Just a while ago I had been thinking about this painting, about 18″ by 26″ on paper, from back in 2007. It’s called Time Flowsand it’s a bit of an anomaly for me, with all the stonework and waterfall. A one time only thing that pops back into my thoughts now and again.
But it is its texture rather than the subject that always sticks out for me– thickly layered and very rough with deep pits that go all the way to the paper below. It was coarser in many ways than my normal surface but it worked perfectly for this particular piece. The pits captured pigment in an interesting way, more interesting than if I had tried to paint it with a brush.
It came back to mind this morning in the aftermath of last night’s flooding that took place just a few miles north of the studio. Small streams and falls turned into raging cascades, washing out and covering many roads. Thankfully, no injuries.
Seeing the videos of the local water in motion made me think of it connected to a song from Jimi Hendrix titled May This Be Love. I always think of the song as being titled Waterfalls. Like the painting, it is definitely more placid than the swollen streams from last night.
This is a short video previewing some of the work that is part of my Native Voiceshow that is opening this Friday, June 5, at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. The opening reception runs from 6:30 until 9 PM and is open to the public. This is a show that has some real visual oomph in its colors and textures and while I think the work shows well on the computer screen, it definitely comes across better in person. So if you’re in the DC/Alexandria area on Friday evening, please stop in and see the work in person and say hello.
Times continually passes on and takes some of our friends along with it as it goes. Thursday, that friend was the great BB King. He was the ambassador and face of the blues for the last half century, a genial presence who crossed over into the mainstream yet maintained the same intensity and integrity as when he was carving out his legend in the 1950’s playing clubs across the country as he toured almost non-stop.
By the time I was in my teens, he had transcended the blues and was part of popular culture. The Thrill Is Gone was a mainstream hit, winning him a Grammy in 1970, and he maintained a visibility on the television, always accompanied by Lucille, his black Gibson guitar which has become probably the only guitar that most people can recognize by name. And if they didn’t know her name they most likely knew the sound of her voice. Everybody knew who BB King was.
But my real introduction to BB King came when I was going through the used bin at a local record shop and found a beat up copy of his Live at the Regal Theater from a show in Chicago in late 1964. It was well worn as though whoever had owned it before had played the hell out of it. From the second the needle on my turntable snapped into the groove, I understood why that was so.
Pure electric, a perfect storm of time, place and people made every moment of that record crackle. One listen and you knew it was about as good as it gets. I still get shivers when I hear it.
So to honor the passing of our friend, this Sunday’s music is a song that was a favorite of that Regal Theater crowd (and mine as well), How Blue Can You Get? But the performance I am showing is from a different venue. It’s from a Thanksgiving show in 1972 from NY’s Sing Sing Prison with BB King, The Voices of East Harlem and Joan Baez. I think this is a great version of the song and seeing the inmates respond really adds something to it.
So, give a listen to our friend and have yourself a great Sunday.
Keeping up the theme that was the subject of an earlier post this week, I decided that for this Sunday morning’s musical selection I would play a lovely version of Heroes from David Bowie. It’s an acoustic version (with Gail Ann Dorsey accompanying him on vocals and bass) from a 1996 performance at the Bridge School Benefit, an annual concert began by Neil Young to benefit the Bay Area school that helps kids with severe speech and physical impairments. In that context, the song takes on additional layers of meaning as you see the many parents in the audience with their children, many cradling them.
Heroism.
Looking for an image to illustrate this post, I did an image search by punching in the word hero. It was all superheroes and warriors which saddened me because I know that heroism is something far more than that. It’s about doing those things that need to be done, about taking responsibility in order to serve a purpose beyond your own needs. We think of it as a rare thing but it is evident every day in the actions of those people who give so much of themselves to others.
For me, an example of this came to me in a very personal way. When my mother was struggling in the last months of her battle with cancer, I visited her for last time. Her and my father had been together for about 46 years at that point, years which could be described as turbulent at best. For such a long married couple, they had an odd love/hate relationship which had them always on the edge of huge screaming battles that were fraught with violence. They were terrible things to see and even as a child I often wondered why they remained together. But they did and as she neared the end of her life, Dad became her cook, her maid, her nurse, and her driver to the many treatments that made up the last months of her life. Her everything.
