Gretchen Villaluna Baria – Featured Artist
I’d like to thank an old friend of mine, Gretchen Villaluna @ Moonhouse Productions, for her imaginative and exploratory vision and permission for inclusion in this month’s journal. Such beautiful and engaging photography. To learn more about Gretchen check out her biography below and visit her links.
I’ve finally completed treating my production suite for sound (photos are below in the MUSIC section). It is now officially prepared for mixing & producing. My third studio album, Spiritual Revolution, will be underway in the coming year. I’m planning a 2019 release. Stay tuned for updates!
MUSIC
—FINAL TOUCHES ON MY PRODUCTION SUITE—
Gretchen Villaluna Baria – Featured Artist
WRITING
**Nover Excerpt**
A Particular Afternoon
Our lives were going nowhere and Aya knew this. Something was coming. We could all feel it. No one spoke of it though. I suppose it would sound like conspiracy, but it didn’t change the fact.
I began to recognize her addiction to prescription pills. Uppers. Amphetamines. She kept it well hidden, but I knew from past habit of the same consortium. Addiction, obsession, hedonism of the material world; this was our obvious slipshod of development and progress. And so developed we were, as individuals, as a species, countless generations exhorting dogmatic sacraments upon plaque precedents as inscriptions of the spiritual—a plague of outstanding achievement and civilization. Yeah… right. There was no precedent. It was all just a blurred complexity. A game of Hide and Seek, or Tag, or Cowboys and Indians. There was no actuality within these modes of achievement. And in that moment, I realized, human life up until now had become an elaborate model of devolution for primates to reconnect with their primitive selves in preparation for something further developing…
Why this mattered to me, this speculation and foresight of an inhumane world, I couldn’t quite comprehend. There was nothing that could be done about it. But, I couldn’t let go either. The idea of Aya registered in this speculation as well—her lack of empathy to the broken world around her. She galvanized this atrophy of appropriation within the existence of order and organization. Hence, in turn, imploding her own free will, justly evening the components and diatribes to equilibrium…
She was returning from the bathroom, clean and apprehensive. I stopped her in the hallway before she could slip back to her office. I noticed she wasn’t in her usual mask.
“Aya!” I said, clearing my throat, startling her in my direction.
“Yes?” she said.
“I can’t… I mean, I…” a moment discerned me, “you’re beautiful.” That’s all that came out. It was as much a surprise to me as it was to her. Not incredibly articulate but I was happy something spit. I’m generally coy when it comes to that kind of stuff.
“Oh, that’s… flattering,” she said as she dropped into herself. Obviously engaged by my disposition and leaning, I didn’t hesitate. It happened fast and out of my control. Two electrically charged particles, pulling each other in. I stretched my arms towards her and slid my hands along her cheeks. And just then,
by LORIN DREXLER
Gretchen Villaluna Baria – Featured Artist
Handprint
i am no hill
in the catchment of your oasis.
not a granule in the rolling
meadow of your stolen ship.
i am your shadow, your quicksand,
the sea beneath your toes.
i will swallow you whole,
chew you up, spit you out.
you will do the same with me.
we are forever bound
by the hands of time.
as if one path were bound forever,
and all the trails to eternity were
silent and intersecting.
this earth that has housed
our fragile little lives is
ours for eternity. the slaves forging—
for i will find you once again
in the hands of time.
in the blue and white sky,
and the lightly battered sand
at dusk.
and us, black and still.
remembered.
one day we will part,
and when that day comes,
just know, this is not our
final departure but our longing
to once again
become whole.
by LORIN DREXLER
Gretchen Villaluna Baria (via http://www.moonhouseproductions.com)
Gretchen has been a full-time professional photographer since 2010. She has a background in illustration, painting, and dance, along with a deep interest in theatre, music, martial arts, and fashion. She was awarded a full scholarship to attend Northern Illinois University, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Art. She feels all these elements influenced her photography.
When composing an image, Gretchen likes to keep things fun and natural. Her photography “spidey senses” are always working to anticipate great photo ops. She’ll offer direction or staging when needed, but generally, she plays off the energy of her clients, models, or environment. She shoots with a Canon 5D Mark IV with a full range of lenses. When processing images, she makes subtle adjustments for a clean and natural look.
Gretchen & Moonhouse Productions serves Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison. Gretchen lives in Milwaukee with her husband and chihuahua. They love to eat and travel and love taking photos of what they eat and where they travel.
The name “Moonhouse” comes from a play on Gretchen’s maiden name, Villaluna.
What is Gen Society?
Gen Society is an art space blog for visual art and creative writing collaborations, and other randomizations. Hosted by writer and musician, Lorin Drexler, this online venue is an expressive experience for those interested in the world of the arts. It is a literary journey through the hearts and minds of contemporary artists in practice and a reflection of those that have long passed.
If you’re an artist and would like to submit your work in consideration to collaborate with Gen Society, please click below:
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