Reflections On "The Visual Side of
the Blues"
In the late 1900’s with their
permission, I began taking photographs of Blues musicians during their on-stage
live performances. I took hundreds of pictures, never seeking a formal portrait.
Rather I strove to freeze a special moment in time. Before long these photos
overflowed numerous boxes.
The moment arrived when I decided it was time to
share the best of these photos. I got my art studio ready; the question
for me was, “Where do I begin?” I spread out the most interesting photos
and imagined what they might look like if enlarged to life size. The
results morphed into grainy black, white, and gray statements. To my
delight there was a certain relaxed, funky, PopArtish style emerging.
During the better part of a year of concentrated labor, my studio became the
center from which the photopaintings emerged. Photos were everywhere. Large
rolls of paper on which some of the photos were expanded by 600% shared space
with power saws, stacks of wood panels and rolls of canvas. Paste, jars of
paints and brushes of all sizes were put to use in developing each painting.
Special lighting allowed me to often work late into the night.
Using acrylic paint and chromatic pencils had me striving
to complete my photopaintings as aesthetically profound visual statements. This
was the constant challenge. For all of you out there who are visual or
performing artists, this challenge is unique to the human spirit. It is for many
a time when we are most alive.
What will happen from here? Will a restaurant find these
paintings help to create an atmosphere for someone to not only enjoy good food,
but also come away with a feeling for the Blues? Will a museum, art gallery or
Blues club select these paintings to be part of a temporary or even permanent
exhibition?
If just one person gets a kick out of seeing my work, I’ll
have come a long way to achieving my goal.
11/1/2002
