GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER

Played some music last night with some of my teacher friends from the high school. It's always so hard for us to find free time at the same time, but great fun when we do.

The Band
Pastel
John Brisson

MORE SCRATCH BOARD STUFF

JAMMIN'

Playing some music at the high school (me on drums).

ART AND MUSIC

STILL GREAT

This last Saturday night we went to see the Eagles perform at the Forum in L.A. They are still fantastic after all these years.



                       

PRINTMAKING

I've started a new reduction linocut. Getting back to working on prints after finding some older ones that I had done.

Say Something
Reduction Woodblock print

Say Something
Block

Jammin'
Reduction Woodblock print

Jammin'
block

                                     

WOLF PASTEL DEMO

Below is a link to a pastel demo I put on Youtube. Also a little drumming with a friend of mine for background noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6hg7BvDRGY

MAKING NOISE

Once and and a while I get together with a few of my teacher friends to fool around playing some blues. This is a link to us playing as a fill during a show at the high school (me on drums).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX8h-5qN_Hs

DANCE

"Those who danced were thought quite insane by those who could not hear the music."

STILL REVAMPING

I am finally almost done reworking my studio area. Should not have taken this long but I procrastinated with the best of them on this project. The drums and guitars in the other part of the room were way too inviting!

Just to feel like I wasn't neglecting art completely, I did do another small scratchboard.

VISIONS OF DON HENLEY DANCED IN HIS HEAD...

My grandson playing my drums. We have him for a couple of days and enjoying every minute!!

Thanks to a fellow blogger (Jeannette) I bought an Arches travel notebook to practice watercolors with. Great for sketching and value studies. I'm not any better, but wasting a lot less paper!

I LIKE GOOD SAX...

Surrender your whole being to a note, and gravity disappears...with one chord, John Lee Hooker could tell a story as deep as the ocean.

—Carlos Santana

This print was used on a T-Shirt which

sold well on Cafe Express

 

Good Sax

Reduction Linocut

JAZZ

Jazz is...an open-minded music designed for open minds. 

                      ~Author Unknown~

Devil Music

Reduction woodblock print

on Japanese Kozo paper

DOWN DEEP RHYTHM

"The discovery of song and the creation of musical instruments both owed their origin to a human impulse which lies much deeper than conscious intention:  the need for rhythm in life… the need is a deep one, transcending thought, and disregarded at our peril."

~Richard Baker~

Jammin - Reduction Woodblock print from a great blues painting.

MUSIC AND ART - PERFECT COMBINATION

An intellectual is someone who can listen to the 'William Tell Overture' without thinking of the Lone Ranger.

~John Chesson~

I'm not quite there yet!!

88s'

Reduction Woodblock print on Japanese Gampi paper

PIANO DREAMS

"My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it, and you simply take as much as you require."   ~Edward Elgar~

Piano Dreams - Reduction linocut on Japanese Torinoko paper.

BACK TO WHAT I KNOW

The last couple of pastel pieces I have done were floral subjects. They were fun to do and , obviously, pastel colors and flowers go together. The part that doesn't fit quite as well is me! I'm just not much of floral kind of person! I decided to go back to a subject that I'm a little more comfortable with...music. I'm still really enjoying doing things with pastels because they happen so quickly. Haven't stopped the printmaking though. I have linocut and woodblock in process.

MUSIC AND ART

Two of my favorite things. My son and daughter in law are changing my grandson's bedroom and want me to paint some pictures for the wall. Liam loves music so that is the theme they would like. Over the past month I have been doing some pastel sketches to run by them.

MORE THAN ART

My downstairs sanctuary is also a place that gets it's fair share of music use. Each year the high school puts on a 'Battle of the Bands'. I, along with a few of my teacher friends have been invited to close the program the last few years. We aren't actual contestants, just a novelty act I think.

We worked on "Little Red Rooster' last night, and it wasn't half bad.

Sanctuary

My wife Teri, has given me the great gift of allowing the lower floor of our home in Big Bear Lake, California to be my hide-a-way and sanctuary.

There I can make a mess with paint or ink to my heart’s content. It is also there that I get together with friends and make a sound that we like to pretend is good blues music. Teri retreats to the third floor, far from the noise!