Cast Members of CHRISTMAS RIDE | Photos | Focus

Cast Members of CHRISTMAS RIDE | Photos | Focus

Filming of CHRISTMAS RIDE in Progress

In nearly freezing temperatures last night with wind whipping around us, the intrepid cast and crew of CHRISTMAS RIDE braved the elements to film a scene outside in Covington, TN. Many thanks to Thornton Home Furnishings for supplying the truck. Afterwards everyone enjoyed wings supplied by Wings Stop of Cordova (between Dexter and Bonnie Road) back in Studio A of Yarbrough Media Productions located in Certified Transmissions on Highway 51.

Jeff Yarbrough, cinematographer, continuously surprises with his ability to find new and unique angles for the shots on the Nikon 5900 DSLR camera he utilizes for this film. The cast includes the captivating Brittney Ham of Atoka, and skillful H T Altman of Minnesota as the co-leads. He is a veteran of 16 feature films. The cast also includes the talents of Miss Reagan Britt Mullins of Bartlett, and Master Russell Walden of Denmark, TN, each new to the screen.

In supporting roles are the impressive Shelley Van de Voort and Frank des Lauriers of Covington, skilled actors who prepare thoroughly and diligently for every detail of each scene. Other cast members hail from Munford and Ripley, Tn.

Two sound companies and various film editors from Memphis are working for Art Promotions on the production team.

More details about others in the Cast and the production are on www.facebook.com/ChristmasRide and artprofilms.weebly.com

Thanks to Our Veterans

Thanks go out to all the veterans and men and women serving the United States of America yesterday, today and tomorrow. Here is a beautiful song by a talented young person and video discovered on YouTube:

Walking through the Gardens Video

Kyle Russell: Making Music

Read More

Jason Pulley: Live Music Performance

Read More

Homecoming Weekend

Hope everyone is enjoying the fabulous fall weather on this spectacular Homecoming Weekend.   Go Lynx.  Or did they change the mascot too?   I went to visit the college I where I graduated yesterday.  After I purchased a few items in the bookstore I began to stare at the wall of floor to ceiling windows in the back of the room.  I could tell the young sales clerk thought I was having a senior moment or something.  The problem was force of habit.   When I went to school there, this building was the student center, not a store.   This room was where people hung out between classes and played cards, picked up a newspaper or bought a snack.  And there were glass doors that led to the patio outside where professors often sat reading, not windows.  This building was a passageway.  Naturally, they had closed it off when it was converted to a store selling books and alumni gift items.  The student center is now much larger, nearer the new gym and swimming pool which didn't exist before.  So there was no door I could exit through where I was staring.  It was a bit like the name of that play I performed in while there, No Exit.  Happily, at this point, I can still remember where the other doors are.

Painting in an Online Auction

I have one original oil painting on Fanbox.com 's auction now.  The auction runs through Saturday Oct 13.
http://www.fanbox.com/Provide/Listing.aspx?listing=AG8msJ5syskNLjcnqfO4Jg2&
If you like blue, this one is for you.

Posters by Karen Francis

Hi, Only five days left on the sale of original paintings.  In addition I am adding here a link to the lower price side of things, the Poster Prints.  karen francis posters 

The 30 day money back satisfaction is included with every purchase from fineartamerica.com, the authorized publisher of high quality prints for Art Promotions.  Vary the size or format and see the prices change.  These Poster Prints typically come rolled in a tube for you to frame.    I hope you will find something that will make a collector of my works out of you. 

Original Paintings by Karen Francis

Sometimes I get inquiries about where one can see a listing of original paintings by me, Karen Francis, with the prices. Here is a good link:

karen francis painting originals

There is a sale on until the end of August on the originals with 35% savings off the list price.  To purchase, write me at kfrancis427@gmail.com   When you click on the painting image or its title you will be carried to a larger version of the work with details about its size. Credit cards are accepted through Pay Pal.

