(W)rote Learning, Think About It

In answering a follow-up question from that UK graphic arts student, I realized I kind of take my process for granted. I don't talk a lot about it because I don't think about it much. It sort of just happens. Or at least it seems to, to me.

Think about what you do regularly "without thinking".

But it is pretty cool what I do. Every step of work on the actual piece is done by hand, and without stencil. So the value of what I do is both in the painting and the process. The same goes for you, I'm guessing.

Think about when you try to explain what you do to someone else. If they're going to do it too, they have to take notes or something, or learn it by rote.

This brings me back in my head to the realization that what I do is special, all of it. The inspiration for the idea came from a high school art project, but I came up with the process, the technique and the tools to use.

Think about what you've come up with, creating a new method or a new tool to get something done. Let's take a moment to give ourselves a pat on the back.

We're all here for a reason, to do something, to contribute to humanity in some way. Usually that something involves repetition. I'm liking the saying currently that "persistence expresses passion". People who make a difference for people are those that do, that create, that generate, that add to the world, and who do it a lot.

Just don't forget that even though you're doing the same thing over and over, it's new for somebody. It is special, each time.

Peace.

SOLD - Oasis 02/20/09

Sexells Doesn'tit

Is it always about sex? Well, I suppose on one level or another it is. Sex is primal, instinctual. Music is primal, instinctual. I wanna get inside you, let's dance. Feel the rhythm, see the sweat. Raw sex and longing.

Gwen knows, no doubt. Just you watch.

Peace.

Gwen Stefani 10/07/08

Like Toy Soldiers (For PeaceOneDay.org)

Peace and Eminem? Odd pairing, on the surface.

I've discussed them both before, but this time, the context is the international Day of Peace, September 21st. I'm posting today because it falls on a Sunday and I don't usually post on the weekend.

I'd thought I might do something related to Peter Gabriel, but his connection with world peace is well known and acknowledged. Eminem's connection perhaps is only in my head, but I think it's valid.

As I said in that previous post, understanding takes the power away from fear. Both fear and lack of understanding are the primary causes of the escalation of conflict. I don't mean to say that conflict would disappear if we just loved one another. Eminem knows that isn't realistic either.

If you do listen and seek to understand others, put yourself in their shoes as it were, tolerance can be reached and solutions determined. Understanding puts everybody on the same side in opposition to the problem rather than 2 sides of people developing with positions further and further disparate and entrenched.

Eminem reaches out with raw emotion for understanding, telling his story as personally and openly as he can. Think about the reaction of many in the public to this expression and its effect on him. Imagine you had just produced for all the world to hear your innermost fears in the only way you'd been taught only to have them twisted and warped for political agendas attacking you and your art.

Yes, artists are supposed to have thick skins, but not of lead, man. Listen to his lyrics. Cringe at them. Realize they are HIS TRUTH.

The passionate expression of people's truth needs to be cherished. If it were, whole peoples wouldn't take up arms in defense of their beliefs.

What I can do for peace? Yes, love, but also stay true to me and communicate that truth, and passionately seek to encourage and defend others who do the same. Indeed, Eminem and his work connect closely with...

Peace. Make it more than one day.

Eminem 09/19/08

What Will You Do?

Peace. One day.

It's a stirring video, stirring emotionally and a call to stir, to action.

I'm not sure what I'll do, but Peter Gabriel will be performing at the Royal Albert Hall, so maybe it will have to do with him. "Painting For Peace" has a nice ring.

Here's one I did of Peter:



What will YOU do?

Peace.

Peter Gabriel 09/12/08

People Are People [EC]

I didn't buy an album of DM's until "Songs Of Faith And Devotion" came out in '93. The song "Walking In My Shoes" played a lot on the radio and when I listened to the whole album, I was pretty dang impressed. Turns out I just about knew every song on "Some Great Reward" from the radio growing up as well. I hadn't put them all together.

