Attention Deficit

As I post here day to day, I occasionally forget that most people (including myself, heck) don't read blogs "cover to cover". I try not to repeat myself, but sometimes I need to recap. I've got a few events upcoming in which I'm taking part. I need to remember them too!

Oct. 16th - 12 Inch 4 in Winnipeg, Canada
Oct. 3rd - APW Arts in NYC
Sept. 27th - Primitive Kool Gallery on Ocean Beach in SD, CA (pieces on site still 30% off!)
Sept. 27th - Superstition Springs Golf Club in Mesa, AZ (silent auction)
Sept. 5th - Alabama Blues Project in Tuscaloosa, AL (silent auction)
Sept. 5th - Red Dog Gallery (#70 on map) in downtown Phoenix, AZ (First Fridays)

I think that's it. Your attention is oh-so valuable, so I truly appreciate your spending any time with me.

Peace.

Right Time And Place

What a coupla days! Wow. I had posted a listing on Craigslist wanting old records that people might be preparing to throw away. A lady contacted me saying that she was moving in 2 weeks and couldn't take her collection with her. She had been impressed with my work, the reasonable price, and the obvious passion I had for music.

So I met her yesterday. Holy moly! What a collection, and what a great connection! This is why I'm doing what I'm doing. She had loved music so much she ended up working for the manager of Rage Against The Machine! Smart, smart, smart woman. Very enjoyable to talk to and share stories. Stories are what it's about.

I'm painting Van Halen for her in exchange for a vast collection including Zeppelin, Prince, Hendrix, the Beastie Boys, the Beatles, and some great 80s bands. I'll post a picture when I'm done.

Then, today. Hooboy! I awoke to an email from Dan Davis of the local morning news team on Channel 3, azfamily.com. He wanted to interview me and film me painting! I had sent him an email awhile ago and he had a last minute cancellation. I apparently responded in the nick of time before he told his producer that he nothing to shoot today. So I scrambled and cleaned up the house, tidied up my studio a bit, and got the above Johnny Cash started so they could see the good part when the painting pops. Hopefully the segment works well once they edit it down. Man, what an experience! I hope I didn't ramble too much.

It'll run next Thursday, the 17th, at around 7:45 am on Channel 3 in Phoenix.

So, hooray for being in the right place at the right time, and prepared for it!

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - Johnny Cash 07/10/08

Melody Vs. Lyric

Growing up, I definitely paid more attention to melody. The instrumentation, not the words, was what drew me to specific groups. I was more interested in drum or organ solos than the poetry. Let's just say Dylan wasn't my favorite at the time. Heck, before I met my wife, my main listening stack was full mostly of ambient techno like Autechre and Future Sound of London.

Now, thanks largely to my wife, I'm more interested in the words. More aware at least. I understand why my neices listen to the same song over and over, trying to memorize the words.

Carole King seems to me, though I don't listen to her much, to be a good example of an artist skilled at writing both melodies and lyrics. The importance and popularity of "Tapestry" is certainly a testament to that.

What do you pay more attention to when you listen to music?

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - Carole King 07/08/08

Making My Way Through The Dark

It's easy to discourage myself. I feel scattered, I feel unmotivated, I feel disappointed, I feel impatient. I feel my self-worth being attacked by my own inner voice. I don't know why. If I could shut that voice off I could realize all the good feedback I get and all the good things that are happening, but I get stuck in my own head. Vicious damn trap.

On this Indendence Day weekend, I'm going to try to leave it behind, to declare my independence from myself. At least until it learns how to behave.

When I listen to it, I get lost and I set out in multiple directions all at once out of fear. Fear is, after all, its main weapon. I've been taught, and taught myself, fear since I was little. Stupid fears that, while they helped shape who I am today and the life I've lived so far, have also helped my inner voice hold me back. It's rarely the end of the world, especially when it's something in my control. I'm not powerful enough to effect a devastating amount of destruction.

So, jump in the flippin' deep end of the pool. And stop worrying about little crap that makes the mind spiral inward to the point of nothingness or outward to oblivion.

Peace.

