Sunday, July 28, 2013

Painting Tickler Uke #3 (Crehore)

I sketched this design out for the body of the new "TWITCH" concert ukulele that Lou
Reimuller built. See my earlier post for the headstock design. More to come.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Progress - Painting Tickler Uke #3 (Crehore)

Painting a custom ukulele is a delicate process- especially a uke that I designed and that took more than a few years to realize. I am slowly working my way down from the headstock to the body.
See the tiny green bow tie that Lou carved? It will be mounted under the cat's chin. It is only one of the sculptural details on this very special concert uke. P.S. This cat is far from finished, this is just a progress photo taken with my ipad.
 


Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Tickler Ukulele #3 -Paint Job (Crehore)


I've already shown you glimpses of my custom-built Tickler Ukulele #3 in progress, but here's a peek of the actual headstock being painted.
The bottom photo shows a test strip of a few do-dads painted on a sample piece of maple.
 Lou Reimuller (luthier) did the most beautiful job building this wonderful concert ukulele and it is really getting to the final stages now. Yes, it has been slow going, but this uke is special.
I just hope my paint job will live up to the rest of the amazing and intricate details on this uke.
 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Gorgeous Sepia Tone Photos of London 1877


Photographer: John Thomson
Recruiting Sergeants At Westminster
[Street Life in London] 1877
Woodburytype
London School of Economics - Digital Library
Photographer: John Thomson
Italian Street Musicians
[Street Life in London] 1877
Woodburytype
London School of Economics - Digital Library
 
Design Observer's John Foster has posted a whole bunch of amazing photographs taken by photographer John Thomson of the street life in London in the late 1800s. Thomson's bio and photos were found via Luminous Lint, a website that specializes in fine photography.
Follow the link below to view more of these spectacular street photos
and read the article at Design Observer:
 


Friday, July 12, 2013

More cool links from Little Hokum Rag

Amy Crehore Studio July 2013
As I begin to start the next two paintings in new my series, I am blogging a new list of links that might be of interest-
  1.  Amazing ukulele w/flashing lights (youtube)Le Le AvantGarde by lighting ukulele LINK !
  2. The link above was tweeted by Bosko and Honey of Ukulele Safari (thanks!)
  3. See models buried in sand w/bathing caps & red lipstick, the surreal fifties The Nifty Fifties !
  4. Collection of 7 videos of 60s/70s bands/performers doing the song Season of the Witch LINK !
  5. Giant sculpture of Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth) from Pride and Prejudice in lake HUH magazine !
  6. How a Bat is like a Bow String from Science Now: LINK  (Thanks Internet Weekly) !
  7. BoingBoing featured my newest painting A Gymnast's Memory of Fall LINK !
  8. Internet Weekly also featured same painting in their wonderful Art LINKS section!
  9. Internet Weekly featured my A Bellhop's Memory of Spring the week before that. LINK !
  10. Mardecortesbaja also posted my Gymnast's painting. Thanks, Lloyd!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Drawings by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

 Avarice 1556
Spring 1565
Mountain Landscape by a River 1553
 
(Click images to enlarge)
A few years ago, I bought an old copy of Pieter Bruegel The Drawings (Complete Edition) by Ludwig Munz , a Phaidon book from 1961. The book is thick and a little musty, but I never get tired of looking at these drawings (just as I never tire of  Goya's Los Caprichos of 1799). Shown above are some examples that I found online. (Follow link to see more.) The landscape drawings, in particular, have proven to be a wonderful reference source for me as they show the architecture of mountains and streams from afar.
I always think about Van Gogh when I see Bruegel's drawings.
He must have studied them intensely. I can see a definite Bruegel influence of style and subject matter in Van Gogh's own drawings.

The Art of Amy Crehore

 

Monday, July 08, 2013

What Have I Been Up To?

"Cloudy Day Blues" 12" x 12", oil on wood ©Amy Crehore 2009 (sold)
 
I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything for over a week. I hope you all had a great 4th of July holiday! I hurt my right arm and had to rest it for 5-6 days. It feels better today, so I am able to give you an update. A couple of paintings have sold including the new one "A Gymnast's Memory of Fall". The other painting is from 2009, shown above.
I have been reading the book "Summer in February" which is also a new movie . It is about artists living in Cornwall, UK in 1913. These artists include Dame Laura Knight, her husband Harold, and A.J. Munnings. It is a novel based on real people by Jonathan Smith. I have not only discovered the artists that I just mentioned by reading this book, but also some painters who came before them Jules Bastien-Lepage (the Cornwall artists all worshipped him, his magnificient Joan of Arc hangs in the Met) and Marie Bashkirtseff who wrote a journal which I now want to read.
I'm getting back to drawing and painting now!