught by 2 of the greatest artist in the world, Master Daniel Horne and Fantasy legend Todd Lockwood. Like myself, I realize that there are a lot of talented artist out there that never got the chance to go to an expensive art school and learn the things that “famous artist” learn, but mostly don’t want to share. I understand why a good percentage of artist don’t want to share the knowledge, (They don’t want any more competition than they already have) but in my eyes, I feel that the knowledge should be shared with anyone who seeks it”. Daniel reached out and offered to help me after we had known each other for several years. He is truly one of the all time greats, and a wonderful man. His paintings, sculptures and Monster masks are amazing, and he does do some on line classes as well. The lessons he taught me where handed down by the very first American Master, Howard Pyle. So there is a lot of pride and history there. One day I hope to do a book or a long article on the linage of how the knowledge was passed from one student to the next. I know the Master that trained Daniel is named Ken Lagger.
Daniel introduced me to Todd Lockwood to learn the basic rules of drawing and painting. Todd is an awesome man and artist, but he explained to me he didn’t have time to blow smoke up my butt, and if I wanted to learn, he didn’t have time to waste so I did everything he told me to do. It was like going to boot camp, I love Todd to death, but he didn’t cut me any slack. At one point he told me I had no business painting, because I didn’t even understand how to draw. I’m not ashamed to admit it, he had me in tears. Up to that point I had been working in small press and had at least 80 illustrations under my belt, 20 of those being covers, and at the time I could not understand why he would say such things to me, but now 4 years later, I understand why, and in his shoe’s would have done the same thing. One thing is for sure, without the help of these two wonderful men, my career would have been very different.
A self taught artist does not know those basic’s, you can read about them, but until someone actually takes the time to go over them with you with examples, questions and answers you really don’t “get it”, or at least I didn’t and most of my friends that I came up through the ranks with didn’t either. It’s like when I was a kid and I wanted to learn Kung Fu, and I bought some book full of pictures on how to do it. I studied it and I thought I knew what I was doing, until I got out of the Army and studied Martial Arts for several years. The real thing, and I what I thought I had learned from the book where two very different things. So this is why outside of doing my own art and projects that passing this knowledge on is something that is very close to the chest with me. I want to equal the playing field, and give everyone the same chance I was given. If Daniel and Todd hadn’t helped me, I would be someone that only a few people have heard of. I am also putting all this information into several books and DVD’ that should be available around 2014, and we are going to sell them very cheap compared to the 100 grand you would spend at an art school. I’m thinking just enough to cover the cost, plus a few dollars for the work put into it, and of course the money we donate to children’s charities. That is something very important to Madison and I.
MSM: Your artwork is considered by most as being on the dark side. How do you describe it?
What some see as dark and scary, I see as beautiful, mysterious and consider to be part of who I am. I often tell the young folks that I was “Goth” before people had a name for it. I am not a person of evil, a devil worshiper or any such thing. I just see the world in a dark light, and I consider that a gift. You can’t have the light without the darkness. Most the images I paint are a reflection of how I see some of the real life monsters that have always found there way to me ever since I was a child, or the ones I see on the news, and pass by on the street. The painting of the ghost girl (Spooky) to me is a sad painting. A poor little girl’s spirit left behind for whatever reason, just wanting someone to spend time with, but people run in terror from her because she is different and misunderstood. Like all things the majority of the human race doesn’t understand, they either kill, or experiment on. I have dreamed about her on several occasions and often wonder if she is real.
Over half of the work I do comes from my dreams, and a good bit comes from writers who I am hired to illustrate a cover for, but things have changed now. If I do work with a publisher or writer, it really has to be something that gets me excited and I feel like was made for me. I have reached the point to where I can pick and choose the work I do, and the really dark work is yet to come. One of the projects I am publishing myself is going to be called “The Book of Rose” It is a story told, with countless drawings and paintings by me, and it will be very dark. The faint of heart will have nightmares from it. But that is all I can say for now. Perhaps when I get it completed and published, I will tell more then, but honestly, I have a few people out there that like to steal my ideal’s, and this one no one is going to have a clue about until it is out and everything is trademarked and copyrighted. I am creating a role playing game based on it as well and there will be many volumes of “The Book of Rose” to come. This is one of those projects that will keep on as long as I am alive, perhaps even longer.
