The BMX, skate, punk rock world I came from doesn't really exist here in Winston-Salem. Except for Heavy Rebel Weekender on 4th of July weekend every year. Rockabilly, psychobilly, hot rods, rat rods, burlesque, big guys in black T-shirts on 92 degree days and women all dolled up retro style. It's the best weekend of the year in Winston-Salem to me. And this year I'll have a bunch of art down there. Heavy Rebel Weekender, July 5th-7th, First Friday Gallery Hop on the 7th, and my ridiculous court fine due on Monday. It's on next weekend...
If you're part of the HRW scene, you don't know me. Here's a taste of what I do with some Sharpie markers:
Melvin the drummer, came by Studios at 625 last night, and dropped beats out front for the passersby on Trade Street. He just had this great little video produced about him, and he always gets people moving with his rhythms.
Inside, Rachel at Designs, Vines, and Wines was making plaster face masks of two women and a girl, which I've never actually watched being done before. I took up residence at one of the tables in the middle of the studio, and did my Sharpie scribble thing on a drawing of ZZ Top I'm doing for a couple in Kentucky.
The open mike that usually happens on Friday nights never quite got opened. A handful of the locals chilled out, had some pizza, and wandered around the Winston-Salem Art District. The day had been hot, and the night was warm and sticky.
In a late search for a Diet Coke, I wandered into the Bar-B-Q place on Liberty for the first time. I found a Galaga game upstairs, which I hadn't played in at least ten years, and rocked it up to Level 10 and about 65,000 points. I was pretty stoked on that. I left with a Diet Pepsi and went back to keep scribbling with my Sharpies.
Rachel got a late evening client wanting her daughter to get plaster pregnant belly mold, and the kid is supposed to pop out today or tomorrow. Can't get much more pregnant than that.Since that's a pretty intimate process between expectant mom and artist Rachel, I took that as my cue to head home. Oh yeah, I have a home now. Well, I'm on a couch tour, but close enough.
Another Friday night getting creative at Designs, Vines, and Wines/Studios at 625 on Trade Street here in Winston.
This drawing of Jerry Garcia was not up at the Studios at 625 on Trade Street last night. But it was in my tablet, and I showed it to a bunch of people who were interested in my work. I got a great response to my limited group of drawings. I've been waiting to get paid for this particular Jerry drawing since about Christmas. Hopefully the money will come in a couple of days.
At the invitation of Rachel from Designs, Vines, &Wines, I had my Michael Jackson drawing (see last post) up in the front window at Studios at 625 (Trade Street), and she's dubbed me a "featured artist" this month. I was in the gallery drawing, hanging out, and talking to people most of last night. It was great to be back in a small gallery scene again. There was free wine samples, crafty beer from a nearby pub, and healthy snacks to be had, while I sipped my Diet Coke.
The tattoo shop down the street had a live suspension happen. I guess "live" is inferred. A suspension of a live person is pretty freakin' nutty. A suspension of a dead person would just smell bad, and be much less exciting. I didn't go see it. I was enjoying drawing and talking to those wandering in. A group painting was there to add to. We had a small poetry reading, and I got up and did an amazingly bad reading of my "Become" poem. That's the first time I read a poem in public since the first poetry reading I went to in Huntington Beach, (CA) in about 1994. At that first reading, a beautiful blond gave me her number, and said she loved my poetry. We met for coffee a couple days later... and she tried to get me to join Amway. I haven't gone to a poetry reading since.
A spontaneous hillbilly music jam erupted with a guy playing spoons (forgot your name, sorry) and me busting some hambone knee slapping. I whipped out my harmonica, and played my song, "Labor Ready Blues," for the first time in public.
All in all, it was a dang good time. You missed out.
