With A Little Help From My Friends [EC]

Since it's a new year, I want to re-introduce the Vinyl Art Elliott Collection [EC]. I'm hoping this idea will catch on this year as the potential is cool.

Here's the deal. I received a whole bunch of great albums from a lady in exchange for a Van Halen painting. Really really great albums. In perfect condition. She wanted me to have them to use for my art rather than simply sell them to a used record store. So, I came up with an idea to link my art to charity, piece by piece.

Normally, my pieces are $175 (plus shipping) framed and delivered. For these pieces, every time I use an album she gave me, the buyer of said piece gets to give $100 to a charity and $75 to me. Most are for a charity of the buyer's choice. A couple are specific, which is noted in the blog post about it. Speaking of, listed below are all the posts of the pieces so far.

Debbie Harry - Blondie
Dave Gahan - Depeche Mode
Prince
Madonna
Gene Simmons - KISS
Tommy Lee - Motley Crue
Steven Tyler - Aerosmith
Snoop Doggy Dogg
Prince
Jimi Hendrix
Bono
Janis Joplin
Ice Cube

The way it'll work is you'll give me 2 checks: one to me, one to the charity. I'll get the info from the charity and send them the donation in your name and address. You'll get the receipt and whatever other stuff they send, and the painting.

So then you'll get to tell people how you got this cool original piece of art by donating to your favorite charity! Sound good?

Let me know what you think, and if there's anybody you'd like me to paint if I have an album!

Peace.

Do You Like Me? Will You Respect Me In The Morning?

Different questions.

There is a lot of creativity out there. A lot. I differentiate creativity by like vs. respect. Not mutually exclusive or inclusive. Picture one of those ven diagrams with the 2 circles overlapping somewhat.

I respect Willie Nelson. And he does have a hauntingly beautiful voice. But I don't particularly like his music.

Can you think of music that you like, would be ok waking up next to, but wouldn't introduce to your parents? Think: guilty pleasure.

Can you think of music that slaps you in the face, storms out and then outclasses you at the company suaree? Think: wouldn't look right next to the above guilty pleasure.

How about music that you both want to do dirty things to and to show off at the ball?

Finally, music that never should get out of bed?

Let's get a good list going here on this one! What do you say?

Peace

ON CONSIGNMENT - Willie Nelson 01/06/09

Front And Center

Even though I'm suffering a might bit of post-holiday lack of motivation, a bad thing for the self-employed, and a persisting upset stomach with accompanying joint aches, I need to keep painting.

I just found out over the weekend that a couple of my pieces, the Page/Plant Led Zeppelin and the ZZ Top, are in the front window of Wild About Music. In the center too! I know because my sister-in-law, the one who's just been visiting for 3 weeks lives near Austin and goes to 6th St. for Saturday night fun.

So I've gotta replace the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Willie Nelson they'd sold last November! Chop chop! A-listening to Rob & Big.

Peace.

SOLD - Stevie Ray Vaughan 01/05/09

Of Giving

Entering 2009, Vinyl Art continues to seem to do its job best as a gift. I've pondered a reason why before. From Christmas to birthdays, like with this GG Allin, people are apparently keeping my work in mind to give to close friends and family. Coworkers too.

I can hardly begin to convey how good this makes me feel.

Really. I mean, how cool is it that people are seeing my work and taking the time to think about someone who loves music and who they'd like the most? Right? I might even get to do a couple wedding gifts this year!

It is all about those connections for me, my ultimate goal being to bring people together to celebrate human creativity. I mean, if the financial necessities of capitalism didn't exist, I'd give these away. I do, heck. I love helping charities, finding ways to exchange my art, and so on. My job is to express my love of music, art and Life and to spread that as far as I can, meaningfully, deeply.

To all those who've given my work as a gift, from the cockles of my heart, thank you.

Peace.

SOLD - GG Allin 01/02/09

Effect Without A Cause

I love what I do! I guess that means I love me too. Cool.

So, I'm back to painting. Yeehaw! This Springsteen is my very first international order, from Italy. Cool.

Next is a GG Allin for a lady who works for the guy who's sending me back my pieces. Sending me back my pieces? Not cool?

Nope, totally cool. Primitive Kool has decided to end our consignment agreement. I don't blame them much. I mean this show didn't sell any and they'd spent a good chunk of change on local promotion. They'd sold several over the past year through online connections and gallery walk-ins, but the economy's woes hit San Diego hard. So even while one of their own employees buys the Joey Ramone from that show and commissions GG Allin, and after Johnny Cash sold before the holidays, I'm getting my paintings back! Cool.

The pieces are all dead rockers, the theme of that show, like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon... you get the idea. Some of my best paintings too. So they're available direct! With immediate delivery! Coolness.

It all depends on how you look at it. I could remain frustrated about a relationship's end. I'd have cause. But, like in don Miguel Ruiz's "Mastery of Love", forgiveness is really for yourself. I mean, now I get to sell them myself! And my wife was kinda hoping we'd get to keep the Kurt Cobain and Joe Strummer. Very cool pieces.

So, it's nice to take responsibility for my feelings about events. I'm really working on self-confidence, artistically and socially. Over the break, I took big steps for me, connecting on Twitter with a bunch of people I've really come to respect over this past year. My goal is to, like with my art, make meaningful and continuing connections with people passionate about human creativity. I've added a link to your right to come follow me on Twitter. I won't take it personally if you don't. Your attention is yours to give where you choose. Cool, huh?

Kathy Sierra, the author of one of the sources of inspiration over to your right, is one of those people on Twitter who I've had the pleasure of interacting with there. She came up with the idea of looking to understand Life's events by looking only at their effect. Disappear the cause. She got the idea from a YouTube video of some kids skateboarding with the skateboards invisible. Cool.

It's an interesting thought, no? Leads to complete unselfishness. Only your impact remains. Return and reaction fall away. Intent and action are what will matter.

Peace. And Happy New Year.

SOLD - Bruce Springsteen 01/01/09