art music and other shiny objects

Do You See The Patterns?

2012-01-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

"Microcosm"
Oil on Canvas 12x12
Tabetha Landt Hastings

This is wild stuff.
The stuff in this less than two minute video (below) is the stuff that blows my mind all the time. "Cities are like organisms, alleys are like capillaries."

This is what my painting "Microcosm" is all about. A couple of years ago I liked to take walks, and I started noticing all these great patterns in the natural world. One day I took a photo of a patch of tree bark, blew it up and painted what I saw. The more I painted, the more I saw a whole world in the bark. Cities, neighborhoods, rivers, streams and forests. It was all right there. Like I was looking at the land from above. Wild.

This super fast moving video talks about the similarities in the patterns that are found in nature, the human made world, space, networking systems... it's all very interesting. And just for the fun of it, do a google image search for computer chip or circuit board, and see if you can see arial maps and three dimensional cities.

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TO UNDERSTAND IS TO PERCEIVE PATTERNS from jason silva on Vimeo.

Light Art

2012-01-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have only the vaguest of notions of how they did this, but it's beautiful. Look closely and you can see the people behind the lights, ever so faintly. They're like ghosts. Or in another dimension that we can only glimpse.

Very cool.

Rippled from Oh Yeah Wow on Vimeo.

Laughter and the Human Experience

2012-01-08T02:47:00.000-07:00

When we hear the phrase "the human experience" or "it's just a part of being human" it's usually in reference to suffering, hate, jealousy, pain or some other terrible part of being human. But there is a whole other side - a much better side - that for some reason gets less attention. Beauty, joy, love and laughter are just as much a part of being human.

Of these, I think laughter is the most important. What good are the rest if you're not laughing? Just my opinion, but then I'm a big fan of laughing. Besides being a whole lot of fun, it reduces stress, breaks the ice, builds bonds and even protects the heart.

Oh, and yes, it's a part of the human experience.

The following video is completely in French, but something tells me that you'll be able to understand it even if you don't speak French.

Isn't it wonderful how contagious laughter is? I dare you NOT to laugh!

My mother and I went to a laughing yoga thing a few years back. It was very strange. We went to the pavilion in Cheeseman Park and just laughed with complete strangers. That's it. That's all we did. It was really quite odd at first, and we had to force the laughter. But after a very short time, we started really laughing. You can't fake laugh for very long without it turning to genuine laughter. It's a beautiful thing. However, even if - for some reason - your laughter doesn't naturally turn into actual giggles, chuckles or guffaws, you will still get the health benefits just the same.
What to do you have to lose?

The Power of Suggestion

2011-12-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

Last December I wrote a Facebook post about the power of suggestion and illness. I had noticed that the last time I got sick, I hadn't been around sick people, but I had read a lot of status updates about people being sick. It get's in your head, you know?
So I stopped posting about not feeling well (to benefit other susceptible people, and so that I wouldn't focus on it), and I started doing my best to skip over other people's status updates about being sick.

Now let me just say that historically I've been someone who gets whatever bug is going around. Head colds would settle not so nicely into my chest and stick around for weeks. I used to think it was because I worked with the public, but then I stopped working with the public and would still get sick. WTF? Not cool. Was it my workaholic tendencies? Maybe, but now that I was working on my own I could - and did - get more rest. Curious.

That's when I started noticing the Facebook posts. People would post left and right about coughing up a lung and how miserable they were. I would think oh I'd better be careful, there's really something going around right now. But you know what? There is always something going around.

I'm happy to report that I went over a year without getting sick. No, I didn't feel 100% all of the time, and I think I did get a cold sometime in the last year. But it didn't develop into a full-blown event. In addition to my NOT reading FB posts about illness, I started taking osha root and mullein leaf in tincture form whenever I was feeling run down. Was it the natural remedies keeping me healthy, or avoiding the negative posts? Probably some combination of the two. But whatever the case, I'll take it!

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm writing this because I did succumb to dreaded "crud" finally (after an unprecedented year plus of health!). Ah well, you can't win them all. Was I paying attention to status updates? Well... I did notice a few. They can be hard to ignore. Hopefully my natural remedies will knock this stuff out of my system quickly.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the power of suggestion and health. I mean... there is the placebo effect, right? If the suggestion (or pill) can make you well, than surely it can make you sick, right?

My Favorite Scrooge

2011-12-23T02:15:00.000-07:00

My favorite version of "A Christmas Carol" is from 1951 and stars Alastair Sim as old Ebenezer Scrooge. This is the version I'd scour the TV Guide for every year and stay up late to watch. Usually around midnight on Christmas Eve, if I'm remembering correctly. (Of course that could just be my memory playing tricks on me. Wouldn't midnight on Christmas Eve be the perfect time to watch this movie?

There are different versions of the story that I like for different reasons, but this one is my favorite because of the ending. No other ending has made me quite as happy as this one. Alastair Sim is delightful as the "post spirits" Scrooge. He laughs like a mad man, dances like a fool, and scares the hell out of his maid. He sings as his eyes are opened to a new day: "I don't know anything, I never did know anything. But now I know that I don't know..." You can't help but love the guy.

Here is the ending to the movie. It's 12 minutes, but it's worth it. It'll make you feel all warm and fuzzy.

Feliz Navidad!

2011-12-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Even after singing in a band, I still think that making music is magical. Especially when it's in a band. And no, it's not magic; it's hard work and lots of practice. But when it all comes together it feels like magic. It's co-creating at it's best.

My wish for you is that you have a magical and musical holiday season and new year.

Feliz Navidad!

The Spirit of the Season

2011-12-05T15:31:00.001-07:00

Every Sunday I wake up and check PostSecret.com for the latest batch of secrets that people have sent in. I don't know if it's the voyuer in me that likes to read other people's secrets, or just knowing that I'm not alone in my particular quirkiness. Once in a while the secrets make me feel really good about myself (kind of like watching the Jerry Springer show), and there are times like this when they just make me feel good about humanity.

Here are my two favorite secrets of this week (first one is a 2-parter):

My second fave is not the secret itself, but the responses to it:

Art From Dice and Rubix Cubes

2011-11-22T13:52:00.001-07:00

I just came across these amazing sculptures by British sculptor

Tony Cragg.

They're quite beautiful on their own, but when it hits you that they're actually made of dice... well it just boggles the mind

(no pun intended).

I can't begin to imagine how many dice went into these, or how it was done. It's certainly nothing that I'd have the patience for! What I love about them is that that objects that are hard and square can be put together to make something that appears soft and fluid.

One can't help wonder if there is a rhyme or reason to which numbers are showing.

And then we have Pete Facteau who turned three dimensional Rubix Cubes into a two dimensional pixel art mosaic of Dr. Martin Luther King. Pretty cool!

The Ultimate Codependent Song

2011-11-02T23:25:00.001-06:00

"Everything to Everyone" by Everclear came up in my iTunes shuffle today. I really liked Everclear back in the day. I still like them, actually - at least the one cd I have (So Much for the Afterglow). This was the first single off that album, and their most successful song.

It's a nice, bouncy happy sounding song, and I wonder if I ever really listened to the lyrics back in 1997. Listening to it today I realized that it is the ultimate song about codependency. I feel like they wrote this song about me! Well the former me, anyway (thankfully)!

Happy Birthday, Picasso!

2011-10-25T23:03:00.000-06:00

I just found out that today is Pablo Picasso's birthday. Picasso is one of my favorite artists...or perhaps I should say one of my favorite world-famous artists.

It wasn't always that way. Growing up I didn't really appreciate his work (despite the fact that we had a Picasso print in the bathroom - which is of course is a great place to contemplate a woman with a "crazy mixed-up" face). Although it seems to me that so much of pop culture was influenced by him when I was young. I remember my childhood cartoons being very Piccasso-esque, and even some playground equipment. But maybe that's just me.

In any case, I'm a fan now. It happened when I saw his work for the first time in person. I visited the Chicago Institute of Art several years ago, and was surprised that my favorite paintings in the whole museum were all Picassos. Particularly The Red Armchair and The Old Guitarist, which was simply stunning in person.

Above is my take on Picasso's "The Dream". I gained even more appreciation for the artist while attempting to copy one of his paintings. It was hard to do, a lot of fun, and quite an accomplishment, if I do say so myself.

Playing For Change: Higher Ground

2011-10-21T01:47:00.000-06:00

Every now and then I have to pass on one of these Playing For Change videos; they're just amazing.

If you're not familiar with the organization, I urge you to head on over to http://playingforchange.org and check them out, as well as their mission.

I won't attempt to detail what they're all about - you can read that on their site. But I will say that they are bringing the world together through music. Quite literally, as you'll see in this video. They get musicians from across the world to play different parts of a song. The songs are usually familiar. They are songs we know but done in a beautifully different way. And often - as is the case with this song - I hear the lyrics in a new way.

Of note in this particular video (for me) are the vocalists. The woman - Titi Tsira - absolutely gives me chills when she starts singing. And the male singer - Clarence Bekker - is a favorite of mine from the Playing For Change Stand By Me video. And I LOVE the dancers on the beach, particularly the women in pink. I wish they showed more of them.

45 New Things: Shaking It Up

2011-10-17T21:50:00.002-06:00


Lanterns at PF Changs

A few weeks ago I wrote about my 45 in 45 list: 45 new things to try in my 45th year. Well it seems like I'm busting out new things every week these days, and sometimes several times a week!

None of these things are earth shattering wild and crazy "new" things, but they are out of my normal routine. Most of them have to do with food and drink, but hopefully I'll be able to branch out into more adventuresome new things soon.

Still, I've had a really good time shaking things up a bit. Not just because I'm doing new things, but by doing them I get to see more of my friends. Yay friends!

Here are the new things I've done so far:
(At least the one's I've remembered to write down...)

Had dinner at Sweet Ginger in Cherry Creek
I took a Shamanic Journey
Drinks at the Front Porch
Karaoke at Benders
Lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Drinks and jazz at Jazz at Jacks
Dinner at Annie's on Colfax
Pretended to be married with kids to get away from a crystal salesman at the Taste of Colorado. That was definitely a new experience!
Went to Oktoberfest - fun!
Took a Fresh City Life class at DPL - made little terrariums.
Happy Hour with Duggio - divine!
Tried the sweet potato fries at Smash Burger instead of the regular Smash Fries - that was a mistake. But at least I tried, eh?
Wings at Madison Street - delish!
Went to a student produced play at CSU - it rocked!
Appetizers at Bar Louie - yummy McYum-yum!
Dinner at PF Changs - the lettuce wraps were every bit as good as I'd heard!
Had a drink at the Elephant Bar... some sort of raspberry lemon delish martini
Tea at Wystone's in Belmar
Karaoke at Ogden Street South (which is now my favorite karaoke bar...which are words I never thought I'd say...)
Sang my first hard rock song at a karaoke bar: Cult of Personality. That was a lot of fun, but I must say that my 45 year old neck did not like me banging my head like I did when I was 23 and the song first came out! But I do still LOVE this song! Here's the video - thankfully it's Living Colour's version, not mine... :)

For Those of Us Who Have a Hard Time Stopping

2011-10-11T15:31:00.000-06:00

Doing nothing is so underrated. I'm not talking about watching tv or simply being lazy. I mean just completely, deliberately doing nothing. Most of us have a hard time shutting our brains down, which is exactly why we need to do it from time to time. Clear it out and stop the chatter.

My artist friends, yoga peeps and Eastern thinkers know what I'm talking about. But.. that doesn't mean that we always do it. I KNOW that I'd be better off if I just wold take some quiet time every day. Meditation, sitting in the sun...whatever. But do I do it? Um... I take about as much time out to meditate as I do to work out - hardly any. Meditating is to the mind and the soul what working out is to the body. We need self care, people!!

On that note, I encourage you to go to http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/ This is another site I found through stumbleupon.com. The url says it all: do nothing for 2 minutes. It's nice. Do it. Do it now. But first... lock your door, put up a "Do Not Disturb" sign, or connect your headphones to your computer. Whatever it takes to steal just 2 minutes for yourself. You can spare TWO minutes, right? Two undisturbed minutes for a mini-vacation... You deserve at LEAST two minutes!

If I Was Your Woman: Alicia Keys Give a Shout Out to Gladys Knight

2011-10-07T02:31:00.001-06:00

For some reason I've been in an Alicia Keys space lately. Don't know why. (Okay, maybe I do know why, but I'm not sharing!)

Anyway, here she is doing an amazing job covering Gladys Knight... and that is saying a lot! Gladys is one of my all time favorites. Actually... I shouldn't say that she "covers" Gladys. No, Alicia truely makes this song her own. And those back-up singers are so powerful!

I just found this awesome version of Gladys Knight singing If I Were Your Woman. I think it said the video is from 2010. This woman is in her late 60's and her voice has not changed a bit from when the song was on the radio 40 years ago. She is phenomenal!
The only issue I have with this video is that there are no Pips. I do love those Pips!

