Full Circle

 

Hello out there!  This summer I started playing the drum set again after not doing so on a regular basis in 44 years! Our drummer in The Flashbacks band was away this summer, so I filled in and I had a great time!  My favorites were, “La Negra Tiene Tumbao,” “Minnie the Moocher,” Jobim’s, “Corcovado,” among others. I just love bossa nova and Latin American grooves! I plan to continue playing drum set this fall! 

In addition, my art show at The Center at Belvedere is still going on until the end of August. I had a lovely time at the reception for it on July 30th. I am continuing to make new pieces and I am currently working on a Lighthouse series. Two of them are with Northern Lights,. 

I hope the summer has been going well for all of you and thanks for stopping by! 

Summer Art Show at The Center at Belvedere!

 

Hello and happy summer to all! I am happy to announce that my art show at The Center at Belvedere in Charlottesville hung July 1st and will stay up until the end of August !  This show features 5 from my favorite series of the solar eclipse. There are 6 other pieces in the show. It is hung on the 2nd floor right near the stairs. Can’t miss it. I am very excited about it! 

There is also a lot of music going on in my life as always. I recently started playing the drum set in my band The Flashbacks. It has been over 45 years since I have played drum set with any regularity. We are preparing for our summer concert at The Center on Friday July 26th! More on that later. 

I continue to love my work playing for patients for hospice and the hospital. Life is good! 

We are living in very trying times and it is my hope that my art and music brings hope and joy into our dark times! 

Under the glorious total eclipse

 

Hello everyone and I hope this finds you well and enjoying this lovely spring! I have been very busy working on art for 4 upcoming shows. This year I have done quite a few new collage and pictured above is one from my total eclipse series. I did not experience the total eclipse first hand but I did see the partial eclipse and it was pretty amazing. I got so inspired by this event that you can see the results above. 

I will be having an art show July and August at The Center of Belvedere and at UVA hospital (part of their employee art show). 

I have also been very busy with my music this spring.  I play percussion in 4 bands and last weekend the Second Wind band where I play snare and auxiliary percussion havre a concert.. Our jazz band also played and that was a lot of fun! I am currently on summer break from the Second Wind band but I keep on with my conga playing in The Flashbacks. 

My work playing for hospice and hospital patients continues and I love it as always. This coming fall will mark 20 years of playing at UVA hospital ! 

Thank you all for stopping by ! Feel free to reach out anytime! 

Happy Spring!

 

Hello out there! Spring has sprung in Virginia and I am pretty happy about that.  I love the return of the green and flowers and the sound of birds everywhere. Spring is also a busy time for music. I am now playing percussion in 4 bands!  I play traditional percussion (snare drum, auxiliary percussion) in Second Wind band at The Center at Belvedere. Then I play conga and Latin percussion in The Flashbacks band, also at The Center. I recently joined a Steel Drum band and that is a lot of fun and I play weekly at Unity of Charlottesville church. 

Spring means spring concerts ! Our concert at The Center for Second Wind band and The Flashbacks happens on Saturday, May 18th at 3:00. We have a lot of great music planned for you! Our former band director was a percussionist, which means all of the songs feature just about every single percussion instrument from the gong, siren, wood block, bongos, congas, timpani, mallets and yes, you guessed it cowbell! :) 

In addition, I am loving my work playing guitar for hospital and hospice patients. It is quite an honor to have the job I have. 

My photo today is of my newest collage which is my first attempt at a mountain scene. I made it with new beautiful paper I got recently. I am pretty excited with new colors and textures to work with. 

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a very Happy Spring! 

Combating gloom with color and light

 

Hello everyone! I don’t know about you but this winter gloom and days of constant drizzle and clouds can really get me down.   That’s where music and art can come in and uplift us.   I spent all day reworking and old collage I made from a recycled painting. The result is above.   How is that for a change in mood?!  That is where making art can be so therapeutic. We can use our imagination to create change for ourselves. 

This piece I did very intuitively. I just started putting down random colored tissue paper and not icing the lines and rhythms they made.  One of my mantras while working on a piece is, “stop trying to make sense!” I get stuck sometimes when I think a mountain has to be blue or the grass can’t be purple, etc. Instead I think of lines and shapes and colors and how they intertwine. 

Maybe that is a good way to view a problem we have. We often overthink things as to why they happened and it is all a mental exercise to attempt to solve the problem. Instead, why not embrace the mystery a bit more? Does it really help to know the whys of things? Instead of whys, how about being wise? Following our inner voice and letting the colors of our moods and actions take shape. 

I find that combining a sense of the abstract with realism brings me a satisfying feeling. Nothing is perfectly symmetrical or logical in life. Art helps me to see that. 

I hope seeing this piece of art today brings you some cheer. I have not named it yet - any ideas for the name of this?  Send me your ideas! Thank you and keep on plugging away. The gloom will give way to spring soon enough.  

Pondering Music

 Hello everyone! I hope your 2024 is going well so far!  This year has started off with a lot of art and music! The attached collage is my newest creation made from a salvaged discarded painting. As you can see by the title and musical notes, I have been pondering music a lot lately. Which brings me to my next update… 

My bands started up again this year and I am learning to play the drum set again! It has been over 40 years since I last played drum set for a band. We worked on a Buddy Rich tune called “ Groovin’ Hard”    A really cool song from a favorite jazz era. Our next concert is in May, so that gives me time to get my chops back. 

In addition, I have joined a steel drum band. They are big metal melodic pan drums and it’s a lot of fun. So far we have mastered an arrangement of the gospel song, “Amen.” 

I continue to love playing for my hospital and hospice patients and composing music in Dorian mode for them. I am loving Dorian mode because it is the perfect tonality for those in distress or transition. It gives a twinge of mystery and uncertainty which matches how one would feel in the midst of a healing journey. 

That about updates me and I thank you for stopping by today. Hope you are staying warm in your corner of the world this winter. 

Happy Holidays to all !

 

Hello and happy holidays to all!  2023 was quite a year for me!  This year I shared a lot of my art in several art shows and galleries. That was quite a surprise I did not see coming. It started out by being asked at my church to display my art (collage) in a show and from there, more opportunities and invitations came. 

Last spring I also became a Hospice volunteer and joined the Music at the Bedside team playing for hospice patients. It is some of the most rewarding work I have ever done in my life. 

I also learned to play the conga drums in my jazz band and that has been so much fun! In addition, I joined the percussion team in the Second Wind Band at the Center of Belvedere here in Charlottesville. We did a few concerts this past year and they really brought me a lot of joy. 

I celebrated my 19th year working as Musician-in-Residence at UVA hospital in November. It is definitely my favorite job I have ever had! 

I returned to the stage in a few performances this year as well and probably my favorite was at Rapunzel’s Christmas party. The photo (photo credit: Norm Carter) was from that special evening. Though I look serious in this picture, my friend and I did a comedy routine! It was a routine we did over 20 years ago at First Night Virginia and other places. It’s where we take one Christmas Carol and sing it to the tune of another.  Here is a link for that.  

I wish you all much peace, joy, prosperity and good health in the coming year and always!

As always, thank you for your support of me and for stopping by!