Let it be known that I have completely earned my way in life and in Art. Through twists and turns, slowdowns and blockades, I have always kept my focus on the path ahead, driven by unwavering positive expectations. I am incredibly fortunate to have had parents and grandparents who instilled in me from an early age that anything is achievable if I believe in myself and pursue it with passion and persistence. Thankfully, those invaluable lessons took root in my heart, where they will remain for the long haul.
In June of this year, I graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film and Television from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Now, I’m determined to find and secure an exciting creative position in the film and entertainment industry with one of the leading organizations in the field. Soon, the right opportunity will present itself, and I’ll be ready to immerse myself (mind, body and spirit) into the creative process without doubt or reservation. I’m here to make art that has meaning and adds value to society. I believe it’s my higher purpose in life. All I need now is to find the right creative team to join. I’d be thrilled to work for an organization that appreciates me for the skills, talents and experience I possess. When that door of opportunity opens, I’m certain to thrive in my new creative home under the sun. In absolute confidence I can attest, I will continue to earn my way in this life, by making art that comes straight from the heart.
Rising above the traditionally non-functional approach to visual artwork, the creation story of Providentia is unique in that this bronze sculpture was intentionally channeled and manifested into this time and space to serve as a functional conscious energy device. Throughout my life as an artist, I have always sensed that the artwork I envision and bring into being is, in a way, just passing through me. It’s as if the work is already there and I just need to manifest it conceptually and materially. Providentia, is without doubt the most powerful work of art that I have ever channeled into existence. I feel as though the unrealized art object was there waiting patiently for me to express it and usher it into reality. The creation itself was merely on standby until I was strong enough to draw the artwork through and materialize it. To many people, the previous statement might sound contrived or even pretentious, but I must insist that this is indeed what it feels like when I manifest a work of art.
Originally, Providentia was titled “American Dream Catcher – Peace, Power, Love & Riches”, but once the sculpture was cast in bronze, I decided that it needed a more dignified title to match the innate beauty of its form. I began to see Providentia as being an embodiment of male/female spiritual energy rather than just an ordinary art object.
Physical Properties ofProvidentia
Providentia – Bronze casting mounted on a black marble base. Limited Edition: 1/5
The partial orb (Low Frequency Reflector) in the bottom section is chrome-plated bronze. The fluted globe (Containment Reservoir) in the upper section rotates via the hand operated spindle at the top of the device.
Dimensions: 39″ H x 16″ W x 16″ D ~ Weight: 100 lbs.
Approximate time involved: 420 hours from concept to completion.
Price: $25,000.00
Note: This is an original sculpture by Scott Joseph Moore. Ordinarily, the sculptor of an original model (using their preferred materials), brings the artwork to a bronze foundry to be molded, cast and finished (patina) by the foundry technicians. In the case of Providentia and the other bronzes I’ll be featuring on this blog, I performed at least 75% of the work involved. There are specific steps during the bronze casting process that are best performed by a team, such as the pouring of the molten metal, but even in that regard, I was part of the team that poured all of the bronzes I’ll feature here. Having more than 15 years of experience in the bronze sculpture industry and having specialized in metal finishing and patina application, I can testify with complete transparency that the bronze work involved with materializing Providentia is of my own creation. I applied the poly-chromatic patina on Providentia over the course of two 10-hour days (20 hours).
There was an abundance of conscious intention and purposeful execution involved in the creation of Providentia. The separate design elements featured in this photo; each have their own function and are also integral parts of the whole “Harmonic Dream Conservatory”.
Providentia ~ A Conscious Energy Transmitter, Receiver and Reservoir
Included with the sale of Providentia 1/5, will be a custom wood pedestal (painted in the color of your choice) and a classic bronze “Personal Dream Realization Device” so you can carry the power of Providentiawith you, wherever your intentional journey takes you.
If you are interested in purchasing Providentia 1/5, or any other artwork featured on this site, please visit the Donate*Contact page here on the “Grand Providentia United” blog page for contact information. Serious inquiries only, please.Thank you for visiting!
