pastdays4
DAY
190 Notes
Fri. April17
Did this angel for my friend Dave. He liked the other one and wanted his own.
My Aunt Barbara made a special trip out to attend my viewing at pump project. Had a fun but very short time with her.
Thanks, it meant a lot to me.
Painted a bunch of new items to have things to show including....
This one which was actually sold. Had another I gave away for charity.
Got a hold of a jig saw and experimented with actual form. I think I'll do a lot of this sorta thing.
And now for the obligatory inclusion of a local site. This thing looks even cooler in real life. Oh and I am sorry not to be getting back to many of you right away, I am a bit swamped. I will talk to yas soon enough.
DAY
201 Notes
Fri. April 28
Saturday was an amazing day for the arts in Austin. There were beautiful and interesting objects everywhere.
I'd gone down to Art City by the river to hand out some last minute invites my own exhibition.
At 7pm that night I accomplished my first and perhaps most difficult objective. Special thanks to Kevin and Sharon Kuhn at Bay6 studios.
I was very happy both with the quality and the quantity of folks who attended this shin-dig.
I haven't been eating a whole lot lately so I got quite tipsy on just a few spirits. I hope I did not say or do anything too strange.
Here are a few of the wall decorations that were adorning the walls.
Much to my very pleasant surprise the night was joined by my two adorable friends from South Texas, Albert and Leia. They made the long trip just to be there for my special night.
If they look familiar it is because they are the ones who'd saved my life by buying the first painting I sold. I'd been awake for three days and used the money to get a bed at a hostel to recharge. It's all been uphill since meeting them. I wound up selling the painting we are standing in front of in the above pic. They next day we had a nice meal of Torchy's Tacos and smores before saying our goodbyes. Not for too long I hope.
And speaking of past mentions I decided to run right out and get the $100 tip out of the way.
Doug had been an easy choice ever since meeting him the first night being her. He was the first tip-able person I came into contact with and all along the most enthusiastic toward my mission.
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Now on to the live performance. Stay tuned there are things afoot.
DAY
215 Notes
Tue. May 12
Well Ya know, I am gettin really lazy on this blog thing. There are things going on. I've had a hard time getting computer time.
I miss all of you who I miss. You should know who you are. There are the same three colors here, the same 5 flavors and the same bands of oscillations upon ear bones and yet souls are refined by only soul. I am ansy and certainly thinking about the next thing I'll do to impress myself enough to want to survive.
As far as the task before me I did make a short song demo last week. I put out on craigslist that I would trade art for recording gear or time at a studio and these guys got back to me. It was a nice place with good equipment. I got into the room and the tech just said "so what do you want to do?". I said I'll just play I guess. And I did. Out of tune on the three remaining strings on my workhorse acoustic I just belted it out the best I could. I had the feeling I was giving him a headache the whole time cause he was just stone faced and surely used to more polished musicians. I was also nervous because I'd not generally played alone.
Surprizingly, before we parted he offered me an opportunity to play my songs at his trade show/party...go figure.
You be the judge.
We Were Not Spies
Strange and Simple, Sinful Mind
No Pressure (with over track)
And I've been up with the visuals. Got some frames from goodwill and have been filling em since. Tried to give this one to Mills (said audio tech) but he wanted something at a later time. Be working on that soon.
And this one here is just the latest in primaries. Much of the same, but a little more flair.
DAY
223 Notes
Tue. May 20
Ahoy,
woke up early this morning with nightmares. Had something to do with my legs being busted up in picture frames. I have some ideas about what it might all mean but I don't want to speculate. I am writing fast because there are folks waiting for me to go swimming. I am still painting like a fool and looking diligently for the venue where I will complete my venture. I had made plans to paint the maiden voyage of Austin's first metro liner but they keep pushing up the date. Otherwise same 'ol same 'ol.
DAY
236 Notes
Tue. June 2
Got some good leads on the next objective. I will let it known when things are better set. Otherwise just bouncing around staying with folks I've stayed with before, albeit never more than three nights. Just convenient I suppose. I think the swine flu has made people a little less enthusiastic about strangers coming to stay.
