tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45201276215842965342024-03-12T23:15:15.476-05:00Dana Richard Smithcurrently paintingDana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-46784161552086501822017-03-26T16:15:00.000-05:002017-03-26T16:21:16.693-05:00J Mascis at The Way Out Club (in progress)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dj4boix-pU0/WNgnjhYEy3I/AAAAAAAAK3Q/y3jM3ClZHo0ymMrQnMv8-OaGRy5kkXlUgCLcB/s1600/17548775_10154624603576748_526519079_o.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dj4boix-pU0/WNgnjhYEy3I/AAAAAAAAK3Q/y3jM3ClZHo0ymMrQnMv8-OaGRy5kkXlUgCLcB/s320/17548775_10154624603576748_526519079_o.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
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Many times when I start a new painting I'm always tempted to stop </div>
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after about one or two sessions. A painting at that stage looks so </div>
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new and fresh, it could be anything to anybody.</div>
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Maybe one day when I'm old and tired, I'll just "finish" it when I </div>
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start it and that will be that. What nerve, what arrogance to believe</div>
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just a few hours of work is justified in calling a painting "finished". </div>
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I do like how this looks but will be spending weeks if not months</div>
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fleshing it out. I'll be done with this when I'm sick of looking at it.</div>
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Last Sunday started like any other Sunday, woke up early to paint. </div>
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I have been alternating between pieces on the bands Milton Mapes</div>
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and Wussy. As I get more settled in my creative ways, I prefer early</div>
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morning (6am-10am) and late afternoon/evening (4pm-8pm) for peak </div>
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painting times. Of course, Life always ensures that you're unable to </div>
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be available during those times but on Sunday morning, it's a safe </div>
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bet I'm up early painting. </div>
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About mid-morning I received a invitation to a free ticket for the </div>
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Dinosaur Jr. show happening that night at Delmar Hall. The show was </div>
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sold out and when it was first announcing I had no idea if I'd be able </div>
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to attend so I never bought a ticket, another sad reality of my adult life. </div>
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But the stars had aligned and I was indeed able to attend. </div>
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This was especially nice because I was extremely disappointed in </div>
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missing what would be an historic show the following Tuesday night </div>
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when members of Dinosaur Jr. would be playing in a Stooges cover </div>
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band at The Way Out Club on Jefferson along with legendary punk </div>
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band Negative Approach, Lou Barlow solo and St. Louis band, </div>
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Trauma Harness. Seeing the band live at Delmar Hall would be </div>
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just as good and a dream come true. </div>
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It's impossible to overstate the influence Dinosaur Jr. had over me </div>
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when I was a teenager. First hearing of them in 8th grade when I lived </div>
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in a small town in Maryland, the skaters there were a bit more hip than </div>
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the skaters in the small Missouri town I was originally from. The band </div>
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didn't really invade the skater popular consciousness until 1989 when</div>
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their song "Freak Scene" was featured in the skate video </div>
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"Speed Freaks" during what could arguably be called the </div>
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most anticipated skate video part of 1989, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwNSpHdyYeQ" target="_blank">Mike Vallely's at the end</a>. </div>
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Mike was one of the most popular pro skaters at the time and he </div>
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had just left the huge, corporate company Powell Peralta for the </div>
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smaller, independent company, World Industries and this was his </div>
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first video part since. When watching it today, it's easy to see how </div>
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absolutely defining it was then and even now. Once that </div>
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video came out, thousands of skaters like myself were </div>
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forever changed and Dinosaur Jr. will always be linked with that.</div>
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Because of that I immediately acquired the CD "Bug" and two </div>
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short years later "Green Mind" was released, which was </div>
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literally the soundtrack to my senior year in high school. </div>
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None of this really occurred to me until I was sitting there watching </div>
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them play all of these songs live and all these memories came </div>
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flooding back. </div>
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Which of course made me even more disappointed about missing their </div>
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Tuesday show at The Way Out. To capture an original photograph of </div>
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J Mascis at a small St. Louis club to paint from is what it's all about. </div>
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Thankfully, Jaime Lees was there, <a href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/musicblog/2017/03/22/negative-approach-and-dinosaur-jr-members-played-a-surprise-st-louis-show-last-night" target="_blank">covering the show for the RFT</a> and </div>
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she shared with me an unpublished photograph she took herself. </div>
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5yxVuNDLmo" target="_blank">The Wagon</a></div>
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Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-37283212200029233782016-04-10T22:11:00.000-05:002016-04-10T22:25:22.474-05:00Yellow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7F5SJdaD4nI/VwsVgaVY1uI/AAAAAAAAKyk/oMrsezmEJZIOGRioS27v63NuLXJi6TIhA/s1600/12973558_10153696658916748_8727798594394752466_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7F5SJdaD4nI/VwsVgaVY1uI/AAAAAAAAKyk/oMrsezmEJZIOGRioS27v63NuLXJi6TIhA/s320/12973558_10153696658916748_8727798594394752466_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">For the last few years this blog was updated at least once a month. Those days are long gone now. Life is just too busy for such blatant indulgence and it's no loss. There was a time it kind of served a reflective purpose but like most things, it eventually turned into a bad marketing attempt that simply informed readers of insignificant achievements and listings of when artwork would be on display. So, it fell to the wayside, but I find myself with a moment and wanted to actually expressed some real emotions rather than pitch some event. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Lately the color yellow has been overwhelmingly prevalent in daily thoughts and even subconscious thoughts. It's all because of this building I drive by on a regular basis. It's some bordered up building that was a probably a gas station or something else in it's previous life. The main walls of the structure are painted yellow and when I see it, the color yellow invades my mind and doesn't leave for days. Nightly dreams in yellow hues have even followed, day and night I'm consumed by the color. While working on other paintings my thoughts drift to yellow and I soon lose track of what I'm doing. At first I try to ignore it, thinking it will go away and leave me be. But it doesn't. I don't even consider taking a photograph cause there's no way I'd even have time to start another painting. Life does not care about Art. Life always moves forward, never pausing so you can have the time to get the yellow out of your mind. And if you take a pause from Life at the wrong time, Life will get its revenge and move on without you. So, you bide your time and wait for an opening, a small sliver of time when the walls aren't closing in and you can get a clear thought out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Today I finally had to gave in and start on the piece. A rough sketch in spray paint that's ultimately all wrong but will work as a beginning. The amazing thing about using spray paint is the large amount of color that can quickly be added to the canvas and used as a guide for what will eventually be the final image. It's clearly to clunky and large to be accurate, but the color serves as the perfect roadmap to get you where you're going and you'll still be able to see it's contribution even after you paint over it with acrylic cause it affects everything from color to composition. Lines become shadows while shapes evolve into blocks of solid color that are unique onto themselves. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Ultimately what ends up happening is more time spent painting which after a few days of adjustment, works into a complementary accompaniment to Life. When that hits it's stride, smooth sailing is ahead, for at least awhile, anyway. </span></div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-25527775849483055672015-12-13T17:01:00.004-06:002015-12-13T17:01:48.273-06:00End of Year Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUxzYv-_3AA/Vm3y8Qrq60I/AAAAAAAAKyI/lOk_VoLz7Fw/s1600/11058629_440739792788236_2720753948956232550_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MUxzYv-_3AA/Vm3y8Qrq60I/AAAAAAAAKyI/lOk_VoLz7Fw/s400/11058629_440739792788236_2720753948956232550_o.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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This year was already in full swing before it began. I had started </div>
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a number of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tupelo" target="_blank">Uncle Tupelo</a> paintings for a show that was happening</div>
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in April and they were completed in quick succession from </div>
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Feb-Mar. But prior to that, the first official painting I finished for the</div>
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year 2015 was that of a hot dog. I had an idea of painting menu</div>
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items for a restaurant on small canvases that were bright and </div>
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colorful, easy to see and hang. I approached the restaurant with </div>
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my sample but they were not interested. After all the Uncle Tupelo </div>
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paintings (some of which are hanging at the <a href="http://www.musicrecordshop.com/" target="_blank">Music Record Shop</a>) </div>
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were completed I did a series of buildings for another show that </div>
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was set for the summer at the <a href="http://www.eastcentral.edu/art-gallery/" target="_blank">East Central College Gallery</a>. 8 mid-size </div>
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canvases which are now hanging in Iowa at <a href="http://www.fugitivelens.com/" target="_blank">Karl Haglund’s </a></div>
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<a href="http://www.fugitivelens.com/" target="_blank">photography studio</a>. Next up was the large canvas of <a href="http://www.jayfarrar.net/" target="_blank">Jay Farrar </a></div>
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for the <a href="http://oldrockhouse.com/" target="_blank">Old Rock House</a>. That painting had been started the year </div>
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before but I didn’t finish it until July. Also in July was a great </div>
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event at the <a href="http://www.citymuseum.org/" target="_blank">City Museum</a> featuring the band <a href="http://www.caveofswords.com/" target="_blank">CaveofswordS</a> </div>
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and I snapped a few photos for a future painting. That piece </div>
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was completed soon after. Then I started but never </div>
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completed a painting of Adam Hesed playing Anne Tkach’s </div>
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bass at her tribute show, that piece is currently hanging at </div>
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the <a href="http://www.theticktock.com/" target="_blank">Tick Tock Tavern</a>. Finally, another large painting was just </div>
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completed of the new <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">KDHX</a> building and along with that one </div>
