I love the scene from “Scent of a Woman” where U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino), dances the Tango with the beautiful Donna. Slade and his young companion Charlie, find themselves at a restaurant, observing a beautiful young woman (Gabrielle Anwar), waiting for her date. The blind Colonel takes her for a tango on the restaurant's dance floor.
This abstract print from my original painting seeks to capture the depth of passion in the Tango and the powerful feelings of the blind Frank Slade. I have used army colors and black for Pacino along with yellows, pinks and reds for his dancing partner. The paint is put down with bold strokes to express passion and the movement of the dance.
This fine art print is from my original acrylic abstract painting of a Chicago house at 6440 Ridge Avenue during the early twentieth century. Having recently viewed the PBS documentary series on Chicago, I am fascinated by the history. My Irish grandmother grew up in Chicago during this time. I like to think she could have seen this house.
The video gives an interesting and jazzy look at women of that era.
When merchants put out their Halloween stuff, have you ever noticed how quickly the panicy Christmas season arrives? If you mix Halloween with Christmas you get "Hallomass, which makes no sense at all.
I don't ever plan to slip-slide into that trick. As a pledge I have created a greeting card -- pumpkins covered with snow. And who should feel all sentimental about this? George Winston and I. Here's something to sooth our minds as we celebrate Thanksgiving. (You can purchase this magical card at http://moxyfoxdesigns.etsy.com/ )
I am convinced that from the beginning, there is a thread that weaves itself through our lives. We don't have any idea what it will be, but it gets there.
This is a digital collage I made yesterday. The first thing is to find images that are cool. Intertwining them is lot of fun. Giving the work a title is really the hardest part for me. I love putting jazz with the works I create. I should start with that instead of the other way around.
Here are two people deeply related by DNA and sharing the talent that runs in those mysterious strands.
Starting with the Impressionists, artists have gone beyond what is visible to the eye and have plowed deeply into the inner workings of their subjects. Especially with portraits, it is crucial to bring out the inner feelings. How does an artist show the passion of her subject? Here I have heightened the feelings of sexual hunger with burning cheeks and an aura that could never be seen with the naked eye. Passion is hot and uncontrollable.
Here is a wonderful trailer from "All the Pretty Horses" where lust and love have dire consequences.
The song "Someone Like You" expresses our deepest feelings for that one person to love. This artwork was originally done in acrylic paint on canvas. It is now in my etsy.com shop as a signed fine art print.
I took this photo in my kitchen after hearing the saucy, sassy lyrics of the song “Kitchen Man” recorded in 1929 by the legendary jazz and blues singer Bessie smith.
Here an excerpt from a recording for the Public Radio series "Riverwalk Jazz," featuring The Jim Cullum Jazz Band and guests—singer Catherine Russell and pianist Dick Hyman at Pearl Stable, San Antonio, TX, May 2010.
Halfway through the video Catherine Russell sings.
Madam Bucks Was quite de-luxe; Servants by the score, Footmen at each door, Butlers and maids galore!
But one day Dan, Her kitchen man, Gave in his notice, he's through! She cried, "Oh Dan, don't go, It'll grieve me if you do."
I love his cabbage, crave his hash, I gotta have me some of that succertash, I can't do without my kitchen man!
Wild about his turnip tops, Like the way the man warms my chops, I can't do without my kitchen man!
Anybody else could leave And I would only laugh, But he means that much to me, And you ain't heard the half!
Oh, his jelly roll is so nice and hot, Never fails to hit the spot, I can't do without my kitchen man!
His frankfurters are oh so sweet, How I like his sausage meat. I can't do without my kitchen man!
Oh, how that boy can open clams, Nobody else will ever touch my hams, I can't do without my kitchen man!
When I eat his doughnuts, All I leave is the hole! Any time he wants to, Why, he can use my sugar bowl!
Oh, his baloney's worth a try, Never fails to satisfy, I can't do without my kitchen man!
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 of an original painting of mine. It’s all jazzed up for summer!
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.
This abstract print was inspired by both the melody and the lyrics of this Beatles's song. I hope your heart will be renewed by the depth of their meaning as expressed in the simple lines of the artwork.
"Blackbird" is a Beatles song from double-disc album The Beatles (also known as The White Album). Blackbird was written by Paul McCartney, but credited as usual to Lennon/McCartney. McCartney was inspired to write it while in Scotland as a reaction to racial tensions escalating in America in the spring of 1968.
McCartney explained on PBS's Great Performances (Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation at Abbey Road), aired in 2006, that the guitar accompaniment for "Blackbird" was inspired by Bach's Bourrée in E minor, a well known classical guitar piece. As kids, he and George Harrison tried to learn Bourrée as a "show off" piece. Bourrée is distinguished by melody and bass notes played simultaneously on the upper and lower strings. McCartney adapted a segment of Bourrée as the opening of "Blackbird," and carried the musical idea throughout the song.
Since I usually paint on really large canvases, I thought I'd try a tiny one -- 5 x 7 inches. Here is an optical trick. If you paint big on a small canvas, it makes the size expand and vise versa. Paint tiny and the canvas will appear very small.
I found this vidio of changing portraits and thought you'd enjoy seeing them.