Through the words of Martin Gore and the voice of Dave Gahan, Depeche Mode definitely reveals its passion for humanity, tolerant of every individual's frailties. If only people would listen and ask "Help me understand" large scale conflicts between nations and small scale disagreements between neighbors could, I think, be resolved without so much collateral damage.

For all the discussion about the use of synthesizers during the 80s, great music is great music and has the power to change hearts.

Listen.

Peace.

One Way Or Another (Premier Piece Of The Elliott Collection [EC])

Helping to herald the advent of the 80s era of music, Blondie is "my music, my culture". I grew up in the 80s: Madonna, Michael Jackson, synth pop, and mainstream punk. Fusing elements of disco and German techno with pop subject matter and their punk roots, the group broke into the mainstream with their passion and authenticity.

This portrait is the first in my new exclusive Elliott Collection. This collection will be limited to the largely 80s selection of albums I received in trade. I was fortunate to be entrusted with these albums because she felt I was honoring music as passionately as she felt about the bands with whom she'd grown up.

She wanted me to paint on them. I feel a twinge of guilt using these records, though, as they are still playable. So I'm going to preserve them with my iRecord before creating my artwork. I was just asked to provide a testimonial by the support staff of my little "magic white box". I hope they use what I wrote, and maybe take me up on my offer to promote their product more officially. In the meantime, I'll keep saying I love the thing!

So, what is so exclusive about these other than the fact that I'm "ruining a bunch of perfectly good 'bad 80s' records"?

Giving. I'm going to give $100 of the $175 to your favorite charity in your name. No fine print, no fancy footwork, just straight-forward donation.

But these are it. I'll post each one here on my blog with an [EC] in the title. If you want, you can subscribe to my blog through an RSS feed or email with the links in the sidebar to your right (my left, wait, no, my right too). Please contact me by phone or email, both listed at the top of the page.

If there's more than one ravenous Debbie Harry, Steven Tyler, Tommy Lee, or Dave Gahan fan out there, then I'll offer the piece to the person with the best story of why they want the painting. I'll give each piece a little time "on the market" if there's interest in it. The reason can be related to the band, your past, or the charity. Show me your passion!

Peace.

Man, I Sure Do Love Music

A friend said that to me when we were discussing the idea for my contest. It says how I feel pretty succinctly.

After my dad introduced me to The Beatles and to vinyl in general, I spent a LOT of time in used record stores in the West L.A. area. Moby Disc, Record Surplus, Rhino Records, Record Rover, and Penny Lane became regular haunts.

This was during the transition from cassette to CD, so I was resisting buying CDs at the time. I listened to tapes in my car and records at home. So my vinyl collection grew. I discovered the existence of Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab and virgin vinyl, half-speed mastered audiophile quality pressings. I've talked about the copy of "Revolver" I recorded with my iRecord.

Yesterday, still thinking about Michael and how much we loved sharing our passion for music, I decided to record the 2 albums involved in this amazing phenomenon. I have a decent copy of MFSL 1-017, Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side Of The Moon", and a mint condition copy of MFSL 1-100, The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Such incredible musical creations.

These are albums that I like to listen to straight through. Having grown up listening to records, I've gotten used to hearing complete sides as units. I also listened to the radio and watched MTV a lot, so there are songs that I only know by themselves and don't know the rest of the band's music. Mostly though, if I heard a band on the radio with a song I liked, I'd find the album and listen to the whole thing, and even try to collect a group's entire recordings.

So, I recorded these albums and joined together all the songs using Audacity into one MP3 for each side. These are concept albums anyway, so like Dark Side's second side recorded as one track automatically. That's one thing I never understood with CDs is how they decided where track breaks were between songs with no real break.

In any event, this ramble, which I tend to do when talking about myself instead of my art, is to get you to remember how you listened to music growing up. How did the media, whether it be 8-track or MP3, you listened to impact your appreciation and love for music?

Peace.

An Introduction (Or Who's Out There?)

According to Feedburner, my subscriber base is growing steadily! I don't really know what that means but it feels good that the chart shows it's going up.

