Monday, April 30, 2012

Summer Breezes with Jazz

“Sweet days of summer, the jasmine's in bloom (Summer) is dressed up and playing her tune When I come home from a hard day's work And you're waiting there, not a care in the world Summer breeze makes me feel fine, blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind…”

Is summer ever complete without a day at the beach? It is especially cool if you are with the one who has your heart! Come see it here:http://www.zibbet.com/MoxyFoxDesigns

George Benson and Al Jarreau's rendition of "Summer Breeze" is so smooth. Hope you enjoy it.

Saturday, April 28, 2012

The Jazzy "In Crowd"


Jazz festivals are happening all over the world — yeah, right now! Musicians form groups and fill the air with cool sounds. Everyone loosens up and lets the music get deep inside. This is an abstract print from an original painting of mine. It’s all jazzed up for summer!

Here is the famed jazz pianist, Ramsey Lewis, on the keyboard playing “In Crowd”

Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ramsey Lewis, Sr. and Pauline Lewis.[2] Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four. At 15 he joined his first jazz band, The Cleffs. The seven-piece group provided Lewis his first involvement with jazz; he would later join Cleffs drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with "The In Crowd", "Hang On Sloopy", and "Wade in the Water". All three singles each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs. Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience. In the 1970s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and using an additional keyboardist in his groups.

Lewis still lives in Chicago, Illinois, the city of his musical roots. He has seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
—Source: Wikipedia

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Shaken not Stirred



I love working with collages. It's fun to see how shapes and colors work together differently just by moving them around. Then add some graphics and you've got art. This one reminded me of a martini glass and I remembered James Bond's favorite line ... "Shaken not stirred". Here is a video you might enjoy.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Six Pen and Ink Bottles -- Friends Forever!





When I was just a little girl, I was fascinated by a lovely blue "pinch" bottle that my grandmother had collected.  By the time I was painting, she had given me that bottle.  I added a few glass bottles of my own and drew this still life.  I used a pen with ink and then laid in the values with an ink wash.