ABOUT THE DRAWING - AKA The painting Michael found in "a dumpster"
Ossie, Powis Terrace - 1968
artist: DAVID HOCKNEY
PENCIL ON PAPER
16 3/4 X 13 3/4
By request of the artist, the image of the actual drawing is only to be available in the body of the film.
Story of the drawing: By the late 1980s the drawing found its way into a warehouse in Jersey City, New Jersey. The building; having many incarnations including; fabric factory, stone carving factory and storage facility, was, by that time, abandoned. Because of other material found in the same spot, it is believed that a collector who had passed away and left no record of his storage articles owned the drawing. As the building changed hands, the new management began renting it out to some of the growing population of artists in the area. Some time in 1989, a young artist named Michael Daube moved in.
ABOUT MICHAEL DAUBE
A series of remarkable synchronicities led him to Mother Theresa’s refuge near Kaligat Temple, to volunteer in the care for the dying poor of Calcutta. The experience was deeply profound. Michael saw how little it would take to affect change - but being himself a person of limited means, he left India with a serious puzzle: how could he continue to help without the money needed to realize his intentions?
The answer came fortuitously in 1994 while Michael, working as an artist, was scavenging for sculpture materials in an abandoned warehouse in New Jersey. The reflection off the frame of a discarded piece of art caught his eye among the debris. Michael recognized in the drawing’s initials the letters “DH”. He had stumbled on a valuable work by artist David Hockney. The artwork fetched $18,000 at Sotheby’s. At that point Michael knew he could do something.
ABOUT THE FILM
While on a particular misadventure in India, Michael finds himself working with Mother Theresa, caring for the dying poor of Calcutta. This profound experience helps him set the intention to someday return... but he is faced with a serious puzzle: how could he continue to help without the money needed to realize this intention?
Back home in New York, chance intervenes. Michael Daube, then working as an artist, is scavenging for sculpture materials in an abandoned warehouse when he finds a valuable, original artwork by David Hockney. The piece fetches $18,000 at Sotheby’s. At that point, Michael begins a new journey that will see him exchange his paint and brushes for a different set of art materials: schools, hospitals, and women's cooperatives.
Spanning over a decade, Way of Life traverses the world to illustrate how a single altruistic gesture can evolve into a richly satisfying way of life. With intimate and moving camera work, the film interweaves moments of this incredible journey to illustrate how this simple, ground-level approach to working with marginalized communities transforms the lives of those involved. Ultimately, Way of Life explores the relationships between creativity, life’s work and personal happiness in a way that inspires us to consider and appreciate our own best intentions.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Corporate and Non Profit clients include: Vermont Studio Center, California Health Care Foundation, CITTA, SF South Asian film Festival, The Wasilla Project, Ecomom, Richmond District Neighborhood Center, and with e-Motion Studios (Adobe, Nvidia, HP, Dolby Laboratories, Leapfrog, YMCA, Chevron, among others), and formerly with Satchi and Satchi S / Act Now productions (Wellpoint, Autodesk and Cisco Systems, among others.)
David also served, from 2000-2006, as the Director of The Film Workshop (funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences among others) an independent film studies and production workshop dedicated to creating quality films with students ranging in age from thirteen to thirty. Under David’s direction, the organization produced over 250 films, many of which have received awards playing in film festivals both nationally and internationally.
Fiscally sponsored by:
