Showing posts with label London. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Handsome in a Hoodie

Handsome in a Hoodie

(2nd of 3 pieces of art which a virus is preventing me from posting the way I want.)

I drew this fellow late one night.  I don't think the photo is reflecting all the shadows as well as it should...still, I was quite happy with this chap.

Hmm.  Why am I speaking as if I'm from London?  Maybe it's because I recently ran across this 2013 film called, "After Time" about the male members of a British family who could travel back in time, but only within events of their own lives.  Domhnall Gleeson carries the show, and Rachel McAdams is most charming.  Please see it!  It is a great example of the wonderful cleverness of British humor; scenes of London; and some of the most touching scenes of delicate emotion.  And if you think you're just not feeling it, then at the very least, I'll leave you with a gem of a quote from it.

I try to live everyday as if it were the final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.

After Time Trailer





Sunday, April 12, 2015

David Lindley

Last night Kman and I saw multi-instrumentalist (at least 16) David Lindley play.  My hub said, "You know, you think you see someone play the guitar really well, and then you see someone like this guy who blows them out of the water."  He was right.

One of the highlights was Lindley playing an ancient instrument westernized--an electric "oud" handmade by a Middle-Eastern friend. It had such a beautiful sound, and  he played it beautifully, at times playing an Irish-tinged tune on it.  Take about fusion-flavored, world music!

I sketched him quickly while he played.  He started the song out slowly and then ended up in a lively frenzy with his left leg swinging around in a a 3-part movement.

Here's the other thing.  He's 71 years old, and someone like that has a lot of stories.  Playing bluegrass in front of Walt Disney and his wife; stories about Ry Cooder and Dolly Parton; eating Helen Reddy's apricot-suited husband's entire box of jelly doughnuts and getting kicked out of the session for an irreverent comment to said square spouse; running away from skinheads in London in 1969 with a friend from Belfast; referencing the Japanese warrior term "throwing away the scabbard"; regaling and winning over a tough NYC music critic and crowd with his x-rated, but funny, imitation of Jimmy Stewart (with which he also blessed our crowd).  Hilarious!

I said to Kman, what a life of experiences from all over the world.  That's one autobiography I'd love to read.

Finally, he talked about the illogic that speaks to all artists/people not going in the expected direction of life.  He said he was supposed to be an architect (landscape architect), but the banjo called his name.  Another calling from the Muse, and the world is blessed that he listened.



From YouTube, Lindley beautifully playing the electric Oud in Copenhagen: