Vinyl Art Goes Bicoastal for VH1, Sort Of

Moving to CA has brought with it some really unexpected opportunities. Awhile back before the move I was contacted by a fellow at VH1 in NYNY. They have a corporate gallery that displays music-related art and photography. Pretty cool. 20some of my pieces were up for 3 months! Some friends were able to check out the exhibit and said it looked great. I wish we could've seen it, but we were moving!

Then we moved. I got the pieces back from VH1 at our new house and pretty much the next day, a lady from VH1's Save The Music Foundation there in NYNY contacted me asking for help. Every year Billabong puts on their Design for Humanity at Paramount Studios in Hollywood on the NYNY backlot that benefits a specific charity. This year it was benefitting them and they had been given a space to hold a silent auction for some autographed guitars. The space needed some dressing up to make it feel more music-related since it was basically an empty set made up like a New York diner, maybe. Anyway, it, they, needed help.

Since I had the pieces back it was pretty simple to take them to the event. That meant we got to go to the event! At Paramount Studios! Back to NYNY, sort of!

My wife went with me, while my in-laws, who were conveniently in town, watched the baby. She really helped coordinate and laid out all the pieces in the space they'd given us to hang them. The above shot shows the main wall at the back of the space. There were a few more pieces on the side walls as well. My pieces drew people in, past the autographed guitars. There were like 4,000 people there for this thing! It was incredible.

The best part was that at the end of the evening, 2 couples came in and did a deal to win all the remaining guitars! So all the pieces they brought had been bought. And the whole night brought in around $120,000 for the charity. It was funny because Billabong's people had given VH1's people cash. Cash! That much! They didn't quite know what to do with it all, and how they were going to take it back to New York.

For me, it was a great time. And next I'll get to give STMF a piece or two for an upcoming local songwriters' auction. Maybe even get the musicians to sign the pieces like with DLFM. Very cool, fitting in with my new mantra.

Push to give, Peace.

Direct

Things are happening! Just now 2 people stopped in front of our house to get flyers at the same time. We're going to sell it. I know it. We've finally decided on the general area we're looking at in southern California as well.

So my art is doing well too, which is good for the transition to supporting my family with it. Yep. And it's happening the way I like it, unexpectedly.

Neil Young for a repeat customer in Italy as a Christmas gift.

Jimi Hendrix for an upcoming super-cool exhibition in a corporate gallery in NYC of 24 of my pieces, replacing the Hendrix that just sold as a birthday gift to the bass player in an extremely big important prog-metal band who's friends with a waiter at the restaurant in Pacific Palisades displaying 20 other of my pieces through the holidays.

Frank Zappa for a surprise gift to my parents neighbor, a guitarist in another seriously cool important band.

I need to be direct because Abbey is about to wake up. And I need to be direct with my art, selling to the customer, to the music people. A unique method for a unique offering.

Peace.

Isn't It About Ti(me)?

Neither.

I'm just glad that my pieces finally are up in the Mesa Bookmans and can hopefully bring in more for Ear Candy Charity.

Yes it took a long time for them to finish the cafe and to plan a grand opening that would include my work. Yes I hope it increases my exposure locally.

But, my main joy is sharing my passion for music. What better place to do it? What better time?

Our state is gutting education funding, practically broke. Music education for kids? Not likely. So Nate Anderson and Ear Candy are doing their best to keep music alive, right here right now.

So, on June 15th there will be a media night at Bookmans in Mesa, AZ to share both the new cafe and my art. Thus, as of right now, if you're interested in a commission and mention this post, I'll paint the piece for you at the old $175 price with $50 going to Ear Candy.

It isn't about me.

P.S. I've created a new Twitter account, @dedlen. It'll be private and focus on good stuff, not just me broadcasting about my art. So, like with the guest posts here on this blog, I'm trying again to share my love for our culture. Join me if you'd like.

Again, it isn't about me.

Peace.

Promotion, By The Way

Promotion seems to be the order of the moment. Makes sense since I've just raised my prices.

So, besides the upcoming Bookmans show, TBA, I have 2 other events to share.

My work was in the Santa Monica Airport Artwalk! It went really well. Even sold a couple pieces! They looked great on the hallway wall right near the entrance:

This photo is courtesy of my friend Ryan Barton, who, by the way, won that auction I talked about in my last post. Such a cool guy.

So the great thing about this show in Santa Monica is that the pieces will stay up for another month! They'll stay in the same place and can be viewed any time the gallery is open. If you'll be in the area and want to check out my work up close and personal, send me an email and I'll put you in contact with my west coast rep, my mom, who can make sure you get a chance to see them!

The paintings got a great response from the tons of guests and hopefully a lot of them will visit my website and commission a piece of the musician they wanted, that one that popped in their head the second they saw my work and got what it is about.

Helping people to get what my work is about is my first radio phone interview! I was a bit nervous, but Jane and Norm Geddis of Counter Clock Radio asked really good questions. Hopefully they editted my rambles into coherent responses. It airs this evening live and then will be in their podcast archives. The link above gives details and I'll share the links to the archived version when I get it! Check it out if you can. It, along with my video, by Ryan Barton by the way, will provide a really good sense of what I do and why.

I am painting little by little and will start posting pieces again soon!

Peace.

On The Rise

Things are getting exciting for my art. Well, not that they weren't before, but it feels like things are rolling nicely now. Those of you who've subscribed to my email newsletter found out this weekend about a couple cool things and Facebook fans learned about another. Today I'm getting around to doing a post too.

First, I have my work in an auction online:

http://auctionforafrica.blogspot.com/2010/03/vinyl-art.html

The auction is being run by my friend Zane and his wife. Zane won my contest last year and we've since begun to collaborate on and offline. His wife had gone to Africa awhile back and has since been trying to figure out how to help the charity she worked with as much as their family can. So generous, these people. Even their 4 year old is awesome and good-hearted.

So when Zane asked if I'd participate in their auction to raise money for the charity, I said yes before he finished asking. The offer is for a custom piece of Vinyl Art, painted specifically for you of the musician of your choice, framed and delivered. Right now, the bid is at $95. The auction goes until the 17th, so act fast!

Only $95! You could get a piece for like $100! This is cool because...

Second, I'm raising my prices. My first significant increase since I've promoted my work online in earnest, the base price will go from $175 to $250. I hope to make it a yearly thing, both to keep up with health insurance costs, and to show potential buyers that indeed my work will go up in financial value. I've avoided thinking about my work as an investment, but people who collect art do like to know that at least there is a market for the work. So the price increase percentage will mirror my sales volume increase percentage. Cool, huh? So I did well last year, I'm saying.

Hopefully this year will have good growth too, partially because...

Third, my work is in a show in southern California:

http://www.smgov.net/uploadedFiles/Departments/Airport/Art%20Walk%20Flyer.pdf

My first big art event participation, 30 of my pieces will be on display for sale at the annual Santa Monica Airport ArtWalk. The opportunity came to me through my mom who does her art-ing at the same gallery space. She'll be there on the 20th this month, the day I'll raise my prices.

So, Vinyl Art is on the rise! Next I'll get to share my first podcast interview!

Peace.

Coming Soon To A Bookmans Near You

Yesterday I delivered 20 pieces to Bookmans to be distributed to all 6 stores around southern Arizona. So exciting. The cafe in the Mesa store is open and looks terrific, but the show will coincide with the grand opening soon. I'll definitely let you know the date when I do.

I found this album at Bookmans. Totally cool. I didn't think I'd get to paint Bogie unless I started painting on film reel cans or something. I've talked before about actors I love. Film is definitely a big part of the culture that has shaped my aesthetic, that I'm thankful for in a big way, visually and musically.

This is a list of a good number of movies that stick with me, in no particular order:

Holiday
Tank Girl
Elf
The Usual Suspects
Blue Velvet
Wilder Napalm
Sneakers
Hugo Pool
Being There
The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen
Fight Club
Joe Vs. The Volcano
No Country For Old Men
Spaceballs
The Big Lebowski
Batman Returns
The Fifth Element
Kafka
Monty Python & The Holy Grail
Hook
Yellow Submarine
Up
I Heart Huckabees
Mixed Nuts
Hudson Hawk
The Shawshank Redemption
Good, Bad, and The Ugly
The Truman Show
Silence Of The Lambs
Meet Joe Black
The Natural
Barton Fink
The Last Temptation Of Christ
Casablanca
Monster In A Box
Halloween
Hellraiser III
Dick Tracy
Falling Down
The Sandlot
Scrooged
Who's The Man?
Wings Of Desire
Pulp Fiction
The Shining
Orlando
Max Headroom
Pi
Rashomon
The Professional (Leon)
Big Night
Field Of Dreams
The Untouchables
The Fisher King
The Princess Bride
A Fistful Of Dollars
Zorba The Greek
M*A*S*H
Feris Bueller's Day Off
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The Odd Couple
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Men In Black
Willie Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
Home Alone
After Hours
Glengarry Glen Ross
L.A. Story

What do you think? A few surprises probably. What would you add?

