Keeping busy... 5/13/2018

With yesterday being the day before Mother's Day, things were quiet at Rachel's studio last night (Designs, Vines, and Wines in Studios at 625 on Trade Street).  Rachel was out back working on her mural for quite a while, and I was drawing my latest Sharpie scribble style piece, a request for poet Mary Oliver, and talking old school skateboarding to Jeff.  Jeff has a last name, I'm sure, but I don't know it.  He's one of two old school skaters I've met here now.  About 15 people wandered through the studio, and checked out the work of all the artists. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, and if you're in the Triad, welcome to summer, it's supposed to hit 93 today, after 91 yesterday.  What happened to Spring?  I like Spring here.  Summer is tough on big guys like me, we don't tan, we baste. 

Rachel's "Fresh From The Vine" radio show

Since I met Rachel from Designs, Vines, and Wines a about 4 months ago, I've been spending more and more time hanging out there.  It's just plain fun.  That's all I really need to say.  Creative people hanging out, doing projects, spitting poetry and spoken word, Melvin (featured in this show) sending out some beats.  It's just a cool place to hang out.  In addition to giving some wall space to newer artists like myself, Rachel now is doing a weekly radio show about her passions, wine, art, creativity, wine, music, wine, organic gardening, the Trade Street art scene in Winston-Salem.  Oh, and wine, did I mention the wine?  And I don't even drink any more.  Rachel's studio is in the middle of the Trade Street Art District of Winston-Salem, in Studios at 625, at (you guessed it) 625 Trade Street downtown.  Cruise by if you're in the galaxy.

Here's the first show.  Tribal beats.  A few laughs.  A message from our last president.  And some poetry.  Enjoy. 

Trade Street First Friday Gallery Hop 2/2/2018

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.