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goes the Wilco A.M. cover painting which is the official last </div>
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painting completed for the year 2015. Twenty-two </div>
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paintings all together.</div>
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<br />Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-91009013176602814652015-10-25T09:31:00.000-05:002015-10-25T09:31:45.285-05:00Iowa Bound<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U8NJKLOh8Eg/VizkP0M6KEI/AAAAAAAAKxs/kjxPA0SGwN4/s1600/IMG_8659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U8NJKLOh8Eg/VizkP0M6KEI/AAAAAAAAKxs/kjxPA0SGwN4/s320/IMG_8659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', 'Segoe UI', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Back in April I painted 8 mid-size canvases of buildings and places</span><br />
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located in the city of St. Louis. The paintings were specifically</div>
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created for a show from Jun – Aug at East Central College</div>
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Gallery in Union, MO. After that show I wrapped them up</div>
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and promptly stored them on a canvas rack in my studio.</div>
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About a month or so later my friend from Iowa, <a href="http://www.fugitiveart.net/" target="_blank">Karl Haglund</a>,</div>
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emailed asking about the paintings. Karl is a painter, well</div>
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known for his guitar paintings but he’s also a photographer</div>
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and has recently opened a new photography studio in his</div>
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home town of Charles City, IA. The studio will not only house</div>
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his printing/painting empire but also serve as a place for him</div>
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to focus on photography and as it so happens, it’s a great</div>
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place for art openings and that’s exactly what he’ll be having</div>
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on Friday Nov 6, featuring, yes, you guessed it, 8 mid-size</div>
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canvases of buildings and places located in the city of St. Louis,</div>
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painted by, me. The show is to help celebrate the grand opening</div>
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of his photography studio and I'm delighted to be a part of it.</div>
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In addition to the paintings there will also be a special musical guest</div>
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star, the phenomenal Chris Grabau (<a href="http://magnoliasummer.com/" target="_blank">Magnolia Summer</a>, <a href="http://www.cavestatesmusic.com/" target="_blank">Cave States</a>)</div>
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will be on hand to perform live at the opening.</div>
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<br /></div>
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRnSsqCr_m4" target="_blank">Cave States</a></div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-67345149351379241202015-08-01T08:16:00.000-05:002015-08-01T08:16:17.961-05:00August<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N8jXOaJI4Vo/VbzBav5BCdI/AAAAAAAAKw8/vNl-xK2LuL8/s1600/IMG_8504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N8jXOaJI4Vo/VbzBav5BCdI/AAAAAAAAKw8/vNl-xK2LuL8/s320/IMG_8504.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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I guess these are considered the dog days of summer, whatever the</div>
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season, I’m glad to be painting. The focus for now is on this piece</div>
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which is the new location of the radio station <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">KDHX</a>, known as the</div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1438434045106_2378" style="font-size: 10pt;">Larry J. Weir Center for Independent Media </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">located in Grand Center.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">It’s a beautiful building that’s been rehabbed into a </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">state of the art</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">media center and features a café plus music venue on the </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ground</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">floor. Needless to say KDHX plays a vital role in the city of St. Louis</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">for a variety of reasons and it’s a joy to be commissioned to paint this </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">piece </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">for a private individual. Yet this is just one of the many projects </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">that I’m </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">currently involved in and it’s great to be knee deep in work. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">There are </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">two events coming up in August that I’d like to mention, </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">both in the same </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">week. First there will be a tiny show at the </span></div>
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<a href="http://www.theticktock.com/" style="font-size: 10pt;" target="_blank">Tick Tock Tavern</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> on Wed Aug 19 </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">starting at 7pm. The Tick Tock will </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">be celebrating all week their 1 year </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">anniversary and have graciously </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">invited me to share in that celebration by </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">allowing me to show work </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">on the wall that connects them with the tasty </span><a href="http://steveshotdogsstl.com/" style="font-size: 10pt;" target="_blank">Steve’s Hot Dogs</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. Since </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">the Tick Tock has been opened they have lined that </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">wall with some </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">simple illustrations I did of notable historic figures such as </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Albert </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Einstein, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Eleanor Roosevelt and</span> <span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1438434045106_2379" style="font-size: 10pt;">General Douglas MacArthur. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">For the </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">show, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I’ll be painting one new piece that will be posted </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">as the event gets closer. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Also for this show </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">I’ll have </span></div>
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<a href="http://danarichardsmith.bigcartel.com/" style="font-size: 10pt;" target="_blank">posters of paintings</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">available </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">for sale. Then on </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Friday Aug 21 will be the reception for the </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">show “To Be </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Determined” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">at the </span><a href="http://www.eastcentral.edu/blog/2015/05/29/paintings-by-st-louis-artist-on-display-this-summer/" style="font-size: 10pt;" target="_blank">East Central College Gallery</a><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> located </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">in Union, MO. This show features 8 new </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">large pieces of </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">buildings and </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">places in the city of St. Louis, plus smaller </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">older </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">pieces. The reception </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">will be from 5pm-7pm and I hope </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">you can make it out to </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">see this </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">group of paintings. For now, back</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">to work.</span></div>
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Now playing – <a href="https://thejansproject.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">The Jans Project</a></div>
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Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-25188418416086352832015-07-01T17:12:00.000-05:002015-07-01T17:12:12.069-05:00Good Busy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xhwNSje-aI/VZRjO4Vj3FI/AAAAAAAAKwU/FvVG5zlxjTs/s1600/IMG_8352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1xhwNSje-aI/VZRjO4Vj3FI/AAAAAAAAKwU/FvVG5zlxjTs/s320/IMG_8352.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The first half of 2015 has been very busy. Two solo shows that took </div>
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up most of the first 6 months preparing for and now the second half</div>
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of 2015 looks to be just as busy with commissions. On the verge of</div>
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completing a new piece for the <a href="http://oldrockhouse.com/" target="_blank">Old Rock House</a>, will then jump right</div>
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into a large canvas of the new <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">KDHX</a> building, in addition to the</div>
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piece pictured above, which will eventually be <a href="http://www.offbroadwaystl.com/" target="_blank">Off Broadway</a>. </div>
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At the end of this week the band <a href="http://www.caveofswords.com/" target="_blank">CaveofswordS</a> will be playing</div>
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at the <a href="http://www.citymuseum.org/" target="_blank">City Museum</a> and I’ll be there photographing for a future </div>
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painting.</div>
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This is just the first grouping of work that will be keeping me busy,</div>
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there’s more on the way. This is great, I love staying busy, especially </div>
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with painting but there is one little problem. The problem of Time. </div>
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Sometimes there just isn’t enough Time to go around. Thankfully, </div>
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those who I’m working with are very understanding and </div>
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accommodating when it comes to time. Many of the pieces I’m </div>
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working on are large and I can be amazingly stubborn if something</div>
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doesn’t look the way I want it to look. I’ll spend countless hours, </div>
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sometimes turning into days or even weeks of working and then </div>
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re-working one small aspect of a painting. To do that requires </div>
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Time and as we all know, Time is running out.</div>
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM6HnDAeR8U" target="_blank">The Chamber Brothers</a></div>
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Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-5063003729034218302015-06-01T19:52:00.000-05:002015-06-01T19:52:01.448-05:00Jay Farrar at the Old Rock House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9LnP5E0bwo/VWz3t5YTnkI/AAAAAAAAKvw/ycmDc_RxsqM/s1600/IMG_8142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F9LnP5E0bwo/VWz3t5YTnkI/AAAAAAAAKvw/ycmDc_RxsqM/s320/IMG_8142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Last Fall <a href="http://www.jayfarrar.net/" target="_blank">Jay Farrar</a> played an acoustic show at the <a href="http://oldrockhouse.com/" target="_blank">Old Rock House</a> </div>
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and I was there, right up front and snapped some nice photos to </div>
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work from for a painting that will eventually go in the Old Rock House. </div>
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I had to put the piece on hold for a number of months for a number of </div>
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reasons but now I’m back at it and hope to complete it soon. The </div>
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packed show was mostly a low key affair, with his brother opening </div>
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while both performers shared current <a href="http://www.sonvolt.net/" target="_blank">Son Volt</a> guitar slinger, </div>
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Gary Hunt, also known as a great multi-instrumentalist. We were</div>
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treated to a mix bag of Farrar/Son Volt tunes and even </div>
