I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate in my career to have had long and lasting relationships with several galleries that represent my work. This coming February will mark 20 years at the West End Gallery in Corning, NY as well as 18 years with the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. It also marks my 19th year with the Kada Gallery in Erie, PA. Tonight’s show marks the 35th solo shows at these 3 galleries since the year 2000.
Each of these galleries is ran by people who I genuinely like and respect on a personal level which I think is the reason for the longevity of the relationships. As a result, I always feel a responsibility to deliver the best possible show to each of these galleries. A friend would do no less.
I hope that I have met that responsibility with the work for Into the Common Ground which opens tonight at the Kada Gallery. Owners Kathy and Joe DeAngelo are two of the most decent and hard working people I have encountered in this or any other business. Kathy has a tremendous enthusiasm for the work she displays, treating each piece with great care and respect. She takes the time to really get to know the work, asking questions about the story behind each piece, and speaks authoritatively about it– all an artist can ask for in someone who shows their work.
Her enthusiasm is infectious. When she calls me in the studio and I might be feeling a little worn down, I always hang up feeling upbeat and eager to get back at the paint. Even after nearly 19 years of seeing my work she always seems excited by new pieces and that is a magical elixir for all artists.
So you can see why I desire my best for this show. I know that this is a purely subjective opinion but I feel that I have done so this year. It’s a show that clicks a lot of button for me but, again, that is not for me to say. You will to just come out and judge for yourself.
The piece at the top, Blessed in Blue, is a 16″ by 20″ canvas, from the show.
It’s Thanksgiving and hopefully you haven’t waited all year to express a little gratitude for the good things in your life. If that is the case, get on the stick and start giving out the thanks, pronto. If you have been grateful throughout the year, relax and listen to a little Thanksgiving-inspired music. It’s pianist George Winston‘s version of the theme from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. The cartoon itself is not quite up to the level of A Charlie Brown Christmas but the music of Vince Guaraldi always shines.
And I am thankful for that. And for Snoopy.
PS: The original YouTube clip with the George Winston version has been taken down but I have inserted Vince Guaraldi’s original below. You can hear the Winston version on YouTube by clicking his name above or here.
When I was delivering the show to the Kada Gallery on Monday, I tried to describe the joy I sometimes found in apparent imperfections– a visible paint edge or an embedded bristle from a brush, for example– in some of my pieces, how they were a reflection of our own humanity, our own inherent imperfection. These imperfections and the experience that ultimately shows in the wear and tear exhibited on our physical being are the things that make up our character. The things that tell our tale and give evidence that we have lived.
Early this morning, I stumbled across this term from the Japanese, wabi-sabi, that describes this feeling and very much embodies much of what I hope for my work. There is obviously more to this concept than this simple definition but for now I am just enjoying this as it is.
I thought I’d play some music for this Sunday music with the theme being giving thanks. Looking around, I found there weren’t a lot of choices and none that really were explicitly about the holiday. I guess the circumstances of the original event didn’t lend themselves to really interesting holiday music, certainly not on the level of Christmas songs and carols. But whenever I think of songs that mention thanks in them, even in a way that barely grazes the idea of Thanksgiving, I always immediately come back to the song of thanks from the magnificent funkiness that is Sly and the Family Stone.
Of course, I am talking about Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin.) Love the wordplay.
I wrote about Sly Stone back in August on the 45th anniversary of his epic Woodstock appearance. I mentioned then that whenever I hear something from him I find myself wondering why I am not listening to him all the time. It seems to always perk me up, make me feel invigorated. And this song is no different.
So, while it might not be on the playlists of any Pilgrims, here is a little Sly to kickstart your Sunday. Have a great day and give some thanks to someone or something today. Why wait until Thursday?
I am really busy this morning with the last details of preparation for the upcoming Kada Gallery show. I am a little hectic but felt compelled to put something up on the blog out of a sense of obligation to the regimen that has been formed over the six years that I have been writing this blog. I always feel somewhat guilty if I miss more than a day. Five years ago, I shared a video of female portraits throughout the art of last 500 years that was put together by video enthusiast Philip Scott Johnson. It was a well done assemblage with portraits morphing from one to another and was immensely popular with over 14 million views on YouTube.