45 in 45

2011-09-29T00:30:00.000-06:00

I turned 45 in last month. Shocking. I'm not sure where the last ten years went, and worse yet, people older than me says that time will only speed up!! Yikes, I'd better get busy.

This year I've decided to do 45 new things in my 45th year. Yes, that is a lot, I'm well aware. But I've always been kind of a "tried and true" girl. I go to the same restaurants and order the same dishes. I rarely venture out and do new things; I think its because I hate to be disappointed. Yeah yeah, I know that no one likes to be disappointed. But I seem to avoid it like the plague. So I figure it's about time to risk disappointment and shake things up.

I'm still working on my 45 in 45 list, and am open to suggestions. Please make them things that will NOT have a good chance causing death (I'm damn sure not going to jump out of an airplane!), are very affordable (unless you're buying...lol) and are in the Denver area, or a quick road-trip away (again, if someone wants to buy me a plane ticket...). These can be as easy as trying a new restaurant or a new dish. This is NOT a bucket list, or about conquering fears (although those may overlap). This is just about doing NEW things.

So far here is what I have on my list of possibilities (in no particular order):

1. High speed go carts
2. Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge
3. LaCross or soccer game (spectator)
4. Snowmobiling
5. Go to a wine tasting
6. Volunteer at a shelter
7. Teach Children's Hospital kids to paint
8. Go to a parade
9. Visit a museum that I haven't visited
10. Horse-drawn carriage
11. Ride on a Harley
12. Colorado winery tour
13. Hay ride
14. Needle felting class
15. Read a book of poetry
16. Visit a wildlife sanctuary
17. Singing bowl - or gong healing
~~18. DPL Fresh City Life class~~ Done!
19. Participate in a flash mob
20. WWF
21. Vegas
22. Cirque show
23. tattoo
24. Sing at Dazzle friday lunch
25. Go to a show at Lannie's Clocktower
26. Check out that hotdog place on Colfax
27. ~~Oktoberfest~~ Done!

28. Sleigh ride
29. Corn maze
30. Parade of Homes
31. Give blood
32. Coors brewery tour
33. Cave of the Winds
34. Butterfly Pavillion
35. Aquarium
36. Denver Mint tour
37. Visit a wildlife sanctuary
38. Chamberlin Observatory
39. ???

New things that I have done so far in my 45th year:

Dinner at Sweet Ginger
Took a Shamanic Journey
Drinks at the Front Porch
Karaoke at Benders
Lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries
Drinks at Jazz at Jacks
Dinner at Annie's
Pretended to be married with kids to get away from a crystal salesman
Went to Oktoberfest
Took a Fresh City Life class at DPL
Happy Hour with Duggio
Tried the sweet potato fries at Smash Burger instead of the regular Smash Fries - that was a mistake. But at least I tried, eh?

Making Music from Machines, Trees or Whatever is Handy

2011-09-28T17:53:00.000-06:00

This one falls under the "music" section of "art, music and other shiny objects"... or does it fall under the "art" section? While music itself is an art form, it's easier to recognize the art in some music rather than others. (Did I just say that??)

I found this NPR piece on Diego Stocco today through stumbleupon.com. (If you're not familiar with stumbleupon.com, I suggest you check it out. But fair warning: you may get sucked into a vortex of groovy, fascinating, funny or informative websites. It's pretty dangerous.)

In a nutshell, Diego Stocco makes music from things that you wouldn't normally think of as instruments; sand, trees... a dry cleaner. Oh - and he also cuts up traditional instruments and Frankenstiens them with others to make something entirely different. It's some cool stuff, I must say.

What really caught my interest was the dry cleaners music, because I like to listen the rhythms of machines; like my dishwasher, or even the tapping of fingers on a computer keyboard. (I do miss old fashioned typewriters: tap tap tap-tap-tap ding zip!)

Check out Music From a Dry Cleaner:
And... Music From a Bonsai:
You can check out the full NPR article here, including an interview with Stocco.

Where does the city meet Mother Nature? In art, of course!

2011-09-26T22:28:00.003-06:00


"Chicago" Tabetha Landt Hastings 30"x40"

Sometimes I feel torn between my love for cities, and my love nature. Between the grandeur of tall buildings mixed with the urban vibe, and the serene beauty of the forest. My art tends to be either/or... I've got my nature paintings (which mainly tend to be trees) and my city buildings.

Well, a few days ago I decided to let those worlds collide. Partially because I got a new canvas in a size that I've never painted on before. It's long and narrow (I'm guessing it must be 48"x12"), and I'm finding that changing up the canvas size can really shake you out of a routine.


"Forest for the Trees" Tabetha Landt Hastings

My new painting is still in it's first stages, and therefore a bit camera shy. It's been trying to decide whether it was the city taking over nature, or nature reclaiming her ground. The struggle is in me of course, because I want them to coexist.

As luck would have it, I came across an artist today who combines city and nature so beautifully, that I just had to share. Also, I'm wild about her technique - she doesn't use paintbrushes, but instead she squeezes the paint out of bottles, and tips the canvas to get the paint where she wants it. Her name is Amy Shackleton, and you can check out her work here.

Below is a time lapse video of Amy in action. It's pretty amazing to watch! I finally noticed that there were words on the screen in my third time watching it!

The Prosperity Game: Day 3

2011-09-01T03:48:00.000-06:00

I've been quite busy this week with First Friday prep, and have slacked off in the Prosperity Game. That is no good. I must say that I'm only consistent in my inconsistency. But I get there eventually.

For day three I've decided to get some bills paid off, after which I had $560 to spend. So I bought my mom a Kindle and some accessories ($193.98) a gift card so she can download books ($75) and a snappy pair of boots for me ($284.94.)

That left me with $6.08 to spend on lunch.

Tomorrow I'll work on spending $4,000. Man it's nice to dream, but this is getting to be work!

The Prosperity Game: Day Two

2011-08-28T03:18:00.000-06:00

Today I have two thousand dollars to spend in the Prosperity Game. I think I'd like to hire someone to paint my art studio. And while they're at it they can paint the common areas in the building too. I have no idea how much this would cost without a professional estimate, but I'm going to say that someone could do it for $1000...better make that $1500.

The $500 left over will go towards my car: brakes, oil change, tune up... just enough to get me through the next few weeks until I'm further into the game and can buy a new car.

So, no "stuff" for me today, just stuff that needs to be done. And actually... getting stuff done feels just as good (if not better) as getting stuff! But then I am a very practical person. (Maybe I need to learn to be more frivolous?)