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an <a href="http://www.factorybelt.net/" target="_blank">Uncle Tupelo</a> song or two.</div>
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Farrar has lost nothing on his voice, if anything it has aged to </div>
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perfection and the stripped down sound really highlighted how</div>
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incredible it is. His songs are as solid as they come, cornerstones</div>
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of a foundation that started right here in this area, surrounding the</div>
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Mississippi River. While one may miss his <span style="color: #141823; font-size: 10pt;">ferocious </span>electric guitar</div>
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playing, he’s still a force to be reckoned with and this community</div>
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should be damn proud to have produced such an important artist.</div>
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In my excitement of the prospect of painting someone of Farrar’s </div>
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stature, I selected a rather big canvas, 40x60 inches. This will be</div>
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the largest canvas to date that I’ve done for the Old Rock House.</div>
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The size is another reason it’s taken so long to complete. I probably</div>
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didn’t need to go that big, but what the hell.</div>
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<br /></div>
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After looking at this piece from a distance and photographing it, I </div>
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don't like it at all. Gonna start over on him, make him a bit smaller.</div>
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longer and trim it up a bit.</div>
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<br /></div>
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_pDl98Hrek" target="_blank">Jay Farrar</a></div>
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Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-43630875916754006852015-05-01T09:07:00.001-05:002015-05-01T09:09:02.138-05:00To Be Determined<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4btESs7UUA/VUOFezcApJI/AAAAAAAAKuk/uFkcYMv4FTI/s1600/IMG_8114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A4btESs7UUA/VUOFezcApJI/AAAAAAAAKuk/uFkcYMv4FTI/s1600/IMG_8114.JPG" height="236" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few months back I was invited by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Central-College-Gallery/293517799672?fref=ts" target="_blank">East Central College Gallery</a> to show work from Jun through Aug. At the time I was knee deep in Uncle Tupelo paintings, not sure of what to show but still jumped at the great opportunity. I let them know I was interested but wasn't exactly sure of what I would have to show and asked the show be titled "To Be Determined". Amazingly, they were all for it. As soon as the UT pieces were completed, I began work on new mid-large sized paintings.<br />
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Recently two artists, independent of each other, mentioned to me the "rough urban" quality in my work. They meant it as a compliment and that's how I took it as well. This is what I've been thinking about the most while creating this new series of paintings. I'm slowly starting to realize the most important things in painting are lines, shapes and colors. Nothing else really matters and as long as those three qualities are an accurate reflection of who you are as an painter, then it will all work out.<br />
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now playing - <a href="https://soundcloud.com/grandpas-ghost" target="_blank">Grandpa's Ghost</a>Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-75043404151820414332015-04-13T19:05:00.000-05:002015-04-13T19:15:53.038-05:00Anne Tkach<br />
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In 1997 I fulfilled a childhood dream and finally moved to the </div>
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city of St. Louis. At the time I was spending most of my time</div>
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painting and didn’t know anyone in the city except for a few</div>
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skateboarders. Around the block from where I lived was </div>
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some rinky dink gallery and I got involved with them. Sure</div>
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enough in a few months the guy running the place had</div>
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disappeared along with money and all kinds of items that </div>
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belonged to a number of people including myself. That’s </div>
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when I decided to switch back to music and start a band. </div>
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Not knowing one musician in St. Louis, I convinced two friends </div>
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from my hometown of Jackson to move to St. Louis and play </div>
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music with me. It was from this decision that I met so many </div>
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of my current friends, including <a href="http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/rftmusic/2015/04/anne_tkach_1967-2015_remembering_a_wide-ranging_musician.php" target="_blank">Anne Tkach</a>.</div>
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The first time I saw her was at Frederick’s Music Lounge. I </div>
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had just moved in down the street and both Frederick’s and </div>
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Lemmons was in walking distance of the rented house. </div>
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During this time the band she was in, Nadine, were very </div>
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active and would play occasionally at Fred’s. Nadine was a</div>
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real band in every sense of the word, real recordings, real </div>
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CDs, real shows, real manager, real tours, the whole real thing. </div>
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I was very new to this scene and didn’t know a soul. I was</div>
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way too timid and shy to talk to any of the band members, </div>
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but that didn’t stop Anne from talking to me. From there we’d</div>
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bump into each at Fred’s, Lemmons, Way Out Club and Chris</div>
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Deckard’s studio, Radio Penny. The first show I played with</div>
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her was at Lemmons when they were having bands play in</div>
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the basement, she was filling in with Deckard’s band, Incorporated</div>
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and my goofy band was playing also. I still remember walking</div>
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to Lemmons from my house thinking, “Wow, playing a show</div>
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with Anne”.</div>
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After a while I gave up being in a band and went back to painting. </div>
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The first pieces I painted during this time was a series of musicians</div>
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who I had met while playing in bands. These musicians were not</div>
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only in bands I’d go see as a fan, but they were real people</div>
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who I had gotten to know, spend time with and love with all</div>
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my heart. The first batch of paintings included, Mark Stephens,</div>
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Fred Friction, Jason Hutto, Eric Hall, Chris Deckard and</div>
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of course Anne.</div>
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Our friendship blossomed when she started playing in a band</div>
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called Bad Folk. She played drums in this band, and Holy Shit</div>
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could she play the drums. I would talk to her about it and she’d</div>
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just kind of brush it off. The whole idea of Bad Folk was everyone</div>
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in the band was playing an instrument they didn’t normally play.</div>
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But Anne was so damn talented that you would think she was</div>
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drumming all her life. The band contacted me to do some</div>
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artwork for them and over the course of a couple years I hung</div>
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out and worked with them at every opportunity. Their last</div>
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album, which was never release, was to feature a painting I had</div>
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done specifically for them, but it was not to be. Despite the</div>
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album being so amazing, it was never released and the band</div>
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broke up. During that time I would hang out at Anne and Adam’s</div>
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apartment a lot just talking with them about it all, drinking beers</div>
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and generally enjoying their company. I never did understand</div>
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what the hell happened to that band, but out of that break, two</div>
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phenomenal bands developed, Union Electric and</div>
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the great Magic City.</div>
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After that time, our relationship was cemented and I just</div>
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assumed we’d always be friends until we were both old and</div>
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meeting up at the corner tavern. Dare I even say I took for</div>
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granted all the times I would see her? Each time we’d always</div>
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talk and catch up, have drinks, be goofy, be serious and end</div>
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with a big hug. The idea of actually seeing or bumping into</div>
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her somewhere was reason enough to get out of bed, she</div>
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always made everything better. She truly cared and was</div>
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authentic about it, and that’s not just with me, that was with</div>
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everyone. That’s how she treated everyone. One time at the</div>
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Heavy Anchor she off handily mentioned how she’d like to</div>
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jam sometime with me on drums, her on bass and Adam on</div>
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keys. After that I always threatened that I was going to show</div>
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up on her doorstep one day and take her up on her offer. It</div>
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was something I actually dreamed about, thought about all</div>
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the time. But of course life gets in the way of stuff like that. </div>
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She never flinched and said, “We’ll be waiting for you”.</div>
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The last time I saw her was in January. It was a Sunday night</div>
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and kind of late. I got a message from Jaime Lees saying</div>
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Hutto was in town and at Ryder’s. I wanted to see him so</div>
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I headed down there. Sure enough there was Hutto surrounded</div>
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by all these people, it’s always like that. So I grabbed a seat</div>
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at the end of the bar to wait for a break to say “hello”. Jaime</div>
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was there and we started talking and drinking. Then out of</div>
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the corner of my eye, I see someone waving at the other end</div>
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of the bar, it was Anne. She got up, walked down and sat</div>
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down next to me. We just picked right up from where we left</div>
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off the last time we saw each other. We ended up spending the</div>
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whole evening together and thankfully Jaime took some photos. </div>
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Photos I’ll cherish forever. I still can’t believe we’ll never see her again.</div>
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Now playing – <a href="https://soundcloud.com/roughshop/clean-slate-featuring-anne-tkach-on-vocals" target="_blank">Rough Shop</a></div>