So I suppose one thing that means is that there are a handful of people getting my posts automatically sent to them in one form or another who might not totally get the full picture of what Vinyl Art is about. I recently redesigned my site and blog to hopefully provide more complete information that is easier to access. I also added the Table of Contents to my blog sidebar to make it easier to read back into my archive. This past half year has been a bit of a blur, but I think there's some good stuff back there.

The subscriber increase also means that there are more people lurking. I certainly don't mind, but I really encourage comments and questions. You can call, email, or post comments here. You can comment on my YouTube videos as well as on my Flickr photostream. I've made some great connections with people passionate about all things creative and about their favorite music, so join in the fun! You can even stay anonymous.

Let's start with a question all can relate to, I hope. What band or musician has had the most important impact on you?

For me, it's The Beatles because "Revolver" was the first album my dad played for me on his record player. It began my passion for music.

Peace.

The Hook & The Head Fake (Or RCPM Rocks & RIP Randy)

Inspiration and passion. It fills my soul when I see it in any form. It drives my desire to paint and create and enrich people's lives.

So this past Saturday we went down to Tucson to see Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, my second time seeing them live (this was the first). It was the day after Randy Pausch died from spreading pancreatic cancer.

Both very inspirational and passionate individuals in their own humble ways, I started thinking about what it was that drew me to them.

Both simply make the people around them feel good to be alive. But they do it in different ways.

Roger, with his incredible energy and stage presence connects with his audience by getting them involved in the moment. Through the years he has taught his fans how to help make his concerts a better experience for all: participation. Feel included, feel appreciated and grateful all at once. Feel lucky to be alive.

He does this, I think, by having a "hook" in just about every song that either the audience echoes, or he helps everybody along with, or they just sing it themselves. Below, I've embedded a video of "Banditos" at 2007's Circus Mexicus. Sometimes almost the whole song is the hook. The audience often on cue counts into songs "uno, dos, tres, quatro" without him even prompting anymore. They, we, are his tribe. We know it and we love it. Life is grand at a RCPM show. Beauty is everywhere.



Randy, with his incredible energy and stage presence connects with his audience by taking them for a ride with a payoff at the end. Below, I've embedded the video on YouTube of his "Last Lecture". It's over an hour. But it's worth it. Drawn into his life story and the way that he relates it to general ways to achieve your dreams, he does what great teachers sometimes do: trick students into learning. Using concrete examples throughout, he makes the audience feel like part of the story; following the lecture bullet points they think are about reaching their dreams that instead lead to the completely unexpected end.

The "head fake", the "oh wow" moment. And a double one at that. Like a good twist at the end of a movie, I won't spoil it for those who want to and haven't yet gone on the ride. But what it does, I think, is makes the viewer remember the message, makes them feel good about having "gotten it", and makes them feel good about living.



Roger's head fake? He gets to do what he loves, and you go to every show you can. (We're going again in two weeks to the Tempe gig.)
Randy's hook? Watch the lecture again and see how he pulls you along. (Kinda makes you cry at different moments, huh?)

Peace.

Grawlix Not Included (Or Authentic Passion Expressed Authentically)

DJ Shadow's "Endtroducing" fuckin' blows me away. Just heard it here.

(Sorry for the French, or New Yorker. Blame Hugh over at gapingvoid for ruining my sense of propriety with blogging. I'll use it sparingly. I want it to have the impact I mean for it to have. "$#@&!" just doesn't cut it.)

"Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt", well, shit, the whole album, makes my neck tingle. I'm not sure what it is though. I just am in awe of his mixing. The way he layers the sound seemlessly, the way he creates melody with loops and rhythm with scratching, man!

I love what the WWW has become. I can discuss its future with Jarvis and Godin, I can chat about my artwork with teenagers wanting to try it too, I can connect with people looking for the coolest gift, I can remind myself of kickass music.

I can be inspired to be creative.

What can YOU do with the WWW that blows you away?

SRV is also for the woman's anniversary gift to her husband. I get to paint Jimi today!

Peace.

SOLD - Stevie Ray Vaughan 07/25/08

Human Being Good

Odd but deep phrase, isn't it? Think about it for a sec.

Is it what the grammatically challenged cannibal said?

I like words that are both verbs and nouns (no, not like "Google"), especially when they can lead to philosophical discussion. Is the human being good, or is the human being good? (Heehee, oops, I guess you can't hear the emphasis difference in my head. You get it though, right?)

Biblically, "good" is where we started. There is a reason why "good" means more than just "less than great". Good is what G'od (a contraction that my dad taught me) wants of us. If we are to truly reflect Life's purpose for us, good is what we should shoot for, consistently and genuinely.

Heck, it's what Steve Martin strives for in his work.

And it's a powerful question to figure out what you can do with passion that will benefit the world.

My question is why be anything but good? Yes, it's hard. Life is a challenge. Aren't things and experiences more precious when you use effort to get them? We are living in order that Life might experience the limitless possibilities of its creation. So live! Live with passion, taking responsibility for your life.

And then my question becomes:

if, at any given moment, what you are doing is something that you wouldn't want anybody to know about because the action carries some personal, emotional, social, environmental, economic, or legal consequence that you wouldn't readily accept,

why do it?

Peace.

SOLD - Bruce Springsteen 07/18/08

Am I Finished Yet?

I've talked before about editing creative endeavors after completion, but when is the piece done in the first place?

When I don't want to let it go.

Jonathan Davis of KoRn is for the son of a dear friend of my wife. Fortunately for me, the album "Follow The Leader" is a double album, so I get to keep one the records. Yet, it's still hard to part with my work. It is, after all, a part of me, my creation. Not quite like a child as some artists dramatically claim, but maybe like that in a small way. Each piece represents a collection of moments of my life, also pulling together the creation of the music, the production of the vinyl, the moment of the photographer and subject, and even the publishing and discovery of the photograph. A lot had to happen to lead to what you see above.

So it, as your time and attention are, is precious.

Thus, my passion for what I do and why. The young man who will be surprised to receive this piece has a tattoo of the album cover on his back. A tattoo. That's the purpose of my art, and at the same time, that's why, when the piece is done, the moment captured, it's hard to set it free.

Peace.

SOLD - Jonathan Davis 06/19/08

Inclusion: Circus Mexicus Rocked!

My eyes are still a little blurry, bleary, whatever. Or is that the photo...

I tried to take a shot of the wristband, my new bottle opener keychain, and The Refreshment's early album, "Wheelie". That album was Jason's prize CD in his collection, having been on board with Roger Clyne when his group was just known locally here in Tempe. Now I know why he liked them so much, and why they've amassed such a strong fanbase.

Inclusion. Again, yes it's what it's about. My first time in Mexico and my first RCPM show, Circus Mexicus was seriously good. From "Mexico" to "Nada" it was amazing. Around 50 songs! Two mammoth sets. And does Clyne know how to interact with his tribe? Hell yes. From acknowledging those who've made it to all 16 concerts on the beach at Rocky Point to welcoming newcomers, he repeatedly thanked his people for coming together at his favorite thing. Making sure we were on board with the new album and playing requests for old obscure songs written on huge beach balls, he gave away what he wanted to receive. It's in his songs, after all.

They ROCKED! Damn good rock-n-roll. It's the one commercially successful rock band I've heard that sounds to me uniquely Arizonan. They put on a hell of a show too. His voice is wonderful; we couldn't believe he could sing for so long. Guitarist Steve Larson played some kick-ass solos too. We'd hoped that they would play Jason and my wife's favorite song, "Loco to Stay Sane", but they didn't. So'k.

So, revitalized, but at the same time saddened Jason couldn't be there but in spirit, I'm going to continue to reach out to those, like the RCPM fans, passionate about their music and their culture.

"Hello New Day", thank you, Jason.

Peace.

Passion

Melanie is for a fellow passionate about his cause: getting her nominated and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is the audience I am most trying to reach with my art: the people who believe so strongly in the music they love that they champion causes to get that music the attention and recognition they feel it deserves.

