Magic of the Trees

Stairs in the woods
Path in Hendricks Park

Whew! I finally finished my number 8 painting for the Blab Show. Now it's on to other things like cleaning up the studio, taking my own slides of the paintings and also having them photographed by a professional, framing them, packing them, doing paperwork and shipping them. Plus, I'm supposed to paint for another show that opens the same day, so I'm debating about that and gathering strength.

It's a nice overcast day here in Oregon. It feels like fall which is a great change from the heatwave we had over the weekend. I hope to take my daily hike up the butte near my house. It's a wonderful 20 minute hike- with woods full of douglas fir trees and a secret stairway climbing straight up through the trees. There is a park called Hendricks Park at the top and there are many rhodedendron trees up there.

My 2 newest paintings for the Blab art show have a little bit of this magic of the trees. I hear that the Blab show website is just about ready and soon you all will be able to view the paintings online at blab show .

The Black Venus

American entertainer Josephine Baker was the toast of Paris in the 1920's. She was so comfy on stage with her clothes off, wearing only a few bananas to shake and shimmy in. I found inspiration in the hundreds of half-naked photos and illustrations of her from that period. Here's a bio on her interesting life.

Josephine Baker

The Loves of Zero

A still from the Robert Florey 1928 short film, "The Loves of Zero".

This looks like hokum to me. Avant-guard, poetic and full of humor.

Ah...the 1920's...what a great period of art, music and theater.

Juxtapoz Blabbing

I just got my copy of the new September issue of Juxtapoz magazine yesterday. There it was- on the first page- the beautiful ad (featuring an image by Lou Brooks) for the Blab Show with my name on it. Other artists in the show: Gary Baseman, Tim Biskup, Lou Brooks, Greg Clarke, Shag, Brian Cronin, Drew Friedman. Ryan Heshka, Walter Minus, John Pound, Jonathon Rosen, Fred Stonehouse, Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson, plus more.

This is a show that should not be missed! Presented by Monte Beauchamp at CoproNason Gallery in Santa Monica, CA -opening Sept. 23, 2006. Look for the paintings to go up on the Blab Show website very soon:

The Blab Show

I will have 8 paintings in the show and I can hardly wait to show everyone. This should be such a fun event. Marshall Sponder at artNYC told me that he was looking forward to reviewing the show.

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Art of the Lodge Halls

I was looking up visionary artist Joe Coleman who is having a show right now in NYC and I came across the Dilettante Press website which features some very interesting books. It also has a gallery link to a masonic art show:

Art of the Lodge Halls

Second Blab Show

"Blab! 17", cover by Jonathon Rosen copyright 2006

This is the what the upcoming isssue of "Blab! 17" will look like. You can purchase a copy through Amazon, Fantagraphics or various other websites. My "Banana Eater" painting from the first Blab art show will finally be published as a spread.

Here is the link to the second Blab Art Show:

Blab Show

I will have 8 pieces available, 6 of them are brand new monkey love series paintings in smaller, more affordable sizes. The other two paintings are my new Blues Gals. I am very excited about this show and I will be going down to Santa Monica for the opening.

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Pierre Puvis De Chavannes 1824-1898

Hope 1872 by Pierre Puvis De Chavannes

Young Girls at the Seaside 1879 Pierre Puvis De Chavannes

I had forgotten how much I love the paintings of Pierre Puvis De Chavannes

until the Balnea Museum reminded me. His design sense is impeccable and it is so very modern.

Antonio Donghi - Encore!

Canzone 1934 Antonio Donghi
Ammaestratrice Di Cani 1946 Antonio Donghi

Here are two more images for your viewing pleasure from the

out-of-print book, "DONGHI", De Luca Editore, Rome,1985.

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Flog! is Cool

The Fantagraphics blog is called Flog. They talk about the Blab show, a major Joe Coleman exhibit, Daniel Clowes & Terry Zwigoff interviews, interview with Seth, etc. It's chock full o' interesting tidbits about comics and art. Check it out!

FLOG!

Fellini Cartoons

Copyright Federico FelliniThe Balnea Museum (previous post) also has hilarious cartoons by Federico Fellini. Apparently, he drew the poster illustration himself for his wonderful movie Amarcord(1973). It's one of my favorite films of all time and Nino Rota's soundtrack is unforgettably classic and hauntingly beautiful.