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Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-53922067781182352142015-03-01T10:15:00.000-06:002015-03-01T10:19:21.389-06:00University City Library April 2 - 29 "Graveyard Shift"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j4_W5NmxGuE/VPM3cg7MiVI/AAAAAAAAKtc/-gTJzA4p7Og/s1600/UCITYPROMO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j4_W5NmxGuE/VPM3cg7MiVI/AAAAAAAAKtc/-gTJzA4p7Og/s1600/UCITYPROMO.jpg" height="320" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
Once a month I try to write an update to let everyone know what's been going on but it's been so damn crazy lately that there's been no time to write anything. So I'll use this post to promote the show "Graveyard Shift" which opens April 10 at the <a href="http://ucitylibrary.org/" target="_blank">University City Public Library</a>. New paintings of the band Uncle Tupelo. The last 6 months have been spent working on this idea which originated about 2 years ago. It's nice to finally see it all come together. Once these paintings are completed though, I have more work to do for another show that will be this summer, but more on that later. For now, I hope I did justice to this great band whose music will live on forever.<br />
<br />
now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Axx8qmDEpHQ" target="_blank">Uncle Tupelo</a>Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-63251691078263268382015-02-01T10:22:00.000-06:002015-02-01T10:22:11.311-06:00the Music Record Shop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zdt61limZU4/VM5RYgfQLII/AAAAAAAAKr0/WhnxAA_MsD0/s1600/Kisser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Zdt61limZU4/VM5RYgfQLII/AAAAAAAAKr0/WhnxAA_MsD0/s1600/Kisser.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
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The <a href="http://www.musicrecordshop.com/" target="_blank">Music Record Shop</a> is a cool record/tape/CD shop located right between <a href="http://www.thereadyroom.com/" target="_blank">the Ready Room</a> and <a href="http://www.thedemostl.com/" target="_blank">The Demo</a> on Manchester in <a href="http://www.thegrovestl.com/" target="_blank">the Grove</a> area. After talking with Mark and Daniel there, I was allowed to hang a number of paintings and make them available for sale. This is really a great way to get the pieces in front of a lot of people who normally wouldn't see them and it's worked out really well. The shop is very supportive of St. Louis bands and artists, and they're always looking for opportunities to do more. For now, primarily older paintings like the one pictured above are available there, but I did just drop off a brand new piece of the band <a href="https://demonloverstl.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Demon Lover</a>. However, as time goes on, new paintings as they're completed will be added and available for sale. This will be a good reason to get back out and start photographing shows again, something I haven't really been doing for a while now. Be sure to stop in and check out their record selection and see some artwork.</div>
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now playing - records from the Music Record Shop</div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-33739882401391411922015-01-01T09:30:00.002-06:002015-01-01T10:11:38.747-06:00Graveyard Shift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Hzx_s55jMc/VKVl0zwM8yI/AAAAAAAAKrc/dHMPZDWtXvM/s1600/10872102_10204470277375300_2037379879_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Hzx_s55jMc/VKVl0zwM8yI/AAAAAAAAKrc/dHMPZDWtXvM/s1600/10872102_10204470277375300_2037379879_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the last three months I’ve started on what will be the bulk of a<br />
series of paintings on the band <a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_1232816622"></span>Uncle Tupelo</a> for a show at the<br />
<a href="http://ucitylibrary.org/" target="_blank">University City Library</a> in April titled “Graveyard Shift”. The<br />
paintings and show have been a long time coming in what’s<br />
been an evolving set of circumstances that started over a<br />
year ago in 2013. Way back then, Iowa artist <a href="http://www.karlhaglund.com/" target="_blank">Karl Haglund</a><br />
and myself daydreamed about having a joint show at some<br />
point in the future and brainstormed on what that show could<br />
consist of. After many emails back and forth, we settled on<br />
Uncle Tupelo. We both had our own reasons for that subject and<br />
it seemed like nice common ground for us to meet on. Unfortunately,<br />
for many more reasons, that show never happened. Karl did,<br />
however, show a series of great paintings based on St. Louis guitar<br />
players this past Oct at <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">KDHX</a> titled “<a href="http://kdhx.org/arts/visual-and-performing-arts/ive-always-been-drawn-to-guitars-as-creative-tools-an-interview-with-artist-karl-haglund" target="_blank">Fifteen Keys</a>”, but the<br />
titled was the only reference to Uncle Tupelo.</div>
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I was stalled for a long time because of lack of images to paint. Sure<br />
I could have gone online and googled a bunch of UT pictures but<br />
that really didn’t interest me. I wanted images that weren’t well<br />
known or even published. Photos from people who were actually<br />
there and experienced what was happening. But that was proving<br />
hard to find, at least for me. Eventually, though, slowly but surely,<br />
I started to acquire beautiful photographs from various people<br />
who were either there or actually took the photo themselves.<br />
This includes two incredible black and white photographs,<br />
one of the original trio playing what appears to be a cramped<br />
show at the infamous Cicero’s basement venue circa 1990<br />
and another of the band, along with Brian Henneman (from<br />
<a href="http://www.bottlerocketsmusic.com/" target="_blank">The Bottle Rockets</a>) sitting in the well-worn upstairs apartment<br />
the band rented in Belleville, IL.</div>
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Another trio of photos came from the last show UT played which<br />
was at Mississippi Nights on May 1, 1994. The photographer<br />
snapped 3 photos before being ordered by security to cut it out<br />
or the film would be confiscated. No more photos were taken,<br />
but these 3 are really incredible and have never been seen by the<br />
public at large. These images along with three other paintings I<br />
had already started of the cover art of the first three UT albums<br />
will make up all the pieces for the show.</div>
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In addition to these paintings, <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/sound-salvation" target="_blank">Steve Pick</a> will write an essay<br />
(for lack of a better word) to go along with the exhibit. The essay<br />
won’t exactly be about Uncle Tupelo, though that will be main<br />
premise, but more about what it was like to be around during that<br />
time. To watch a band form, develop, play live shows, gain a following,<br />
tour, recording, etc. Try and help put things in context for those, like<br />
myself, who were not around to experience it. In short, he’ll offer much<br />
needed perspective on what a rare and exciting thing this was.</div>
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As you can see there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done on<br />
these pieces. I only have 3 months left to complete them.</div>
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKo_1rVClOk" target="_blank">Uncle Tupelo</a></div>
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Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-70904775914907653252014-12-01T21:31:00.000-06:002014-12-01T21:42:49.504-06:00Jay Farrar at the Old Rock House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYOJJpQd6NE/VH0yPrdcrsI/AAAAAAAAKq0/TpDlTigTXcM/s1600/roughjay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aYOJJpQd6NE/VH0yPrdcrsI/AAAAAAAAKq0/TpDlTigTXcM/s1600/roughjay.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The other night Jay Farrar played an acoustic solo show at the Old Rock House. It was a tremendous performance full of newer, older and classic songs. I was lucky enough to be up front snapping a few pictures to work from for a painting. The piece has already gone through some dramatic changes and I anticipate many more to come. It's been difficult lately to organize and collect thoughts, outside influences have preoccupied my mind. For the last three days I've been working on this piece while listening to the newly released Basement Tapes and I'll continue to do so.Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-39819535561663771342014-11-01T10:21:00.002-05:002014-11-01T10:21:47.716-05:00Staying Busy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The last 8 months involved very intense, concentrated time painting. I thought once that was completed I would take a break for a bit but just as soon as I thought that, other things ramped up, good things. A couple new businesses in town invited me to display work in their space. <a href="http://www.theticktock.com/" target="_blank">The Tick Tock Tavern</a>, a new bar on Magnolia, asked about some portraits I had done of historic figures like Eleanor Roosevelt, Lee Harvey Oswald and Albert Einstein. These portraits are somewhat characters done on paper outlined with black paint. Nicely framed and now <a href="https://twitter.com/asbestossister/status/520048192558092288" target="_blank">hanging in their hallway</a> that connects them with Steve's Hot Dogs. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/musicrecordshop" target="_blank">The Music Record Shop</a>, a new record store on Manchester in the Grove, inquired about some paintings I'd done of St. Louis musicians, past and present. A week before their grand opening, I spent four hours hanging 20 something paintings on their bare walls. These paintings were just sitting in my studio collecting dust but now their on display for customer's to see. Very grateful to those two businesses for giving me some space on their walls.<br />
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Then some group shows popped up. With the first two being on the same date. Saturday Nov 8. <a href="http://choiceartstl.com/" target="_blank">ChoiceArt</a> will be holding their annual fund raiser at the <a href="http://camstl.org/" target="_blank">Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis</a> with proceeds going to Planned Parenthood, a cause I very much believe in and I'm honored to have donated a painting for this event. On the same night, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CityOfNightSTL" target="_blank">City of Night St. Louis</a> is holding a group art show at the ever popular <a href="http://wakfoundation.org/" target="_blank">William A Kerr Foundation</a>. This show will feature many St. Louis artists and I'm very excited to be a part of it. Another event in December for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Poetry-Scores/175872215821359" target="_blank">Poetry Scores</a> also came up involving <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SAC.STL" target="_blank">The Screwed Arts Collective</a>, so staying busy on all those fronts.<br />
<br />
Have also been completing many commissions that have come my way recently, like the one pictured above. It's always a nice boost to have people interested in your work and to have you do a special piece for them or as a gift they plan on giving someone. So you keep on going and staying busy, which is the best thing to do anyway. All the while gearing up for painting new pieces for a show in April at the <a href="http://ucitylibrary.org/" target="_blank">University City Library</a>.<br />
<br />
Very grateful to be spending my time thinking about and painting pictures in St. Louis, MO.<br />
<br />
Now playing - <a href="https://erichall.bandcamp.com/track/live-at-undercurrent-10-the-schlafly-tap-room-saint-louis-mo-on-october-30th-2014" target="_blank">great set from Eric Hall at the Tap Room on Oct 30</a>.Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-30094162868925486852014-10-01T12:43:00.001-05:002014-10-01T12:43:35.244-05:00Town Cars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QO7CdVNdz6c/VCw7YjU0ISI/AAAAAAAAKpQ/Vjfa5wCsLw4/s1600/towncars4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QO7CdVNdz6c/VCw7YjU0ISI/AAAAAAAAKpQ/Vjfa5wCsLw4/s1600/towncars4.jpg" height="255" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />At the beginning of this year I was
contacted by Melinda Cooper, musician extraordinaire, about artwork for a
CD her band was working on. The band she’s in, <a href="http://towncars.bandcamp.com/releases" target="_blank">Town Cars</a>, was in the
process of completing recording sessions and she was interested
in having some paintings included in the CD packaging. I had known
Melinda for some time, first meeting her when another band she’s in,
<a href="http://theunionelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Union Electric</a>, opened for <a href="http://theodoremusic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Theodore</a> at the <a href="http://oldrockhouse.com/" target="_blank">Old Rock House</a>. For that
particular show Melinda was playing drums. As far as
I knew she was a bass player but apparently their regular drummer was
unavailable so she moved to drums and they had a guest,
<a href="http://www.celiaisrock.com/" target="_blank"><span class="yiv9410063701entity">Celia Shackattack</span></a>, play bass. I
had seen Union Electric many times and wasn’t sure what to expect. I
was blown away by Melinda and her drumming. Over the next few years,
when I would see her perform it was always on bass again, and
she’s an amazing bass player as well. Then during a special event at
<a href="http://www.offbroadwaystl.com/" target="_blank">Off Broadway</a>, “Label Day” for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tower-Groove-Records/235118339850827" target="_blank">Tower Groove Records</a>, I got to see a side
project of hers called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TownCarsMusics" target="_blank">Town Cars</a>. She was playing acoustic guitar and
had a drummer plus a keyboard player. Again,
I was blown away by her singing and playing. At that point I was
convinced she can do anything musically. So when she contacted me about
possibility of using paintings for the CD packing of the new Town Cars
album, I was all for it.</div>
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We talked about what she had in mind
and worked out a deal. She sent me photos she had taken of her rehearsal
space and I based the paintings off of those photographs. To keep
things interesting, I used small canvases and painted in oil.
