The Bluegrass Painter

"Working On A Building"

July 19 is the date set for a day of bluegrass and country gospel music to raise funds and support for the restoration of the historic Mt. Beulah Methodist Church near Grantsville, MD. Music will be provided by local groups and food service by members of the restoration committee. The event takes place at the Trinity United Church of Christ which is right next door and is the reason that the road is called Twin Churches Road.  Your old bluegrass painter is working on a commemorative print to be used in the fund raising.  Activities begin at 11:00 am and go through the afternoon.  Music will be played all day and lunch will be sold in the church basement.  Donations are welcome and appreciated.  If you are going to be in the area, stop by to support this good cause.  For more information, call 301-895-5735.

 

Going With The Flow

Sailors around our parts tell me that sometimes it isn't a bad thing if the wind doesn't blow real hard. They say that light wind might slow down the racing but still makes for a pleasant day of relaxed on-board conversation and cerebral maneuvering to stay with the capricious zephyrs. This watercolor is what I see from shore on those light wind days and I call it "Drifters".

New Retail Partners

Over the winter we added some new retail partners.  In Texas, you can purchase prints and cards from Austin's Fast Frame and the Prickly Pear Galleries.    A little closer to my stomping grounds, you can purchase bluegrass art cards at the House of Musical Traditions, located in Takoma Park, Maryland.  Cards from the Garrett County and Outdoors Collections are now available at the Pro-Shop at the Adventure Sports Center International in McHenry, Maryland as well. 

One of the fun things about this work is that you get to meet and talk with folks all over the country.  Give us a shout at info@appalachianstudio.com if you're interested in placing cards, prints or originals in your shop or gallery. 

Sailing Into Summer

One-design sailboat racing is a big deal around here. Deep Creek Lake has a very active and competitive sailing association and regularly hosts national competitions in addition to the regular sailing program. The dominant class on the lake is the Flying Scot which is manufactured in nearby Deer Park, MD. An active and growing group races Lasers as well.

Your old Bluegrass Painter has relied on these picturesque craft for subject matter, and actually used to own and sail a Scot back in the day. Here is the first for this year which will shortly be produced in cards and prints. It is my interpretation of a full crew having a ball and sailing right on the edge of disaster. I call it  "The Edge".

 

Roustabout

I just loved the way the Rock County band did the old tune "Roustabout" and every time I hear it I start to paint riverboats. One of our objectives for this year calls for an increased inventory of riverboat paintings. I worked out two new ones that could be set in a number of places from old St. Louis to the Gulf of Mexico.

Robert Yonke Art at the Old Settler's Music Festival

The Old Settler's Music Festival kicks off tomorrow in Austin, Texas.  Our new friends FastFrame and Prickly Pear Galleries, based in Austin, will be selling my prints and cards in the arts and crafts area.  I'm told they will have other music related arts and crafts as well, so be sure to visit their booth if you're lucky enough to be attending this event. 

New Original Art

Petunia just added these two original paintings to my web site.  The Wes Clark is a local towboat that I worked on over the winter.  I know there are quite a few turkey lovers out there, so hopefully Three of a Kind will be well received. 

The Wall St. Journal Article

The Wall St. Journal article that I posted about last week, where Petunia and I are mentioned, is now available on line at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120526706660828097.html. 

The Bluegrass Painter in The Wall Street Journal

It was an exciting day for the Bluegrass Painter today, as Petunia and I were featured in an article in The Wall Street Journal about how small businesses can use the blogosphere to market.  Petunia is working on getting full access to the article, but for now you have to pick up today's paper or be a subscriber to get full access to the piece. 

Petunia was interviewed about a month ago by Shelly Banjo for the article.  She was interested to hear our story, and how we attribute our work with the IBMA and other projects to posts from some of our favorite blogs, including The Bluegrass Blog, Mandolin Cafe and Cybergrass. Why do you think I'm the only person in the article whose age was given?  They must think I'm pretty hip for an old guy.

Thanks to Denise Wakeman of The Blog Squad for referring our story to the WSJ.   

Fiddlin' Bass

Here is a new one, Fiddlin' Bass, that we just put up on Appalachian Studio.