I reworked my old hymn “Ave Maria”, and renamed it “Graceful Queen of Heaven”, so that it doesn’t get confused with the famous namesake.
Here I tried to work a bit of complexity into the hymn. Of course, it now sounds very different. I enjoyed the process of balancing the elements.
I have also included included the Youtube link below the Bandcamp one.
I was against uploading to Youtube after it was found Suno scraped the entire database, but I do have (limited) subscribers, so I think I have decided to continue with it.
I did remove my previous album, “Morning Dew”. This was partly for personal reasons, and partly because I felt the music was a little simplistic. I may yet revisit it…
Category: Uncategorized
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Queen of Heaven – Hymn
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AlmosLataanStore Etsy Shop
I have opened an Etsy store, where, currently, I will list the majority of my items:
https://almoslataanstore.etsy.comI am going to build up this website shop at some point, but whilst I do so, Etsy is a good place to temporally list some items. Potentially, I feel that people are more comfortable connecting with an Etsy store than a relatively small website…
However, for the time being, my music is only accessible here.
At the moment I have listed my “He is Risen” prayer card, and also some B-Grade options for those looking for a cheaper deal. Click here to have a look.
Also, I see a lot of hits on my contact page, but nothing passing my anti-spam filter. If someone is genuinley trying to get in contact, then try a DM on Instagram at @almoslataan. -
Prayer Cards For Sale – Contemporary Catholic Art
I have decided to start selling prayer cards. I have one which is already on sale, and a six further cards which will be on sale shortly.
Two of the cards feature pictures from my contemporary catholic art project, “He is Risen”. The rest are utilising scenes from nature.
I have been looking for ways to combine photography with my Catholic beliefs for some time, with this particularly the case with the, “He is Risen”, project. Due to this, it felt appropriate to make the first release utilise an image from this project.Resurrection prayer card on display This image, taken from a 5×7 film negative, was initially secondary to a negative with almost the same image, but with a blue development mark down the side. Although I like that image immensely, I felt that the mark may in fact detract from the devotional aspect, particularly with relation to a prayer card. Hence, I selected the technically more perfect image.
Of course, the primary purpose of a prayer card is one of devotion, and so the text included is of paramount importance. For this card, the scripture reference chosen was Matthew 28: 5-7.
This then is inline with the image itself, referencing the moment the angel appeared to the women. Although this particular scripture reference does not name one of the women as Mary Magdalene, we know this to be true from the other scripture references.
For the prayer, I searched for something that was appropriate to the Resurrection (as I am a poor Catholic, still just trying to learn about the faith in more depth). This prayer, The Easter Prayer, by St Hippolytus of Rome, seemed to be perfect for the card. For myself, I find the prayer very invigorating in the Catholic sense. It is a prayer of victory!
I went on a similar path with the other cards I made. First looking at my images, trying to match with scripture, and then finding a prayer that was appropriate for that scripture. It has been a great process for me. Firstly, it has taught me the benefit of keeping prayer cards as meditation and contemplation items. It has also exposed me further to prayers and passages that I have not yet really spent much time with. It has also been good for humility, as I realise that many people have been using cards already, people much more advanced in faith, and much more humble than me. On that note, one of the cards I have created contains the Litany of Humility, and I need to, and will be spending much time with that particular card I think.
So, in the interests of being open about this project: I am offering single cards in the beginning, delivered from Switzerland with me going to the post office. Once I have the logistics better worked out, I will offer them in batches for a cheaper price, which should open them up to people who wish to buy for a group or event. If you would like to buy for such a scenario now, then contact me via the website form, and I will try and get something sorted. -
“He has Risen” Resurrection Fine Art Print
The “He has Risen” Resurrection fine art print arrived.
Here is a video showing the print in more detail. (For some reason on uploading to Youtube, there is a slight resolution dip at the beginning, but the video appears to correct itself after some seconds. I maye try and redo the video at some point, but for now I’m going to relax!) -
Contact Form Working
Sorry, I realised that my contact form hasn’t been working for a long time. Oops.
I have set up with a different provider, so hopefully things will now work. Just go to the Contact Page -
You Opened One Eye – Separation Song
It’s been a difficult period for me. Separation, and a poor result in custody, seemingly relating to perceptions of my health. Quite frankly, it has been a very disappointing time, one where I must remind myself not to blame people, but rather the insidious lies that currently permeate culture.
Certain ideologies, when embraced like religion, lead to polarization. They seep like poison into the heart, and affect the capacity for love, the comprehension of truth, and render eyes unable to see. The only hope to escape this bitterness that eats away at the soul is God and prayer.It is certainly a bitter time for many, one where rage and hatred dominate, and where there exists the will to see truth through the lens of solipsism and individualism, warring against laws designed to maintain life and order itself.
Ultimately, people are happy to sacrifice others (literally in many cases) for their own peaceful existence and happiness. Behaviour like this is always deplorable. We must instead seek a more noble existence, expressing a wish to become more holy if possible, bringing true inner peace.
To emphasise how far society has diverged off the path, it is possible that some who read the above paragraph will recoil at the word holy. What does this say about society?
So, really I’ve diverged a little.
“You Opened One Eye” is a song about my love for my daughter whilst undergoing a harsh separation. Really, it is a song for her. I want her to one day understand how I felt in being separated from her, so that she can know that I never abandoned her, that my hands were tied, and that I always loved her and wanted her with me.Perhaps I should have had more control when writing this. I hope that bitterness has not crept into the lyrics too much. Really, the lyrics mainly relate to anguish, and the hole in my heart when I think of how this must affect my daughter.
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Hail Jesus – Contemporary Catholic Hymn
I have a kind of first draft of a hymn. It’s called “Hail, Jesus”, and is about Jesus being the path to salvation.
I like to think we are all on the path in some way, it’s just that some of us have chosen to move away from Jesus, rather than towards Him. But that doesn’t mean we can’t adjust our positions mid stride.
And for those who feel they are on the right path, perhaps it is important to recognise that a narrow path is hard to follow, and can be lost easily.
So I guess the hymn is about hope in Jesus, but also not falling into complacency. -
Back online…
After trying to access my website to provide updates, I found that my site had been blocked…restricted. It appears the DNS I was using had blocked it for some reason. This could be due to the router, or it could be that the local DNS is blacklisting me. I’m not sure at the moment – will need to investigate it.
I have actually moved the whole site from one server to another, so at the moment, there are no previous posts. Not sure what I’ll do about this, but I have retrieved the posts, so will possibly try to provide an archive, or repost.
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“Entwined” Pregnancy Print Available For Purchase Through Kalimetric
UPDATE I have taken down the sales listing for the time being. I will update if it is made available again.
My Entwined Pregnancy Print is now available through the shop at kalimetric.com.
I decided to run the sale through sister site kalimetric as that has the set up for a shop already. Selling on AlmosLataan would require a large overhaul. So, for the time being, the two sites are combined in a fashion.
For a long time I wondered whether I should sell something associated with pro-life. I felt that it might be inappropriate to do so. But I guess that in religious areas, by way of comparison, artists create and sell work, so there is a precident. If this is a success, I can perhaps think about producing more large format work.
The print run is limited in a fashion. 10 prints are available in the first batch, with each successive print raising in price (in example, batch 1 print 1 will be cheaper than batch 1 print 2). Once all of the prints are sold in the batch, the print will then become unavailable for 5 years. This ensures that the print will always remain in circulation, but in low numbers, as long as the initial file and negative are still available.
If you are interested then head over to kalimetric.com
