Archive for September, 2009

R. Crumb and Lynda Barry – Drawing the Blues

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

I bought “R. Crumb’s Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country” for two reasons: I’m a big fan of R. Crumb’s non-comic book drawings, and a big fan this music. While his comics are way too perverse and misogynistic for me, I found the documentary The Confessions of Robert Crumb fascinating. In this film the camera found him drawing something nearly every moment he’s awake. He’s as obsessed with drawing as he is with, erm, bodily functions.

In his sometime Cheap Suit Serenaders he showed himself to be a talented tenor banjo player playing songs from the early 20th century, but in creating this book he takes a different route to praise his musical heroes. He draws loving portraits of the musicians in all his cross-hatched mastery.

memphis minnie R Crumb R. Crumb and Lynda Barry Drawing the Blues

Memphis Minnie from R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country

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A Painting Trip to Maine

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

Lat Day Cove Stephen Springer Davis 2009 A Painting Trip to Maine

Late Day Cove | Stephen Springer Davis | 2009

Last week I had the opportunity to, as I have for about 25 years, return to Maine for a painting trip. This trip was different, though, from those of the last few years, because the weather was great, without the usual grey skies and threatening rain. On those trips I had to take pictures to paint from over the winter. I find it hard to make a gloomy day in a photo look sunny in a painting. But this time I got to do some plein air painting. Also, for the second time in all my trips I was at the ocean, rather than at the lake where the friends with whom I stay live. (more…)

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