To me the darkness is like a blanket. In it, I feel protected and free from harm. When I am hurt, it is where I go to heal. I remember when I was a young teenager; my stepfather would get drunk and beat either my mom or me. I still have the scars under my neck from where he threw a glass at me and it shattered in my neck. My mom wouldn’t take me to the hospital, because she was afraid of what he would do. Instead, she picked most all the glass out of my neck with a pair of tweezers. I was lucky that it didn’t hit a main vein, after that I ran into the woods to a place only I knew about and hide in the darkness. The moon was out, and I could feel something around me giving me comfort as I shook with terror from what the monster had done to me. I didn’t come out of the woods the next day until he had left for work. That was the first time I can remember not being afraid of the dark, and felt safe in it. That is why my tag line is “May the Darkness Comfort You”
How did you come up with the name "Wicked Kitty Studio?"
Well, the truth is, it just kind of happened. I’ve always loved cats, and anything to do with them, including cartoons. Shortly after I moved in with Madison, she got a cat for her daughter and named it Misty. We had no ideal how old Misty was, because the family we got her from had found her a few years earlier in a church parking lot. At that point she was already full grown. But the couple who had found her told us that she didn’t “Play” well with other cats and hada lot of “wild” left in her. They finally had to get rid of her, since they had several cats and Misty didn’t want to share the food with the other cats.
She was declawed, so she could not scratch us, but she had one mean bite. I had also noticed that she seem very sensitive in the back half of her body, so I am guessing that she was hurt at some point and was never given the medical attention she needed.
Misty took up to me like I was her long lost owner, but she would play rough with Madison and the kids, so as a joke I started calling her “Wicked Kitty” and one night when everyone else was in bed, I got a wild hair and did a sketch of a cartoon like cat with an eye-patch, scars and so on. A few weeks later I did a quick painting based on the sketch, and I added the words Wicked Kitty Studio, and the Studio was born. It was about this time that Madison started forking out a ton of money for some very expensive equipment for me to use, and as the year went by, she had invested a lot into my career and gave me the chance I never had before. So Wicked Kitty Studio became a publishing company as well. Once we knew that we where going to be married and spend our lives together, I made her the owner of the company, so everything we build will be protected. By the time people are reading this, it will be Wicked Kitty Enterprises LLC.
One last thing, please check out my website at http://www.wickedkittystudio.com we do have prints for sale at very reasonable prices, and please check out the link page as well. You can visit the websites of the models I use, my artist friends, and other great things.Many blessings and Much Love. “May the Darkness comfort you”
~Nick Rose~
That's The Spirit
Well summer has passed and fall is into its full glory. Sunny days, cool nights and natures paintbrush have coloured the landscape. Sundays are full of football and the frost has hit the ground; my favourite time of year. Here are some of my favourite fall libations.
I always enjoy a wee glass of scotch by the fire on these cooler nights. I have been sampling a few new ones. My recent discovery is the one for me this fall – Longrow 10 year old. Longrow is a hard to find single malt from the Campbeltown region. Some suggest it has reached cult status. Longrow is double distilled from heavily peated malt. The whisky itself is restrained but full of flavor. It is antique gold in colour and delivers a full nose of toffee, salt and notes of peat. I love it s robust full body with its sweet palate of peaches and a hint of smoke. It has a pleasing long finish highlighted by its smoky, peachy palate. I enjoy it neat paired with a robust Cuban cigar. Try the Cohiba Siglo VI.
After a hearty stick to your ribs meal I like to enjoy a snifter of brandy. My recent favourite is a domestic pear brandy by Essential Spirits. As I look out at our small orchard and see our pear trees this brandy seems only appropriate. It has a delicate pear, cream, anise cookie, and mineral aroma. Its palate is clean with a balanced texture and long honeyed pear finish. A great dry fruity character with allspice and pink peppercorn accents. Very serious stuff and very enjoyable as a digestive.
In the fall we tend to eat a lot of breads and cheeses. We refer to them as nibbles when we have guests. Our cheese and bread selection is usually very artesian in nature and obviously very unique. This is when I like to roll out a full bodied deliciously deep red wine. This fall I will be serving up 2003 Due Torri Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico. This wine is produced from a blend of corvina, rondinella and molinara that has been dessicated on specially ventilated drying racks. The result is a full-bodied red with generous, plummy, dried fruit and chocolate notes. My note: A gorgeous, full-bodied to the max wine. Notes of deep black cherry liqueur. Food matches: aged cheeses, braised venison, bison steaks.