I participated in an music industry meet and greet and painted the above piece while musicians played on the stage above me. One of the scheduled bands had a car accident and I was asked to fill in. So I did. Mills, the manager of the event lauded me on my songs, lyrics and voice but quite humorously told me my guitar playing was crap. He is right. I usually try to bury my inadequacies in layers of effects.
At one point I was offered money for the painting I'd done by a patron but I just said it was a donation to the event. I thought it further compensation for Mills having recorded me.
Keeping the art going otherwise. Bought some frames from a discount store and have been filling em as a priority. On a bit of a primary color kick.
Here again, same thing. Don't let the Steelers shirt fool ya, I am still a Pats guy all the way. Just one more nice cotton shirt.
In Austin there is a bridge that is home to millions of bats. It makes for an exciting place to hang out at sunset.
The video is a bit grainy but you might get a sense of the scene by looking at it.
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I really plan on doing this blog a lot more often from here out. If only for the discipline of it. Probably be more philosophical to have content every day.
DAY
239 Notes
Fri. June 5
Sat out for something called first Thursday, played a bit and just hung out with my latest works I haven't yet traded. A bus full of high school kids past and a kid with a Mohawk threw a quarter in my direction. My #1 patron of the night. I did write a melody and later wrote the words in forced eloquence below to complement it.
Lo, upon my searching nerves is light
There as souls unhinged a flame-less life
We Let em fall down, from the serpents
We Let em fall out from the stones
Olympian's eminence, where art thou?
But you Pain Archangel's throne weighed down
We let em rise up from the chasms
We let em stand up and take the sky
The change came in a kick to the head
The change came in a kick to the head
and dreams gushed out
Say I unhinged one to unhinged two
Per chance eminence held fast for you....and
I Let em fall down, from the serpents
I Let em fall out from the stones
I Let em rise up from the chasms
I'll put up the song when I can record it in a decent way.
UPDATE: So I recorded it late at night with my camera and sung through a dollar store plastic spring reverb mic. Bad quality but I just wanted it up.
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Later I moved up the street to where there were more folks walking by. This time painting a subject drawn from a rough sketch of a cat-like I'd done earlier in the week. Met a lot of people, explained myself and took a lot of pictures with them but that was about the gist of it.
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Wanted to show you all this video and why I am so glad I am not outdoors anymore. On one of the first nights here I did wake to things crawling on and biting me. There's an f-word in the video for you with kids.
DAY
244 Notes
Tues. June 9
A few drawings. Bout like many of my others. Just good practice. They are cool for coffees, beers and the odd sandwich.
Painting. Not too unusual for me but I like it. Hope the host does as well. I am trying to be a bit more meticulous.
Laughed at this cactus someone mutilated to show reverence to this great state.
Had another melody and put words to it. Recorded it poorly with the camera. Kinda embarrassing but I am lately all for going fourth with reckless abandon. I am sure I'll be changing some things about it.
This dark room is larger than the whole world
For any place I'm off to I am there
All I want to do is find another
But you (one) cant find the edge of endless
you (one) cant find the end
These are the bleak dreams I'll have ah ah
I once said......oh
Under foot only black lands ah ah
I once said, oh
Just let it drag it you down ah--
I once said
These are the new dreams I'll have ah ah
I then sa-id..oh
Here and there and everywhere just wanting
things no merchants string to any deal
I might find myself in lines forever
But you cant buy a memory
No life to even steal
Cheer! now tell myself
The---- night is winding down
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I guess I put this stuff up so I don't lose it forever.
DAY
254 Notes
Fri. June 19
This was a collaborative drawing among a bunch of pals at an outdoor Cantina. We just kept passing it around and I neurotically "fixed" things before calling it done. I left the little palm tree at the top.
I have a friend from New Orleans who wanted a rendition of her favorite Mardi Gras float. This one is called Leviathan. I am always down to do serpents for there relevance within my symbolic reflections. As I am often in my art, engaged in unifying world symbolism I am impressed by how many of our ancient forerunners believed humans were descended by great serpent gods. I often treat the course of civilization as human kind's return to ethereal status. Coalescing of energy yadda, yadda dont get me started.