Suspend your conditioned disbelief and open your mind to the possibility that you’ve been shortsighted from the start. Now, try to imagine a world far beyond your understanding. Why am I instructing you to do this? Because that’s the reality of this world. It’s the reality of the world we’ve all been born into.
“Artifice Unreal”
Vision Statement:
Human beings have historically relied on their limited physical perceptions to find reason and make sense of the world around them. This ‘making sense of things’ has given rise to the amassment of a vast database of accepted knowledge in every field of study which has piqued the curiosity of mankind since the beginning of time. Our need to label and categorize each new discovery and experience, and subsequently place it in the appropriate field of study, has often led to disputes between the various ologies. Notoriously, theology, philosophy, sociology and the physical and theoretical sciences, have been judged as incompatible, incomparable, and even adversarial in their belief systems. This disunifying categorization of ideas has invariably led to one blind spot after another, one war of ideology after another, and yes, one battered and bruised ego after another. But can one belief system ever completely negate another? I think not. And even if the human race could unanimously agree on which belief system we should follow, how could we ever know if we’re heading toward the purest or truest perception of reality. Third Eye from the Sun will seek to blur the boundaries between ideologies. The film will question the commonly accepted ‘sensible’ nature of reality. It is likely that human beings will never fully unravel the mysteries of the Universe, let alone understand how consciousness affects our perception of what is actually happening here. Can the energy fields emitted by collective consciousness be captured and contained to be selectively deployed as curing agents for the existential threats we humans are currently facing? I don’t know for sure, but intuition is telling me that this fringe ideology is worth a thorough exploration.
Preferred location for Uncle Neil’s secluded workshop. The place where Maynard will design and build a conscious energy transmitter and receiver. Rose Dhu Island, Chatham County, GA.
Synopsis:
Maynard Otto Barrett, a discredited and disillusioned quantum physicist, finds himself ostracized by family, friends and associates because he’s been increasingly outspoken about his nonconventional theories concerning the nature of human consciousness. As a boy, Maynard’s favorite relative, and the person who introduced him to the wonders of physics and philosophy in the first place, was his mother’s brother, Uncle Neil. Maynard would visit his uncle’s house out on the marshes whenever he was given permission by his mother, but it was only on rare occasions that she would grant him that permission because she didn’t trust her brother’s judgment. Cindy Barrett knew her older brother Neil was always getting completely wrapped up in his crazy experiments and she feared her little boy would be easily influenced by his madcap imaginings. As any good son would, Maynard tried to assuage his mother’s worries about the time he was spending with Uncle Neil, but the more time he spent with him, the more apparent his intrigue became and the less convincing his arguments were. His uncle’s strange stories and ideas were indeed unrealistic, but Maynard truly enjoyed the way he felt when he was hanging out with Uncle Neil in his ad-hoc laboratory. There, he felt like the world was a magical place. A place where anything could happen at any given time.
Maynard’s father had never shown much interest in his son, or anything else for that matter, so when he abandoned Cindy and Maynard just after the boy’s seventh birthday, Uncle Neil became the one and only male role model in young Maynard’s life. Uncle Neil taught his nephew everything he’d learned through a lifetime of studying physics and metaphysics, but the most important thing he taught him was how to think for himself. At ten years old, when his mother informed him that they would be moving away from the rural coastline of southern Georgia to look for better employment opportunities in Atlanta, Maynard rebelled. At first, he tried to reason with her, telling her that they were doing just fine in Shellman Bluff, but he knew how unreasonable that sounded, so his second strategy was to go to his uncle and ask him to talk to his mother. Neil knew his sister well. He knew that when she made a decision to do something, there was really no point in trying to talk her out of it. Maynard and his mom never made it to Atlanta. Instead, they settled in the city of Athens, where Cindy found work at the University of Georgia, the college that Maynard would attend for the first four years of his undergraduate studies. When they first arrived in Athens, Maynard and his mom talked often about returning to Shellman Bluff, at least to visit Uncle Neil, but within months they were both so caught up in building new lives for themselves that they only rarely mentioned his name, and when they did, it was with a nostalgic reverence that left them both shaking their heads in wonder. In the isolated social environment of Shellman Bluff, Uncle Neil’s outlandish ideas had seemed fairly rational, but in the brightly lit and intellectually progressive city of Athens, those same ideas seemed to be completely delusional.