The Prosperity Game: Day One

2011-08-27T03:19:00.003-06:00

I'm crazy about this clock! Click on pic to link to Etsy store.

The purpose of this game is to feel prosperous, and to get specific in the things we want. How are we ever going to attract what we want if we don't even know what it is?
I have to admit that I am a lazy imaginer. I really don't like to shop and I'd rather not think about this stuff so I make really big generalizations. Such as "Oh I just want to be happy" and "I want a car that runs". But I don't take the time to specify what makes me happy. And I always have cars that run, but they don't always run well.

Then there's: the "What if I win the lottery?" question. Well... I'll pay off my bills, buy a house and a car and travel Europe for awhile. Yep, that's pretty close to what most people say. I want to narrow it down and see exactly what is out there and what I want.

"My" new earrings! Click to link.

To play this game (please play it with me!), we pretend that we have a certain amount of money to spend each day. And we must spend that amount each day. Day one we get $1000, day two $2000, day three $3000 and so on. I've played this game in the past and never get very far because believe it or not, it gets hard trying to spend all that money. Once you hit day 30 you get $30,000! Okay fine, spend it on a big ticket item, but remember: the next day you get $31,000 that you have to spend!

I'm not sure how long I can keep this up, or keep up being so very specific, but I'm going to go as far as I can with it. So today I purchased an iPad (64GB) with a cover, a keyboard and the protection plan. Grand total: $954.40 with tax. That left me with $45.60 to spend so I headed over to Etsy and got a groovy clock that looks like the moon ($20) from CyberMoon, and a pretty pair of earrings ($22) from ModernTrinkets.

And "my" beautiful new iPad. Ahhhh....

Now I have $3.60 left, and I'm quite sure I can spend that at Starbucks. :)

Tomorrow I have $2,000 to spend...

New Painting: Embracing The Solitude

2011-07-22T17:34:00.000-06:00

"Embracing The Solitude"
11x14
Tabetha Landt Hastings
acrylic on canvase

"There are days when solitude is a heady wine that intoxicates you with freedom, others when it is a bitter tonic, and still others when it is a poison that makes you beat your head against the wall. " ~Colette

Usually solitude is more along the lines of an intoxicating freedom to me. I don't get enough of it. I think few people do in this society. Even in those rare times when we're alone, we have our computers, cell phones or tv's to keep us company. I was waiting for the elevator in a high-rise the other day, and they actually had a television in the hallway! It's no wonder we have the attention spans of gnats.

We are seldom alone with our thoughts, and I think that most people like it that way. We're afraid the solitude will be that poison that will make us beat our head against the wall. Or we might be forced to know ourselves (yikes!). Afraid of what we'll find in the dark, we run away by keeping our brains constantly occupied.

I'm guilty of it myself. If you know me you know that I'm pretty darn plugged into my mac and my iphone. But I do take time to embrace the solitude. Normally I do it by painting, but lately I've been dabbling meditation, and I've always been a fan of just sitting in the sun, or the shade, or the moonlight and simply being.

Do you embrace the solitude? If so... how?

Let The Paint Fly

2011-07-16T13:30:00.001-06:00

I'm coming to understand more and more that the act of creating of art is more important than the art itself. Okay, that's not an easy statement for anyone trying to actually sell their art to hear. Or what if da Vinci had been about the process and not the product? Would we have the Mona Lisa? (Well maybe he was about the process. I didn't know the man personally... not that I remember, anyway.) But I think that when you are process focused, "in the paint" as I call it - not caring about whether the work is a masterpiece or a piece of crap - that's when you have the freedom to just let it fly. The blocks are removed, the inner critic has been booted out, and you may actually create something beautiful. Or meaningful, or fun. Or it may look like your dog painted it, but at least you'll have had a good time!

Artist Laurie Maves posted on her blog today that she's done 100 paintings so far this year. One hundred paintings!! That's like completing a painting every other day. I can't even fathom it! But I love it.
Personally, I tend to separate the work I create to sell from the work I create to teach, or create while teaching. Why? I don't know. It's all painting. A sand sculptor would surely count each sculpture she or he made even though it crumbles back into the earth. If I count the paintings I've done for Painting Soiree as well as to sell... I'd say I've painted somewhere in the neighborhood of 60-70 paintings this year...wow!! That's a lot of painting.

This video (stolen from Laurie Maves blog) is brilliant and says it all. ♥

So, make art. Bad art, good art, silly art, art that you don't even think you can call art. Just do it. It feeds your soul, and the process of creating lets you tap into a different part of your brain and can change the way you do other things in your life. I have a friend who says that painting changed his songwriting.
Art influences art, and art influences life, which in turn influences art. Just make some art already.

Fun with bookshelves, Rodrigo y Gabriela

2011-03-03T01:04:00.000-07:00

Mister Rogers Goes To Washington

2011-02-26T10:05:00.003-07:00

Mister Rogers was an important part of my early childhood. I made fun of him when I got older, but he really did give an "expression of care" for kids and made us feel special.

This is a great video. I love that he says "If we...can only make it clear that feelings are mentional and manageable we will have done a great service for mental health." It seems that he was all about working out emotions instead of medicating kids.

iPhone Spinning Pictures

2011-01-31T01:41:00.000-07:00

For some reason I love motion blurs. Of course you can get a motion blur with a Photoshop filter, but I prefer to get mine the old fashioned way: by spinning the camera. It's much more fun that way!

Painting: Oil vs Acrylic or How I Learned to Love Acrylics

2011-01-23T00:20:00.002-07:00

"Sunday Afternoon"
18x24 oil on canvas
$395
Tabetha Landt Hastings

When I started painting 15-ish years ago, I started with oils. Well... that's not entirely true. I did one painting with acrylics and didn't like how quickly they dried, so I moved on to oils. I realize now that that was a good move for someone who can't draw well. Oil painting is closer to sculpting - to me - than drawing. Something about forming the shapes with the paint as opposed to coloring in what I've drawn. I don't draw on the canvas. I've seen artists who do, and it seems pretty cut and dry: sketch something out onto canvas, put the colors you want where you want. The problem is that I don't draw. Not well anyway. People find that hard to believe, since I paint pretty decent portraits, but it's the truth. Oil painting is more about building up the layers and forming the shapes with the paint until it looks the way I want. (I have a feeling I'd make a pretty good sculptor and in fact can't wait to get my hands in some clay). The trouble is, oil takes forever to dry, so oil paintings can take a long time to complete. Especially if you like to lay the paint on thick like I do. My oil paintings can take anywhere from several weeks to finish, to several years. Several years because sometimes in waiting for the paint to dry I lose momentum and move on to something else.

