July’s greeting

 

Hello everyone and a belated Happy Summer to you! I have been busy moving to a new apartment and so I have neglected to keep you all updated. I have been enjoying my musical activities and yesterday I played the National Anthem at a local Tom Sox baseball game with my steel drum band! That was a lot of fun. 

In addition to music and art, I have been doing some birding this past spring and summer. I was gifted an old Nikon camera and I go out birding with a friend about once a week. We were really lucky a few months ago to have an amazing experience seeing some Barred owls! Attached is my favorite picture from that night. We were sitting on a bench underneath this big tree while the owl looked down at us. That was amazing! 

Last month I had an art show up at the local library.  That was a good opportunity for me and I appreciate that! 

I have continued to enjoy my work playing music for hospital and hospice patients. This fall marks my 22nd year at the UVA hospital. 

Mostly, I wanted to say hi and wish you all peace and happiness this summer! 

Thanks for stopping by. 

May Day

 Hello everyone ! 

It’s a beautiful time of year with all the flowers and trees in bloom. I have been enjoying going birding with friends as spring is a time of year for lots of birding activity. Last week friends and I got to see some Great Horned owlets up in a dead tree off one of a local trail. We also saw one of the parents but their face was hidden behind leaves. Today I am going out again and this time we plan to visit Ivy Creek Natural Area where there is a Barred owl box with owlet’s there. Hoping to get some photos! 

Music has been going well too.  My jazz band the Flashbacks played our spring concert last weekend and that was a lot of fun! Also over the last month or so, I have graduated from congas to drum set in the steel drum band I play it. It’s been so good for me since I have not played drum set with any regularity in over 40 yrs. I am enjoying being back at it! 

I continue to  enjoy my guitar lessons at the Classical Guitar Corner Academy. I met a member who lives in my town and we’ve gotten together a couple of times to play duets. We plan to meet once a month and record at some point, so I’ll post our videos here when that happens ! 

There is a new local classical guitar group forming in the area called Circle of Strings. Our first meeting is at the downtown library this Sunday. I am practicing some pieces to play for that and another member and I are planning to  play a duet too. This will be fun! 

My art is going well too and attached is my newest piece that will be part of my show at the Northside Library in June. 

That’s my update for now and thanks for stopping by! 

Time travel through music

 

Some months ago, I enrolled in the Classical Guitar Corner Academy  and I continue to love it. I am now far enough along in the curriculum that I am now encountering pieces I studied from the early 80s. The pieces pictured above by Luis Milan are renaissance pieces first published in 1536 for the vihuela (a Spanish plucked instrument similar to guitar). Back in 1981,  when I was working on these Pavanas, I was not exposed to old music from the renaissance. I didn’t really understand what they were for (dances) or how to play them.  I remember when i finished playing Pavana No 1 for my teacher, his question still haunts me. “You played all the right notes but where was the music? “  I said I didn’t know. And thus bean my real education in music. 

Around the same time, I befriended an opera singer. One day she sang for me an Aria from the soundtrack “Diva” that we loved. She told me her teacher said she shouldn’t even attempt to sing it until she was at least 35 years old. I thought that was really weird! (She was only 25 at the time) We both wondered what he meant by that. 

Years later, I do understand it. We’ve all seen younger people singing the National Anthem or some kind of sacred song that has a religious, historic or spiritual  meaning.  We see in them their flashy technique and how pretty their voices sound but they are not really connecting to the words or meaning of what they are singing. To them it is a series of notes, a technical exercise. Where the human voice is meant to convey the emotions hidden within those notes. It takes emotional maturity and life experience to be able to know and unlock that emotional expressivity. 

And so  now I started thinking of that and believe the same is true with instrumental music. An instrument is really only mimicking the human voice. Now I am encountering these old pieces 45 years later, how will that change how I play the music? I am still exploring that! 

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by. 

Winter into spring!

 

Hello everyone and Happy February. I checked and found out we have 46 more days until spring. That seems like a long time but it will be here before you know it. 

