The Blue Show

Expected snow didn't quite show up today- just a few flurries.  So no digging, and more important, I could easily go out.  One of my errands today was to go to the Belmar Arts Council to check out the debut of the new member salon show, with the theme of "Blue".  It seems to be almost an exact copy of a youth art show they put on last year, just with adults making the art this time.  Too good of a theme to pass up.

What is blue?  In this case any connotation you can think of works.  So the art could be something predominantly blue in color, or could reference an emotional state, and the proposal even mentioned the association with blues music.  I could probably dig up past work that hit any of those concepts, but the musical one interested me most.  I did weekly radio shows for 8 years in college, playing nothing but blues music, ranging from primitive acoustic stuff from the 1930's to contemporary releases that came into the radio stations.  And my music collection still includes several dozen blues albums on vinyl and disc, which get listened to at home and in the Studio regularly.  As a dj, I produced posters for my show, things designed to be photocopied on standard sheets of paper.  I still have some of those originals, so I could have provided an etching or monotype blues poster.  Instead I went with a chiaroscuro relief print done as a demo piece for a linocut workshop I was planning to teach out of my space there in Ocean Grove.  For that occasion I reworked an image I had first done in Montclair, based on a photo I took of a live musical performance in Philadelphia, but cut the subject from a duo to just one guitarist, mostly because the piece of linoleum was so small.  Two printed colors (indigo and orange) plus the natural paper color.  Framed for the first time for he occasion of this show.  My contribution can be seen below.

The exhibition officially opened to the public today, but the important day is this coming Saturday, January 20th, when the Salon event occurs- participating artists can introduce, explain, or even take questions about their piece.  Sounds like a good occasion to mention the planned future printmaking show, and my intention to hold a woodcut class or two to help interested people create a piece of art for the show.  I'll probably leave the record at home.