"The Element of Surprise"
12x12 acrylic on Masonite
$40
Tabetha Landt Hastings

I picked up acrylics as a way to make money. For years people have been suggesting I teach, but I just couldn't figure out how to teach oil painting. Adding to the problem was the fact that I've never taken a painting class - how on earth does one teach an art?! So I decided to explore acrylics thinking they would be easier to teach.
It was strange adjusting to the acrylic paint. Fast dry time wasn't the only issue; the colors weren't always the same as they were in the oils, and it just felt different applying them to the canvas. But once I got past those issues, I was hooked. I could now whip out an entire painting in a matter of hours. Hours! Not weeks, months or years. Don't get me wrong - most of my acrylic paintings are not done in just a few hours. But the possibility exists, and that is exciting! And somehow it's changed the way I paint - at least while I'm painting with the acrylics. It's become more about applying color and less about forming shapes and 'sculpting' with the paint.
Somehow I feel more brave when I paint with acrylics. I feel less hesitant, and I experiment more. I feel less "precious" about my work. Which is not to say I don't value it; it's just to say that I let go of it easier knowing that there is so much more to come. And oh yeah - the clean up is SO much easier!!

I'd be curious to know other artists' experience. Which to you prefer, and why?

T-shirts!

2011-01-16T16:29:00.001-07:00

I'm very excited to say that I'm finally getting my artwork out there on some new products! This is something that's been on my to do list for a very long time.
The shirts are available in a wide variety of styles, colors and sizes. To see what's available, click on a shirt below, then on 'buy'. A new screen will open up. Click on 'design' to customize the shirt. Cool, huh?
If there are any of my images you would like to see on a t-shirt, bag or other product, let me know and I'll add it.

There are just a few tees to start, but I'm working on more, so check back soon!

Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

Painting is Food for the Soul

2011-01-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

I had the best time last night - another wonderful Painting Soiree! Ten awesome ladies completed ten amazing paintings, and everyone had a blast.

I love it when people walk in saying they can't paint, or that they are not creative, and then walk out 2 hours later completely amazed at what they were able to do. Last night one such woman called me an amazing teacher. Truth be told, I'm not. I'm not being modest or putting myself down... I'm not really teaching. I'm leading, I'm encouraging, I'm suggesting, I'm guiding. I say "Take this brush and put this color on the canvas and see what happens." And they take off. It is such a cool thing to see!

Somehow I think it is important work that we're doing. We're not saving lives or building monuments, but we are feeding souls. You can say that it's just applying paint to a canvas but it's so much deeper than that. At best it's connecting us to a higher part of ourselves. At worst its a damn good time. But for the most part it's helping people to see possibilities that they didn't know existed. While having a damn good time.

Most of these ladies had very little or no painting experience!
You GO girls!

So long 2010, it's been good to know ya.

2010-12-31T17:19:00.002-07:00

This is the first new year's eve in recent memory - perhaps in my adult life - that I haven't said something like "I can't say I'm sorry to see this year go." Amazing. I guess that means it's been a good year. And indeed it has.

Freedom of Choice (detail)
Acrylic on Masonite 12x12
Tabetha Landt Hastings
$45

By the same token this is the first year in recent memory (perhaps since my sister died 15 years ago) that I actually enjoyed the holidays. Normally I hide away and do my best to ignore them, or grudgingly partake in the celebrations trying to - and often succeeding in - alleviating my misery for a few hours, only to sink back into some kind of miserable holiday funk and depression.

So what is so different about this year?
Did I drop 50 pounds, fall in love or win the lotto? No, no and definitely no! In fact I'm making less money than I have in many many years, and living with my mother. (Two things that would cause a lot of red-blooded American women to go completely batty!) What's different is that I finally found the nerve to do what I what I love. I'm painting, helping other people to discover and explore their creative sides, and helping other artists to show their work. It's all very satisfying. And I'm actually looking forward to 2011 without being sick and tired of 2010. What a great feeling!

So for the new year I encourage you to take steps - even baby steps - to follow your dreams. To live an authentic life. Indeed, I dare you to live your life like it's golden..

Stand By Me

2010-11-24T01:49:00.000-07:00

One of the artists who will be exhibiting at my studio next month sent this video out to the folks on his email list today. He said it was a wonderful way to say Happy Thanksgiving, and I couldn't agree more.
Before he starts singing Roger Ridley says "No matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life, at some point you're going to need somebody to stand by you." So very true.
I have been incredibly blessed with amazing people who have stood by me through the years. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have much to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving.

I encourage you to watch this video, and if it moves you, pass it along. I've seen it many times and I never get tired of it. I still find it inspiring.

We're all in this together folks, and we can't do it alone.

Cool like Chrissie Hynde

2010-11-18T02:23:00.001-07:00

This evening as I donned my jean jacket and black gloves for the first time this season, I couldn't help but think of the person who introduced me to that ultra hip slouchy-but-chic look way back in 1983; Chrissie Hynde.
I discovered Chrissie and the Pretenders when I was in high school (and was glued to FMTV - or Tele-Tunes - on channel 12 here in Denver). I not only loved her look and her sound...I wanted to be her. She was the ultimate cool. After seeing the Back in the Chain Gang video, I immediately ran out and bought some black gloves and a jean jacket.
So now 27 years later (yikes!!) and I'm still rockin the look. To a degree, anyway. The jacket has been updated and the gloves are knit instead of leather, but I still feel cool like Chrissie.

I'd like to teach the world to paint in perfect harmony...

2010-11-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

Blog blog blog blog. I am a bad blogger.

I'm happy if I can even post once a week. It's not that I don't have much to say; anyone who knows me KNOWS I have a lot to say! I've just been busy. Which is the story of my life, really. I've decided that I must like it that way.

The beautiful thing is that my busy-ness is all for myself. I often work 15 hour days, but it's for me. I work late, I sleep late, I paint. Of course at the moment I spend far more time in front of my computer on the admin and marketing side of my business than I do in front of the canvas. But it won't always be that way.

My Painting Soirees are really going well. I started them as an income stream, but I'm finding that they really bring me great satisfaction. I thought that getting people together to paint would be a fun thing to do, but it goes deeper than that. Many of the people walk in having never painted on a canvas before, and they leave with a completed a painting....and they are SO happy! Which of course makes me happy. One first-time painter said "I never thought I could do that!" Now that is satisfying!

So my new mission in life is to get people to paint. At least once. And hopefully they'll get hooked on it. (Hey, there are worse things to be hooked on!) I have a student who had never painted before. He came to two Soirees, and then went out and bought his own supplies. Yeah, he's hooked.