Peace.

For You, Yes

It's nice to hear "yes". It's nice to be able to say "yes".

It can lead to some unfortunate situations and events, like the death of Michael Jackson, though. Thus it requires listening to one's gut to figure out if a "yes" is possible and positive.

Usually I can say "yes". After all, creating for you what you want is largely why I do what I do. But I treat everybody uniquely, as you are unique, answering every question the best I can when asked. As I type "Peace." uniquely every time, with intent and desire, I answer "yes" with presence and enthusiasm.

This Michael Jackson is a gift for Bob Bookman, a thank you for my upcoming show at all 6 Bookmans locations in southern Arizona. As details have been worked out, they've said "yes" to my requests, making me feel appreciated, valued. But their "yes"'s have all come after careful consideration and planning, making me feel confident in the decisions behind the "yes".

MJ wasn't so fortunate.

Peace.

Show And Tell

http://thegoodfoot.com/gallery/exhibit/43/daniel-edlen

This past weekend, Vinyl Killers 7 was open and is now online. My 5 pieces are still available and can be bought online.

The show looked HUGE! Every year it keeps getting bigger. This year, Jason used my Tom Waits from last year for the poster. Very cool.

The nice thing about these group shows is the new audience that gets exposed to the concept. Recently it's become apparent how helpful taking advantage of every opportunity for exposure can be, online and off. Profiles with online galleries I created long ago have brought new customers while the new video has done the same.

All it takes is one person at a time. I've said that before, but it deserves to be mentioned again. I really don't pay much attention to the ups and downs of the numbers of people following me on various sites. That doesn't have any impact on my business. I sell work to one person at a time. Heck if someone sees my work online somewhere, gets the concept, and moves on, that's great! If they bookmark it, share it, or contact me, even better. But I don't expect people to follow all that I do. That'd take, well, as much time as I take doing it!

So I show you what I do, as I do it, and tell you about what's going on that's relevant. If you get hooked, cool! If you say to yourself, "Hey that's neat!" and think about it months later when figuring out a birthday present, awesome! If you go, "Wow!" and then tell all your friends right then, beautiful!

That's how the ripples spread, and that's how that one person connects. That's how I get to do what I do, that I love SO much. So thank you for what you do that helps. You, one person.

Peace.

Beginning With The End In Mind

Herbie Hancock, on my favorite single, "Rock It", will be the 5th piece for this year's Vinyl Killers show at The Goodfoot in Portland, Oregon. Since Jason used my Tom Waits for the poster, I wanted my pieces to be really good this year. The others are the Thom Yorke, Frank Zappa, Jay-Z and Michael Jackson I painted recently. I like the black on the label on these.

I really like how my paintings are turning out these days. Not that I didn't like them before, but they seem to be better. To me anyway.

I do basically start each piece with the end in mind. I mean, I have the image already. In a broad sense I am simply replicating the original photograph. I'm not insecure about that fact anymore, as I've recognized the value I add, I put into the piece, but it is true. All I really try to do is make the painting look like the photo.

It's all dots and dabs of white paint. That's all it is. I look at where the white is in the photograph and put it on the record. I'm not even really thinking about the fact that it's a face while I'm painting. Then, in the end, voila! It's kind of fun to see it develop, which you can do here.

My painting can be a metaphor for Life, if you like that sort of metaphysical philosophical thing. Which I do. In Life, if you have a dream, a goal, a picture in your head of how something will look when you get to where you want, you have a much better chance of getting there. Sounds kind of obvious when you think about it. People don't get what they want usually because they don't know what they want!

This has been on my mind a lot with the course I'm on, so I'll ask the question again, "What do you really want?"

I'm asking you.

Peace.

I've Been Doing This 3 Years?

This Zappa is one I'm going to send to Vinyl Killers this year. It'll be my 3rd year participating in the show. It feels like so long ago that I started marketing and selling my Vinyl Art. It's gone by so fast.

