The Bluegrass Painter

Come on out for a good cause...

We were flattered when Roger Reimann of ZOMA Communications contacted us about artwork for a bluegrass music project to raise funds for the development of the Armed Forces Museum & Archives of the Carolinas.

Support of a tribute to those who have contributed and sacrificed so much for all of us here in the USA is something that needs to be done. We are more than a little proud to be associated with the project and, particularly, with all of the individuals who are making it happen.

The coming event is being held at VFW Post 2324 in Indian Trail, NC, just outside Charlotte, on Saturday, January 29. If you are at all in the area come on out and support this worthy project. Good music, lots of fun and fellowship...check the details of the entertainers, time, place, etc on this poster.

Your old bluegrass painter plans to be there...come on out and say hello.

Sketches of Ireland

The bluegrass painter is stretching a bit...but not too much. The core of my painting inventory has been built for a great part on my passion for Appalachian music and things related to it....it is reflected in the various series on our website (appalachianstudio.com) and has been the base of our gallery exhibitions.

So much of our Appalachian heritage (and, consequently music) is rooted in the music of Ireland and Scotland. Consequently, adding some of my paintings that are based on sketches made in Ireland seems to be a natural step for the Bluegrass Painter. I currently have a series of paintings of Ireland that I continue to add-to These are watercolor sketches (about 9" X 12")  . At the same time, as time permits I'm using these sketches as a base for paintings of larger formats...both on conventional paper and on canvas. I'm going to use this blog to roll them out and I invite your comments...yea or nay.

This, The Last Rose of Summer, is the first of the series and is based on a session at a pub in Adare. I apologize to the owner and the local music shop owner who invited me to sit-in for a lapse in memory regarding names. It was a fun evening. One memorable moment was when one of the musicians asked me, "tell me friend, do ya know any Johnny Cash" from which point the session turned country and bluegrass. A real surprise for this yank.

Appalachian Festival and More

This past Saturday was a red letter day for me. Our band for the day,  Bloomington Hill, was privileged to be one of the mountain music groups playing at the Appalachian Festival on the campus of Frostburg State University.   It was a pleasure to have Randy Thomas, Eric and Wayne Weimer, Dave Funkhouser and Walter Dixon with me on stage

 This a well run event that showcases the mountain culture of western MD and surrounds. Thanks to Kara Rogers Thomas for inviting us and Greg Latta and the sound crew at the Sowers Stage for making it easy. We were flattered to be included with so many performers of significant stature. Saw Karen Artis, bassist and vocalist with the Allegheny Drifters. Also,  Pat Skipper on fiddle and Jim Rayner on mandolin, who perform as part of the Broken Glass and Rusty Hinges, were nice enough to sit through our set along with their wives.

Loretta Hummel, accompanied by Robert Broadwater and Bill Nelson, preceded us on stage and was kind enough to extend an invitation to an afternoon pickin' party at her home near Grantsville. I went and had a real good time although I had to leave just as things were getting going for another commitment.

I didn't get any photos, darn! But here are two watercolors that seem to capture the day.

Hope we get invited back to both of these events.

Saturday Nights in Garrett County

In the eastern Canadian provinces, they might call it a "kitchen party" or in Ireland, a "session' but in Garrett County, Maryland it'is just a "jam". What you have in any of these venues is real "down home" music, some good food, sweet treats and a lot of fun, I'm lucky to have friends who are kind enough to invite me to their jams and I sure don't like to miss one.

I was invited to the Skipper home this past weekend. And, I sure had a good time. These pickers did a gospel medley that lasted the better part of a half hour.

 

 

 

Another Fun Day at WGMF

A highlight of every February for me is the Gardner Winter Music Festival in Morgantown, WV. The folks there put this on as a tribute to the music of Worley Gardner, an old time music legend in this Appalachian region. Even though the roots of this festival are old-time, the event attracts bluegrass and country musicians as well...all acoustic though stage acts are amped.

I like to get there to pick up new music friends as well as renew old acquaintance and make plans for the coming spring and summer. I had a chance to play with Randy Thomas, Matt Bright and Wayne Weimer who were billed under the group name of Ugly But Friendly which I guess is pretty descriptive of all of us.

Here are a few of the folks who were kind enough to jam with us.

   

Family Reunions

Summertime in the mountains of West Virginia and Western Maryland, like so many places around our land, means it's time for the annual family reunion. In addition to catching up with infrequently seen relatives and friends, family reunions provide clean good fun,  food and mountain music.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Thomas family reunion as part of the entertainment. This makes five years now that my good friend, Randy Thomas, has invited me to be part of the band he puts together just for the event.

Jim Hollis from Terra Alta, WV and the "J.C." of J.C. and the Boys and I joined Randy on stage at Friend's Pavilion in the Sang Run area of Garrett County, MD.  It's a beautiful place right by the Yough River and we couldn't have had more fun. Thanks Randy, hope we get invited back next year.

Spring Fever

We moved the music out of the house, which happens every year about this time.  As soon as the temperatures permit we move our Friday pickin' to the out building shop area. We've been out there for the last three weeks. A hot new picker joined us this year, Scott McMillion, all the way from the state of Washington. That's him in the dark blue shirt, just ripping on that mandolin.

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. 

Ice Jam 2008! Yee Haw!

Well, once again, Butler, Pennsylvania's Ice Jam, was a stellar event for bluegrass fans and pickers alike. Our stay was short but nice...caught up with some old friends and met some new ones. Here are some pictures.

   

Watch for more posts on things we learned about at Ice Jam...like a brand new Allegheny Drifters CD.

Butler Ice Jam

I found this article in the Trib about the Ice Jam coming up this weekend in Butler.  I'll be there on Saturday hoping to pick a few...I'll try and take some pictures too.  A lot of the local folks from my neck of the woods are quoted here about this annual jam.