Yes I want to get people painting - especially the ones who have never tried, or are afraid, or who have painted but abandoned it. I want people to come to my Soirees who say that they can't draw a stick figure. I want the people who really need a break. The people who really need to go play in the paint. The people who need to feed their souls! Painting is good for the soul. We all need a respite in this overly plugged-in society. So I encourage you to paint. Or draw, make music, create. Collage, knit, get your hands in some clay. Unplug for awhile. It may sound cliché, but you really do need to take some "you" time. (Yes...you!) And don't worry about what it looks like. That is not the point - especially in the beginning. The point is simply to do it. Try it, see how it feels. Blend some colors, get lost in the paint. Or the fabric or the clay...

If you'd like to paint with us, check out my Painting Soiree page.

Painting Soiree: Success!

2010-10-18T18:09:00.056-06:00

I've had 3 Painting Soirees in my studio so far, and I must say they've been a lot of fun!

"Fractured Sunset" The first Soiree!

What is Painting Soiree, you ask? It's my new project: painting workshop parties. It's guided painting in a fun environment. People come to my art studio, bring beverages of their choosing, and go home with a finished canvas that they painted!

"Penguin Soiree!"

I provide the studio space and all of the art supplies. We have a few drinks, turn up some tunes and paint! We start with an "inspiration" piece that I've painted, and go step by step recreating it. The beautiful thing is that you don't have to have any experience painting.

Everyone can paint. Some people are intimidated or afraid, and I get that. Maybe they were criticized in school, or perhaps they're just afraid of expressing themselves. Afraid of failure, afraid of success... I get it. But I'm here to tell you that you can paint. You can paint. You may not be able to paint like Claude Monet, but you have your own voice and your own unique style. Everyone should paint! There is something very satisfying about dipping a brush in paint, and putting to the canvas, especially at the end of a work day.

Painters at play on "Vincent's Sky"

I learned quickly that it takes very little convincing to get people to paint once they're in front of a canvas. People want to paint. It's impossible to just sit there when you've got a blank canvas and colorful palette of paint at your fingertips. It's just pure potential! One of the first things I tell everyone is to take as much artistic license as they want to make their painting their own. I hadn't realized exactly how different each person's painting would look! It's really wonderful to see my original paintings go through the filter (the mind, hand, personality, experiences and whatever else makes an individual unique) of each person, and transformed into something entirely new.

"Vincent's Sky" Soiree!

I'm really excited for future Soirees! I'm holding them once a week, on different evenings. If you're in the Denver area and would like to join in, you can sign up at my website, or if you're on Facebook, please join my page and sign up there for a 25% discount.

And definitely drop me a line if you have any questions, or feel free to comment below!

Adventures in plein air painting

2010-08-30T00:14:00.000-06:00

My friend Xan Thomas and I went to Garfield Park in Denver to paint en plein air. It was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Washington Park (which is one of my favorite places when it's not teaming with legions of health nuts).

Painting outdoors can be wonderful, but it does have it's challenges; the elements, the bugs, the ever-changing light, and... the people. It's hard to catch that artistic groove when your thought process is being interrupted every few minutes by well meaning passers-by. It's only natural for people to want to see what someone is creating. And if you paint outdoors, every once in awhile you're bound to encounter an armchair art critic who wants put in his two cents. Everybody's a critic!

Happily we did not run into the usual barrage of people at this beautiful park. But there did seem to be a lot of boys on wheels - several groups on bikes, skate boards and rollerblades - going around the park. I'd say they were between 8 and 12 years old. They'd just go around and around, and each time they passed us, they'd slow down to check out our paintings. Sometimes they'd yell "That's beautiful!" as they rode by. Towards the end of the day one of them gathered up enough nerve to hop off his wheels and come take a closer look. He was all wide eyed and enthusiastic and asked "Is that hard to do?"
"No!" I said. "It's fun!"

I hope we inspired him (and perhaps some others) to paint. The look in his eyes reminded me of what my friend Ravay Snow says about artists: "We do magic".

It feels pretty cool to be a magician!

I failed to take pictures of what we were working on, but I did snap some shots of the park and the sky. These were taken on my iphone...

Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

2010-08-13T13:00:00.001-06:00

Alfred Hitchcock directed many films that have come to be classics: The Man Who Knew Too Much, Notorious, Dial M for Murder, To Catch a Thief, Vertigo, The Birds, North by Northwest, and of course Psycho (which, to my delight and my mother's horror, was shown at an assembly at my junior high school). But my all time favorite Hitchcock movie is Rear Window with Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. Actually this is one of my favorite movies across the board.

In honor of Alfred Hitchcock's birthday, I've found two trailers for Rear Window. The first is the original trailer, it's kind of hokey but fun. The second one was redone to suite our modern tastes. I like it - it's dramatic and it really makes me want to see the movie again!

Subway as art

2010-07-29T00:40:00.001-06:00

I love, love this video! It was done by Improve Everywhere http://improveverywhere.com/, and is not as fun as some of their others, like Star Wars Subway Car, or Who You Gonna Call? (which reenacts the opening scene of Ghostbusters in the New York Public Library), but it really is quite enjoyable. It pokes a bit of fun at the art world, but at the same time it makes people look differently at ordinary objects. The descriptions of the "art" (which include trash cans and cables) are priceless - it's worth pausing the video to read them.
My favorite part? When someone puts a red "sold" dot on "The Arriving and Departing Of the Train (Ongoing since 1932)".

New giclee prints!!

2010-07-21T14:44:00.005-06:00

I'm very excited to have new prints available for purchase!! Here are two of the new designs which can be ordered on archival paper or canvas, and each is available in three sizes!

Order prints

Johnny Cash

Crosstown Traffic

Sugarhill Gang: Rapper's Delight

2010-07-10T17:09:00.001-06:00

Feeling kind of nostalgic lately. Let's set the way-back machine for 1979...

Unicorn Boy...

2010-07-10T13:15:00.001-06:00

Um...yeah...

...and for more delights,
do check out http://poorlydressed.com/

New portraits in progress: Marilyn Monroe and self-portrait

2010-06-29T00:19:00.001-06:00

I'm working on two new paintings right now - oil dries so slowly it's good to have more than one going at any given time (and that fits right in with my ADD...) Both of these are nearly finished:

Marilyn: she's the first in my Hollywood series.

I'm still looking for a title for this self-portrait...ideas?

I need minions...