It's interesting to look back at something you've done for quite awhile, day in, day out, and see how things have changed, progressed. When I started out, I had vague goals, vague ideas of what I wanted to happen. Beginning with the end in mind, as Covey says, but broadly. My main goal was exposure. And it's happening! Kinda cool.

Sure, day to day sometimes it seems like nothing is happening in a broader scale. But looking at a chart of RSS subscribers that looks like the best stock chart ever is encouraging. My goal is for that to continue, for more people to hook into my blog and hopefully read a good number of posts. I know there're a lot. I'll be highlighting my favorites.

Let me know which you've dug!

Peace.

Vinyl Art Goes To London!

This is a better picture of the 4 pieces I sent to the Noise Of Art 2009. I've shared why I'm so excited about this show, at least my art getting to visit London. Apparently they've gotten a lot more participants, necessitating a flyer redo:

So now I'm on there! Sweet.

If you happen to live near the show's location or will be visiting then, try to make it. The show should be cool. If you do go, take some pics. If you get a shot of my pieces and send it to me, I'll send you something fun!

Peace.

Someday We'll Move There, You'll See

2 paintings, clear-coating 4, wrapping and shipping all in one day! Whew. Well, I want to make the deadline!

See, I just found out about an invitation only, art on vinyl show in London next month. London! I was tagged recently on Facebook to do a list of concerts I've seen. Turned out most were British bands, Peter Gabriel, Arctic Monkeys, Verve, Oasis, Kasabian, Gomez, Stereophonics... Heck we even WENT to London to see the Verve. Best show my wife and I have seen, and she's seen over 50 bands!

I WISH I could've seen Pink Floyd. One of the few bands I've sought out live bootlegs on vinyl, to be engulfed by their show would've been incredible. Like Jeff, who entered my contest with his story about "Wish You Were Here", Floyd was the first prog rock band I got into.

So I've been waiting for a show in London. These are the pieces I sent today, having painted Page and Lennon this morning. Strummer I'd painted before, as well as Hendrix. It should be a cool show, with some artists I've met on Flickr. We'll see how it goes and I'll share any pictures I get of the event.

Peace.

David Gilmour 08/08/09

Straight From The Crate - Vinyl Art Show

-----------------
SHOPAROONI kindly directs your attention to

STRAIGHT FROM THE CRATE
presented by Keith Corcoran
June 26 - July 26
Opening reception June 26, 7-10pm

Once again, NYC transplant and general Cleveland do-gooder Keith Corcoran brings together 33 1/3 of the hottest artists on record with his latest curatorial endeavor STRAIGHT FROM THE CRATE.

Using old vinyl records originally destined for the trash as their canvas, the participating artists have created a diverse collection of traditional and contemporary art.

This show runs from June 26 through July 26 at the very hip Shoparooni Gallery Annex in Cleveland's Waterloo Arts District and features artists from Cleveland, LA, NY, Arizona and Australia.

In an effort to take some of the mystery out of art buying, this show, unlike others, will be "cash-and-carry," meaning if you see something you like, you can take your new-favorite-artwork home with you that night, straight off the wall!

"The overall goal of the show," says curator Keith Corcoran, "is to put high-quality one-of-a-kind artwork in the hands of the average citizen at a price that won't break the bank."
-----------------

I've sent Keith 3 pieces: Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, and David Bowie. If you follow the link above to the show's blog, you can check out links to the other artists. The styles are really varied. Should be a cool show!

Peace.

Meanwhile...

I haven't been able to paint for a couple of days because of family craziness, but things keep progressing. Yesterday I received my official federal trademark certificate for my VA logo! So cool.

Last Friday I found out about a local show called Fill In The Groove opening that Saturday evening. Holy smokes! Fortunately I had a few unframed pieces back from a show in New York so I ran them down to the record store hosting the show put on by Spraygraphic. It was terrific! It's the first group vinyl art show that I've been able to attend. I'm not the best networker, but this was good practice.

Another show, the Red Bull Wax Museum show hosted by the Norml Clothing store in Ottawa, went on this past weekend too. It looks like they selected a couple of mine to mount and frame all fancy-like for the charity auction. Here's the Isaac Hayes I painted:

I've also gotten more followers on Twitter. I'm still figuring out how the microblogging site will fit in with my online communication, but it is a slick way to reach a new audience. You can follow me too if you're so inclined!

