Back to Black and Blue

Last night I worked only in my sketchbooks using pencil or fountain pen, sometimes coloring with Peerless Watercolor Papers and a waterbrush.  The venue (Black and Blue in Easton, PA)

is difficult.  The only view of the musicians is from the four, small, round tables next to the bar.  I would rather share the tiny table with my friends than hog the surface for my paints.

Billy Lance and George Kokolis playing saxophone

My favorite of the night is a toss up between the brief ink sketch of Billy and George, a subdued portrait of Joe Mac and a pencil drawing of Todd Lanka with two strokes of watercolor.

Joe Mac

Todd Lanka playing bass

Sketches: Top – Fountain pen filled with North African Violet ink

Middle – pencil and watercolor

Bottom – pencil and watercolor

 

Primary Colors, Live at the Blues Jam

It’s not true that all good things must end.

Rob Fraser, Steve Decker, Chas Cochran

Next week may be the last of the Tuesday Night Blues Jams at Larry Holmes Ringside Restaurant in Easton, PA.  That doesn’t mean it’s the last of the Blues Jams.  New location perhaps.  Change is not a bad thing.  Sometimes it shakes out the cobwebs.

I’m hoping to get to The Grisly Pear in New York City every other week.  That leaves two weeks free to explore new options within about forty minutes of my home so that I don’t fall asleep driving back to New Jersey.

Several of last night’s paintings ended up in primary colors.  I like the vitality.

Dutchman singing Boop Boop ....

Paintings: Drawn first with black ink using dip pen, followed by watercolor.

 

Priorities

As an artist, one of the biggest challenges is being flexible yet disciplined about my priorities.

Justine Gardner playing bass at the Blues Jam

I want to thank all the musicians who take the time to come out to Larry Holmes Ringside Restaurant for the Tuesday Night, Todd Wolfe Blues Jam to play three songs, sometimes but not always having the opportunity to play one or two more.  For me, listening to you, watching you, laughing with you and painting you makes that challenge of balancing the rest of my life so much easier.

painting: drawn first in black ink with a dip pen, followed by strokes of watercolor using a simple, primary palette of yellow, blue and red.

 

Filling the Dance Floor

While the paintings dried on the windowsill, I untied my shoes and joined Lisa and Beckey on the dance floor. Beckey’s face was all smiles, her first dance since her knee replacement!

Barry Zion at the Blues Jam

Before too long fancy stepping gentlemen joined us, partners were tossed back and forth and a great time was had by all.  A rare and wonderful night at the Blues Jam to have the dance floor filled with happy feet.  I am sad that Oli left too early to join us.  She is the main force behind getting people to dance.

Barry stole the attention of pen and brush.  His visits from Atlanta are too infrequent.  Always great to see and hear him.

Painting: Drawn first with black ink using dip pen, followed by watercolor.

 

Simplicity inspired by a splot of ink

Great to be back at the Blues Jam.

Rob Fraser, Blues Jam July 19, 2011

Before my pen touched the paper it already announced itself on the paper by dropping a splot of ink on it.  I hesitated for a second or two deciding whether or not to discard the paper.  Laughing at myself for even imagining that a splot was a problem I continued.  It ended up being my favorite painting of the evening.  I need a bit of simplicity in my life right now.

Ink and watercolor sketch on Arches Watercolor Paper. Painted during the Tuesday Night, Todd Wolfe Blues Jam at Larry Holmes Ringside Restaurant in Easton, PA.  If you are in the area on a Tuesday night, check it out.

 

Beer, Wine and Single Malt Scotch Labels

Tom bought a variety pack of Flying Dog Beer to enjoy over the 4th of July weekend.  The beer was spectacular and the labels both stunning and entertaining.

I’m sending out the word…. I want my images to be used on labels of wine, beer or single malt scotch.  I’m not as clever as the writers for the scotch and Flying Dog Beer, but I bet someone out there could do an awesome job, coupled with the ink and watercolor sketches.