During his graduate studies at the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Maynard attempted to contact his Uncle Neil a couple of times through the mail but never received a response. The last time Maynard had seen or heard from him was the day he and his mom drove out of Shellman Bluff heading for Athens. His uncle had always been an off-the-grid kind of guy. As far as Maynard knew, he had never owned a cell phone and he mistrusted the government to the point of paranoia, so it was understandable that it was difficult to contact him. Every time that Maynard thought about driving north to check on Uncle Neil, something would keep him from it. Years went by, and life went on. Maynard earned a PhD in quantum physics, minoring in philosophy from MIT. He was forty-three, married and living in Cambridge, Massachusetts and his world seemed to be spiraling out of control. For the past twenty years his internal thoughts had been waging war with every exterior source of knowledge that he’d been introduced to during his studies. In both his professional and his personal life Maynard felt like an imposter. He was losing touch with everything that had ever mattered to him, which now included an estranged wife and two children of his own. When he took an honest look back at his life, he realized that the day he said goodbye to Uncle Neil was the day that he had stopped considering the unlimited possibilities of life and had started instead to imagine only the limitations.
Maynard knew that it was time to return to Shellman Bluff. He’d concluded that the only way he could untangle the mess he’d made of things was to return to his uncle’s laboratory to see for himself if the man he knew as Uncle Neil was legitimately insane or simply misunderstood by society. He had no idea whether his uncle was alive or dead, but he knew this journey was likely to change his long-held perceptions about everything and everyone. Against all opposition and inquisition, Maynard leaves Cambridge and heads for Shellman Bluff and his uncle’s home in the marsh. What he discovers there is so far outside the boundaries of his previous experience that it makes him not only question his own sanity, but it leads him down a pathway and into an alternative reality from which he may never return.
Before I delve into the future, or even the present for that matter, I thought I should revisit the recent past. When I started my studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design on September 11 of last year, I was confident that I could publish regular updates to this blog while also being enrolled in three courses per quarter at the college. I knew that the blog would have to take a backseat to my education at SCAD, but I thought that I could accomplish both tasks simultaneously, as long as I kept my primary focus on the coursework. Within the first couple weeks of classes I realized that it would take all of my creative energies and my undivided focus just to reserve ample head space for the learning curve that would be required for my academic success. Was the past statement wordy? Yes. In short form, it reads more like this – I had to abandon my blog posts temporarily and adopt a new outlet for creative expression, namely the Film and Television Program at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
I feel extremely fortunate to be enrolled as a graduate student at the Savannah College of Art and Design! I’ve completed my first year of studies in the MFA Film and Television Program with a focus on Directing and Experimental Filmmaking. My current unofficial GPA – 3.66. I could never have made it this far without the incredible support of friends and family who have generously invested in my success! Thank you all, I truly appreciate your help!
Now, I’ll move on to a more comprehensive and detailed description of my experiences over the past nine months at SCAD. For readers who are satisfied with the big picture as I’ve already described it, this would be a good place to click your way to some other worthy story on the vast dataspace of the world wide web. Thank you kindly for visiting the “Grand Providentia United” blog site!
These photos were taken the first time I toured the Backlot at SCAD (September 2023). This is a partial view of Phase 1 of the Backlot project. Phase 2 is currently being built and construction on Phase 3, the final phase (likely to be completed after I graduate in the spring of 2025) has already begun. It’s an exciting time to be learning film production at the Savannah College of Art and Design!