Many a folk will be raising a stein to celebrate Octoberfest. When thinking about this German celebration we must stay true to its origin. I like Spaten Oktoberfest. It can be described as golden to amber in colour. The aroma is fruity, caramel with a slight pungy rye hint. It is light and semi sweet in flavour and very satisfying. I like how it is malty with a very nice finish. Don’t forget to serve it in a traditional German stein. You may want to forgo the lederhosen unless you are throwing a full on Oktoberfest bash! Ein prosit!
It is apple season and what better way to finish the evening off than with a unique beer. Nickle Brook Brewery offers up a special little treat. They have brewed a Green Apple Pilsner that gets high marks. It is not an every day beer for me but at the end of the night it is a pleasure. It is amber in colour and has a very white head when properly poured. The aroma is of green apples – just what we would expect! There is a touch of sourness to the aroma and a thick rich creamy mouth feel. The overwhelming taste is of green apples with a slight sugary note. The finish continues to be sweet with a cider like taste while the aftertaste continues to deliver green apple flavours and a light hop tingle. If you are so inclined try serving it with a cheese sampler. Your guests WILL be impressed!
As always enjoy responsibly and
share amongst good friends.
Clare Jackson
© Copyright, 2010 Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises
As seen in the October Issue of Main Street Magazine.
Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises
To find out how to receive your free copy of MSM check out
www.mainstreetmagazine.net
I always enjoy a wee glass of scotch by the fire on these cooler nights. I have been sampling a few new ones. My recent discovery is the one for me this fall – Longrow 10 year old. Longrow is a hard to find single malt from the Campbeltown region. Some suggest it has reached cult status. Longrow is double distilled from heavily peated malt. The whisky itself is restrained but full of flavor. It is antique gold in colour and delivers a full nose of toffee, salt and notes of peat. I love it s robust full body with its sweet palate of peaches and a hint of smoke. It has a pleasing long finish highlighted by its smoky, peachy palate. I enjoy it neat paired with a robust Cuban cigar. Try the Cohiba Siglo VI.
After a hearty stick to your ribs meal I like to enjoy a snifter of brandy. My recent favourite is a domestic pear brandy by Essential Spirits. As I look out at our small orchard and see our pear trees this brandy seems only appropriate. It has a delicate pear, cream, anise cookie, and mineral aroma. Its palate is clean with a balanced texture and long honeyed pear finish. A great dry fruity character with allspice and pink peppercorn accents. Very serious stuff and very enjoyable as a digestive.
In the fall we tend to eat a lot of breads and cheeses. We refer to them as nibbles when we have guests. Our cheese and bread selection is usually very artesian in nature and obviously very unique. This is when I like to roll out a full bodied deliciously deep red wine. This fall I will be serving up 2003 Due Torri Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico. This wine is produced from a blend of corvina, rondinella and molinara that has been dessicated on specially ventilated drying racks. The result is a full-bodied red with generous, plummy, dried fruit and chocolate notes. My note: A gorgeous, full-bodied to the max wine. Notes of deep black cherry liqueur. Food matches: aged cheeses, braised venison, bison steaks.
Many a folk will be raising a stein to celebrate Octoberfest. When thinking about this German celebration we must stay true to its origin. I like Spaten Oktoberfest. It can be described as golden to amber in colour. The aroma is fruity, caramel with a slight pungy rye hint. It is light and semi sweet in flavour and very satisfying. I like how it is malty with a very nice finish. Don’t forget to serve it in a traditional German stein. You may want to forgo the lederhosen unless you are throwing a full on Oktoberfest bash! Ein prosit!
It is apple season and what better way to finish the evening off than with a unique beer. Nickle Brook Brewery offers up a special little treat. They have brewed a Green Apple Pilsner that gets high marks. It is not an every day beer for me but at the end of the night it is a pleasure. It is amber in colour and has a very white head when properly poured. The aroma is of green apples – just what we would expect! There is a touch of sourness to the aroma and a thick rich creamy mouth feel. The overwhelming taste is of green apples with a slight sugary note. The finish continues to be sweet with a cider like taste while the aftertaste continues to deliver green apple flavours and a light hop tingle. If you are so inclined try serving it with a cheese sampler. Your guests WILL be impressed!
As always enjoy responsibly and
share amongst good friends.
Clare Jackson
© Copyright, 2010 Main Street Magazine/Rain Enterprises
As seen in the October Issue of Main Street Magazine.
Printed in Canada, ISSN: 1920-4299 by Rain Enterprises
To find out how to receive your free copy of MSM check out
www.mainstreetmagazine.net
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