This year, 2026 marks my 50th anniversary of playing the guitar! To celebrate that, I joined a the Classical Guitar Corner academy, which is a great place online to study classical guitar. I recently met a member from CGC and we played some duets together. That was a lot of fun! Some of you may not know that I studied classical guitar many years ago from 1981-1987. Then I moved here from Chicago and I stopped playing formal music and began writing my own songs and I performed in local venues through the 90s. Then on my 40th birthday, I went back to classical guitar for a few years. Since then it has been on and off but I am “on” it again and loving it! 

Back in December I got to play the drum set again for my jazz band on NYE at The Center at Belvedere. Some of you may not know I started off as a percussionist in high school and later took up the guitar my senior year. So it is fun to have both percussion and guitar to play! 

I continue to enjoy playing therapeutic music for hospital, hospice and nursing home patients and this year is my 21st year doing that. In addition, a nursing home where I used to work nominated me for a hometown hero award. I am so honored by that. Thank you! 

The picture above is of the first collage I made in 2026. I am working up material for my art show at the Northside Library in Charlottesville in June. 

Thank you for stopping by and spring is on the way! 

Happy New Year 2026!

 Hello and  Happy New Year to one and all! I didn’t realize some months have passed since I last posted here. I hope this finds everyone well. I don’t know about you but I am ready for a new beginning. 2025 brought a lot of changes for our country, most of them not positive but I am hopeful that 2026 will bring good things to all. 

2025 was a good creative year for me though. I was fortunate to be in 3 art shows. One of them was a fundraiser for the local library with a local non profit. That was a great event for us all and I loved being part of that. 

I played in several concerts last year as well. Our jazz band played spring and summer concerts and my steel drum band played in various festivals around town. 

I  continue to enjoy my work at hospice and the hospital playing for patients on my guitar. 

The year 2026 marks my 50th year of playing the guitar, so to celebrate I joined an online classical guitar academy and I am very much enjoying it! 

I wish you all peace and joy and prosperity in the coming New Year and always! 

 

Hello and I hope this finds you well in our last weeks of summer. It has been quite a busy summer for me. I have enjoyed playing music in my bands and for my hospital and hospice patients. 

I continue to make art as well and above is maybe my favorite so far. I have always loved lighthouses and since I have lived in Central Virginia miles away from the sea, i have missed the Oceanside. 

Yesterday I found a new use for my collage.  I have a  patient I play for in hospice who had no photos or artwork on his walls. I asked him if he’d like for me to bring him something of mine to hang. He said he would love that. I brought him a few to choose from and this is the one he selected: 

I call it “Protector.”  After I hung it up, he looked at it and said, “I feel peace.” This is a man who loves nature and animals as much as I do. On the TV in his room, he has images of the forest with no sound. He is rare as other people I see often have the loud constant noise of the TV blaring. 

To me having beauty around us is so important. I put another one of my collage in the room of a woman who was in her final hours of life. That room also did not have any art in it. I am glad my pieces will find new homes. 

Today I am playing percussion in my steel drums band. I have played in this band 2 years now and we have really improved! 

Thank you for stopping by! 

Jean, if you are reading this.. I need a title for the lighthouse piece! :) 
 

 

Liberation

 

Hello and Happy June! In a matter of days, summer season will begin. I have enjoyed the spring. I continue to be busy playing percussion in 4 bands. In my church band, in my steel drum band, in a Kirtan chanting band and jazz band. Drumming brings me so much joy. 

I have also really been enjoying working on some classical repertoire of pieces that I used to play many years ago. Part of the reason I dropped some of them is because they were not appropriate pieces for my work as a therapeutic musician.  Sometimes the tempo is too fast or there is some tension and release in the composition - whereas in my music for patients, I play pieces that have relaxing melodies and tempos. 

One my favorites I am working on is a renaissance piece “Guardame Las Vacas”   . It is the first written example of a theme and variation. I love this because one can see the form of “theme and variation” like a mythological “hero’s journey.’ The opening theme represents home and all of the variations symbolize all of the transformations, transitions, challenges one undergoes in a journey. It is most satisfying to play! 