As a sexagenarian and someone who had not been in the role of student at college for more than twenty years, I was quite self-conscious about my age while attending the first few weeks of class at SCAD. My classmates were all at least twenty years younger than me and most of them were obviously well ahead of me in terms of their technological proficiencies and knowledge concerned with the art of filmmaking. This self-consciousness was expected, in truth it had been nagging at me since I made the decision to apply to the program in February of 2022. In the lead-up to the first quarter of classes, I spent many an hour during sleepless nights worrying about my ability to make the grade and ultimately graduate with an MFA in Film. Throughout the first two quarters of classes, a nagging uncertainty dogged me day and night. I badgered myself with constant internal questions: Was I up to the challenge of graduate level studies at my age? Was I delusional, thinking that I could keep up with the academic demands and ultimately make the grade? Was the dream of becoming an independent filmmaker beyond my creative reach? All these questions, and many others, came to a climax at the beginning of the second quarter when I realized how much work was required to make it through just two of the three classes, I’d registered for during the winter session. Toward the end of January, I was so worried about the amount of course work in front of me, that I had an experience that I can only describe as a panic attack brought on by a massive wave of the imposter syndrome. Thankfully, a classmate (a new friend) was there to provide a more positive perspective on my circumstances. He advised me to stop looking at the whole staircase and focus on one step at a time. As soon as he gave me the advice, I realized that it was the same advice that I would have given to someone else if the roles were reversed. This snapped me out of my spiral thinking almost immediately, and once I had returned my focus to the work at hand rather than wasting energy on what-ifs and worries about inadequacies, I was able to prioritize the course work and finish the quarter on a high note. Even more importantly, I was able to relax and do my best work in the third and final quarter of my first academic year in the MFA program at SCAD.
From the 26th Annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, October 21-28, 2023. What an exciting event it was, albeit a little overstimulating for me, considering that it took place during my first quarter of studies!
Graduate studies at SCAD are said to be comprehensive and fast paced no matter what creative discipline or area of focus you are there to study. In my opinion, that comprehensiveness and learning pace demonstrates that they are adequately earning their tuition fees, and this educational strategy on its own, effectively and continually grows their reputation as one of the top art colleges in the world. One of the things that I’ve come to recognize after finishing my first year at the college, is that I would right now be feeling disappointed and less accomplished had the last nine months been intellectually easy on me. As a result of my struggles, I experience growth, physically, spiritually and intellectually. The way I see it, my first year at SCAD was a great success!
Various BTS photos – Muta, Samantha, Ian, Ved, Eric and ScottLeft to Right – Will – Skeleton King vs. Timber Rattler – Scott, Lilly, Damian – Damian – VedImages above are behind the scenes photos taken on set of Father Nature. Photography by Kris Patel.
Father Nature was the first time I directed a film with a team of talented filmmakers. I wrote the script during December of 2023 and captured the principal photography in February of 24. I edited the film over the course of the Spring quarter, adding sound as I learned the process in Sound Design for Film and Television. There are certain aspects of the film that I am still not satisfied with, but I decided it was time to put it to rest and move on to the next big idea. Something I’ve practiced throughout a lifetime of creating art – know when to say the work is finished.
This film was intended to be a proof-of-concept piece and I was planning to further explore the concept for my thesis project. I decided at the last moment (during the Graduate Review Meeting) to leave further exploration of Father Nature until after graduation. The thesis will instead be a short film introducing the “Grand Providentia Projection”
Over the course of the spring quarter, I decided how I wanted to proceed with my education and the remainder of my creative journey. I enrolled in a class called Experimental Film and there I found an enormous amount of inspiration. One of the driving forces behind my decision to apply to SCAD was inspired by the work of the surrealist filmmaker David Lynch. After taking this course I decided to lean into the surreal – gravitate toward the supernatural – run straight into the horror – experiment with science fiction – and dream a fantastic dream. I want to make films that make people wonder.