Then there is the digit and symbolic significance of .9. Metaphor for almost there dood! 9 Chinese dragons and make chaotic scape look a bit more formal, ie. like currency. Intentionally used a currency like font.
A friend of mine told me about this place that throws their sushi away at the end of the night. Let me just tell ya, having good taste is better than having money. I thought about an episode of my childhood where for a time my father, brothers and I ate only potatoes because we lived near a potato processing plant. But then one day we found a catering truck yard where they threw away things like sandwiches, burritos and pastries. After all those months of spuds the new stuff was too good to be true.
Last week there was a large biker rally in town called ROT. There were several rows of motorcycles leading up Congress st. that stretched for miles. Friday night culminated in a Robbie Knievel jump of a bunch of Budweiser trucks. My video here doesn't show a whole lot but perhaps you can get a feel for the scene.
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This is a modestly artistic pic of my friend Jorge who is from Venezuela. Most of the time he is off in the Gulf of Mexico picking up damaged drilling equipment from the bottom of the sea with massive cranes. He enjoys his downtime like no other. He also is very apt to make his signature "Mad Doggaritas" (don't ask).
This is my friend Chris's brother Kevin (in from Palm Beach but really from Boston) and these are some girls we sat down with. I put this pic up for him.
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And this is just the train going by.
Day 261 Notes
Fri. June 26
Odelay!
When I'd set the goal of a live performance, I really did not know how it would manifest. I thought about doing something crazy as a complement to some other's live show, or perhaps some experimental theater thing. I even considered a boxing match. Weighing the logistics I settled upon a simple singer songwriter set with various banter and surprises.
Much to my delight I wound up getting my gig at the place I'd most wanted to perform at. I really had focused on two places, The Cactus and The Continental. Both are iconic Austin clubs that have rich histories and character.The Cactus however is a bit larger and it is connected to the University of Texas- really the heart and soul of this town. Anyhow, I'll be there wed. July 8th at 8pm. I hope my local friends will be there with me. I'll link the event when it goes up or gets printed.
Spent some time painting this item of furniture from Goodwill. It's my first but I think I can go somewhere with it.
Sketch for practice.
104 at 522pm, typical lately. I am not that bothered by weather for the most part. Good thing because it hasn't been under three digit highs for several days now.
I'd put up a pic of Jorges the other day and his sweetheart Brianna, wondered why not her. Here ya go girl. What a great looking couple!
Wow, lucky they had that Pacifico container, else they woulda had to carry out those 6 lonestar bottles by hand. Would it kill anybody to have a Samual Adams? Gotta love these Texan's patriotism.
Day 275
July 8th
Whew, big day. I am sure I'll have lots to say tomorrow. Been very busy gettin ready. Feel good. Please come check it out if you are in town. Again it's 8pm the Cactus, left side off "the Strip" on Guadalupe.
Day 277
July 10th
Took me a few days to get the vids up. Had a great time at Cactus, it was everything I'd hoped it would be.
I took a quick few random pictures of the posters featuring folks who'd played there over the years. A lot of locals congratulated me on such a fine get, as far as venue.
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Here is a rendition of how it played out through the lens of my $70 fuji camera. Pretty crude but what can ya do?
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Sorry for the hard language on this one but I am simply retelling the story as it was spoken. After the show my friend Anneke said her friend might like to cover it. I am giving you permission Anni if you are reading this.
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While on stage I forgot to thank my friend Sebastian Coppola who helped sing and play harmonica and my friend Joe who traded a painting for my guitar and let Ben use his drums. Thanks guys.
BettySoo, who we opened for was a delightful character and her outstandingly sung songs were pretty and insightful. She and her band had a polish a million miles beyond ours and it made for an interesting contrast. I was sorry I had to leave before her second set because I would have liked to talk to her more. I was however working on my sleeping arrangements and had to bolt. If you read this Betty, I would be amenable to a beer coffee or tea at your convienince.