Normally I use acrylic but wanted to mix things up a bit and do these
pieces in oil. I did four pieces in all and was very happy with how they
turned out. Three of the pieces were used through the packaging of the
CD and the whole thing turned out great, the
best part being the tunes, of course. Seriously, the songs on the CD
are truly great and Melinda continues to amaze me with her abilities and
talents. The thing I love most about these songs are the melodies,
tremendous melodies and counter melodies throughout
this disk.
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A CD listening and release party for
the CD, titled “Hearts and Stars”, has been slated for Saturday Oct 11
at the newly opened <a href="http://www.theticktock.com/" target="_blank">Tick Tock Tavern</a> on Magnolia St. In addition to
hearing and getting a copy of the CD, the four paintings I
did for Melinda will be on display at the party. The CD is being
released through <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ExtensionChordRecords" target="_blank">Extension Chord Records</a>.</div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-42292064827433355622014-09-01T12:26:00.000-05:002014-09-01T12:26:40.498-05:00Time<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 2014</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sept 2014</td></tr>
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Started this back in February and have worked on it pretty much daily, if I wasn't out of town and still working on it today. A painting can go on forever, the point is to never finish it so it has the chance to grow on it's own. When all options and avenues have been exhausted then it drivels up and dies. How and when a painting is completed is up to each and every viewer, if this component is lost or taken away, then the painting is dead. These are the things I've been thinking about while working on it day after day while listening to a never ending cascade of Rock and Roll music. All of that requires Time, lots of Time. Time is occasionally a road block then it turns around and becomes a booster. It's constantly shifting and changing to suit it's own needs leaving you in the wake for better or worse. You can never master Time, you simply have to learn how to adjust to it's fleeting nature. Even then, if you're not careful, you'll be thrown for a loop and need a week to recover. The best moments always come when you've convinced yourself that Time no longer exists. When this happens your mind is most free to create on demand with no guilt, judgement or fear. The greatest momentum is always captured during this Time. But before long your mind snaps back and consciousness reminds you that Time does indeed exist and it demands respect.<br />
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-VoAlWGY5A" target="_blank">The Rolling Stones</a>Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-91725956695660691062014-08-01T20:18:00.000-05:002014-09-30T14:56:25.771-05:00Brochure<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ygx7SkDV9Xw/U9w535cqp_I/AAAAAAAAKnA/tYj6yBxP82Q/s1600/brochure.jpg-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ygx7SkDV9Xw/U9w535cqp_I/AAAAAAAAKnA/tYj6yBxP82Q/s1600/brochure.jpg-2.jpg" height="247" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">Here’s something I’ve been working on for a while now. A few months back an artist I admired had died, </span><a href="http://www.semissourian.com/story/1985395.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;" target="_blank">Herb Wickham</a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">, and while going through my collection of prints looking for the one I purchased from him, I ran across a nice brochure that came with the print. The brochure was a standard thing I assume most working artist have or use to rely heavily on to drum up business. Nowadays with the internet a brochure might not be as in demand but it planted a seed in my mind that slowly started to grow. When it finally came time to do something about it, I was at a loss, how the hell do you make a brochure? </span></div>
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I asked around but never got any real info on how it’s done or what to do. I began to think it was something that’s just too obsolete in this day and age. Then I started poking around on my computer, low and behold, a brochure template was sitting there at the very bottom of some generic canned program. So I slowly started to work on it and now I have something I can send out. </div>
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Up till now I have not been very active in approaching potential clients for commission work. Luckily, thankfully, the work I have gotten has been word of mouth and they have contacted me. This is really a great feeling and a real confidence boost but eventually you have to get the word out there somehow. For now I’ll send these out to clubs, bars, restaurants and venues to see if there’s any interest. Perhaps having something tangible in hand will be a little better than a digital image? And for those reading this, please do know I am available for commissions.</div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-52165301172106580472014-07-01T21:37:00.000-05:002014-07-01T21:37:09.081-05:00Demonlover at the Heavy Anchor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">I started this piece a few months ago and then just let it be. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">I’m now knee deep in a large scale painting that’s taking up all my time but I do plan on returning to it and finishing it by the end of the year in time for a show in January at the University City Library.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">It will probably be the only new piece in the show depending on how much time I have.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">It’s from an old photograph taken a few years ago when the bass player was about to leave for a time, it was a “last show” of sorts, but not really.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">Thankfully the bass player came back soon after and they play out more often albeit not as often due to the drummer living in Kentucky. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"> </span><br />
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When they do play live it’s a pure joy to witness the interaction between the players which helps one understand their music, even if for a brief moment. Their special blend of Psych Country & Western Rock can send the most harden of us into a psychedelic prairie of our own delight with their excellent balance of prepared material cycling in and out of masterful improvising. However, be ready for a sharp change, cause it’s coming.</div>
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now playing - <a href="http://demonloverstl.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Demonlover</a></div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-23057047255453726292014-06-01T09:19:00.000-05:002014-06-01T09:19:03.740-05:00Prints<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Br79GwbECQ/U4sv7l-R8tI/AAAAAAAAKk8/ZLi4BbE7YGY/s1600/Frederick%2527s+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9Br79GwbECQ/U4sv7l-R8tI/AAAAAAAAKk8/ZLi4BbE7YGY/s1600/Frederick%2527s+.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
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Prints of selected paintings are now available through <a href="http://danarichardsmith.bigcartel.com/" target="_blank">Big Cartel</a> for safe and secure online purchasing. These have been a long time coming and I’m grateful to everyone’s help in making it a reality.</div>
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Probably the print I’m most excited about is of <a href="http://home.mindspring.com/~stlska/fredericksindex.htm" target="_blank">Frederick’s Music Lounge</a>. Most people remember Fred’s as a local hangout for musicians and artists from the early to mid-aughts. Originally owned by <span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;">Frederick Boettcher Sr</span></span><span class="yiv6315463403st" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;"><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;">.</span></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;"> </span>and had an interesting life of its own under his ownership, it was passed down to his children and ran by his son Fred Friction along with the wonderful Paul Stark. It quickly became the clubhouse for many of us involved with the local music scene. Many late nights were spent listening and playing music in the downstairs area and it’s missed tremendously. It’s impossible to overstate its impact on the music community but eventually it had to close down. Before it closed I snapped a photo one snowy night and created a painting of it. <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/memphis-to-manchester" target="_blank">John Wendland</a> saw the painting and inquired about purchasing it. At the time my studio was located in the basement of a building on the corner of Cherokee and Compton. The building housed Typo Café ran by <a href="http://kdhx.org/about/inside-kdhx/881-kdhx-dj-spotlight-tim-rakel-of-mystery-train" target="_blank">Tim Rakel</a> and <a href="http://www.scribd.com/robert1strasser" target="_blank">Robert Strasser</a>, next door to that was the Tin Ceiling Theatre Company. I would be busy painting away in the basement while actors rehearsed their lines upstairs and people enjoyed coffee and tea in the wireless free café (no internet connect on purpose). We’d have monthly <a href="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/asbestossister/756173-R1-042-19A.jpg" target="_blank">art shows</a> in the <a href="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/asbestossister/756170-R1-014-5A.jpg" target="_blank">café</a> and enjoyed the general low-key aspect of the area. This is where John met me to pick up the Frederick’s painting. And like that he was gone, carrying the painting off to his car and I haven’t seen it since. </div>
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Fast forward to today and thanks to <a href="http://www.karlhaglund.com/" target="_blank">Karl Haglund</a>, I’ve finally figured out how to get nice quality prints made up of paintings. Out of the blue I received and email from the great Rick Wood who said he’d be happy to help get a hi-quality photograph of the Frederick’s painting for me and with John’s permission, I had a jpg to work with for the prints. In addition to the Frederick’s prints I also have a few other paintings available as well in print form. “<a href="http://danarichardsmith.bigcartel.com/product/punk-band-at-cbgb-stl-11x14-inch-print" target="_blank">Maximum Effort at CBGBs</a>”, “<a href="http://danarichardsmith.bigcartel.com/product/pinball-at-cbgb-stl-11x14-inch-print" target="_blank">Pinball at CBGBs</a>”, “<a href="http://danarichardsmith.bigcartel.com/product/vintage-vinyl-11x14-inch-print" target="_blank">Vintage Vinyl</a>” and soon there will be “<span class="yiv6315463403hascaption" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/DanaRichardSmith/photos/a.138637256331826.1073741832.132631113599107/229106583951559/?type=1&notif_t=like" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 1.2em; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Old Capital Square Dance Club</span> at <span style="color: windowtext; line-height: 1.2em; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">2720 Cherokee</span></a>”. The prints are shipped without a frame in a secure tube via the US postal service. The more prints that sell, the more paintings I can have made into prints. Also, special thanks to Steve Nagy (does great work and can be contacted at <a href="https://us-mg6.mail.yahoo.com/compose?to=eospictureguy@yahoo.com">eospictureguy@yahoo.com</a>) and <a href="http://www.ellysdoghouse.com/" target="_blank">Elly Smith</a> for help with photographing the paintings.</span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv6315463403hascaption" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline: none;">One last thing. Along with the prints is one other item, a postcard. The postcard is of the painting of the Buttery. The original painting was donated to a special event last year, <a href="http://bob-reuter.com/" target="_blank">Bob Reuter</a>’s Memorial. The money raised from the painting was given to his foundation, the <a href="http://www.cowboyangel.org/" target="_blank">Cowboy Angel Foundation</a>. With Bob in mind, I am offering the postcard for $3.00 ($2.00 shipping) and all money raised will be given directly to his foundation. We all miss Bob tremendously.</span></span></div>