I came across another of his morph films, this time featuring the portraits of Pablo Picasso. I thought I would share this short but interesting film today.
I sometimes think that Picasso’s immense worldwide fame, especially around the 60’s and 70’s, kept me from fully appreciating his work. I never thought of him as an artistic inspiration for my own work but over time I have found that his work almost always captures my attention when I come across it. There is usually something in it that has that sense of rightness I often struggle to explain here. I have become, more and more, a fan of his work over the years.
Take a look at the film and see for yourself in this great little film that features the laying of Yo-Yo Ma.
I heard a version of Duke Ellington‘s signature tune, Take the “A” Train, the other day that caught me off guard. The music was playing in the background and I caught the notes of a tune that made me stop and listen. It was so familiar but it was so different. Then I recognized it and realized it was someone other than the Duke and his orchestra. It didn’t have the urbane and upbeat swing, that joyful feeling of breezing carefree along that marked the original.
No, it was a slow jaunt, a meandering and elegantly peaceful ride. No horns. Just a thumping upright bass and gorgeous piano work over some light drum work. It was still the same tune but it was oh so different in feel. It was from jazz great Ray Brown and his trio– Gene Harris on the piano. Beautiful stuff.
It reminded me of the times when I had taken the color from my work and work in tones of gray or sepia just to change things up a bit, to cleanse the palette so to speak. The piece shown here on the left is an example.
I described it as being like hearing a song that you’ve heard a thousand times before then hearing a completely different take on it. It’s the same tune, same notes and chords, but it just feels different, opens up something new inside. This version by the Ray Brown Trio is exactly what I was describing.
It is the same but different. Plus soaking in that bass thump is just a great way to kick off a quiet Sunday morning. Have a great day…
I normally wouldn’t repeat an earlier post on a Sunday morning, the time I usually reserve for a little music. But I wanted to replay this song from a few years back and liked the post that went with it. Plus, it gives me a chance to update it a bit as well. So, here it goes:
One of the benefits of having my studio located in the woods is the opportunity to watch the wildlife from a fairly close perspective. I have known all manner of animals over the years, from the mother raccoon and her kits that took up residence for a short time in the roof of my first, more rustic studio further up in the woods, and the everpresent deer that often nap in the shady lawn outside my studio windows to the coyotes and bobcats that I have captured on my trail cam and have ran across in person, as well.
I get to see how the animals interact, how they break down into family units and establish order. How they survive the elements and their habitation among us humans. Their survival instinct is powerful, a hard thing to see at times but powerful, nonetheless.
Over the years I have witnessed many deer with legs that have been broken, most likely from a misstep or an encounter with a woodchuck hole. I am always amazed at their ability to persevere and prosper. There was a doe several years ago who came around with a front hoof dangling, completely broken away from the leg above. Eventually she lost the hoof completely, leaving a stump. But it didn’t stop her. She actually had 3 or 4 fawns over the next few years and it was only when she walked slowly to feed that you recognize that she was missing a hoof. In full flight, she moved as fast as the other deer and managed to evade predators and hunters for years.
I currently have a black crow that haunts the pines in front of my studio. He came to my attention early in the winter. I saw crow tracks in the snow that went from the studio all the way down the long driveway, about 1/5 of a mile. I couldn’t understand why a crow would walk throught he snow when he could fly. This went on for several days until I finally caught a glimpse of him, ambling up the drive. It was a badly damaged wing that hung off of his back to one side. He would walk and hop with real determination and was seldom alone. There was normally a group of crows that accompanied him, cawing to him from the trees above and sometimes coming down to walk with him. I got the idea that they sometimes let him know what was ahead or behind, acting as his eyes in the sky.
I thought about trying to capture him and get him to an animal rehabilatation specialist such as the unit at Cornell University but he was always quick to spot me and would disappear into the woods with surprising speed. He was even aware and suspicious of me when I watched him from my front windows.
