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6 Degrees Entertainment

'The Secret Life of Lance Letscher'
(Lance Letscher, et al / DVD / NR / (2017) 2018 / Film Rise - MVD Visual)

Overview: 'The Secret Life of Lance Letscher' is a deeply personal and psychological portrait of foreign-known, Austin-based collage artist Lance Letscher. Told through memories of trauma and triumph, the film provides a doorway into Letscher's profound insights on creativity, the subconscious, work ethic and spirituality.

DVD Verdict: For those not in the know, collage artist Lance Letscher may look whimsical, like we're following a pied piper to magical places, but he is far, far removed from any such real life version of such a thing.

He layers paper cuttings and colors and mosaics, and creates a visual trumpet call into Imaginationland. While his work may appear fanciful, it also shouts depth and pain. Somehow, this artist has harnessed the trauma of life into a prolific body of work.

Perhaps his inspiration has helped him overcome obstacles, including an absentee mother and the suicide of his father, which is what we try and learn through this carefully documented film by Sandra Adair, 'The Secret Life of Lance Letscher'.

Through his intricate artistic process, we witness the artist's unwavering determination to stay in the moment - free of mind, thought and preconception. Featuring detailed images of more than a hundred of his collages, sculptures and installations, viewers are offered a visual feast while gaining intimate access into Letscher's methodical techniques and brilliant mind.

When asked, during this heavy, but ultimately fascinating documentary, Do you believe the cultural trope that depression and black moods can feed creativity?, he responds, "I think that sometimes the two can go hand in hand; there are countless examples. Even to the degree that one could infer that mental illness sharpens or drives creativity in some way."

"My own experience is that dysfunctionality clouds the mind and weakens the body. At a certain point past neurosis and near full-on psychosis, impairment becomes too profound to allow creativity."

And when asked, Do you feel like you face mortality in your work?, Letscher replies, openly and honestly, and unwavering, "Very much so. Seven years ago, my father committed suicide. I was okay for three or four months before I started to be subjected to pretty profound emotional and physiological shock waves."

"I kind of had some sort of protracted nervous breakdown that lasted at least five years, maybe a little more. This profoundly affected the work. It became darker and more expressionistic for a time. Manic and even alienating for the viewers who came to see my work."

In closing he adds, "I had a kind of dry period during it all; sales fell off, and people long familiar with my work were somewhat perplexed or pushed away by it."

When asked this this fine-tuning had changed his productivity and, in turn, sales?, Letscher freely denotes that, "My use of color has leapfrogged and has become a primary focus while in the studio, creativity and productivity have both improved, and yes, sales have improved as a result of the changes in the work."

"Truthfully, it was that way until my doctor was able to fine-tune my medications about a year ago." And, interestingly enough, as the documentary continues, the one other stand out thought from him is after he's asked, Do you ever hate what you have produced?, he replies, without blinking an eye, "Yes, there is a phase that pops up now and then when a collage is not going well that causes me to get irritated, impatient, or angry. Under those circumstances, I tend to work harder and channel the negative mindset until I fix or resolve the problem."

Truly fascinating and a wondrous riveting watch, from start to finish, 'The Secret Life of Lance Letscher' has to remain a secret no longer. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1:85.1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.

www.FilmRise.com

www.LanceLetscher.com

www.MVDvisual.com





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