I feel fortunate to have a means to express my own passions for art and music. Passion, though, has several meanings to humanity. It can be warm, deep affection, but also can be intense agony and suffering. According to Biblical writings, the Passion describes the process of Christ's crucifixion. It signifies strong emotion and desire. Overwhelming.

So it happens that two of my favorites albums are related specifically to the Passion of Christ: St. Luke Passion by Penderecki and Passion: Music for The Last Temptation of Christ by Peter Gabriel.

The first is a contemporary oratorio composed in 1966 by a Polish composer who I was introduced to by my high school physics teacher. Playing for us "Utrenja", another composition about the entombment and resurrection of Christ which was used in the Soundtrack of Kubrick's "The Shining", over the huge speakers in his room that really projected the music's atonal wall of sound, Mr. Layton opened my mind to a whole new type of music. It's certainly not for everybody, but it demonstrates music's capacity for communicating raw emotion.

The second is the album created from Gabriel's soundtrack for Scorcese's controversial film based on the 1961 book by Kazantzakis. It too communicates powerful deep feelings, accomplished with Middle Eastern and African rhythms and harmonies. In a Q&A for the Florida Music Festival, I was asked who my favorite musician of all time is, and I responded with Peter Gabriel. His music has inspired me the most over the years, from his days with Genesis, to his innovative MTV videos, to his own passion for "world music". I was listening to his most recent album, "Up", while painting Melanie. The song "I Grieve" made me burst into tears, thinking about Jason.

I'm sorry to leave this post on a sad note, but I am this week powerfully, miserably sad. I miss Jas terribly. I had a dream with him in it, the first one I could clearly remember that he was in, and awoke hollering "Help!" because I was drowning. Sobbing, I couldn't go back to sleep for hours. Since that, I can very clearly hear his voice again in my head. Remembering that is good and bad, stirring up happy memories and heart-wrenching grief. I guess that's why "passion" applies to the range of intensely felt emotions of humanity.

Peace. Be well.

Record Store Day - My Contribution

They added my quote! It's the 4th one. Here's the start of it:

"In West L.A., stores like Record Surplus, Penny Lane, Rhino, Record Rover and Moby Disc became my refuge growing up, offering hours of uninterrupted bliss. The racks became my friends, suggesting new plastic etched with brilliance with albums placed randomly askew, teasing me with a corner of the sleeve, and hand-scrawled dividers shouting undiscovered names.

Now, paying tribute to vinyl, the musicians that created and the stores that redistributed, I hope... "

Check out http://www.recordstoreday.com/CustomPage/382 to read the rest!

Peace.

FMF2008 Rock Walk: Music-Inspired Passion

So, these are the 7 I'm sending off to Florida. You can click on the photo to see it bigger. They laid out pretty nicely for this photo, I thought. Took it out on the pool deck.

I've gotten a couple commissions that I get to work on: Peter Frampton and Melanie Safka. Both are for people passionate about music that touched them growing up. The people I want to reach the most. Whomever your favorite is, I want to know. I want to create something for you to show off what that music means to you. Make people stop and think, "I know that face... isn't that...?" and then get to talk about why you love them so much. Connect.

Peace.

Preserving, Reaffirming Passion, i.e. Rock On!

50 MB of heaven! It works, the iRecord works! It turned The Beatles "Revolver" into 50 MB. The default settings worked too, which made me happy, no tweaking required. It records at 192 kbps and it split the tracks automatically. I know the picture's not that clear, I might need a new camera now, but that lovely white box is magic! It was seriously easy. I just hooked it to one of the outputs from my receiver, played the album like normal and it blinked orange for audio recording. So, for $200 for the iRecord and whatever for a regular USB 2.0 storage device (mine's a PNY Attache 1G, cheap cheap at Staples) you can transfer all your recordings, audio and video, to MP3. The sampling rate can be increased for higher quality and you can even schedule the recording to use it like a DVR. Holy mackerel, how cool!