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go1rd_IKlv0" target="_blank">Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost</a></div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-21759527297165456942014-05-04T10:05:00.000-05:002014-05-04T10:05:06.094-05:00Bonnie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Over the weekend, two really great people got engaged to each other. The artist <a href="http://jennhig.com/" target="_blank">Jennifer Higerd</a> and musician <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mattharnishspinkguitar" target="_blank">Matt Harnish</a>. In celebration of this event I painted their dog, the wonderful Bonnie. The painting is now in their possession and I wish them a lifetime of happiness. <br />
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<br />Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-71873991800027110122014-04-01T11:49:00.000-05:002014-04-01T12:47:55.441-05:00Uncle Tupelo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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May 1, 1994. Important date in Rock and Roll history? In the grand scheme of things it’s probably not but it should be. That’s the last time the three original members of the Belleville, IL band, <a href="http://uncletupelo.com/" target="_blank">Uncle Tupelo</a>, played together in public. The show was at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_Nights" target="_blank">Mississippi Nights</a> in St. Louis and it was after original drummer, Mike Heidorn, had left the band but at the end of the show he got behind the kit for one last hurrah. I’ve been thinking a lot about Uncle Tupelo lately. A few months back the artist <a href="http://www.karlhaglund.com/" target="_blank">Karl Haglund</a> contacted me about doing an Uncle Tupelo themed show. Karl is well known for his guitar paintings and we bounced around some ideas of what the show should consist of. I was kind of at a loss cause I usually work from photographs I take myself of a band or musician performing but that wasn’t going to be possible. Karl suggested painting their album covers and that seemed like a good idea, so I started on some, still working on them as you can see from the images above. <br />
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Around the same time Karl and I was discussing this, my friend <a href="http://confluencecity.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Chris King</a> contacted me out of the blue and said he’d been sneaking over to Belleville, IL to visit his friend Mike Heidorn and I was invited to tag along next time he went. Needless to say I jumped at the chance to meet and hang out with the drummer who played on three of my favorite albums. </div>
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I came to discover Uncle Tupelo in a backwards fashion. During their heyday I was too young to attend most of their gigs and I didn’t live in the area. They were simply off my radar. It wasn’t until I was given a blank cassette by my friend Tony in 1995 did they begin to creep into my consciousness. The cassette had Wilco’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.M._(Wilco_album)" target="_blank">first album</a> on one side and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trace_(album)" target="_blank">Son Volt’s first</a> on the other. At the time I was living in the hills of Southern Illinois in a cheap store front apartment located in the tiny town of Murphysboro, IL. I had two jobs, one, writing for the Carbondale based newspaper, <a href="http://www.carbondalerocks.com/" target="_blank">Nightlife</a> and two, driving fixed and wrecked Airborne Express vans back and forth from Jackson, MO to Memphis, TN. For Nightlife I’d write about Cape Girardeau, MO musicians like Bob Camp and bands like <a href="http://jeffersonfox.bandcamp.com/album/wahoo-drench" target="_blank">Drench</a> (recorded by <a href="http://tapeop.com/interviews/98/lou-whitney/" target="_blank">Lou Whitney</a>). To get to Cape from Murphysboro I’d take Route 3 and it was about a 45 min drive. On those drives I’d listen to one tape, the Wilco/Son Volt tape, over and over and over again. The next year I was given a copy of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_16%E2%80%9320,_1992" target="_blank">"March 16-20, 1992"</a><span class="yiv0162294733st" id="yui_3_13_0_1_1396370375827_2059"><span id="yui_3_13_0_1_1396370375827_2058" style="color: #222222;"> by my friend Marty and from that I began to piece together the two voices I’d been hearing on that first cassette. By then Uncle Tupelo was ancient history and I don’t think it was quite understood how important they would be from a historical point of view. But I dove in deep and inhaled their first three albums as if they were new signs of life. </span></span></div>
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When I finally moved to St. Louis I loved hearing all the stories about their early days at Cicero’s and personal insights from people I started to get to know. I had clearly missed out on something special that had started right here. Which brings us back to Chris King and his invite to hang out with Mike Heidorn. Giddy would be an understatement, but I try not to show it. What has ended up happening are informal hootenannies with everyone sitting around his kitchen table with guitars, drinking Stag (of course) and playing songs. The highlight so far has been singing the Stones “Far Away Eyes” with Chris along with Mike and Fred Friction on acoustic guitars. I can die happy now.</div>
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Now playing – <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLokSlmAsKs" target="_blank">Uncle Tupelo May 1, 1994</a></div>
<br />Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-14117973743279941142014-03-01T10:10:00.000-06:002014-03-02T10:29:23.469-06:00KDHX<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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10 years ago I called my old friend Mike Cook and asked him if I could borrow his camera. Mike being the great guy that he is said “of course”. He asked what I wanted it for. I told him I wanted to drive around town and photograph buildings that I wanted to do paintings of. He thought that was a great idea and happily lent me his camera. I drove around mainly South City taking photos. First stop was an <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/1390605_172495426279342_371663010_n.jpg" target="_blank">abandoned building</a> I passed by daily, then I headed over to Cherokee St. to photograph<a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/964961_139005439628341_2054375823_o.jpg" target="_blank"> Fort Gondo</a>, then up to Lemp to snap <a href="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1009955_216206785241539_2066998030_n.jpg" target="_blank">Radio Penny Studios</a>. Also on my list were clubs like <a href="https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1/1010981_147126722149546_246078978_n.jpg" target="_blank">Frederick’s Music Lounge</a> and <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1/1069837_149889545206597_320752875_n.jpg" target="_blank">Lemmons</a> as well as restaurants such as <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/t1/995609_139425569586328_295710607_n.jpg" target="_blank">Courtesy</a>, <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1/5966_141101009418784_625559160_n.jpg" target="_blank">The Buttery</a> and <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/t1/421894_144554235740128_1479540065_n.jpg" target="_blank">Eat Rite</a>. Plus local radio stations like <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/t1/1009755_144124919116393_871161541_n.jpg" target="_blank">3WK</a> and <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/1071581_149488461913372_1522115930_o.jpg" target="_blank">KDHX</a>. I remember the day I photographed <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">KDHX</a>, there was ice everywhere and it was cold. I parked my car and got out to snap a quick shot. Standing in the doorway was <a href="http://www.cowboyangel.org/" target="_blank">Bob Reuter</a>, I loved Bob but at that time didn’t want him in the photo, so I wanted until he went back inside and then I took my shot. Do I regret that now. Regardless, from that shot I did <a href="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t31/1071581_149488461913372_1522115930_o.jpg" target="_blank">this painting</a> and was really happy with how it turned out. Awhile later I was involved with a holiday art show organized by a group known as “The Independent Art Market” which included Eric Woods from <a href="http://www.firecrackerpress.com/" target="_blank">Firecracker Press</a> as well as <a href="http://www.alivemag.com/blog/index.php/2014/02/local-love-kung-fu-chickens-carmelita-nunez/" target="_blank">Carmelita Nunez</a> and Daniel Shown from <a href="http://kungfuchicken.com/" target="_blank">Kung Fu Chicken</a>. They saw the KDHX painting, snatched it up quickly and have owned it ever since. And that was that, the painting was gone almost as soon as I had painted it.<br />
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Back then, even before and still now I have a fondness for KDHX. It plays such a vital role in our music community and is central to so much going on locally. Over the years there have been so many shows I’ve enjoyed and loved. Fred Friction’s “Fishing With Dynamite”, Bob Reuter’s “Bob’s Scratchy Records”, Randall Roberts’ “Sovereign Glory”, Rene Saller’s "Suffragette City", <a href="http://kdhx.org/play/723-brett-underwood/" target="_blank">Brett Underwood’s</a> “No Show”, plus the shows that are still going on today like, just to name a few, John Wendland “<a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/memphis-to-manchester" target="_blank">Memphis to Manchester</a>", Jeff Hess' "<a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/afternoon-delight" target="_blank">Afternoon Delight</a>", Tim Rakel’s “<a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/mystery-train" target="_blank">Mystery Train</a>”, Steve Pick’s “<a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/sound-salvation" target="_blank">Sound Salvation</a>”, Cat Pick’s “<a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/emotional-rescue" target="_blank">Emotional Rescue</a>”, Rob Levy’s “<a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/juxtaposition" target="_blank">Juxtaposition</a>” and my current favorite, Josh Weinstein’s “<a href="http://kdhx.org/play/radio-shows/all-soul-no-borders" target="_blank">All Soul No Borders</a>”. “All Soul No Borders” comes on Sunday nights at 10pm and if I’m not reading then I’m painting and that always goes well with whatever Josh plays which relies heavily on jazz and experimental. But <a href="http://kdhx.org/radio/881-kdhx-schedule-shows-and-playlists" target="_blank">check the shows</a> for yourself, I’m sure you’ll find something you can dig.</div>