Harp Lager

How about it Harp?

Lost Dutchman Lager

Maybe offer a CD of Dan Dutchman Diefenderfer playing blues harp.

CD Cover, Six Odes to Single Malts

Or maybe a CD cover inspired by Saxophone Single Malt Scotch.  Link to Six Odes to Single Malts.

Napa Nick Cabernet

Full bodied, extra dry bold cabernet with cherry overtones.

I’d buy them, wouldn’t you?

Paintings: ink and watercolor painted during the Tuesday Night Blues Jams in Easton, PA.

 

Simple ink drawing wins as favorite from Blues Jam

Mike Van Tine stood in for Rob Fraser last night at the Todd Wolfe Blues Jam. Not much of a likeness, I know.  Perhaps I glimpsed a bit of his inner soul.. maybe not.  Regardless, I love the lines.

Mike Van Tine at Blues Jam

The ink and watercolor portrait of Leon is another favorite.  I wish I had peacock blue on my palette to do justice to his awesome shirt.

Leon singing the Blues

I had one of my worst days ever at the prop shop and almost canceled going to the Blues Jam.  What was I thinking? It’s painting to the music that keeps me going all week long.  Thank you, musicians!  A few new faces last night.  I’m glad I didn’t miss them.  19 year old Mike Lefton was a real treat, what a fantastic musician and performer.

This is my first post using my Mac!

Drawing of Mike Van Tine: Ink using dip pen on watercolor paper

Drawing of Leon: Ink using dip pen followed by watercolor

 

Bringing out the fire in me

Jb Balshi does it again.

Jb Balshi at the Blues Jam

In spite of the giant, double rainbow that stretched across the sky bringing everyone out onto the terrace of the Larry Holmes Ringside Restaurant, the tension of the last few weeks kept a strangle hold on me until later in the night when Jb was called up to the stage. My pen finally began to dance. I ended up with lines I love, in spite of the bizarre anatomy and the blops my dip pen kept dropping all night long, even after I switched nibs.  Light heart, light hand….. heavy heart, heavy hand.

Thanks, JB.

Sketch: dip pen in black Mont Blanc ink followed by strokes of watercolor

 

Palm Leaf Paper and Ciao Copic Markers

My two, palm leaf paper sketchbooks are going to be a challenge to complete.  The paper is too slick on one side and too bumpy on the other for pencil or pen.  It works better with the Ciao Copic Markers, but I still feel as if I’m fighting with it.

Justine Gardner playing bass at the Blues Jam

I miss my ink and watercolor.  If I stick with the markers for about a month, I may be able to work with them more intuitively.  The brush end of the marker allows for expressive lines and variation in marks.  I can see adding two markers (medium and dark value) to my cargo pants “walking studio” to add values to my extremely quick “on the go” line drawings.

First drawn lightly in pencil, followed by value scale rendering in Caio Copic Markers.

 

 

Using the PayPal Buttons on my Website

Finally, I took the time to figure out how to use the PayPal buttons on my website pages.  The business of art is far too time consuming.  However, every now and then I need to focus a bit on making it easy for people to obtain the ink and watercolor paintings of  musicians that create during the Tuesday Night Blues Jam.  The exhibit at Connexions Gallery is over.  New paintings end up in a box in my studio after scanning them and posting them on Facebook for the musicians (and everyone else) to enjoy.

James Supra playing Harmonica

I will be offering a selection of my favorites and keep replacing older with newer, probably no more than twenty to thirty at one time.  If you are interested in any of the paintings I post on this blog or on my Facebook albums, please let me know and I will add them to the Selling Gallery page.

Link to “Selling Gallery” on website.

Link to main page of website ChrisCarterArt.com

The drawing of James Supra was done with a dip pen and Black Parker’s Ink.  Drawn during the Tuesday Night, Todd Wolfe Blues Jam, March 15, 2011