2010-06-17T12:14:00.000-06:00

I have been woefully absent from my blog as late. BAD blogger! (Although somehow I don't think anyone missed me.)
Like the average bear I'm having a time juggling my life - which probably seems a bit ridiculous to most people. I have no kids, no husband, no full time job...lol! But I've my art, my art business and my music. And the economy what it is, I have to work here and there when I can. So I take shifts at my old job, I house-sit and pet-sit and always have my eye out for another way to bring in some cash (ah the life of an artist). All of this keeps me pretty busy, but in addition to it all I'm doing The Artist's Way program - and I started a study group (mainly to keep me on task). Oh, I'm also learning the piano, reading the Miles Davis autobiography, trying to keep up with my Mad Men and True Blood addiction, and have a social life. And oh yeah - blog. And tweet. And Facebook. Oh and I really should update our Reverbnation page too. And my website. And order new business cards...Calgon take me away!
So here's what it boils down to: I need help, but cannot afford to hire anyone. I have a friend who has minions. People who do his bidding. I have no idea how he acquired them, but they take care of things for him. That's what I need - minions! Or interns. Really I'm looking for a combination; minionterns!!

So I'm putting out my official request to the universe: I would like several minionterns, please. In the following categories:

A website designer miniontern.
A handyman miniontern.
A social networking miniontern.
A schlepping my paintings around the city miniontern.
A data entry miniontern.
An art sales miniontern.
A grant writing miniontern.
A massage miniontern.
A personal trainer miniontern.
A graphic design miniontern.

If you would like to apply for a coveted miniontern position, please email me with your name, age, qualifications, and tell me why you'd like to be my miniontern.

So What - Miles Davis & John Coltrane

2010-05-27T15:32:00.001-06:00

And now for some substance after the fluffy sweetness of the last video I posted. I'm a day late (go figure), but in honor of Miles Davis's birthday, here is Miles and Coltrane with So What. Turn your speakers up and enjoy!

(And by the way, Coltrane is my next jazz portrait. Stay tuned for that!)

mmmm....cheese.....

2010-05-19T01:33:00.001-06:00

Okay, here's the deal: I don't care if it's saccharine coated bubblegum with a side of Velveeta. It's bouncy, makes my head bop, and it just plain makes me happy!

Ry Cooder Dark End of the Street

2010-05-12T01:31:00.000-06:00

I am wild about this song! And particularly this version of this song. I found other versions on youtube, but nothing comes close to this one. It's just beautiful. I'd love to know who the singers are.

Look out Lady GaGa! Sixth-grader sings Paparazzi

2010-05-11T15:04:00.000-06:00

Thank you Lena Horne

2010-05-10T14:22:00.002-06:00

When I think of Lena Horne I can't help but think of the the racism that she encountered being an African American performer in the first half of the 20th century. What she endured, I can only imagine. Somehow she even found the nerve to refuse to be cast in stereotypical acting roles such as maids. She was a pioneer.
But when I think of Lena Horne I also think of her in the second half of the last century. I think of the guest spots she did on the shows of my childhood; Sanford and Son, The Cosby Show and Sesame Street are the ones that spring to mind. Fred Sanford and Heathcliff Huxtable both loved Lena!
I found this video of her on Sesame Street today, and had to share it. It's thought provoking version of It's Not Easy Being Green with Kermit:

She had such grace, strength and sophistication. Check out this video: could she sell a song or what? Very inspirational.

First Friday open studio -Live painting: what a blast!

2010-05-09T23:02:00.008-06:00

The first Friday of May was a couple days ago, which means that my studio was open for the Art Walk on Santa Fe Drive in Denver.
This month one of my studio-mates Wynne Reynolds and I decided try live painting in the studio. So we set up our easels and painted with our backs to the crowd. Neither one of us had done this before and were a bit nervous about the whole thing. And let's face it; it can be a bit unnerving when you have people looking over your shoulder as you're trying to work. I have trouble focusing on the task at hand when there aren't 50 people standing behind me! But I think we did alright. Somehow between chatting up people and answering questions I managed to get the most of the first layer of a new portrait down.
The portrait I chose to do is of former Heavy Weight Champ Evander Holyfield. Am I a boxing fan...? No not really. I watched some of Evander's fights back in the day, but that was probably just because I was married to someone who was watching. I chose to paint Holyfield because...well...I just like the way he looks! I thought him a wonderful subject and everyone seemed to agree. Plus since I was painting in front of hundreds of people (throughout the night), I really didn't want to have to tackle details such as fine facial features. I was able to get the curves of that marvelous torso down on canvas rather quickly.

Thanks to all the wonderful people who came out to support art and artists. I had a great time chatting with folks about art, jazz, Miles Davis, trees with no leaves, travel and a myriad of other subjects. I'm only sorry that I don't have pictures of the evening. I could use a volunteer photographer for future openings (hint hint). Yesterday I took pictures of the studio, sans people and hub-hub. The quiet aftermath.

Above: View as you enter the studio, with our works in progress on our easels.

Right: My nearly finished "Night Sky" along with the photo on my mac that inspired it. People seemed to enjoy seeing the original inspiration photo and where I took it as a painting.

Above: My portraits of Billie Holiday, John Lee Hooker, Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin and Two Friends at a Jam. To the right of Janis is the very nearly finished Paradise.

Below: The warm palette paintings on the left are Wynne Reynolds The paintings on the right are the first two of my album cover series: Miles and Stop Making Sense.

Above: Sunday Afternoon, Red Rocks and the Microcosm series. Below: Trees!!

Creative process in action!

2010-05-05T08:46:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been curious about an artist's creative process? After years of painting it still fascinates me how each painter has a different way of approaching the canvas.

This Friday you'll have the opportunity to see two artists at work. My studio-mate Wynne Reynolds and I are hosting an open studio from 6-9pm. We will be working on our paintings and ready to answer any questions you may have.

Paintings will be available to purchase; so bring your checkbook and come see what we're working on!!

Studio One
802 Santa Fe Dr
Denver, CO 80204
6pm-9pm

This is my latest painting - it's still in progress but I'll be showing it on Friday...

See you there!

I should introduce you to my friend the artist...

2010-05-03T17:03:00.000-06:00

Often when people find out I'm an artist they say "I should introduce you to so-and-so; she's an artist too!" Why is it that people want to introduce their artist friends to more artists? Can you imagine meeting an accountant and saying "Oh I should introduce you to Fred; he's an accountant too"?
Recently someone was looking at my work and said "I should introduce you to my friend..." I smiled and asked "Why; is she an art collector?" Predictably he said "No, she's an artist."

I know he meant well.