When the pendulum swings toward angst, I am in the pit. To ride the pendulum back out of the pit, I must summon forth and exercise heartfelt serenity. When I was a child, I found it almost effortless to initiate, fluctuate, and regulate my spiritual energies, largely because it seemed to occur naturally. I would be completely bummed out in one minute and then entirely elated in the next. I was thrilled when we kids found a long-forgotten railroad bridge in the woods across the street from my house. It had deteriorated to the point that its wooden cross beams were seemingly only held together by the corroded steel girders and rusty tracks the workers had so long ago spiked into them. The trestle over the river had a short span and an even shorter height – its rails were perhaps only twenty feet above the surface of the shallow flow. Although there were some jagged piles of dangerous looking debris down below the span, crossing it was probably not a matter of life and death. But death was certainly not out of the question either. At least that’s the argument my dad would have used to scare me straight if he found out I was crossing that rotted bridge. At the age of seven, with three of my best friends cheering me on, I tiptoed carefully, and deliberately, over the span from the near to the far shore. As I remember it, my friends all chickened out that first time, meaning I had to return to the near shore almost immediately so we could stay together and seek out other brave new worlds and daredevil challenges until darkness fell. While the fear was definitely real in the moments of crossing the bridge, it was the recurring nightmares I had as a result of the crossings that turned out to be the most terrifying part of the experience. As the term recurring suggests, the dream was always the same – a Tyrannosaurus Rex chases me to the rickety hulk of the train trestle – for reasons unclear, the beast’s shadow is always scarier than its blood slathered jowls – I cross the bridge as if in a dream (I was), leaping expertly from tie to tie and avoiding the gaping black holes in its steel-strapped wooden ribcage – when I stick a solid landing on the other side, I look down, and there on the burnt coal ground of the far shore I find a cherry flavored Pixie Stick, unopened – I pick it up and start to pour the sugary contents into my mouth with nary a care about, or memory of, the dinosaur’s monstrous shadow or the fact that I’d even been having a nightmare. I suppose that’s how easily the pendulum swings when you’re just a kid.
Within a few years of that ‘First Great Trestle Crossing’, the local adults figured out how dangerous it was to keep the skeletal remains of that bridge in place. I reckon the Hope Mill property owner recognized the potential financial liability the dilapidated trestle represented, so he made it disappear. We children claimed to be upset about its disappearance, but deep down inside I think we were all relieved to some extent because we knew we would never be dared to cross it again. Before long, we had collectively dragged a few of the old timbers that the demolition crew had left behind to make our own bridge, this one being much closer to the river’s surface. For me, the deeper significance of the bridge crossing was not in the physical danger it posed, but in the spiritual and mental challenge it represented. I remember it as the first time I tempted fate – the first time I challenged the devil to strike me down if that was his big plan. I see now that his plans were significantly bigger than I could have imagined back then. So, the devil laughed openly at my baby steps, and it’s likely God could see that he’d soon have his hands full trying to keep this young fool from wandering too far into the absolute black. In my understanding, God is always smiling though. The Great I Am bears an embarrassment born of the haplessness of our willful ways, and is thoroughly amused by us, just the same.
The Arkwright Bridge (built in 1888) is a couple miles downriver from the trestle in this story. Although it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, it will likely be one of the next disappearing bridges in rural Rhode Island. The bridge was closed to automobiles in 2011 and then closed to foot traffic in 2019, after the death of a local youth who was diving off the bridge with friends. (Wikipedia)
If I could have seen the recklessness of my actions early on, perhaps I might have saved myself a decade of increasingly painful hardship. But as the devil has been purported to say, “Where’s the fun in that?” Besides, if I hadn’t gone searching for the devil’s lair, I wouldn’t have this wonderful story to share with you all. Lucky for you, I am one that needs to learn the hard way. As a child I tended to rise to the challenge again and again, even if it meant sacrificing every last shred of self-preservation and esteem I could muster. I was intent on finding the source of absolute black, and when I did, I would start to beat the demons back down inside of it. When the supreme leaders of both the black and the white forces heard of my plans, all of the Universe enjoyed a great big belly laugh.
"Grand Providentia United" 