are you awake or are you dreaming?

Dream Cabinet haunts Eponymous Gardens with menace, desire and voyeuristicdelight

The interior of the house
The Eponymous Garden

This week, I walked through a dream. At times it was beautiful, at times it morphed into a nightmare and I feared it would turn on me, and it was often very sad. It was set, as dreams sometimes are, in an unfamiliar place: a pink Victorian farmhouse surrounded by heavy-limbed trees and small palms.

The dream reminded me of a David Lynch film (which should be no surprise, as they emerge from his own beautiful but troubled dreams), particularly in the first word I heard: “Electricity!” A small man in a black suit (Matt Hislope) shouted this from the porch and demonstrated a small device that supposedly cures all ills.

The bulk of this dream lived inside the darkened house, and in spite of the fact that I entered with a small crowd of dreamers, I felt quite alone.

There are others in the house: a dark-haired young woman in a blindfold (Adriene Mishler), bumping her way down the staircase; a bearded man in overalls (Jude Hickey), with a piercing glare; an older woman in a nurse’s uniform (Cyndi Williams), perpetually smoothing the folds of a wide, white bed; and another man (Michael Joplin), in a suit, surrounded by sheet-draped furniture in the parlor.

Gestures and phrases looped several times and the inhabitants of the house crossed paths, but seemed to be focused on their own tracks of movement and motivation, until, perched on a cushion in the parlor, I witnessed what felt like an intervention on the young woman. The huckster from the front steps sang,

She’s only a bird in a gilded cage

A beautiful sight to see

You may think she’s happy and free from care

She’s not, though she seems to be

Everyone moved out the back door to a path lit with small candles. We followed the residents of the house into a shed whose posters promised freak show terrors, but they’d disappeared. A placard read: THE END – and that’s when I realized this collective dream was a performance called Dream Cabinet.

The story is conceived by Sterling Price-McKinney (co-owner of Eponymous Garden, the gorgeous East Side home in which the performance takes place) and directed by Jenny Larson of Salvage Vanguard Theater, and takes on the same enigmatic, site-specific, wander-as-you-wish-mostly form as larger-scale works by the English company Punchdrunk (creators of the New York City hit Sleep No More), except with more dialogue.

This iteration was a snappy 30 minutes and was presented as part of Fusebox Festival’s Machine Shop Residency, which presents work in various stages of development.

For that reason, I’m hesitant to share more details of the piece, but needless to say, if you like the idea of theater that allows the audience to wander and take in the narrative in whatever order they wish, Dream Cabinet’s full production this October will be worth your while.

There’s enough beauty, menace, and haunting imagery to leave me wanting a longer version of the show, plus the added voyeuristic thrill of exploring somebody else’s house in the shadows of dusk.

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Outside the Lines

Buda artist releases intuitive drawing book with fun prompts

Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Artist Ronald Gross creates an intuitive drawing with crayon, which he considers a "joyful" medium.

Buda-based artist and writer Ronald Gross released a book in November called Unlock Your Creativity: A Guide to Intuitive Drawing, which will walk aspiring expressers through drawing without worry. On December 6, he'll be on hand to help in an intuitive drawing demo at Buda Public Library's Holiday Open House.

The book is a hands-on guide that teaches readers how to lean into their own desires and intuitions when drawing, whether they feel like an artist or not. In this way, intuitive drawing should feel relaxing, meditative, and ultimately, beneficial for mental health. If you find coloring books relaxing and meditative, intuitive drawing may have the same effect on you.

"Intuitive drawing is the practice of creating art without a specific plan or outcome in mind," says Gross. "It’s about letting your hand move freely, guided by emotion, curiosity, or subconscious impulses; not about making something perfect."

An intuitive drawing by author and artist Ronald Gross. Intuitive drawing is simple, joyful, and according to Gross can calm the mind much like meditation. Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

This book presents exercises to access a mindful state: freeform doodling, blind contouring drawing, drawing from the imagination, and drawing from emotions. For artists feeling stuck, Gross also includes plenty of exercises for overcoming creative blocks and even discusses ways intuitive drawing can be applied to other creative projects and areas of life.

In the December workshop, Gross will give a quick demonstration on how to create an intuitive drawing using nothing but lines, shapes, and simple marks. Then participants can try it out with a variety of crayons, because crayons are "tactile" and can quickly transport people into a "playful, unselfconscious space," according to Gross.

"The workshop is all about creating a supportive, judgment-free space to explore intuitive drawing," he says. "Attendees will leave with tools to keep practicing on their own and, hopefully, a renewed sense of creativity and playfulness."

An intuitive drawing from author and artist Ronald Gross. In college Gross was taught how to take a doodle and elevate it into fine art.Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Gross's own journey into intuitive drawing started at a young age, when he would doodle and sketch throughout the school day. Years later at the Academy of Art University, a professor encouraged him to lean into this more intuitive and abstract style of art. Since then, Gross has been exploring intuitive drawing's ability to access a meditative state, as well as tap into the subconscious mind.

"When you draw intuitively, you’re fully present in the moment," Gross says. "Your mind quiets, and you become attuned to the flow of your thoughts, feelings, and physical movements. It’s akin to meditation, only instead of sitting still, you’re actively channeling your inner experience onto the page."

An intuitive drawing by author and artist Ronald Gross. Gross's intuitive drawings each evoke a different feeling through his simple use of color and linework. Photo courtesy of Ronald Gross

Gross adds that over time, doing some of the exercises included in the book may even help boost confidence, since intuitive drawing can help people learn to trust their instincts.

"Intuitive drawing can unlock creativity, reduce stress, and help people reconnect with their inner selves," he adds. "It offers a space to process emotions, spark ideas, and break free from perfectionism or overthinking."

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