signsoflifebooks.com

Don’t miss the New Show!

Opening reception Friday, Jan 22 from 7 to 10 pm. Click here for a preview.

Stunning! 300 years of Russian history in 90 minutes! An intense, beautiful, long, slow single fluid take—instead of a fast cut montage—pulls us in to experience Aleksandr Sokurov’s unique film, Russian Ark. Film as art doesn’t rise to a higher standard! Russian history is presented visually through the eye of one camera, in real time, in one take, with thousands of live actors and orchestral musicians in period costume on location in the historic Winter Palace in St. Petersburg. A visual feast unsurpassed! A technological marvel – the first feature shot in high definition, uncompressed video recorded entirely on hard drives powered by batteries. One continuous shot from beginning to end was all they had—there was no opportunity for a second take! And it worked!

I am not stupid.  Honors degree in engineering.  MBA from a top school.  PhD in managment.  Fluent in French (English too, some say).  But when I try to operate the cable remote I feel pretty much like the bumbling idiot who teenagers roll their eyes at and sitcoms hold out as the typical clueless dad.

Fortunately John Palfrey and Urs Gasser have me figured out.  I’m an immigrant in this world.  Not a native.  The world I was born into no longer exists and, like an alien, I’ve found myself plunked down in foreign territory.  So of course I can’t be expected to feel perfectly at home here, regardless of whatever smarts I might possess.  In Born Digital:  Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives, they explain the brave new world inhabited by those under 30 — the first generation born and raised completely wired.  Here we see a sociological portrait of this exotic tribe of young people and find they are both extraordinarily sophisticated and strangely narrow.  Good reading for those who would like to have some clue about the current generation of texters, tweeters, and bluetoothed bloggers.  order here

If you haven’t seen our current show I would certainly encourage you to do so.  We have lots of art on display  by many of the artists we’ve represented over the years.  Lots of bold color.  Come take one home!  After buying it, of course

Our latest show will open Friday, January 23rd with a reception from 7-10pm.  This show features work from many of the artists we have represented over the past six years.  Come get warm!

Signs of Life has a unique gift option this year.  Why not give the gifts the 3 wise men brought to the Christ child?  These Christmas collectibles will be at home alongside your Nativity set and are certain to become a tradition that brings years of joy. The satin-lined wooden chests capture the regal spirit of the gifts given by the 3 Kings and remind us why we give gifts on Christmas Day.

Charlie Peacock may be one of the most famous people you’ve never heard of.  He’s best known to many as the guy who wrote dcTalk’s smash hit “In the Light”.  But he is much more than that.  As a writer and as a record producer he has worked with most of the top names in contemporary Christian music of the past 25 years (see partial list below).  But he is much more than that.  He is an expert on John Coltrane and a jazz musician and improvizational pianist par excellence who has recorded with luminaries of the jazz world.  But he is much more than that.  Charlie is a deep thinker about life, art, culture, and what it means to follow Jesus.  He has a seminary degree and is the author of two books.  But he is much more than that.  He is a promoter of the arts, both performing and visual, and was the founder of an institution in the Nashville area called Art House.  But he is . . . well, you get the idea.

We are honored that Charlie has taken a day out of his current tour with Sara Groves, Derek Webb, and Brandon Heath to be with us for an evening.

Come hear Charlie play, and talk with him about music, art, justice, and other things that matter.

Space is limited, so get your ticket soon.  Your $10 not only gets you in the door, but also gets you a CD. Call 785-830-8030 to reserve by phone.

Oh yeah, here are a few of the artists Charlie has worked with over the years:  Switchfoot, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Béla Fleck, Leigh Nash, Al Green, Warren Barfield, Amy Grant, Sixpence None The Richer, Sara Groves, Audio Adrenaline, David Crowder Band, Avalon, dcTalk, Margaret Becker, Twila Paris, CeCe Winans etc, etc, etc.

Our new show in the gallery features work by Topeka artist Justin Marable. Justin’s work has been popular at Signs of Life for several years now. His show entitled Small Town Memories | Big City Dreams captures the ethos of our part of the world in colorful silk-screen monoprints featuring urban and rural landmarks. He brings excellence to his craft at surprisingly affordable prices - just in time for holiday gifting!

Signs of Life Gallery is pleased to feature the work of California artist Wayne Forte. Liturgical Art Forms in a Postmodern Context runs through Thanksgiving. See more here.

The art work of Signs of Life gallery artist Rick Beerhorst is featured on the cover of the August 2007 edition of Christianity Today. See more of Rick’s work in our on line gallery.