ON CONSIGNMENT - Jim Morrison 07/02/08

A Month And A Day

Tada! No glare streaks! Just a little bit at the edge. For $100, it works pretty dang well. I can mess with the positioning of the lights too, maybe to minimize even that fuzzy spot. For this one I only used one light on the left side. There's a second light too, both are slick with built in tripods. The backdrop in the box is a nice blue too, so the color balance didn't require any adjusting. I do still need to kick up the brightness and contrast a touch, as it came out a little dark, but the above picture has no adjustments other than sizing and cropping. I can also get the album basically vertical because the backdrop fabric continues underneath and becomes the bottom of the box too, and the little tripod positions the camera so I don't have to fix the proportions either. I used to have to widen the top and increase the height to get it square. It's really neat though, kind of bounces the light all around inside to diffuse it. Anyway, I'm excited.

So, a month and a day after the end of my contest, I'm ready to ship it to the winner! Pretty cool day too: sold three at a local gallery, got a commission on a referral, got offered free records including apparently a Beatles, and got an email from a 9th grader saying I had inspired part of her art project and that she was going to write an essay about me! Me! I've also been accepted to contribute work to the Florida Music Festival Rock Walk. The best thing is my brain is allowing me to focus today. My wife's too, which makes me feel the most positive of anything. I hope it lasts.

Peace. Be well.

GIFTED - Jerry Garcia 04/02/08

Ripples From Vinyl Killers And Newport Nights

I'm trying to get to these orders before hopping the pond to London. The request for Jerry came through the Vinyl Killers show and Damian Marley came through Newport Nights at Primitive Kool. I'm working on a ZZ Top which came through Wild About Music. I also delivered the pieces to Red Dog Gallery downtown which might lead to more connections. Great place! If you're in the area you should check it out this Friday after 7pm. They're #70 on the PDF map.

We bought memory foam neck pillows and ear plugs for the flight. Next is organizing all our clothes and vital items. Getting a bit nervous about dealing with airports and public transportation in another country, but it'll be a fun adventure. Hopefully I'll have something profound to say when we get back. For now, though, (yes, I'll say it again) there're new ones in the gallery, so:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and we're off!

Jimi Hendrix Backed By Dylan On YouTube!

Well, I used the "Are You Experienced?" I found. Hope I did a good enough job for such an amazing album. It'd be like using "Revolver" or "Pepper". I created a YouTube video for it as well. I used "All Along the Watchtower" behind it and it turned out pretty nice. So maybe if it gets enough exposure, more people will get hip to what I'm doing and why. I know, just know, I'll have to explain again that I use albums a phonograph needle would run and hide from and that, yes, they are handpainted directly on the record, and no, you can't play them anymore. It's fun though, kind of an ice-breaker to a discussion about vinyl, music, recycling and so forth. That's why I'm creating these, to give people something positive and creative to talk about that adds to and celebrates our pop culture.

First Fridays attendees who visit Red Dog Gallery will see 8 pieces to talk about, compare and share. Who's your favorite? Dylan, Cash, or Hendrix? Nah, Ozzy! Sweetness.

I can still get commissions done for the holidays, so:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and let me know who the music-lover in your family would want!

Miles, And Miles, And Miles!

Newport Nights rocked! It was a great gig, lots of people. I got to watch quite a few checking out my work. Ocean Beach is a cool place and getting to see the ocean was wonderful. A couple pieces sold, with more commissions as well. The Miles Davis they had sold online and another of him was requested by one of the employees of Primitive Kool. We'll definitely be heading back there for a future show!

Red Dog Gallery in downtown Phoenix is going to be displaying 8-10 of my pieces during the upcoming First Fridays! I've been hoping to find a place that participates in that monthly event as well, as the turnout of people interested in local culture is supposed to be huge. Woohoo!

I also found an inordinate number of records today at 2 local used stores. Bob Marley, Hendrix, the Dead, Pink Floyd, SRV... man, that was sweet! So now I'm stocked up and ready to paint. Besides the Miles Davis movie, I've also got the shots taken for a Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix so I'll be posting those this week. In the meantime, I've still got my gallery so:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and, please, leave comments here, on YouTube, or email me!

EDIT: I wanted to note that the image I use for the Miles Davis piece is the 1985 photo by Anton Corbijn. He's well known in the music world for his photography and music video work and I wanted to make sure to give him credit for the initial beautiful vision of the legend on muted trumpet.