Adopt One Hundred Orphans by Christmas

The Orphan Foundation is working very hard to help one hundred orphans find homes by Christmas.  That is only two per state.   There is a lot of information about this group on the web and on the indiegogo.com website.  This organization needs help from people like you and your friends.  Do you know someone who said they would like to adopt a child? Singles are eligible to adopt.   Here is the link info. Double Click on the word Rescue . . .

Christmas Ride Goes through Writer's Table Read

The screenplay Christmas Ride was read aloud and critiqued by those attending the Memphis writer's group, Script Write, on Tuesday July 24 at Republic Coffee.  The process was filmed and recorded.  I am revisiting the script to consider adjusting it based on the suggestions made and fine-tuning the the dialogue.

A big thank you to the financial supporters on the indiegogo campaign and Script Write participants for making this step in the making of Christmas Ride possible.   While the campaign did not reach its goal, your encouragement gives me feedback about what to do next.

ART PROMOTIONS is all about prints, paintings, and productions. On the Production side:

I participated in  the 48 Hour film project  in a group named By Faith Films and we created "Blind Date" in the category we drew  by chance, Dark Comedy.  In this team effort of mostly strangers, with no pay, we produced a short  film limited to 8 mins or less within the 48 hours.  The logline for Blind Date is--  A man widowed for a year goes on a blind date.   We filmed at the Memphis landmarks of Elmwood Cemetery and The Edge coffee house at its S. Cooper location which is going to have a drive through available soon.   There will be a screening of all the films (around 9 teams participated) which successfully met the criteria of the competition at the Malco Studio on the Square on Tuesday night, July 17.  Tickets are $10.  

Also, we are in the last 15 hours of the www. indiegogo.com/ChristmasRide campaign for funding a feature film.  There are seven videos in the Gallery section of the website plus the teaser at  http://igg.me/p/100795?a=462433

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY FOR ALL

    Wishing you all a Happy Fourth of July from Memphis on the big muddy Mississippi River, the city where music plays day and night and barbeque flows like waves on the ocean.

     Fireworks started on Sunday here at a big Baptist Church campus nearby.  Families gathered for picnics on the lawn, and shared their bread and the Word of God.  Last night a suburb shot off its fireworks.  Families gathered around the performing arts center and at homes eating hot dogs, and it's "pass the mustard, please, and have some more of this here sweet tea."

    Then dragging lawn chairs outside, they sat in front yards, in driveways, and even in the street watching as the fireworks burst forth in the sky, reminiscing over Fourth’s gone by and as the little ones saw their first, wondered if this one would be their last.

    I enjoy the patriotic music wafting through the broken window.  I hear Cohen, Sousa, Berlin, Howe, and wonder if I’m related to Samuel Francis Smith or Francis Scott Key.  I am reminded of all the sacrifices made by those before us and around us to bring freedom to this country and keep it.  Today I think of the great debate about Health Care in America.  When our country started out so long ago, there weren’t many people here, compared to today.  Science had not advanced so far in its healing measures.    Though our forefathers wrote words of unity, people were more self- reliant.  They grew their own food, made their own clothes.  Think about it.  Today most of us are more dependent on others for everything, electricity, water, food.  Our jobs (if we have one at all) are more specialized.    Our country was established by struggling immigrants to this new land.  We were poor in riches, but rich in spirit.  Today, we have a very wealthy nation, despite all the troubles we face. 

    Our government has the means to deliver health care to everyone.   And what greater service can a government provide to its people, than providing for the Health of its people?   Insurance for all, is NOT the same thing as health care for all.   If a man cannot afford health insurance now, making a law requiring   that man to buy it, does not make it possible.   Such a law is a guarantee that insurance companies are profitable and an assurance that the Health Care PACs, lobbies, are alive and well in DC.   On the web recently, one thoughtful person wrote, “the entire health care debate could be resolved by taking out two words from the Medicare Act.”  Those two words were “over sixty-five.”  