The collage pictured above is called “Liberation.” The flying penguin to me represents liberating oneself from the constraints of what is possible. It is a humorous image and yet to me it is also a serious display of inner freedom made manifest. Wishing you inner freedom and peace in this coming new season. 

Glorious May

 Hello and a glorious 1st day of May to you., I am enjoying the continuing blossoms of spring and I hope you are too. 

April was a busy month. I had some interesting patients to play for and spent much time preparing new music for them. One of my patients enjoys Kirtan  Sanskrit changing and so I got out my folder of them from some years ago when i used to play the tabla and sing them. Another patient asked me for some blues and so I worked on some of those kind of songs. 

I’ve also been taking some music classes for CEUs (continuing education credits) to meet the requirements for my certification program. One class is on the blues form of music. An analogy the teacher makes is that of a hero’s journey.  This is where in the music (melody or chords) establishes a sense of home. Then an adventure beings as the chords more further away from the tonic (home). Then comes a sign when we are ready to come back home again. This happens in music even without the words. Just listen to a song and the structure of it and think of it like a hero’s journey, a myth being played out. 

In addition to my music, I continue to make more collage. My newest one is pictured above. It seems like this dark time in our history is bringing out more of my whimsical side. I think it is a feeling that we need to keep alive, esp during times of much change and fear. There is always hope if we know where to look for it. I see it in the flowers and animals, music, art, friendship and love. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Art Show April 23 - June 4th 2025 at Northside Library, Charlottesville !

 

Hello everyone! I am excited to tell you that i will be  having a small art show at the Northside Library on April 23- June 4th. It will be shown in The Quiet Room which I absolutely love. Who doesn’t need time in a quiet room these days?!

At this point, I was not planning to have a formal opening since the room it is shown it is a study room and no talking allowed. But if I do have an opening, it will be announced on social media and here! 

I am also gearing up for a few gigs with my bands and that is always great. I do hope this finds you all doing well. 

Happy Spring! 

April is upon us

 

My bands are going great and we are getting ready to play in a few concerts. In my steel drum band, I now play conga and cowbell (instead of lead pan) and that has been a lot of fun. Our jazz band, The Flashbacks is playing for a dance next week. 

Above is one of my collage I submitted to an art show featuring Virginia flora and fauna. I chose my deer as it is a common animal in Virginia and the piece had to accompany a “Virginia Story” . I researched a famous Virginian who loved deer and here is my story for my piece: 

My name is Henry and I once lived in a deer park at Mount Vernon. Many people know about General’s (George Washington to you) love for animals, especially his horse, Nelson who was a friend of mine. General also loved deer and my family enjoyed living in the park he made. Our habitat was unusual because in those times people mostly saw deer as game to hunt. My family often entertained General’s guests by showing them how gentle and tame we were. I have fond memories of eating freshly picked apples from orchard out of the hands of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton, who were frequent visitors. My portrait here captures me near the Potomac River which ran behind our home at Mount Vernon many years ago. 

Spring is in the air!

 

Hello and Happy March! Spring is in the air and my daffodils have been in bloom already for a few weeks. I take that as a good sign. I hope this finds everyone doing well. 

For me I have been enjoying learning some old Spanish guitar repertoire. This year marks my 49th year playing the guitar!  It has been 49 years of joy. I have played percussion now for 53 years and playing in my 3 bands is a great source of joy to me. 

I have also been working on expanding my repertoire for my hospice patients I see. When I play at the hospital, I play a lot of my own compositions and improvised music but at hospice, there is more need for songs they know. I am enjoying this work. 

Pictured is my newest collage that will be part of a series for my upcoming art show at the Northside Library in Charlottesville in April. 

Thanks for coming by and Happy Spring!  

A Foxy February

 

Hello everyone ! I seem to be drawn to foxes lately in my art.  In Native American lore, they represent cleverness, intuition, adaptability and playfulness. All of these qualities are important ones for navigating through challenging times. This collage pictured is my latest one in a series I am making for my upcoming show at the Northside library in April. Stay tuned for more info on that as the time nears. 