While it is very important for artists to have friends that are also artists, it is most helpful for us to know some art collectors too. I'm always happy to make a new friend who creates art, but I don't need one. I've got plenty, thank you. What I need is to be introduced to some art collectors, art lovers, art buyers. Anyone can be an art buyer. You don't need to know anything about art to buy it, you just have to know what you like to look at. (You know the old adage I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like? Yeah, it's like that.) Nor do you need to spend a small fortune on a painting. By the time you buy, mat and frame a print - and often one that 8 gazillion people all over the world have in their dining rooms - you could have purchased an original painting for your home or office. There is plenty of art out there that most people can afford (in the $50 to $500 range). My advice; if you see a piece of art that you love and can afford - buy it. It's as simple as that. If it moves you in some way - buy it. Take it home, put it in a special place and take pride in the fact that you are the only person in the world to own that particular piece of original art. Your purchase may make a big difference to the artist, and the artwork will make a big difference to your home.

Baby I Love Your Way

2010-04-30T21:50:00.001-06:00

I heard this song on the radio today; it had been years since the last time I'd heard it. I was just a kid when the Peter Frampton version was out. I always loved it, but somehow didn't really hear the lyrics until Big Mountain came out with their version nearly 20 years later (the difference between being 9 years old and 29, I suppose). They did a beautiful job covering the song. It's got sort of a floaty feel, and the reggae beat makes dream of a summer romance.

The video is kind of cheesy, but it's the best one I could find....

Schlepping artwork is just part of the job

2010-04-28T11:01:00.002-06:00

thefreedictionary.com defines schlep as:
v.tr.
To carry clumsily or with difficulty; lug: schlepped a shopping bag around town.
v.intr.
To move slowly or laboriously: schlepped around with the twins in a stroller.

Yeah that about describes the joy I feel at lugging my artwork around town. Don't get me wrong; I'm thrilled to be showing my work anywhere. It's just a laborious process. The word schlep may imply carelessly tossing and dragging things along. But really it's just the opposite - I take great care in the transport of my paintings. The are my babies - my creations, and I love them dearly. The 'schlep' comes from all the trips back and forth, up and down stairs, carrying them so they don't scratch up against each other or bump into anything. It's my least favorite part of being an artist. Well... that and the the pay!
And once I schlelp it to wherever I'm showing it and hang the show (which can be an art in itself)...well let's just say I'd much rather sell it than schlep it back home! I suppose I should be happy I'm not a potter or a glass blower...
Anyway, I take down another show this week. Anyone care to save me some schlepping?
My show will be up through Friday April 30th at Swallow Hill Music: 71 E Yale Ave in Denver www.swallowhillmusic.org

Very cool animated wall art

2010-04-25T13:15:00.002-06:00

I can't even imagine how long it took to do this. It's amazing!!

He Called Me Baby All Night Long (Kandi)

2010-04-22T00:42:00.003-06:00

I'm crazy about this song right now! It's Kandi from One Eskimo...

Painting ocean life and bioluminescence...wow!

2010-04-19T13:04:00.002-06:00

I doubt I'll ever go diving because I've got this thing about breathing (I don't like the idea of getting my air from a tank for some crazy reason), but love to learn about the creatures that live in the ocean. Some are beautiful, some are frightening, but they are all amazing.

The ocean is a whole other world right here on earth.

A few years ago I was inspired by a documentary to start a painting of the view from below the surface looking up at the light from above. It's a deep blue canvas except for a circle of light and a couple of schools of fish swirling around the light. (I'll post a pic if I can find one.) I was never quite satisfied with the painting... it seemed to be missing something, but I could never figure it out. It has been sitting in the back room of my studio unfinished. A few days ago I decided to work on it again, and I checked out a book of from the library called "Underwater Eden 365 Days". It's got (as you might figure) 365 pictures of ocean life. I am - as always - completely blown away by the beauty of it all. There are some photos in the book of fish scales that actually look like flower petals. We are all so connected on this planet.

This all leads me to today's TED talk. Just in the right timing, the universe delivered me this talk on deep sea exploration and bioluminescence. You can check out the TED talk on the amazing world of bioluminescent underwater creatures below. I'm not sure how this will effect my painting, but stay tuned and find out!

Jill Scott & George Benson: Summertime

2010-04-16T00:53:00.002-06:00

I absolutely LOVE this version of the jazz standard Summertime. This song has been recorded by everyone from Billie Holiday to Willie Nelson, but I've never heard it done quite like this. Jill Scott and George Benson really swing it, and my girl Jill even scats!

The LowDown on my band

2010-04-09T01:30:00.000-06:00

As you may know, I've been working on a music project with my friends Ravay Snow and Marc Gibson for the past few months. Marc and I met in a House of Rock class at Swallow Hill last Fall, and Ravay and I met in a voice class at Swallow Hill in 2002, and played together in another band about 5 years ago.
Our new band is called LowDown, and we're all very excited about it! We're working on some cover songs (two of which you can hear by clicking on our picture above this post), and will eventually write our own material. Our goal with the covers is to add new dimensions to each song while honoring the original intent.
Please check out our page at ReverbNation and become a fan if you're so inclined. We'll be uploading new songs soon, so stay tuned!

Almost done...

2010-03-17T14:27:00.001-06:00

Here's the latest version of "Stop Making Sense". Very nearly finished. Please forgive the grainy pic.

Stop Making Sense!

2010-03-13T18:54:00.001-07:00

I love the Talking Heads.

When I saw their concert film "Stop Making Sense" the year I graduated high school, I felt like my eyes had been opened. We would go to the midnight movie at the Esquire in Denver and dance our asses off in the aisles.
Recently I started a painting based on the cover for the album of the same name. I tend to get a bit obsessed when painting musicians; I listen to their music constantly. At the moment I'm on YouTube revisiting videos from the film, trying to decide which one to post. They're all so good! But I'm going with Girlfriend Is Better (aka Stop Making Sense) because he's wearing the big suit. (Why the big suit?) Scroll down to view painting in progress...

Enjoy!

Here is the painting I'm working on, and the original album cover below...

Miles Davis

2010-03-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 30x30 $550

Fine art print available HERE

Microcosm

2010-03-11T14:27:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 10x10 $275

Fine art print available HERE

Gordie the Bulldog

2010-03-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 30x40 $600

Fine art print available HERE

Ella Fitzgerald

2010-03-11T12:35:00.000-07:00

Oil on Canvas 18x24 $325

Fine art print available HERE

Aerial

2010-03-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

8"x8" Colored pencil on paper $75

Fine art print available HERE