Redtree Times

Well, the folks from WSKG came to my studio  the other day and filmed my segment for their Artist Cafe program.  As I mentioned the other day, I was somewhat ambivalent about the whole thing, never feeling comfortable painting in front of people.  I generally concentrate on the surface and often completely block out much of the world around me.  If I am listening to music or have a movie on the TV, I often miss whole passages because I am so focused.  I can never really get to that point with people around.

But the people that came to film and interview me, Tina Reinhard and Christy Lantz, were very easy to work with and I did paint for them to film.  I did limit myself to one of the primary layers of brush marks  that make up the sky on a painting that I had started a day or two before but they were able to film me while I painted.  It’s work that requires just random strokes, most of which will never be seen but are integral to the way I work.

Overall, the interview went fairly well.  At least I think it did.  Both Tina and Christy seemed to think it went well, although based on their genial natures, I would be shocked if they told me it was awful.  The questions were basic and I stumbled several times even on the questions that I’ve been asked a hundred times before, with some answers less complete than I wished they might have been when I thought about it later.  It’s good that it’s not a live segment so that a lot of tape and editing can make me at least sound coherent.  It’s only a 5 or 6 minute segment so you never really know what clips are going to be chosen to be shown.  So even though there seemed to be a direction in which the interview was moving, I won’t know until I see the final product if it was the same one that I thought it might be.

Again, thanks to Tina and Christy for being so gracious while working with me.  Both are seasoned pros so they weren’t flustered by anything.  I am currently cat-sitting my brother-in-law’s round tiger cat, Lucky, in the studio.  I thought she might run and hide when they showed up but she was instantly attracted to both of them, swatting at cables and climbing in their gear bags.  Lucky for Lucky that they were both cat people.

During the shoot Lucky began running through the studio, between me and the camera which made me look and laugh as well  as provide loud thumping noises from her paws which were audible on the film.  I decided to confine her to a bedroom at the other end of the studio but while we filmed, her pleading meows came through loud and clear on the recording.  we took a short break and Lucky was sent to cat prison, Cheri coming to take her safely out of earshot.  Tina and Christy took it all in stride, thankfully.  You can see Lucky under the window in the photo above as well as the painting on the easel on the left that I worked on during the shoot.

Tina said that she thought it would be sometime in mid to late May.  I will let you know when the program will definitely air and when it will be available on their YouTube channel.  Maybe…