Owner: The Grand Tour URL:http://erstwork.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:58:20 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Site statistics:Click here
Walden Pond 2008-03-02 01:15:00 Walden PondConcord, Massachusetts29 June 1997I can say without question that my favorite thing about living in the Boston area was driving out Route 2 to Concord, parking the car off Walden Street, grabbing my towel, padding down the road to the beach at Walden Pond and swimming across to the far shore and back.I'm a swimmer since a very early age and I can definitely say that there is nothing in the world like swimming across this pond, inhaling the deeply fragrant woods and listening to the commuter train rattle past on occasion. Upon reaching the center of the pond, I'd roll around, enjoying the feeling of space and depth. Any fatigue at the end was mitigated by the sense of accomplishing the very long lap.This view is from just off the main beach which is usually where I parked my t
Week's Pond 2008-02-24 19:02:00 Weeks PondBelmont, Massachusetts25 June 1997In June, I spent some time back at Anchor East in Watertown which lies directly next to the comfortable and sedately charming town of Belmont.Whenever I was in or near Belmont and had the time, I would park off Pleasant Street, walk up Somerset then cut off down an unmarked path to Week's Pond. I have no idea how I first found my way there. I probably just risked the cut through the woods. Week's Pond is part of the Mass Audubon Society's Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary though separated from the main acreage by private properties.I've never learned the history of Week's Pond but would guess that it was part of a private property donated to the Mass Audubon Society at some point. It's quite hidden away, home to many, many bullfrogs and species of p
Victim 2008-02-17 08:46:00 Victim Tamworth, New Hampshire 8 June 1997 Just after painting the violets shown in last week's post, there was a familiar flurry of chaos in the house. One of the cats had captured yet another chipmunk for tortuous play. I managed to rescue quite a few of these feline playthings but alas, this one was doomed, but immortalized! A companion piece for Quinn, a percentage of the proceeds from this painting will go to HSUS, The Humane Society of the United States. Victim Tamworth, New Hampshire Watercolor on hot press Lana paper 4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10" US$ 295 + USPS Priority Shipping Choose shipping US International Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer son
Violets 2008-02-10 06:30:00 VioletsTamworth, New Hampshire8 June 1997Surrounded by nature, almost always within sight of Mount Chocorua, I fell in love with Tamworth, New Hampshire where the heavens shone clear at night. Unfortunately, the living situation there turned out to be impossible and it was just as well that I worked on tour during most of that time. I traveled for what I thought would have been the snow season but returned in March just in time for several feet. On April 1st, I left Boston as a few flakes were falling and arrived in Tamworth, driving 2 mph up the Chinook Trail in full white out conditions. I was never so relieved to pull into a garage. I learned to love the snow and even discovered an untapped passion for shoveling! Spring came very late and, when the violets finally popped up, I put
Quinn 2008-02-03 23:34:00 QuinnTamworth, New Hampshire6 May 1997If you've been following this story from the beginning, you'll know that I lost my beloved cat, Willi while I was on tour in Europe. He wandered into the New Hampshire woods one dark and stormy night, never to be seen again. When I finally returned, I immediately papered the White Mountains with Lost Cat fliers. A woman who had found a stray resembling Willi’s photograph called and invited me over to see the cat. He wasn’t Willi but he was exceptional. I brought him home, named him Quinn and discovered that, like Willi, he played a mean game of fetch and retrieve. In this portrait, I captured Quinn with a superball, his favorite fetch toy.Quinn became my walking partner while we were together. At first, he could only accompany me a short dist Read more:Quinn