His mobility has improved over the past six months. He hops quickly and to my surprise has developed the ability to take flight for moments at a time. Not for very long distances but enough to carry him to low branches of the trees from where he can hop to higher branches. Once he reaches the top he will glide, without flapping his wings, to a point quite a ways down the drive from where he will commence his walk/hop.
I really admire his grit and evident intelligence. I have gotten into the habit of putting out for him the poor small rodents that my studio cat, Hobie, captures and kills in the woods around the place, laying them at my feet proudly as gifts on a daily basis. I have watched him and his kin find these small gifts a number of times and I think he understands the gesture. Doesn’t make him any less wary of me but that’s okay. He gets an easy meal and I get to see that the mice and moles go back into the big circle quickly. Win/win.
Update: The crow continued his rehabilitation to the point that he was nearly indistinguishable from the others. He was able to fly with immediate lift and his wing only drooped a bit more than the rest. This return to normal function allowed him to range further away so that I eventually lost track of him. Whether he is still alive, I can’t say. But his ability to survive and prosper through what could have easily been a deadly injury was really inspiring. I have a tremendous amount of respect for crows.
Here’s a really nice rendition of Joni Mitchell’s song Black Crow from Diana Krall. Just right for a Sunday morning.
Yosemite National Park is an elemental place, one formed from a beautiful union of stone, wood, water and light. There is a wonderful time-lapse film project, Project Yosemite, filmed by Colin Delehanty and Sheldon Neill, that attempts to capture this elemental beauty. It has stunning vistas showing the changing light of both day and night set against the backdrop of some of the park’s iconic landmarks.
The night scenes with the heavens moving above as shooting stars fire across the starry sky are pretty incredible as are the movements of the climbers on some of the massive rock faces. They appear as bug-like figures and at night they become fireflies as their lights cast tiny but bright specks of light against the granite monoliths.
There are two great films. Take a look and definitely check out the Project Yosemite site. Just beautiful work.
It’s a few days before Halloween which conjure up all sorts of macabre images, especially those of creepy cemeteries. I am not one of those people who are repelled by the thought of cemeteries and I am sure I have mentioned my fondness for cemeteries on this blog.
I’ve always been attracted to the peacefulness of them, the shape of the stones and the names inscribed on them. I try to imagine the lives behind those stones and names, trying to somehow connect with their essence. I even speak to them sometimes, especially those that I know or those who have become my favorites in the cemeteries where we regularly walk. For instance, I always say hello to one couple with what I consider wonderful names– Arthur and Flora Greengrow.
Grim Reaper Figure at Base of Tombstone
While many of us here are scared a bit by cemeteries, there are place where that is not the case. There is, for example, Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, Romania. It is filled with brightly colored wooden tombstones that are carved with a sometimes humorous limerick and naively painted images depicting the deceased at work or play . Sometimes, however, the stones show how the person died. These images can be a bit gruesome but even then there is a lightness about the tombstone. You see, they are aligned with the Dacian culture which is associated with the Zalmoxian religion which has a differing view on death compared to most, seeing it as a moment of great joy filled with the anticipation of the better life that is waiting.
With the bright blue tombstones and descriptive and often humorous limericks ( there is a very funny one about a woman where the voice of the limerick is her son-in-law who hopes she is happy now because he doesn’t want her back), Merry Cemetery has become a worldwide tourist attraction with crowds traveling to see the 800-some tombstones. I guess it’s always a Happy Halloween in Sapanta.
Here a few views of some of the tombstones:
Merry Cemetery Tombstones Romania
Tombstones with a boy drowning and a girl being hit by car
I’ve been extraordinarily fortunate in my career to have had long and lasting relationships with several galleries that represent my work. This coming February will mark 20 years at the West End Gallery in Corning, NY as well as 18 years with the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. It also marks my 19th year with the Kada Gallery in Erie, PA. Tonight’s show marks the 35th solo shows at these 3 galleries since the year 2000.
Redtree Times 