These sketches are from the second day of the Bluegrass Festival. The other vendors in the dealers' area handled things closer to the actual bluegrass music than my art. There were CD's of bluegrass from vintage to modern, T-shirt makers, one jewelry setup, and lots of instruments. There were little "starter" banjos, grown-up banjos, line-ups of guitars, a mandolin here or there, and some sheet music to play. I wandered through the vendor area admiring the craftsmanship and occasionally touching some strings, enough to make a noise. I have now made a sound with a banjo, but I don't think it will continue, at least for now. I've got to do art. So I'll just keep listening.
You readers are familiar with my belief that things have souls and consciousness just like animals and humans. These musical instruments all had souls that were dormant, waiting to be awakened by a player. I could listen to them before they sounded forth. The instruments were quiet and expectant, hoping to find a home with someone who would treat them right, just like cats and dogs in a shelter. Many of these instruments were visually beautiful too. I had to depict the orange and black guitar you see at upper right. This was a luxurious creature, with a fancy pedigree, appropriate for a professional or a long-experienced (and rich) music lover. But even the inexpensive guitars looked sweet, some of them made small so that children could play them. There was a seven-year-old girl fiddler who was super, fiddlin' with her family right there in the lobby. Bluegrass is something the whole family can do, whether it's in the proverbial countryside or in a big city.
Now it's back to art. I'm working on two major commissions which you will see when done.
Pitt sepia technical pen on sketchbook page, 7" x 10", February 28, 2015.
No comments:
Post a Comment