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Night Stories: Fifteen Paintings and the Stories they Inspired
In this innovative concept and unique presentation, fine art painter Linden Frederick has created 15 paintings and enlisted and inspired noted writers to create accompanying stories. Renowned authors as diverse and talented as Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, Anthony Doerr, Richard Russo and Lawrence Kasdan, among others, have contributing to expanding the artists' world with their tales, as varied and captivating as the artworks themselves.
From concept to realization, Night Stories has been nine years in the making. Finding his work collected by a growing number of authors/screenwriters/playwrights, artist Linden Frederick wondered why they connected so strongly to his work. So he asked, beginning with a conversation with local writer and friend, Richard Russo. His conversations then extended to the other literary figures whose work is included in this Luanne Rice, Lois Lowry, Andre Dubus III, Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, Anthony Doerr, Tess Gerritsen, Ted Tally, Lily King, Dennis Lehane, Joshua Ferris, Daniel Woodrell, Louise Erdrich, and Lawrence Kasdan. Each had a unique response, and each agreed to write a short story to accompany one of Frederick's paintings.
Frederick is an artist whose work is rooted to small-town America, work that has sometimes been described as "stage sets," and that has provoked the imagination of some of the most important talents of the day. These writers have here commented on Frederick's art in the genre they know best, storytelling. Unlike any other book by a contemporary fine artist, this unique and compelling collection is the best of what a book can a perfect entertainment that combines visual and written art offered up by a collaboration of some of the greatest talents in each field.
From concept to realization, Night Stories has been nine years in the making. Finding his work collected by a growing number of authors/screenwriters/playwrights, artist Linden Frederick wondered why they connected so strongly to his work. So he asked, beginning with a conversation with local writer and friend, Richard Russo. His conversations then extended to the other literary figures whose work is included in this Luanne Rice, Lois Lowry, Andre Dubus III, Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, Anthony Doerr, Tess Gerritsen, Ted Tally, Lily King, Dennis Lehane, Joshua Ferris, Daniel Woodrell, Louise Erdrich, and Lawrence Kasdan. Each had a unique response, and each agreed to write a short story to accompany one of Frederick's paintings.
Frederick is an artist whose work is rooted to small-town America, work that has sometimes been described as "stage sets," and that has provoked the imagination of some of the most important talents of the day. These writers have here commented on Frederick's art in the genre they know best, storytelling. Unlike any other book by a contemporary fine artist, this unique and compelling collection is the best of what a book can a perfect entertainment that combines visual and written art offered up by a collaboration of some of the greatest talents in each field.
132 pages, Hardcover
Published October 7, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 10, 2018
We don't usually know where ideas come from, which is one thing that makes 'Night Stories' a remarkable collection.
Each of the fifteen Linden Frederick paintings contained in this book is accompanied by a story, written specifically for and about the painting. The paintings themselves are moody and otherworldly, even while depicting deeply everyday locations of the American landscape: a freeway off-ramp, a roadside liquor store, an old house at twilight with an upstairs window lit. It's easy to see how the writers were inspired by such artwork, deceptively simple pieces that serve as a gateway to endless possibilities.
Each of the stories is as unique as the paintings that inspired them. Most are short and sharp and economical, about people who seem familiar, but in these snapshots we catch glimpses of their inner lives that usually remain hidden. Especially in cases like Tess Gerritsen's "Takeout" and Daniel Woodrell's "Rear Window," in which few words convey a deep understanding of the characters they describe and the tales they tell. Ted Tally's "Repair" gives us a short screenplay that reads like a taut, clever short film, while Anthony Doerr delivers a somewhat longer tale in fifteen parts, about a raccoon named "Save-a-Lot." I personally enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but I each was interesting in its own way and took a different path in expressing what the painting that inspired it had to say.
As I finished each tale in 'Night Stories,' I found myself turning back to the painting that it came from. Did I see it differently, now that there was a word-picture associated with it? Were there details I had missed that now came into focus? In almost every case, there was. The interesting aspect of this collection is that, because of how it was made, it encourages the reader and the viewer to look a little closer, think a little deeper. You get a first impression, and then you discover that there's always more to it than what you initially saw.
This is what happens when you look at a picture, and see the story hiding inside of it.
Each of the fifteen Linden Frederick paintings contained in this book is accompanied by a story, written specifically for and about the painting. The paintings themselves are moody and otherworldly, even while depicting deeply everyday locations of the American landscape: a freeway off-ramp, a roadside liquor store, an old house at twilight with an upstairs window lit. It's easy to see how the writers were inspired by such artwork, deceptively simple pieces that serve as a gateway to endless possibilities.
Each of the stories is as unique as the paintings that inspired them. Most are short and sharp and economical, about people who seem familiar, but in these snapshots we catch glimpses of their inner lives that usually remain hidden. Especially in cases like Tess Gerritsen's "Takeout" and Daniel Woodrell's "Rear Window," in which few words convey a deep understanding of the characters they describe and the tales they tell. Ted Tally's "Repair" gives us a short screenplay that reads like a taut, clever short film, while Anthony Doerr delivers a somewhat longer tale in fifteen parts, about a raccoon named "Save-a-Lot." I personally enjoyed some of the stories more than others, but I each was interesting in its own way and took a different path in expressing what the painting that inspired it had to say.
As I finished each tale in 'Night Stories,' I found myself turning back to the painting that it came from. Did I see it differently, now that there was a word-picture associated with it? Were there details I had missed that now came into focus? In almost every case, there was. The interesting aspect of this collection is that, because of how it was made, it encourages the reader and the viewer to look a little closer, think a little deeper. You get a first impression, and then you discover that there's always more to it than what you initially saw.
This is what happens when you look at a picture, and see the story hiding inside of it.
July 10, 2017
Creative....I really liked that the stories all were inspired by the same artist's paintings. Collectively they offer an interesting commentary on American life. I definitely found some easier to read and enjoy than others....but that's part of reading a collection of short stories! Definitely LOVE the authors involved in this project and as a newcomer to the artist, I grew a better appreciation for the artwork. I was really impressed with the way he outlined how his idea came to life as I held the finished product in my hands!
April 29, 2018
Thought this collection of short stories was going to be better, esp considering some of the big name authors. The stories, for the most part, were downbeat or spacey. Nice artwork. Read it now and then, between books. Nice to have a go-to spacer like that.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews