Magic in the big screen: Three great films about performance magic

Performance magic has been around for centuries and has been captivating audiences from around the world. From simple and complex tricks to optical illusions, this art form never fails to entertain all kinds of viewers. Because of this mystique, Hollywood has tried to capture the allure of the performance. The following are notable films that critics and viewers believe have succeeded with the hat tricks:  

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The Prestige (2006)
 Based on the award-winning novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige centers on the rivalry between two magicians, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden. Once partners, the two become bitter enemies after Angier blames Borden for his wife’s death during a performance. They both begin to sabotage each other’s tricks, which lead to deadly consequences.  

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The Illusionist (2006)
This is the story of Eisenheim, a master illusionist, and the great lengths he went through to be with the woman he loves. Eisenheim is a son of a peasant who, as a teenager, falls in love with Sophie, a duchess. After being forced to go their separate ways, they meet again as adults, with Eisenheim as a famous magician and Sophie engaged to an abusive crown prince. The two then devise a grand magic trick that would allow them to finally be together.  

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Now You See Me (2013)
A team of illusionists known as The Four Horsemen are led by a mysterious mastermind to commit bank heists in front of a big audience using magic tricks, after which they would give the stolen money to the viewers. This gets the attention of FBI and Interpol agents who decide to investigate on the magicians.

Performance magic, whether in film or in reality, never fails to capture viewers’ attention. Thus, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the art form endures for a long time.  

A celebrated speed painter and mentalist, Robert Channing continues to mesmerize audiences with each performance. Visit his website to learn more about his work.

Painting without paint? Utilizing unconventional art media

Not all artists are content using tried and tested media for expression. Different media pose unique challenges for the risk-taking artist who wants to tread into territory, with each medium offering its own set of application and effects. This of course leaves a lot of room for experimentation, one that the intrepid visual artist, modernist or representational, would be more than happy to take on.

Here are just a few of the odd media used in visual art that have been used to some degree of success.  
Toast

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Finding images in food is nothing new, due to the tendency of humans to recognize patterns. Artist Maurice Bennett takes this a step further, creating or reproducing several masterpieces from patterns using the contrast of light and dark shades in toast. Like-minded artist Hittomii from Japan has also used toast as a medium, drawing anime images into toast using pigments like cocoa and tea powder.  

Glitter

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Usually seen as an accessory, glitter can be used as a painting medium that creates images and patterns when stuck to a canvas appropriately coated with an adhesive at the right places. Speed painter and psychic entertainer Robert Channing has utilized this medium in his speed painting show Imagination Into Art, quickly creating images of popular celebrities and cultural icons in mere minutes.  

Microorganisms

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Using living or deceased microorganisms is much older an artform than most people realize. Craftsmen have been meticulously using the silica shells of diatoms to create stained glass-like patterns and images in microscope slides since the 19th Century. Scientists have manipulated bacterial cultures into growing in particular patterns and have developed engineered bacteria to act like camera film.  

A renowned psychic entertainer and speed painter, Robert Channing has performed live for corporate, collegiate, and media audiences the world over. Learn more about him and his show Imagination Into Art from this website.

The real deal: What audiences have to say about ESP shows

It was an act that stirred amazement and thundering approval both from the audience and judges of "America's Got Talent." When Robert Channing introduced himself, people thought it was just another speed painting stunt.

                                                      Video source: Robert Channing

But curiosity filled the audition area as soon as he started to paint broad, open strokes over the black canvas. "I don't see anything," wondered Nick Cannon at the backstage. The judges leaned forward in an attempt to figure out what's going on, but to no avail. And then, just as when his 90 seconds came to a close, a splash of gold glitter revealed a gleaming image of judge Howard Stern.

"I'm an enthusiastic yes," Stern exclaimed, who then went onstage to sign his autograph using the same intriguing strokes. The resounding yesses from the three other judges sealed the speed painter's entry to the next round.

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In well under two minutes, Channing seamlessly perused all the right elements that make a stunning, praise-worthy act: a bit of drama, deftness of the hand, and a great deal of imagination. But long before his stint at the hit reality TV series, Channing has already enthralled big crowds at fundraisers, corporate shows, and college events with this artistic rendering of icons and figures.

Debra Douglas, managing director of CIBC World Markets, can attest to how shows like Channing's can astonish even the most skeptical minds, like investment bankers. Channing, she said, "managed to entertain, command their interest, and keep them talking about your performance for days afterward!"

Even New York Senator Joe Griffo, was nothing short of impressed. In one of Channing's shows, the statesman described the speed painter's talent as "tantalizing and purely intriguing."
 

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ESP performer and speed painter Robert Channing displays brilliant showmanship, making him a perfect alternative from the usual forms of entertainment. Contact him for performances through this website.

High-profile prophets: The biggest psychic names throughout history

Psychics have always been a rare breed, often consulted and celebrated and on the other hand ridiculed for their metaphysical talents. That doesn’t mean they don’t make history. Here are some of the most famous psychics of all time.  

 

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Michel de Nostradame
 
An apothecary by trade, clairvoyant Frenchman Nostradamus recorded and catalogued over 6,000 visions of the future and published the book “Les Prophecies” in 1555. Though scorned publicly by many as the devil’s work, Nostradamus’ predictions had the support of Florentine noblewoman Catherine de Medici.
Nostradamus’ prophecies include the Great Fire of London, Napoleon and Hitler’s regimes, World War I and II, both Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings, the Apollo expeditions to the moon, Princess Diana’s death, and 9/11.

 

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Baba Vanga
 
Born in Bulgaria in 1911, Vangelia Pandeva Dimitrova lost her eyesight in a sandstorm as a young girl. Soon after, she became known as Baba Vanga, an herbalist privy to various world events in the past, the future, and the present.

A consultant to those who worried for loved ones deployed at war, Baba Vanga allegedly foretold the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the rise and fall of Stalin, the Chernobyl incident, and Yeltsin’s electoral win.

 

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Jeanne Dixon

Psychic and astrologer Lydia Emma Pinckert, aka Jeanne Dixon, wrote horoscopes that were printed regularly in reputable newspapers and publications. Seven years before the fact, she notoriously predicted the death of John F. Kennedy in an issue of Parade Magazine.

Robert Channing is a highly-sought psychic speed painter who interprets his audiences’ thoughts by painting them into a canvas within minutes. His marvelous talent, which melds outstanding telepathic abilities with artistic skill, has been showcased at various trade shows, events, and live segments, the most recent of which being “America’s Got Talent.” For inquiries, bookings, and updates, visit his official website.

The most popular mentalist performances

Mentalism is a performance art, whereby the performer, known as a mentalist, displays what appear to be highly intuitive – even supernatural – abilities. Also known as psychic entertainment, mentalism is done purely for entertainment purposes, and it has no pretentions of portraying authentic paranormal acts.

 

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The following are some of the most common mentalist performances incorporated by magicians, street performers, and even public speakers to their presentations:  

Telepathy

Telepathy is the transmission of information from one person to another, without any physical or sensory interaction. Essentially, it is the ability to use the mind to send messages to another person.  

 

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Clairvoyance

This is the ability to provide information about a person, object, or event through purportedly extra-sensory means without prior knowledge about the subjects. Clairvoyance is also known as remote viewing or telesthesia.  

Divination

Divination is the use of supernatural rituals to gain information. Some magicians employ elaborate rituals as part of their performance, making their shows not just psychic acts but also visual spectacles.  

 

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Precognition Also known as fortune-telling, precognition is the skill of describing events and occasions that have yet to happen.  

Psychokinesis

Psychokinesis is the ability to move objects or persons through non-physical means. An example is the old “floating lady” trick.  

Robert Channing is a world-renowned mentalist and motivational speaker. To learn more about his work and to request for a performance, visit his official website.

Fast food art: The talent of speed painting

Great masterpieces take time to finish. It took Michael Angelo four years to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling, one of the world’s most renowned artworks. Art painted on smaller canvasses usually take 10 to 50 hours.

But can a masterpiece be painted in minutes? With huge strokes and sometimes with a little help from technology, it is possible.

 

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A handful of artists like Robert Channing have been wowing audiences with speed painting, a technique that combines a flair for dramatic imagery and deftness of hand.

 

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Along with their skillful hands, professional speed painters make use of huge brushes, sand, spray paint, and a splash of light and glitter to produce certain images in a short span of time. The more playful and technically adept ones use photo enhancement applications and time-lapse technology to deliver and present stunning portraits and landscapes in hours, even minutes. Both kinds are nothing short of amazing, drawing big crowds in roadshows and gaining large following over websites like YouTube.

 

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Some have even demonstrated their talent for speed painting on reality shows like "America's Got Talent." Spectators wonder what makes fast art possible. Speed painters believe imagination is key. The more vivid the images are perceived in the mind, the faster an artist moves and the more precise his strokes become.  

One of the best speed and glitter painters around, Robert Channing showcases his talent in schools and corporate shows. Visit his