    Is that correct?   I don’t know.  But when I think about the purpose of government, I see it as working to achieve greater good for the people it governs.  Sometimes that comes in the form of checking on the quality of the food we buy, or building highways and dams to produce electricity.  But the sine qua non  of a strong, free country, with the exception of its spiritual focus, is the health and education of its people.  And from these its wealth derives.   Perhaps America can afford a Healthcare now for its people which it couldn’t when it began its great experiment in 1776 “of the people, FOR the people.” 

Buttons and Bows for Christmas Ride

I ordered some cute pin back buttons from Zazzle for CHRISTMAS RIDE. They will be on the website http://www.indiegogo.com/ChristmasRide soon. Also, there is a New Perk on the indiegogo site, for an Anything Goes Open Amount contribution from one dollar on up. It's at the bottom of the page. Pictures of behind the scenes filming of the teaser were added recently.

NEW CONTEST to FILM CHRISTMAS RIDE

CHRISTMAS RIDE, a film project, set in motion a new contest today.  For a five dollar contribution you can vote to have some scenes of this movie made in your state.  The state with the highest number of contributers will see Lights, Camera, Action.  Do it today because there are only 28 days remaining in this campaign.  This project is being run by Karen Francis of Art Promotions.  More about this indiegogo.com campaign here:    http://igg.me/p/100795?a=462433
Thanks so much.

Give a Shout Out for Father's Day on Christmas Ride

Shout it out to the world for FATHER'S DAY. Give a little attention when you contribute $5.00 through the NEW Perk on CHRISTMAS RIDE's page at indiegogo.com.
say "I Love to You" to a Dad, or share a memory in his honor. Visit
http://igg.me/p/100795?a=462433 that's www.indiegogo.com/ChristmasRide.

And then we will put the message on ChristmasRide's facebook page too!
He will know you didn't forget him this year.

TRANSLATIONS for CHRISTMAS RIDE on indiegogo

Last night I added translation links to the www.indiegogo.com/ChristmasRidecampaign. The links are at the bottom of the page. You may read the page in

French http://www.artpro.com/FrenchCR.htm

Spanish http://www.artpro.com/SpanishCR.htm

German http://www.artpro.com/GermanCR.htm

Italian http://www.artpro.com/ItalianCR.htm

Dutch http://www.artpro.com/DutchCR.htm

Norwegian http://www.artpro.com/NorwegianCR.htm

I used a computer Free Translation service to prepare these pages. Sometimes you need to wait a moment for the translated page to display. Then raise the border of the page saying you are in the wrong place up, like raising a window shade, and you will see the translation.

When you are watching the video, you may also see what is being spoken as captions if you like and translate it to the language of your choice. You place your cursor, or pointer, on the lower edge of the video and the controls appear. Click on CC over towards the right. Then you will see some options for captions to appear, and what language you want to see displayed. This amazes me that web video companies have created this nearly instantaneous capability.

Please visit CHRISTMAS RIDE today and help us create this film. Thanks.

A Link To CHRISTMAS RIDE Teaser for Real

Please check out this link by clicking on the title in Red. Hopefully, it will work this time.   Would really appreciate your comments and contributions.

See Video Teaser for CHRISTMAS RIDE

 

Click to follow link:   http://www.indiegogo.com/ChristmasRide

Christmas Ride Indiegogo Campaign Begins!

So exciting.  The Christmas Ride indiegogo campaign is up and running now.  Please go there, view the teaser video, leave comments, contribute if you can . .  .  There are lots of artistic perks to read about.  



Here's the Link:   http://www.indiegogo.com/ChristmasRide
And check back often, as new media will be added.

Christmas in May

     Reminder, the Savings code for prints of my work is good through the end of May which is fast approaching.  Enter BRRCMD in the online shopping cart as you check out for the discount to be applied.  You may pay by Pay Pal or credit card. Please drop me an email to let me know of purchases you make.  Thanks.

     Due to the overwhelming outstanding response I am getting on my paintings and art prints, I am now morphing my artistic vision to a larger canvas for a while.  "Christmas Ride" is my third screenplay and unless it sells to a larger production company, Art Promotions is trying to launch it.  Yes, I am becoming an indie filmmaker at last.  With fond memories of producing and hosting  "Heart of the Matter" at Channel 10, FCAC, in Virginia, with other volunteers, I am revisiting moving media.
 
