Sunday, April 04, 2010

"I Got Your Ice Cold NuGrape" performed by the Hokum Scorchers



Okay, this song is a jingle written for a brand of soda that came out in 1921 called NuGrape. The Hokum Scorchers are both singing with Lou playing the National guitar (the NuGrape Twins did the original version). Lou and I recorded this in 1995 for our "Yanna's Donut" tape.
Have a listen and find out "what makes your lips go flippity-floppa" in 1926: Hokum Scorchers
(follow this link and scroll down for music player)

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Happy Easter!

This is the most perfect "Easter chick" Via wackystuff on flickr.
I've been super busy finishing up a couple of paintings and a couple of painted instruments.
I have a new camera and some ideas, so stay tuned. Happy Easter weekend to everyone.
Remember, you can carve your own niche just like this girl in the egg.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

New Comic Art by John Martz


Illustration Copyright John Martz
Here is a page from a mini-comic by John Martz called "It's Snowing Outside...We Should Go For a Walk". This humorous little gem was just nominated for Best Emerging Talent, 2010 Doug Wright Awards. It's temporarily sold out, but John will have some copies at MoCCA (April 10, and 11) and then he'll restock it. You can read it online here. I got my copy this week and it's wonderful. There's no doubt why it was nominated- the elegant simplicity of it's snowy design and it's perfect little story. I hope it wins, but meanwhile he has another little treat in his shop (top photo): "Heaven All Day", an even more ambitious comic without words. You can read it and, also, buy it: here and here.
He also has art prints for sale on his newly designed website:
John Martz
What is it about Canada that breeds great comic artists, writers, musicians. The snow?

The Art of Amy Crehore


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

New Book by Mark Frauenfelder- "Made by Hand"

"Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World" (Hardcover) by Mark Frauenfelder is available for pre-order at Amazon and elsewhere. I'm looking forward to this! Here's a link to more info about the book: LINK

Monday, March 29, 2010

The Jungle Nymph

A friend sent one of these to the house the other day.

Only it was a dried specimen under glass (aka heteropteryx dilatata female).

Pretty amazing. Video courtesy of gallan30 (Bug Boy).

Friday, March 26, 2010

My Green Duco Vintage Ukulele

Nip-Cat Design for headstock of vintage green duco ukulele 1920's, copyright Amy Crehore

Back of my green duco-finish uke from the late 1920s. Click to enlarge.
There's a beautiful green duco-finish vintage ukulele in my collection that I am getting ready to enhance. I won't touch the back and sides, but I have something in mind for the headstock and part of the front. Here's my pencil sketch for the headstock design. I call it my "Nip-Cat" uke. I scanned the back of the actual uke on my scanner bed. You can see the gray and green crystallized finish. This baby was found in it's original Montgomery Ward mail order box and had never been played.
More of my hand-painted fine art ukes can be found here , here and here. Some are vintage and some are built from scratch. My Dreamgirl's gallery show in L.A. last year featured 13 of them including another duco (a black one) called The Demon.

The Art of Amy Crehore

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