The Bluegrass Painter

Delfest

We were real excited to hear about the first Delfest coming to our neck of the woods in 2008.   

A Story Worth Sharing

Petunia had the privilege of having dinner with Drs. Bruce and Becky Bickel on Friday night.  Bruce retold some of this story, A 'Miracle' decades in the making, with her and she felt it was worth sharing with others.  As a side note, she tells me that Bruce also happens to play the hammered dulcimer and enjoys old-time and bluegrass music. 

Almost New Years Day and No Snow

It rained like crazy last night...I'm sure the skiers aren't happy about that. We stopped by the slopes yesterday and even without natural snow for a while and warm temperatures they were still skiing at The Wisp.  We also

stopped at the river and got some more pictures for painting. 

A Bluegrass Quiz

Here's a chance to test your bluegrass music knowledge.  I found this Bluegrass Quiz on Bluegrass Roots and Branches - Jeff DeFord's website.  You can catch his weekly web cast every Wednesday at 8pm. 

Christmas 'round here

Every Christmas makes its own memories and I thought I'd share a few of ours from this year.

What's a Christmas without a little bluegrass music...check out this brand new band! Our triplet grandkids giving the family a concert.

Of course, Dora was a part of it too; and, the latest addition to the troop of musicians.

 

Some Bluegrass Christmas Cheer

For the second year in a row, the regular Monday night "Fiddle and Banjo" jam from The Coffee Mill in Radford, Virginia took to the streets to bring bluegrass cheer to fellow townsfolk.  The Roanoke Times has the full story and provides this video:

Kickin' Mule

Here's a new one I worked up recently for some banjo lovers.

Bluegrass Painter Goes High Tech

Trying out something new here today.  Flatpicking Guitar Magazine offers this preview of their Josh Williams, Andy Falco & Chris Eldridge, Live at the Station Inn: "Guitarmaggedeon" DVD on You Tube.  Petunia managed to get this on for me.  As you can imagine, I'm not that high tech....Enjoy.

Living In A Christmas Card

Winter is certainly beautiful here in the mountains but it isn't always easy. We got about fourteen inches of snow over last Tuesday and Wednesday days and, though nice to look out, means that there is some snow moving to do if the guys were to get in here to pick on Friday night.

While crossing the Elizabeth, PA bridge over the Mon earlier on Thursday, saw the Consol Energy towboat, the Wes McDonald moving barges about. We stopped and got some photos that I'll work into a painting of a workboat in action for a series I have in progress. Have you ever noticed how many bluegrass songs are based on some thing around the rivers?

Winter on the River

I think there are a lot of reasons to like winter. One of them is just to get to watch winter on the rivers. We live close to the Monongahela , one of the busiest rivers for commercial transportation. Work boats, plentiful on the Mon, have a mystique all their own.  In the winter they assume visual qualities that make me want to get out the camera and the paints. Here are a few recent paintings of my roustabout fantasies.  The first painting is the Anna S, a boat owned by River Salvage Company. 

   

The second painting of a towboat is not named as of yet, but the painting is a tribute to the deckhands who risk their necks hooking up barges.

And the last one is pure fantasy about the old days on the rivers.