I started with "Revolver" because it was the album my dad played for me that initially turned me on to The Beatles, vinyl, and music in general, leading to my collection of the 1000s of records that I now want to archive. This copy is MFSL 1-107, an Original Master Recording released by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab that I bought for $40 in December '93 at Record Rover in West L.A. So clean! Now it's daunting to think about all the work it'll be to record everything, but I'll take it slow and really enjoy listening to them too.

My wife's going to be so excited that I can now archive her Black Crowes concert recordings too!

Peace.

Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You

When all is said and done, what will humanity be remembered for, what will the ages say about you?

[EDIT - 5/15/08: To all those finding this post while on a quest for information regarding JFK's inaugural address and his famous quote, I found out that it was inspired by a line written by Khalil Gibran, the author of "The Prophet". The line can be found in "The New Frontier". It's the 7th paragraph. This isn't to take away from JFK's rephrasing it into a monster of an directive to a nation, though.

Also, the contest described below is over, but I'm hoping I get to do another one! I need your help. I need enough subscribers either by RSS feed or email so that I'll get enough entries. So make it easier on yourself to keep up with my oh-so-neat little blog, and subscribe!]

"No man is an island, he's a peninsula," said Jefferson Airplane. We are all connected and we're the better for embracing that: "Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they can not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated," said MLK. I guess my main purpose in creating and promoting Vinyl Art at all is to contribute as I can, seeking my way of bringing people together. So, I'm taking King's first step even though I definitely can't see the rest of the staircase, and starting my contest. Woohoo!

Your Grand Prize: one (1) piece of Vinyl Art of the recording artist of your (reasonable) choice, framed and delivered

The 9 Second Prizes: your entry featured on the sidebar of this blog

Everybody's Deadline: February 29th, 2008

How You Enter: I want to know your story (you feel comfortable enough to share) of when music had the biggest impact on your life, like a concert, or a song you danced to with your future mate, or an important moment in human history that changed you in large part due to music involved. It's gotta be true and about you. The entry can be in any form: you can write the story in a comment here, you can post an image on Flickr and send me a FlickrMail about it, you can make a video to upload to YouTube and send me a message there with it attached, you can create a post on your own blog with a trackback to here, or you can even use regular ol' snail mail (address available on request). Basically, any format, online or off, is acceptable as long as it's your creation and your story. Every entry will be moderated for appropriateness (my blog isn't "adult", ;) ) and listed in the comments to this post for all to see.

How You Become A Winner: On March 1, 2008, I'll start going through all the entries and pick the 10 top ones. By "top", I mean the most successful at communicating your story. I want to really "get" why you've chosen that particular story to tell. I'm not going to judge it based on comparisons of content. I'm going to judge the entries based on the whole package, kind of like how dogs are judged in Best of Show competitions. I know there aren't "breed standards", but I mean I'm going to look at the facts of the story and judge the entry on how well I think it conveys your experience of those facts and the impact it had on you. Then I'll pick one of the top 10 randomly as the Grand Prize winner!

I thought about putting the top 10 up for voting by you to pick the winner, but for this first contest, I want to keep it simple. I don't really know how big my audience is and how many hoops you'd be willing to jump through to win a painting at this point. Also, I'll see how many entries I get before committing to when I'll announce the winners. I'm going to do my best with this, but everybody has told me that contests can go haywire, so let's just make it a good one! You can always ask me questions to clarify before submitting your entry, I'll make important ones public. I don't care if I get all the entries on the last day of this month if you want to keep refining or if you just procrastinate, but if you want more people to see your entries, get them submitted!

If you want inspiration, or if you don't understand the Grand Prize:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and also the more entries, the better a contest will result for us all, so tell your friends! Peace.

Why Eminem Should Be Respected

I wanted to see if you'd picked up on something. Peace. I've been signing that quite a bit recently. You might not have noticed because it is a word thrown about too freely I think. I don't have it as a "sig" anywhere. I type it each time. Each time, hitting that period after typing the word makes me think, makes me feel. I feel different emotions depending on when I type it, but I type it each time deliberately to stay connected to Life. Peace period. That's all that should need be said. Quietly, simply, with gut-wrenching true feeling. Do you almost cry when you say peace? The huge weight associated with it, does it come to mind when you flash the peace sign? I hope so. Like "love", "peace" should have meaning behind it when it's said, I think. It should stir in you the desire to act, to do.