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Museum of Sea Bathing

Pablo Picasso, Le Bagnanti
Carlo Carra, La Romantica

I just found the most wonderful "Virtual Museum of Sea Bathing and Seaside Tourism"
called The Balnea Museum. In their Special Exhibition section they have many of my very favorite early Picasso Bathers as well as the marinas of Metaphysical Italian painter, Carlo Carra. Plus much, much more! What a find! I will bookmark this one.

The Balnea Museum

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My Little Monkey

This is a picture of my precious little cat.
She was the inspiration for the cat in many of my Little Pierrot paintings. As you can see, she is perfectly comfortable standing up like a human being.
She is waaay too friendly for her own good. I am often worried that she will follow someone home and be gone forever.
She never got much bigger than seven pounds, although I believe she is about 5 years old now.

Hokum Music

I played washboard, tenor banjo and sometimes a National plectrum in a little band called "The Hokum Scorchers" for many years. That's a kazoo mounted on the rack. We mostly played songs that were popular in the 1920's and 30's by artists such as: Papa Charlie Jackson, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Blake, The Memphis Jugband, Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie and countless others.

Wikipedia's definition of Hokum -
"Hokum is a particular song type of American blues music - a humorous song which uses extended analogies or euphemistic terms to make sexual inuendoes. This trope goes back to early blues recordings and is seen from time to time in modern American blues and blues-rock."
"Got out late last night, in the rain and sleet
Tryin' to find a butcher that grind my meat
Yes I'm lookin' for a butcher
He must be long and tall
If he want to grind my meat
'Cause I'm wild about my meat balls."
from Meat Balls, by Lil Johnson, recorded about 1937

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Interlude

It's Louise Brooks again in the tutu. I have been super busy lately painting for the Blab show and I don't have much time to really post anything.
The show itself is hush hush, so I won't be able to show you any sketches until after they put up their website. I am also supposed to paint for a Palm Springs show that opens the same day, Sept. 23, 2006. More on that later!

Shock-headed Peter or Der Struwwelpeter

One of my favorite children's books and a true inspiration to me is this 1920's version of the 1845 classic by Heinrich Hoffman, "Slovenly Peter".
Poems about naughty children with beautiful woodcut-style illustrations. This version is hand-colored. Read about Hoffman here:
"Der Struwwelpeter"

Two New Interviews, Amy Crehore

"Hula Hoop Blues" Copyright Amy Crehore 2005

In case you might have missed them, there are two new interviews with me online at:

Celebrity At Work

and

Art NYC

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Go See Scoop

This a hokum blog and I just have to mention Woody Allen's newest film, "Scoop". I agree with those critics who say it is his funniest film in years. And it's one of his best, I think. He plays a hilariously old-fashioned vaudeville-style magician. The gorgeous Scarlett Johansson is his comedic sidekick. Or maybe he is her sidekick. Very beautifully filmed with a great script. Hugh Jackman rounds out the great cast. A "perfect" little movie complete with it's surreal deathship. You'll have to go see it to find out what that is. I think England suits Woody.

As a side note, look what I just found! A blog about Woody's jazz band:

http://www.woodyallenband.com/blog/

I still have my autographed postcard from Michael's Pub in NYC signed by Woody himself many, many years ago.

Balthus, King of Cats

"Nude with Cat" 1949, copyright Balthus

A year or two ago, the Portland Art Museum sponsored a show of paintings from the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia. I was fortunate enough to get to see this painting by Balthus that I would never have seen otherwise. It certainly is one of my very favorites: the composition of angles, the spontaneity, the look on the girl's face, the unselfconscious pose, the delighted cat, the lighting and the solidity of the forms. It has it all.

Read the museum's description of Balthus and his art:

Balthus, National Gallery of Victoria

I did a tribute to Balthus maybe 5 or 6 years ago in a painting called

"Homage to the King of Cats" .

He's been an artistic inspiration for a long time now. A true original.

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Sketch for "Banana Eater"

Sketch for "Banana Eater" painting Copyright 2005 Amy Crehore

Here is the drawing (click on image to enlarge)

for the "Banana Eater" painting which

will be published in "Blab! 17" in Sept. 2006.

You can see the painting on the homepage of my website:

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Louise Brooks, Inspiration

Louise Brooks
"Black Comedy" by Amy Crehore Copyright 2005

Although most of my Little Pierrots were drawn without looking at any reference material at all, a couple of them were inspired by the poses of beautiful silent movie star, Louise Brooks.

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