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As most people know, KDHX recently moved their South City location on Magnolia over to Midtown in Grand Center on Washington Blvd. It was a bitter sweet move for sure cause that original location had seen the station grow leaps and bounds over the 25 plus years it was located there. But the new location and building is truly magnificent and fitting for such an important St. Louis institution. I’ve worked in Grand Center for the last 16 years and have seen it changed over the years. I can remember eating my lunch in the grass field that use to be next to the Continental building which is now a multi-level parking garage and apparently more parking garages are on the way. Some of these changes have been great, like more restaurants, apartments and radio stations moving to the area but some have not been so great, like <a href="http://devilattheconfluence.blogspot.com/2011/05/palladium-building-st-louis-missouri.html" target="_blank">more buildings being torn down or <span style="color: black;">threatened</span> to be torn down</a>. I remember fondly when a row a buildings use to sit on the north corner of Lindall and Grand and you’d have to go down a set of stairs to get to Vito’s which sold pizza by the slice for lunch at only a dollar a slice. I loved going down there, it was all brick and always crowded at lunch time, the price was right too. Those buildings are gone now and Vito’s has moved a little bit down the street. But that’s progress I guess. More buildings are in danger of being torn down but others are being built back up, including the building KDHX is now in which had been vacant for many years. The last thing I remember in that building was the music venue The Creepy Crawl. </div>
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Recently I was invited to take a tour of the new KDHX studios and I happily accepted. The new space is simply amazing with offices, recording studios, DJ booths, storage space all on the upper floors. A cool looking performance venue on the bottom floor along with a nice little café named after the old studio, the Magnolia Café.</div>
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After this tour I was invited to participate in the decorating of the café. Over the years people at the station had seen the painting I did 10 years ago of the original building. They had initially expressed interest in this painting but I let them know it was no longer in my possession and belonged to Carmelita and Daniel. So they proposed I paint a new one only this time the size would be much larger and they showed me the place it could hang in the café. I was ecstatic, of course I’d paint them a new one, that would be an immense honor. The new painting will be 68x68 inches, the largest canvas I’ve ever completed. My friend and fellow artist, <a href="http://jeremyrabus.com/" target="_blank">Jeremy Rabus</a>, built the custom canvas and did a fantastic job with it. But it’s too large to fit in my basement studio, so I hung it on the wall of the hallway in my home as you enter the front door and I’ll just work on it from there. Will probably take at least a few months to complete. </div>
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now playing - <a href="http://kdhx.org/" target="_blank">KDHX</a></div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-29049010733316633702014-02-01T09:01:00.000-06:002014-02-01T09:01:23.368-06:00Donny Besancenez<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you have any kind of online presence at all, more than likely you use social media. I do know people who have no use for social media and I somewhat admire them, I would prefer to be that way. But I’m not. I have a Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ and Facebook account. I have stopped short with Instagram, not because I don’t like images, I love images. Just never gotten around to figuring it out and I am a little apprehensive about using a program that modifies images. Perhaps I’m not understanding Instagram, but from what I’d gathered, it takes photos and makes them look old or rustic or whatever. Maybe it doesn’t do that anymore, or you can control that, but as you can see, I don’t care enough about it to even find out. <br />
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Out of all of those I am most active on Facebook and its Facebook I have to thank for the piece you see above. It’s of <span class="yiv5734109360usercontent" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1391266184364_1861"><span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1391266184364_1860" lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Donny Besancenez and he had posted the original photo on FB. Then he “tagged” me in a comment and said he’d love to have a painting of it. It was very nice thing for someone to say in such a public forum. I’ve known Donny for a number of years but I wouldn’t say we know each other well. He use to be very active in the local music scene, running sound for clubs, engineering recordings and playing in his band <a href="http://www.playbackstl.com/archive/95/2582-tripstar--at-the-instar-motel" target="_blank">Tripstar</a>. He’s been a few bands since and still does play out now, currently in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/coldheartedstrangers" target="_blank">Cold Hearted Strangers</a>. The first time I met him was at a club down on the Landing. He was the soundman and my band at the time and been asked to play a last minute show. We jumped at it. Of course it was last minute cause St. Louis was about to get dumped with a half foot of snow and whatever band was booked couldn’t make it. So at a moment’s notice we were ready. We get to the club and are greeted by Donny. He was great and did a phenomenal job with the sound. We hadn’t played too many shows at that point and used a drum machine, samples, moog, lots of electronic stuff that most clubs at the time had no idea what to do with. But Donny knew exactly how to mic everything up and how the mix should be. We played a great set thanks to him. But, as usual, not one person was there besides the bartender and Donny. Oh well. </span></span></div>
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<span class="yiv5734109360usercontent"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Since then we’d always see each other at shows or traded with each other whatever music we’ve been doing. Nothing big but a mutual respect for each other. And I greatly appreciate it and very happy to be working on this piece. </span></span></div>
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While working on this piece word came through that trusty ole Facebook that a friend of ours had died. <a href="http://gustavepdt.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Christopher Gustave</a> was an artist from Arizona who had lived in St. Louis for a number of years and did a wide variety of art from photographs to graphic design and everything in between. Donny and him were closer as friends than I was but I did greatly enjoy his company, particularly at art openings. You could say we had the same mindset about certain things and could relate to each other effortlessly. Everyone has someone they know who they can go weeks or even months without seeing and then, when you do get to see each other you just fall right into wherever you left off at and pick it right back up. Chris and I were like that. A very talented artist who also could be difficult but I can’t really fault him for that, I can be very difficult myself. He had left St. Louis a few years ago and went to New York City and then relocated again, back to his home town Phoenix, AZ. I don’t have the details of his death, just heard various things from Facebook postings. I’ve yet to muster the courage to ask someone who knows, what exactly happened. What I do know is that he’s gone now and we’ll never see him again. Thankfully he left the world with a ton of artwork and I’m glad I got to hang out with him. </div>
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now playing - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqA0mQHe9_U" target="_blank">Spiritualized </a></div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-16592425314158501372014-01-01T08:37:00.000-06:002014-01-01T08:47:52.703-06:00Ellen the Felon at the Skatium<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388585847153_2185"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Back in Nov I stopped by </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Louis-Skatium/209984139057730" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the Skatium</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> in South St. Louis for the </span><a href="http://www.stlmag.com/Blogs/Look-Listen/December-2013/Talking-to-Ellen-The-Felon-About-Her-New-CD-Bang-Bang-Bang/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellen the Felon CD release show</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, “Bang, Bang, Bang”. The Skatium is a roller rink that also hosts live music shows. It had been about 20 years since I stepped into a skating rink but for those who know me well, I literally grew up in one. From the age of 7 to 18 a majority of my time was spent at the skating rink located in my hometown known as </span><a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u90vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Wt0FAAAAIBAJ&dq=jackson%20skating%20rink&pg=1324%2C874199" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Jackson Skate Center</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. When I first started going there it was owned by a distant relative, the great </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Woodie</span> Seabaugh and it was known as <a href="http://www.capecentralhigh.com/cape-photos/jackson-skating-rink/" target="_blank">The Roll-O-Fun</a>. Woodie ran a tight ship but everyone had a good time, plenty of candy, soda and music. When I was about 9 years old the <span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388585847153_2066">rink was bought by a new owner from out of town, the legendary Cliff Wilson. Cliff was primarily an auto body man and had a shop in town as well. His two children, Kristie and Brian quickly became my friends even though they were a few years older than me. Thus started my 10 + year association with the rink which went from becoming the local rink rat to fixing skates, working behind the concession counter, floor guard and eventually DJ (my favorite). By the end of my time at the rink Brian and I had created a skateboard park along with a skate shop that included a 4 foot high 12 foot wide mini half pipe outside. We were even booking local bands to play live while people skated such as The Church of Bowling, Simple Mary, <span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388585847153_2663" lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">Paperclip Nun, Gikk, Chemical Billy, </span>The Honey Offering, </span><span lang="EN">Lungbutter, Brave Little Toaster, Drench </span><span lang="EN"></span>and yes, even my own band, The Bearded Clam Wonder. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Which brings us back to the Skatium, I was there not for skating but to see live bands. As soon as I walked in all the familiar sights and sounds filled my senses. For a quick moment, I felt 14 years old again. But that didn’t last long as I got a good sense of the layout. As you walk in to your right is where you pick up your skates. To your left was the rink and further on down was the concession area. It’s a fairly large building and there were already a lot of people there. When I got there the band </span><a href="http://kidscientist.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Kid Scientist</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> was already playing out in the middle of the rink while people skated around them. I found my way to the concession area and was stunned to see them selling beer, then I noticed people skating with PBRs in their hands. Had I gone to heaven? I bought a beer then settled in on the side area to take everything in. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw many people I kind of recognized but no one I really knew. Then </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/JasonVargasMusicProject" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jason Vargas</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> came up and said “hello”. Hadn’t seen him in a few years, we use to work together but he left to raise a family. He said he was doing well and had two young kids but he was getting back into playing live music. Jason had played (and showed work) at one of the first art shows I helped organized on Cherokee Street back in 04 or 05, when </span><a href="http://stljazznotes.blogspot.com/2006/06/radio-cherokee-to-close-in-july.