     Last week, Memphis area actors and cameramen filmed scenes for a teaser about "Christmas Ride" which will be up on indiegogo.com in the near future.   There is a lot ABOUT this screenplay on facebook, so visit this page http://www.facebook.com/ChristmasRide  and leave your footprint in the Internet sands by clicking  LIKE US. To do this, click on ABOUT on the left hand side of the page below the poster image.  (The photograph in this image is by Daryl Martin.)  And then click the LIKE that appears on that page at the top right.
      This week editing is in progress on the footage.  I read  on IMDB there are 12,000 films in development at this time!   Which ones will get "Green Lit" and make it to the finish line?  Which ones will you watch in the theatre, download from your satellite TV system,  rent from the DVD companies, or watch on the Internet?  Did I leave any possibilities out?

     Wishing you all a safe Memorial Day Weekend. 

Online Art Auction Fundraiser for an Artist

A friend told me about this online art auction for a good friend of hers:


https://www.facebook.com/HeArtForBev


Bidding continues until May 10th to raise funds for medical expenses.
There are some lovely, very reasonable paintings in this auction. 
You need to click on the Photos album and then you will see the albums marked for the auction.  Leave a comment to bid or follow other instructions indicated.  There are works in the auction by a number of talented artists.  Subject matter includes dogs, roosters, landscapes, roses, etc. 

Special Art Print Pricing in Merry Month of May

(May 4, 2012) Art Promotions offers special pricing on all prints by Karen Francis during the month of May through a secure online shopping website. These fine art works are custom printed as each order comes in. Only the highest quality digital image is used to print. And her authorized print publisher, Fine Art America, includes a thirty day money back satisfaction guarantee on every order. At this time, by entering a special code, BRRCMD at checkout, the purchaser will receive a full 25% off this artist's markup. In fact, a customer will get this discount on every item by this artist in his or her shopping cart with the code. So if a stretched canvas print is selected, along with a poster, and a framed print on paper perfect for an office, the discount will be applied to all items at checkout. Credit cards are accepted. Shop by visiting http://karen-francis.artistwebsites.com/?tab=artworkgalleries and scroll down. Or visit Karen's pages on fineartamerica.com.   Fine Art America ships direct to the purchaser in a very timely manner.   New works are added frequently.   Perhaps the perfect gift for Mother's Day is waiting there. 

Submitting webpages to Search Engines free

Free Webmaster ToolsSubmit Express This site listed above submits your page to the search engines free. The sites at the bottom of this blog provide Sharing opportunities.

Free Webmaster ToolsSubmit Express This is a free site for submitting your webpage to the search engines.

GCTmobilephone.wmv

Installed Art at Germantown Community Theatre Today

Fourteen works are on exhibit now at Germantown Community Theatre. I took the art over this morning, opened the wrappings from around the paintings, found the wires and tools and ladder and hung them on the lobby walls. A short five hours later it was time to add the labels and photograph the installation. Everyone there had nice things to say about the artworks. Sales will benefit the theatre by ten percent of the price. And to help make this benefit successful, I rolled the prices way back for the duration of this show through April 29. The paintings may be purchased through the staff at GCT. The stage is set for the opening of Spitfire Grill, the musical this theatre has prepared.

Germantown Community Theatre is located at 3037 Forest Hill Irene Road, (between Poplar and Poplar Pike [which is what Park Ave is called in G.town]), Germantown, TN 38138. The show dates are April 13-29, 2012. The show begins at 7:30 Thursday, 8 pm Friday-Saturday and 2:30 on Sunday. Tickets are $25. for adults, $15. for Seniors and Students, and $10. for kids 12 and under. You can call the Box Office at 901 937-3023 or order tickets online at www.germantowncommunitytheatre.org



This theatre has a big line up for the 2012-2013 season. They will be presenting Steel Magnolias, Twilight of the Gods, Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Quilters, the Musical, A Murder is Announced, and Ruthless the Musical. And, they have a Membership Special now until April 15th for a $25.00 discount off the regular membership rate. Wow! An Adult 7–ticket Package is now only $80.00!!!