That's all for now. We'll see what happens tomorrow!

Peace.

Soul's Embodiment (Or Shut Your Mouth)

The iconic Isaac Hayes, the one with the bald head and gold chains, the composer/singer of the movie theme about that "bad mother", was everything that was soul music in the '70s. This Hayes' "Black Moses" persona came to represent the man himself, the trailblazer that paved the way for thick soul and rap and disco and long-song concept albums and modern film composing.

Isaac Hayes, the real man, had a hard life from beginning to end, filled with actual events that could very well be parodied in a typical blaxploitation film. From cotton picking and shoe shining to bankruptcy to religious and health impairment, he kept getting beaten down. No wonder his creative legacy is about rising up.

The man was cool.

Peace.

SOLD - Isaac Hayes 11/13/08

Stripped Down

Boy, Rick Rubin sure has had a big impact on music since the '80s! My wife loves to hate him. He was involved with The Black Crowes, her favorite band as a teenager, and both helped and hindered their music. He influenced the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys. And he got Chuck D to start Public Enemy.

Raw is what he brings to the table. Laid bare. The passion is all that's left after he reduces the production on albums.

Kinda what I do in stripping down my portraits, editting them down to the essential. Almost past that, letting you fill in the blanks.

Chuck D's work strips down his message too, hitting you hard with it. Can hurt, but through pain is growth. Stripped bare. Say it.

Peace.

SOLD - Chuck D 11/12/08

Would, For The Absence Of Light

This Leonard Cohen is for this upcoming show in Ottawa here opening December 13th. Half of the proceeds from the silent auction of the pieces will go to a local charity for kids.

Subtle smudges. My other tool besides the brush, my finger, spreads dots of wet watered-down paint into tapped tiny suggestions of light, of volume. It creates basically an organically-edged wash, softened shade. The black vinyl still dominates, pulling the face back into the depths.

The depths.

Peace.

SOLD - Leonard Cohen 11/12/08

Get On thegoodfoot.com

I didn't do James Brown like last year, but I did do a bunch for this year's Vinyl Killers show up in Portland, OR. Half sold! Woohoo! Happy Halloween!

The John Lennon on the top row and the three with blue backgrounds on the second are still available at http://thegoodfoot.com/gallery/artist/daniel-edlen/. You can buy them online there.

Jason, the owner of the Goodfoot Pub and curator of this year's show did an amazing job. Below is a picture of just one wall. Mine are kinda in the middle with the blinding reflections.

You can see all the pieces in the show here. There's also a news story here about the show with a couple sentences about my work specifically. Looked like a pretty cool scene. Hopefully I'll be able to go next year!

Peace.

Advancing The Ball

Jason, who's running Vinyl Killers 6, let me know that he'd most likely sold the Miles Davis and Tom Waits I'd sent him. The show doesn't start until the END of October! So he's letting me send more pieces by the Oct. 8th deadline.

I found this Miles Davis image on the cover of "Tutu" and I painted it on a greatest hits compilation. I've also found a reissue of a double album of Tom Waits, so I can do two pieces from that. Apparently, Waits is very popular in Portland, OR.

Hopefully, more will sell and more people will find out about what I do. I keep reaching out myself to let people I think would be interested know about it, but word of mouth is the best. You can explain to people what my work's about with the passion you have for your music.

I'd love to know stories about people's reactions to my pieces. If you have any, let me know! Post'em here as comments if you want!

Peace.

SOLD - Miles Davis 09/30/08

Kurdt Kobain? Kool!

So I was at Rockzone today getting my pieces back and I found this album, "Bleach" reissued. $10. Cool! Kurt is credited with his name misspelt. Does anybody know why?

I'd been waiting to find a Nirvana album. It's not "Nevermind", but then how could I possibly expect to ever find THAT one available? So here's Cobain, a last minute addition to the "dead rocker" show at Primitive Kool tomorrow.

I also found out today that I'll get to participate in a silent auction for the School of Rock at the House of Blues! I'd tried to get my work up in the restaurant/concert hall chain a long time ago with no luck. Maybe this'll open up that door again. And it'll be great to help the School of Rock out even more! I hope I can work something out with them at a national level too. Thinking big.

So, I've gotta frame this one and pack! Have a great weekend.

Peace.

SOLD - Kurt Cobain 09/26/08