When I made my last visit, I noticed a photo on her bedside table. It was photo of the two of them together from several years before, standing at some Florida site drenched in sun. On the cheap little frame, underneath my father was a word formed in simple block letters, those type of things that you rub on from a sheet.
It was the word Hero.
Now, at that point in my life I didn’t see my father in heroic terms. Far from it. No, he was and is a very flawed human being with many traits that are far from any definition of heroism. But in this case, he took on the form of a hero for my mother and in that moment, looking at that photo, for myself as well. I realized that the word was not about great accomplishment but rather about following that need to serve another.
So it can be for everyone, as the song says :
I, I will be king And you, you will be queen Though nothing will drive them away We can beat them, just for one day We can be heroes, just for one day
I finally came across the quote at the top from the late Arthur Ashe that seemed to best fit the thought .
Came across an interesting video from Smarter Every Day, a science based website from aerospace engineer Destin Sandlin that, in his words, attempts to find the unexpected. This video concerns a bicycle made with a gear that turns the wheel in the opposite direction. That sounds simple enough and I am sure most of you who have rode a bike think that you could master riding this bike fairly quickly. Just a little concentration and a push of the pedals and you would be off, maybe a little shakily at first but on your way.
Not so quick.
It turns out that there are so many factors at play in riding a bike that are hardwired into our brains once we learn how to ride one that dramatically altering any one of them makes riding a bike almost impossible, as you will see in this video. A very interesting example of the way our brain learns and adapts. Or not.
It’s Easter Sunday. As I’ve pointed out here in the past, I had no religion of any sort in my upbringing so Easter was a holiday marked by coloring eggs and eating big chunks of chocolate rabbits and multi-colored jelly beans for somewhat vague reasons. Most things came down to the food involved for me in my youth.
Of course, I picked up on the tales behind the religious holidays I had eaten my way through as a kid. And it’s hard to not be moved by the tale of the Resurrection, even from a decidedly non-religious perspective. Whether you are a believer or non-believer, the tale of rebirth creates a template of hope for all people so that they may endure the many hardships of this life and rebuild new lives from failed pasts.
And it takes on even more significance when that new life is devoted to some purpose that is greater than our own needs.
The painting at the top is The Resurrection, painted by the great Giovanni Bellini, my favorite Renaissance painter, around 1479. Just a beautiful piece, as most of his work is.
It being Sunday, it’s time for a little music. I thought I would continue the theme of Resurrection into the music today. Of course, after seeing this video, some of you might put me down as some sort of heretic. It’s a song called The Resurrection Shuffle which was a minor Trans-Atlantic hit in the early 70’s for a British band called Ashton, Gardner & Dyke. It wasn’t a big hit, maybe just into the top 40, but I remembered the chorus. Looking it up this morning I came across this version from Cher‘s self-titled television show in 1976 that features her in a duet with Tom Jones, who performed the song in his act for many years. Maybe it is heresy but it made me laugh if only for the visual impact. Maybe it will make you smile as well.
I’m running a little late this morning and thought I’d fill today with a little music. It’s a great piece of film from legendary drummer Gene Krupa and his trio doing Big Noise From Winnetka. I’ve been a big fan of Krupa since first seeing him perform the very swinging Drum Boogie in the Barabara Stanwyck/Gary Cooper movie, Ball of Fire. Avery flamboyant and strong presence on the stage, he was more famously known for his work on the classic Benny Goodman track, Sing, Sing, Sing, which is the anthem of big band swing.
Anyway, give a listen and watch for some of Krupa’s famous showmanship. It’s just good stuff and a great way to kick off a tired Tuesday morning.
I came upon this lovely animated film on Brain Pickingsthis morning. It’s titled Iterations and is produced by hitRECord, a global creative community and mulitmedia production company formed a decade ago by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt. You might remember him as the teen Tommy on the sitcom Third Rock From the Sun but he has matured into a very fine actor and director with an eye for challenging material. His work at hitRECord falls into that category.
It’s a sweet film that concerns its self with self transformation, a theme that is visited often here on this blog. The idea that each phase, each new iteration, of our life is an experiment and that it is under constant recalibration appeals to me.
Change is a part of who we are. At least, I know it is part of who I am. For a while, I came to view it as a weakness, this need for constant change. I mistakenly thought that finding a state of being static was the answer. This little film reminds me that it is not.
