I have a good bit of art to share with you this week, in addition to Cover Song #4 at the very end of this post.
For anyone in the greater Nashville area, I will perform in a songwriter round this coming Tuesday at Inglewood Lounge in East Nashville that is hosted by my friend and fellow musician Melody Walker. I will play four original songs in the early round that starts at 8:00 PM. Come out and join us! (It’s a free show.)
While music, singing, and piano performance are my primary forms of expression, I enjoy other crafts that require my hands to create art in tactile ways.
Moving a pencil to draw a shape on blank paper or directing the sharp edge of a needle through fabric are not performative acts. I do not have to engage with an audience, make eye contact with anyone, or wear a snazzy outfit. (These days, I wear oversized sweaters and sweatpants with a big fluffy hat when I am in crafting mode.) These solitary pursuits occur for my own private enjoyment and satisfaction.
Each piece of art I make by hand offers a view of what shapes, textures, and colors tickle my fancy. Collectively, they convey a picture of someone meticulously tinkering while enjoying himself.
Have a look inside.
COLOR NOTEBOOK
These days, I generally favor the monochromatic simplicity of graphite pencils, but drawing in color forces me out of my comfort zone by thinking about how to marry warm tones with cool ones.
I wanted to draw a robot, and I enjoyed it so much that I will draw more! This modern creature pictured below is half robot and half robot dog. Yeah, it is kind of weird, but I am happy with it. (They separate and chase each other around, obvs.)
The piece below was more of a sunscape doodle. I thought of the hottest blue tone of a fire’s flame and the yellows growing out of it. In any case, I have always loved drawing curvy, flowing lines. I probably always will.
ABSTRACT FLOWERS
When it comes to my abstract flowers, I have abandoned all sense of symmetry and think of them as having their own rules of geometry—evolving as they will beyond the constraints of the past.
This flower has a labyrinthine quality to it without having entry and exit points. It inhabits its own closed ecosystem.
The petals of this flower cuddle into each other. It would take a special kind of insect to pollinate the bounty inside.
This flower takes on the shape of an orb with leaves like fingers holding it up to the light.
TEXTILES
With a friend’s help, I am learning how to mend damaged fabric. This Hawaiian shirt of mine managed to get torn in three places. I am trying out a Japanese mending practice called sashiko on the damaged parts. My goal is to make the mend look like art. This is a work in progress that I may redo a couple of times over.
This sock (and its pair) has some big holes to fill. I am learning how to mend it with spare fabric from an old T-shirt. I’ll see how the mend holds up and keep refining the strategy.
FACES
Here is another attempt at one of my newest creative pursuits. I still struggle with noses more than anything, but I am not striving for perfection either.
Thank you for stopping by to see my art. It is very cold where I live, and mending and drawing give me much-needed comfort.
Stay warm out there.
COVER SONG #4: “Lonestar” by Norah Jones
Like the rest of the world, I discovered Norah Jones when her song “Don’t Know Why” was being played on mainstream pop radio. I remember being struck by how her voice had a vintage and timeless quality to it. Her music was of a different caliber from the pop starlets of that time. When I found out she was also playing the piano on her songs, I was instantly hooked.
I bought her debut album Come Away with Me and have listened to it many times. Each song on it is a gem, but I have always been drawn to “Lonestar.” It carries the sweet melancholy of missing someone, and Jones’ delivery is understated, elegant, and poignant.
As with all the covers I am recording this year, I could never do better than the original, but what I can do is give the song my own flavor while staying true to its spirit.
I think of many people and animals whom I miss when I sing this song.
I hope you enjoy this uncovering: