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Table of ContentsCall to Art: Spring 2012!

Front and Back Inside Covers

Welcome!

Find Us: Social Media Links.............................................................................1

Who Are We: Midnight Muse Mission Statement..........................2–3

Intro: Sarah Page, Co-Creator of Midnight Muse...........................4–7

Intro: Neebin Southall, Co-Creator of Midnight Muse..............8–11

Call to Art Submissions!

Christina Gyulafia, Document.....................................................................12

Don Somppi, Untitled.....................................................................................13

Chris Wilhelm, Nemesis.........................................................................14–15

Harrison White, The Pool Boys..................................................................16

Derrek Becker, Blue Blood.............................................................................17

Ellie Morefield, Untitled..........................................................................18–19

Nina Frayne, Mujeres de Juarez..............................................................20

Suzanne Stewart, Uncertainty....................................................................21

Zina Kras, A Gardener’s Dream...........................................................22–23

Neebinnaukzhik Southall, Dream Vortex..............................................24

Sarah Page, Sprig..............................................................................................25

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Who Are We?We are a small group of passionately

ambitious artists located in the

beautiful Willamette Valley! We are

awesome, and love other awesome

people. Like you! We want to become

a resource for artists of all creeds.

We are here to support, inspire, and

teach one another and everyone who

wishes to create. We represent visual,

literary, musical, theatrical artists

and everyone in between. We are a

network of infinite possibilities

of creation.

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Sarah Page

It was difficult for me to create

my 2 spreads. I reworked them

dozens of times and was just

not happy with the results. They

didn’t seem to speak for me. They

seemed fake and forced. I mean

hell, I’ve never done anything

like this before. I could have just

as easily copy and pasted my

dreadful ‘artist’s statement’ but

that’s a piece work in of itself.

It was the day before this Issue

launched....1/14/2012 @ apprx. 3pm.

I was tired, had the sniffles, too

drained to even be panicking.

My beautiful and wonderful niece,

whom along with her sisters and

brother I miss very very much,

messaged me out of the blue.I don

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Sarah PageBefore I moved to Oregon, we always drew together. I held little art sessions & taught my

nieces the basics. Color theory, proportions of the human head, 1, 2, & 3 point perspective...I

don’t think they remember much of WHAT I taught but they remember the time we spent &

the pictures we drew. Kaytlin is now an artist herself, and rather good I might add. And even

though I am now hundreds of miles away, almost 5 years later I am still her favorite artist.

She made me remember why I decided to do Midnight Muse in the first place. I want to

nurture the desire to create & inspire others to reach new heights. I want to encourage

collaboration & build support for my fellow artists. This is a difficult path for many. We are not

all accomplished, we may not even know who we are yet. We are still developing, always

improving, & never stopping. I hope you enjoy the Issue. We hope to make many more.

The next spread I dedicate to Kaytlin, Katrina, and Kassadi. They make my heart melt with pride & joy.

hi can u make me some painting for my wall in my room plz!!!!! and send it to my house plz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

=] how big?

what can u do in a short amount of time?

well depends on what you want

;] got it. something mesmerizing, with rainbows and sparkles, and ancient goddess’ with long billowing dresses

soaring through the skies!

ummm like something colorful?..and medium size some-thing insperational...

yes! perfect something that when i look at it it makes me feel good...and cheers me up

K.S.

S.

S.

K.

K.

K.This may not sound like much, but it meant the world to me.

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The Pool Boys

I first met the pool boys on a Tuesday night at a local dive. They were whooping and hollering and raising all kinds of fuss over their Pabst Blue Ribbons. They had about three each, and would drink them in quick succession. One went down the throat, then another, and then a third as a chaser. Then they’d send one of their number over to the bar to buy another round, while they sauntered over to the pool table and took their shots.

The oldest member, whose name I cannot recall, brought me up to speed on their ritual.

“We always come in on Tuesday. Never Friday, nor Saturday. Sometime Sunday, though. See, it’s free pool on Tuesdays. And free pool means people come to the hall for the pool, and they drink a little…”

It was his turn to take a shot, so he paused from his philosophy, sucked down his next three beers, and sank five balls. Returning to the stool I watched from he looked up at me.

“Now, boys’ll bring their dates on a Tuesday, you see. Emptier bar, less threatened. And some will play pool with their lay… soon to be ex-lay, you understand.”

“See, it goes back a long time, to when you could win or lose a woman in contest… duels, jousts, or even just clubbing your opponent over the head. But now we’re civilized, you see? We can’t just use violence anymore. We have to show our skill. That we can withstand a trial.”He grinned, and grabbed himself another beer. As my partner tried to line up a shot, the old man elbowed me in the ribcage and pointed out a man and woman entering the place. The man was college aged at most, the woman likewise, and they wore plain clothes: a shirt and slacks each. He gave me a play by play.Now you watch. See, the man is going to try and get them that other table. But

they have to play doubles for it. Look, see how they’re all shaking and nodding. They have two men to compete against, so this match is going to be three men and one woman. Well, the man has to go first, naturally, so the woman is sent to the bar. And so is the second partner of the other team. Now watch the interaction.”

The partner approached the bar next to the woman with some apprehension. He settled down, though, when the woman smiled. He pulled out his wad of cash, and ordered two Pabst.

“What are you getting?” the woman asked, her legs twisting around each other like ivy on a trellis.

“Pabst. You want one?” the partner tore out another dollar from the wad, and laid it on the bar.

“You see,” the old man told me, “next he’ll find out her name, and they’ll chat until one of them is supposed to make a shot.”

We turned back to watch the progress of the pool games. My partner sunk the cue ball. He stormed at me and thrust the cue into my hands. Waited for my turn, I heard a laughing break suddenly from the bar.

The partner and the woman had fallen deep into some conversation. Her legs batted against each other now. She rocked back at forth on the bar stool. The man she came in with heard this as well and he jumped his own cue ball off the table.

I lined up my shot, and started to connect the cue to the cue ball, when I felt a tug on the shoulder of my shirt. The old man pointed to the woman and the partner. The woman leaned over and kissed the partner on the cheek.

“That’s the sign that she’s looking, you see. Want to know what happens next?”

I missed my shot. “Sure.”

“Well, the man she came in with gets jealous, and he won’t leave her side. She gets annoyed, you see, and keeps making excuses to move away from him. She probably didn’t like him as much, never mind that he didn’t buy her a beer…”From the old man’s lips to verity of the room! The man she came in with noticed the kiss, and now stood next to her between every shot he made. When she made shots, he followed her around the table. And she began to scoot away from him. So he tried to pull closer.

Eventually, in the hiss of a dam protecting its litter, she told him to leave.

“You see,” the old man said, “the challenger won, and now the former champion must withdraw and face the fact that he is an alpha no more.”

When the game of doubles finished, the partner and the woman withdrew to some quiet corner of the bar. I did not see the forms again the whole long night.

The old man brought me a Pabst, and bid me drink. A woman walked in with her boyfriend. It seemed from their dress they’d come from some haute couture event. A play or a concert, it seemed likely.

“Would you and your friend mind sitting out this next game?” the old man asked.

“Why?”

“It’s Tuesday, and this one’s my contest.”

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