And, remember the Art Reception is April 21 from 5 to 7 pm. Please R.S.V.P. if you plan to attend this event at kfrancis427@gmail.com Thanks.

Religious Paintings by Zeitsev

These paintings about the death and resurrection of Jesus are by Nicholas Zeitsev, a contemporary artist who has painted murals in churches all over the world.

Art Reception at Germantown Community Theatre April 21

Some of my paintings will be displayed in Germantown, TN April 13-29, 2012, in conjunction with the theatrical performance of  Spitfire Grill musical at the Germantown Community Theatre. The reception is planned for Saturday, April 21, 5 to 7 PM.


Please R.S.V.P if you are planning to attend at kfrancis427@gmail.com. Sales of the works at GCT during the exhibition window benefit the theatre by ten percent. To see some of the works that will be in this show, visit the GCT Gallery tab from my fineartamerica page.



Address of the theatre:  3037 Forest-Hill Irene Road Germantown, TN  38138   Box office for ticket purchases to Spitfire Grill: 901 754-2680

Slide Show of Art

These works may be purchased with a big variety of framing options at fineartamerica,com
I hope you are able to view this on all browsers and various types of pcs, notebooks, iPads and mobile phone devices. The slide show usually rotates through several images. My home page on Fine Art America is http://karen-francis.fineartamerica.com

A Daylight Savings Time Offer

Just in time for Daylight Savings Time (and that happens this Saturday night March 10 --or at 2:00 am Sunday to be more precise -- when everyone moves their clocks forward an hour in the United States) comes a new time limited offer on the art work called Annapolis Time. See details at http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=78917

Happy Leap Year

Ladies, it's your day to propose! Look before you leap and remember, with this art special at least you can return it within 30 days with a money back guarantee if you aren't completely satisfied. http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=78607 - Buy a 10.00 x 8.00 stretched canvas print of Karen Francis's Salt and Pepper IC for $45.00. Only 10 prints remaining. Offer expires on 03/05/2012.

New Promotion. Three Days.

http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=78201 - Buy a 10.00 x 8.00 stretched canvas print of Karen Francis's Moving On for $55.00. Only 5 prints remaining. .Offer expires on 02/27/2012.,

Valentine's Day Special Promotion

Happy Valentines Day to all blog readers!  A very special  time limited promotion is ready for ten, oh, make that nine savvy shoppers now at this link at Fine Art America: http://fineartamerica.com/weeklypromotion.html?promotionid=77714  

First Florida Series on Display in Sarasota

Prints from the Florida Series are on display at St. Armand's Medical Center in the waiting room in Sarasota, FL on Ringling Blvd. These prints are signed Artist Proofs on acid free paper. The public is invited to view and purchase these works.

St. Armands Circle Art Festival Jan 28, 29

The ninth annual St. Armands Circle Art Festival takes place in Sarasota, Florida on Lido Key January 28, and 29th from 10 to 5 pm.  This festival is free and open to the public.  Over 250 artists display their original works in their outdoor tented galleries.  This festival is rated as one of the top finest art shows in the country.  Artists are juried in and prizes awarded.  Sarasota Sands Resort, a garden style beach front timeshare, is an ideal place to stay to enjoy this event. 

My unit at the Sarasota Sands Resort, a one bedroom with den, which sleeps six, includes a kitchen and two baths.  It is available the week of the festival from Saturday Jan 28 until Saturday Feb 4.  The rate renting from me is $750.  Call me at 901 289-4939 to book.   Or call the Resort.

This image is Sarasota Sunset by me and is available as an authorized print through Fine Art America.  Click on http://karen-francis.fineartamerica.com/  and see the Florida Series folder to order as a stretched canvas, framed print on paper, or unframed print in a variety of sizes.  All print orders carry a 30 day money back guarantee from the publisher, Fine Art America.