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Radio Cherokee</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> was still open. He had skates on and skated off. Then I saw </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2553478/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bowls MacLean</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> and he had his camera. He was snapping away at everyone skating and standing around. He knew most of the people there and was just trying to capture the event. We talked for a bit and I mentioned how low the lighting was. I wanted to snap some photos but I didn’t want to use a flash. He asked to see my camera and I handed it over. he said some technical stuff that went over my head and made some changes with the settings on my camera. Then gave it back to me and said “try that”. I snapped a few shots and they looked beautiful. I thanked him and he said no problem then went back to shooting the scene.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388585847153_2133"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Right about that time I ran into </span><a href="http://www.tonypatti.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tony Patti</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. I’ve known Tony for about 14 years or so, not very long considering. Tony has been in and out of the local scene since the mid-late 70s. I first met him when we both hung out at </span><a href="http://home.mindspring.com/~stlska/index.htm" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Frederick’s Music Lounge</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. We quickly caught up with each other and then started contemplating the scene in front of us at the rink. He’s a big fan of Kid Scientist and was excitedly telling me all about them. After they finished, the next band started setting up. </span><a href="http://dawgschillthe.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Chill Dawgs</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> fronted by the awesome Bassamp began playing some great Rock And Roll. Guitar, bass, drums plus not one but two saxophone players. They were sounding good and I snapped a few </span><a href="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/asbestossister/IMG_7191_zpsd1b62633.jpg" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">photos</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, grabbed another beer and continued talking with Tony.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388585847153_2146"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tony is in the midst of writing a novel and I greatly enjoy hearing about his creative process. In many ways it’s a lot like painting, sketching out ideas, spreading color on the canvas, editing images out or creating new ones, filling in more color, shading, etc. He and I can spend hours talking about this stuff and we did that night. After the Chill Dawgs were done, Celia’s band, Firedog, kept things going. </span><a href="http://www.celiaisrock.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Celia</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> played some fantastic bass lines and got a few people without skates on out on the floor to dance. Tony and I continued talking and taking in everything going on.</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388585847153_2122"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Around 12:30am or so the feature band was about to begin. </span><a href="http://www.ellenthefelon.net/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellen the Felon</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> consists of Ellen Cook on keyboard and vocals plus a drummer named</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Matthew “The Mattronome” Reyland<span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388585847153_2119">. As they were about to begin a nice circle of fans grew closer to the middle of the rink waiting for the music to start. And it started with a bang. The Mattronome wailed on his drums, leaving nothing untouched, I understood how he got his name. In constant motion, never resting on a simple high-hat, snare combo rhythm but employing all items within his reach. Then you have Ellen, providing all the beautiful melodies with her keyboard and vocals. It was really stunning to see and hear just her and the drummer filling the whole Skatium with such a full sound. People danced and skated as they performed and I snapped quite a few shots. It was difficult with the low light, I even tried a few with a flash but those looked even worse. I do really like the photo I’m working from for the painting above but had hoped to get a nice shot of both musicians. Perhaps next time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">now playing - </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9z9sPsIICo" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ellen Cook</span></a> </div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4520127621584296534.post-60698225115197651782013-12-01T09:31:00.000-06:002013-12-01T09:36:33.336-06:00Art Miami 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3EV6yCdj7Zw/UptTATYzzZI/AAAAAAAAKgI/JoNy4sTzT8c/s1600/ehallthollemjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3EV6yCdj7Zw/UptTATYzzZI/AAAAAAAAKgI/JoNy4sTzT8c/s320/ehallthollemjpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A few months back, an amazing opportunity presented itself. I was contacted by <a href="http://www.alicialachance.net/" target="_blank">Alicia LaChance</a> from <a href="http://www.hoffmanlachancefineart.com/" target="_blank">Hoffman LaChance Contemporary</a> and invited to participate in <a href="http://www.art-miami.com/" target="_blank">Art Miami</a>. Alicia had submitted the gallery as a presenter at <a href="http://www.aquaartmiami.com/" target="_blank">Aqua Art</a> and was gathering a number of artists together to help represent the gallery. I was thrilled to be invited and jumped at the chance to participate. She asked about smaller, newer works that I could send down to Miami. I was at a loss mainly due to the good year I had. Virtually every painting I had completed this year had sold, <a href="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/asbestossister/vvborder_zpse63753bb.jpg" target="_blank">except for one</a>. This didn’t leave me with many options for sending down recent works. I decided to include the pieces I had done for the <a href="http://towergrooverecords.com/" target="_blank">Tower Groove Records</a> subscription series. These were small and fairly recent, completed in Dec of 2012. I thought I might have time to complete two new small pieces and started on them. One of the band <a href="http://kdhx.org/blog/2012/10/02/were-a-fun-sort-of-mess-an-interview-with-demonlover/" target="_blank">Demonlover</a> playing at the <a href="http://theheavyanchor.com/" target="_blank">Heavy Anchor</a> and another of a special live performance at <span class="yiv1578678266usercontent" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2133"><span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2132" lang="EN" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.laumeiersculpturepark.org/" target="_blank">Laumeier Sculpture Park</a> featuring <a href="http://arrington.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Arrington de Dionyso</a>, <a href="http://www.thollem.com/" target="_blank">Thollem McDonas</a>, and <a href="http://erichall.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Eric Hall</a>. I was able to complete the Laumeier Park one in time to be sent down for the show, pictured above. </span></span><br />
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<span class="yiv1578678266usercontent" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2131"><span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2130" lang="EN" style="color: #333333;">The thought of being part of a such a huge art fair is mind blowing and I greatly appreciate everything Alicia LaChance and <a href="http://www.hoffmanpaintings.com/" target="_blank">Michael Hoffman</a> have done. This list of artists showing works includes </span></span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><span style="color: #3c3c3c;"><a href="http://www.johnphillipabbott.com/" target="_blank">John Phillip Abbott</a>,</span></span><span style="display: none;"><br /></span> <a href="http://www.michaelbehle.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yiv1578678266text"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Michael Behle</span></span></a>, <span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2129" style="color: #3c3c3c;"><span style="display: none;"><br /><br />, ,,,,,,, </span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><a href="http://artnowsf.com/wordpress/archives/5806" target="_blank">Christopher Burch</a>,</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text">David Carter,</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><a href="http://www.hoffmanlachancefineart.com/jon%20C%202013/index.htm" target="_blank">Jon Cournoyer</a>, Michael Hoffman, <a href="http://www.kahlilirving.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Kahlil Irving</a>, <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><a href="http://www.jeffreycortlandjones.com/" target="_blank">Jeffrey Cortland Jones</a>,</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><a href="http://www.riverfronttimes.com/bestof/2013/award/best-local-artist-2065631/" target="_blank">Kit Keith</a>,</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2128"><a href="http://www.ronlaboray.com/" target="_blank">Ron Laboray</a>,</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2126"><span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2125" style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">Alicia LaChance</span></span><span style="color: black;">, </span><span id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1385910867630_2124" style="color: #3c3c3c;"><span style="display: none;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Alicia LaChance - New Village" border="0" height="89" id="yiv1578678266_ctl7_dlDealOnFair__ctl0__ctl0_dlArtists__ctl11_dlObjetsDetails__ctl0_imgObjectDetail" src="https://us-mg6.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f1%5f8958%5fAN7vHkgAABNcUpTm8gAAADas3XA&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1&appid=yahoomail" width="90" /></span> </span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><a href="http://www.robertlongyear.com/" target="_blank">Robert Longyear</a>,</span><span style="display: none;"><br /><br /><br /> </span><span class="yiv1578678266text"> <a href="http://www.benjaminlowder.com/" target="_blank">Benjamin Lowder</a>,</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text">Paquet Christopher,</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><a href="http://www.jeremyrabus.com/" target="_blank">Jeremy Rabus</a></span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text">and</span> <span style="display: none;"><br /></span><span class="yiv1578678266text"><a href="http://www.daniellespradley.com/" target="_blank">Danielle Spradley</a></span>. </span></span><span style="display: none;"><br /><br /><br /> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c;">To be part of this group is humbling. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #3c3c3c;">now playing - <a href="http://erichall.bandcamp.com/album/arrington-de-dionyso-thollem-mcdonas-and-eric-hall-live-at-laumeier-sculpture-park-saint-louis-mo-on-may-23rd-2012" target="_blank">Arrington de Dionyso, Eric Hall and Thollem McDonnas at Laumeier Sculpture Park</a> </span></div>
Dana Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10719291596479041796noreply@blogger.com0