Eminem's multi-faceted message in his music communicates his anger and frustration with the state of affairs both in his life and in the world. He seeks peace. Venting, he makes it ok to feel and express dark emotions. He conveys how conflict itself ends up winning when the two sides involved battle each other instead of uniting against the problem underlying. I respect his creativity, his way with words, and yes, what I see as his message. I know his productions, his words, are controversial, pointed to as inciting and insightful. Good. Discussion brings issues into the open and can lead to tolerance and understanding if people are open. People usually have walls up for protection, though. I wish people would be open. Pain exists, but it can be used towards understanding instead of hate. Hate means you care about the other side, means you can love too. You try listening for where the hate is coming from, and you can break downs walls with trust, compassion, and openness. And what you put out always comes back around too.

I thought I'd share with you what I think, but I certainly won't take it personally if you disagree. Disagreement can lead to wider understanding. Understanding can lead to...

peace.

Eminem 02/01/08

Roger, The Apostle, At Year's End

What a way to end this year. It's taken me this past week to wrap my head around our experience in California. I feel humbled and honored at the same time, everything and nothing. Great fodder for my internal philosopher.

Roger Steffens is remarkable. Incredibly giving, generous with his time and energy, sharing his stories about Life. As a kid, captivated by sci-fi comic strips, he wrote a letter to his favorite and ended up becoming lifelong friends with the creator and having his name used in the strip. As a teen, looking up to Alan Freed, he saw some of the first group shows of the birth of rock-n-roll, later to be called himself 'Alan Freed' by Little Richard. As a young adult in the time of the Vietnam War, he found reggae, so impressed with a Gonzo-writer's article in Rolling Stone. Since then he has become THE chronicler of Bob Marley and his contributions to the world. Collecting every scrap of audio, video, and printed material about Tuff Gong or even remotely related to Bob, Roger has created an archive that not only would reduce any superfan to drooling, but would make that fan want to add his collection to Roger's. There is a genuine sense of driven purpose to preserve the essence of Bob's life. Befriending Bob's family, The Wailers, and any photographer, musician, roadie connected to Bob, Roger continues to seek connections worldwide, spreading One Love. That's why I would characterize him as Marley's apostle. It is that deep of a love.

After throwing in stories about his friends Timothy Leary, Carlos Santana, and others, Roger connected me and my family to his collection. Looking back, it was very interesting, deliberate. Listening to Bob's solo jamming in the background, Roger asked us all about pieces of our stories, taking pictures with me and the paintings, learning that my wife's birthday was the day Bob died, hearing about my father-in-law's Vietnam enlistment rejection, and sharing his personal photos of Bob with me to see if I'd be interested in having any copies. Oh my! What beautiful shots he had, some he took, some Peter Simon took. I'll definitely paint more of them. Connecting me further. Such an honor. It was truly a moment of mutual respect, something very unique. Life reconnecting with Life. One Love.

I don't know if I'm portraying the experience well enough, but I think at least I've given a sense of it. Overwhelming would be the one word for sure. Also, more practically, overwhelming is the fact that I basically broke even financially this year, even with paying for my health insurance! Pretty cool for my first full year. I've also got several irons in the fire, as they say. Primitive Kool sold Hendrix and SRV, Wild About Music sold SRV, and I've got a few potential commissions. Also, http://www.notcot.org/, a very cool site, posted about me, leading to a couple other blogs asking for info to do their own posts. I've got many more contacts on Flickr as well. So, it's spreading! I'd better get painting, huh?

If you're coming to this blog unaware of my Vinyl Art, please, take a bit to read through more of my posts. They really do give a good sense of my background and what I'm doing with it. Then, you can also see other examples if you:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and please have a safe and happy New Year's. Peace.