Below is a description of the film along with the names of the many artists involved in its making from Gordon-Levitt and below the video are the lyrics to the tune. Hope you’ll enjoy.
“….are very pleased to present ITERATIONS — a short musical film to come out of our collaboration regarding ‘The Road.’ The road can represent many things including escapism, change, and personal growth. And, while many people may identify the themes of ‘The Road’ with artists like Jack Kerouac and others of the beat generation, the story told in ITERATIONS is a slightly different interpretation. Based on ‘The Journey of Jeanine’ by hitRECord artist, SophieRumi (Hungary) and developed in collaboration with mirtle (Cyprus), ITERATIONS tells the coming of age story of a girl’s sometimes difficult and sometimes reluctant path to adulthood. Jeanine has a guide (Wolfred the wolf) and gets help and support along her journey, but in the end must set off on her own path. The piece is set to Metaphorest’s (Scotland) wonderful song, ITERATIONS and orchestrated by Robo_J (USA). The eye-popping animation is provided by the incredibly talented artist, fajigajiga (Canada). The worldwide community of hitRECord artists provided additional illustrations and instrumentation.”
Have you seen my old self? I think I must have lost her I wonder if I cost her Her life?
Have you seen my second self? She seems to grow younger More delicate than ever But never better
I’m an experiment Each trial is a test Constant recalibration
I am recycled cells I learn to like myself more with each iteration
Where is my restore point? I found an old sore point All disjointed My file corrupted
Where is my replacement part? I need another new heart The other one’s beat was Interrupted
I am recycled cells I learn to like myself more with each iteration
I’m an experiment Each trial is a test Constant recalibration
Hard to believe it’s March first. With the snow falling and the cold temperatures, it definitely looks to be following the old adage where it comes in like a lion. I am hoping the lamb is not too far away but this year, who knows? We might be saying the same thing for April.
Crazy world. Which brings me to this Sunday’s musical interlude. I’ve been doing this blog for about 6 1/2 years now (which is hard to believe, as well) and have played a lot of different music over that time. But for some unknown reason, the one and only Temptations have never made an appearance. How I could have waited so long is beyond me but I will fix it today.
For many folks, the music of the Temptations could well be the soundtrack of the 60’s and 70’s. Motown at its very best. If you grew up in that time frame, their music most likely was part of your life in some way. My Girl, Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Ain’t Too Proudto Beg, and on and on. I mean, come on!
So today, with another blast of winter weather confusing this corner of the world and the rest of the world in a constant state of chaos, I thought I’d share the tempting Temptations’ Ball of Confusion. If the world is indeed going to hell as some fear, at least let it go with a beat laid down by the Funk Brothers, Motown’s incredible band of musicians who performed the music on this and so many other immortal hits. Have a great Sunday!
I came across the video below recently of artist Holton Rower creating one of his paintings by pouring gallon after gallon of paint on to a central point, often over structures he has constructed that create different effects in the movement of the paint. These gallons of paint flair out, creating works with brilliant bands of contrasting color. The larger pieces are quite striking. There is also the performance aspect of his process that makes for entertaining viewing as you watch and wonder how each color that is introduced will affect the entirety of the piece.
Claiming, “I probably use more paint than anybody in the history of art,” Holton Rower, grandson ofAlexander Calder, is best known for his “pour paintings,” created by pouring up to 50 gallons of rainbow-colored paints over variously configured blocks and panels of plywood, and allowing it to spread and pool into textured, psychedelic compositions. He grew up surrounded by art and working in his father’s construction business, where he learned about the qualities of a range of materials. In his own studio, he experiments with many techniques and media, including sculpture, installation, and assemblage. In the early 2000’s, Rower began developing his “pour paintings,” which he equates to sculptures. Ranging from small- to large-scale, and appearing as vortexes or the ringed segments of tree trunks, they are records of control and chance, human ingenuity and natural forces.
Take a look at the video below. You may find it interesting even if it’s not your cup of tea.
Just a while ago I had been thinking about this painting, about 18″ by 26″ on paper, from back in 2007. It’s called Time Flows and it’s a bit of an anomaly for me, with all the stonework and waterfall. A one time only thing that pops back into my thoughts now and again.
Redtree Times 