My music continues to bring me much comfort and joy. I have been reviving some older Spanish guitar pieces for my own pleasure and education. Some of these pieces I would not likely play for my patients but I learn from them and I am always working on growing and improving my knowledge and technical abilities. 

I have been reading some interesting books for CEUs (continuing  education credits) toward my certification degree. The last one I finished was “I Heard There Was a Secret Chord” by Daniel Levitin. My favorite quote from the book is, “Your relationship with music takes place in a secret language, known only to you and to her. The secret chord is  you, the product of all of your life’s encounters; every word or note heard, every thought shared or kept to yourself, every dream achieved or struck down. “ Wow!  How about that for food for thought to ponder! 

It is now February and I have noticed the days are getting longer. Won’t be long now before spring. Keep on going! Thanks for stopping by! 

A Magical Forest for 2025

 

Hello all and Happy 2025! There is much change going on and our future remains uncertain. I am finding that focusing on the magical elements of life is helping me to stay optimistic. Always the future is full of possibilities and what we focus on is what we experience. I am not saying to deny the dark forces that are around us but use them as a way to find the light in the darkest days. 

Attached is my first collage of the year.  One friend described it as “intricate yet serene” and I feel that sums it up well. There is a lot going on with animal life and nature’s lines intertwined. Colors and rhythms flow in a moment of stillness to catch our breath. 

Music is my biggest inspiration and I see this as full of rhythm and harmony and melodies. When I play my own compositions, if they could be visual, I think they would look like this piece. There is an order and flow but a unique vision that only i can see and share. We all have a unique voice. Something that comes to mind is that we each have a unique view and vision.  Embrace that and celebrate that and share that with others. 

So if this is my first collage of the year, that makes me wonder - what lies ahead? What is being called to appear on the horizon?  Only time will tell and I will share with you my next vision . 

I hope this finds you at peace and that you can find some magic in your life. Don’t let the darkness overwhelm you, there have always been dark times. But there have always been people doing good but the media may not be focused on them right now. Thank you for stopping by and wishing you all the best! 

Happy New Year!

 

Hello everyone and I hope everyone had a peaceful and joyous  Christmas and holiday season.  I have been reflecting on the past year. It has been a  year of many losses (friends who have passed away) but also many blessings. 

I would say the collage attached sums up a lot of what I feel.  There is the saying, “No Mud, No Lotus,” and that rings  true. The frog is a whimsical creature to me and in these dark times, I am trying to cultivate an attitude of looking for magic and whimsy in my life. There was a time many years ago, I was not worried about the news and politics and who voted for whom, etc. I do not want those things to control my life and rob me of my joy now. So I look to art and music to continue to bring me and others joy and healing. 

I spent my Christmas at the hospital playing for patients. Since I am not a politician and I don’t have much power to control worldly events, all I can do is focus on making a difference in my small part of the world.  I am grateful for the gifts of music and art and I will continue to devote myself to contributing to the light,  healing and joy in the world. 

I once read an article that said if you should feel down this time of year, you are only aligning yourself with the seekers who came before you who searched for the light in the darkest days. 

May we all find our light in the darkest days . Happy New Year to All! 

 

Hello! It has been awhile since I last wrote and now we are in the midst of the fall season .  Much change is upon us. Recently we had an election and many of us are upset by the results. I am one of them but I feel that I must focus on the positive things in my life. My work, my music and art and my friends. 

This collage I did pictured above is titled Mirage and to me it is a metaphor for lots of things.  I took two opposite things and juxtaposed them together. The desert with fish and you can see how harmonious they look together.   It is possible for us to live tougher in harmony even with opposing beliefs. Rather than focusing on the doom and gloom of possible future outcomes, I choose to focus on one day at a time. 

I hope you will join me in finding the light in the darkest days.  We as a society have seen many dark times and it is when the best of humanity can arise.  Some of the best music and art came out of uncertain times. 

I thank you for coming by today and I wish you the best! 

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.