Anchor East 2008-01-27 21:51:00 Anchor EastWatertown, Massachusetts26 December 1996The rest of my European tour was interesting but cold. From the edge of the Mediterranean, I moved up to the icy peaks of Switzerland. I think that my favorite gig was in Thun where I played at the very hip Club Mokka. On stage with me, amongst other intriguing items, was a large 1950's television set with a flying saucer floating inside the cabinet. I thought this was rather exciting because I'd written The Roswell Incident the previous summer and it served as a good visual aid to help set up the song.After my last gig at the Rattlesnake Saloon in Munich, I was finally through. One day, I'll have to write about the places I've played. Each one was a story in itself. Anyway, I was driven, no, rocketed up the autobahn to the airpor
Antibes Juan-les-Pins 2008-01-20 19:42:00 AntibesFrance1 December 1996This was my last day on the Côte d'Azur and, as you can see, a glorious day it was. I spent the afternoon in Antibes Juan-les-Pins where I ate lunch and wandered aimlessly around the old town. I poked into Heidi's English Bookshop, found the most wonderful lavender oil at a little street market and walked by the Musée Picasso which was, you guessed it, closed. Finally, I settled down on the sea wall where I watched some old men play bocce ball before pulling out my paint kit.After an enjoyable session, I was very pleased with the results — especially with the way the pigment and water formed a perfect ear for the little dog, and with the yellow color of the walls (one of which is the Picasso Museum) against the blue sky. The old men broke from their game
Bust of Jean Cocteau 2008-01-13 21:25:00 Bust of Jean Cocteau(before la Chapelle St. Pierre)Villefranche sur Mer, France28 November 96On the 27th, I hopped the train to Eze. The train stops at Eze Bord de Mer, right on the sea. Not really knowing where I was going (sound familiar?), I looked for some tourist information. The kiosk was closed so I looked around and spied a small sign that said "Chemin de Nietzsche". Ok, I thought, I'll walk the trail. It looked like it might head up to the main village of Eze. It was a very nice walk although I must have turned off the trail at a certain point because suddenly I was in the brambles and climbing a very steep incline. I looked back and was surprised at the height I'd reached. It seemed closer for me to reach the top then to head back down so I continued up the rough terrain.
Maritime Alps 2008-01-06 19:32:00 Maritime Alps from Pointe de BaconCap d’Antibes, France26 November 96On the 25th I woke to a rainy day in Nice and decided to head up to Digne, the lavender capital of the world. I could live without lavender but life would not be quite as sweet. Lavender is simply one of the greatest treasures of my life experience so you know I was looking forward to visiting the place where the best lavender is grown. Even though it was November and the lavender was harvested in August.I boarded the Chemin de fer early in the morning and off we went on one of the most rickety train rides I've ever taken. But it was fun and, as we ascended, snow began to fall. I didn't realize that I was headed into the mountains (another instance of deciding to head off to a destination with no plan whatsoever) b Read more:Maritime
Tombeau Grosso 2007-12-30 19:28:00 Tombeau de Famille Francois Grosso (1894)Nice, France24 November 1996After a stroll along the Promenade des Anglais on a sunny day, so brilliant it was almost blinding, I climbed the steps of the Colline du Chateau, a lovely park that rises from the sea to a magnificent view of the Baie des Anges. On the way up, I stopped by the Bellanda Tower and tried to read what the plaque there said about Hector Berlioz but could not translate it. [However, as Werner Pfarr points out in his comment, you can read the plaque translation on the Bellanda Tower link.]At the very top of the park, I wandered through two cemeteries. I think that one was a Jewish cemetery and the other was filled with tombstones of angels. The largest angel statue was of the famille François Grosso. The engraving on the
Palais Princier 2007-12-16 19:25:00 Palais PrincierMonaco23 November 1996I am increasingly reluctant to write this posts. Not to post the paintings, mind you, but to write the stories behind them. I suppose that any sort of looking back has its own set of hesitancies. One part of me thinks that stories should be somehow cheerful or filled with interaction and plot and so forth. Why? Those sorts are rarely the stories I fall into as a reader. And what stories would those be, anyway? (I'll stop on that track now before riding away on the train of digression).In fact, this solo touring was just that, solitary. And I was not in a very strong emotional state, quite the opposite. I felt isolated, bereft and worried. The settling in Nice for a couple of weeks took away the daily rush and distraction of travel and performa
Vieux Grasse 2007-12-16 19:17:00 Vieux Grasse from l’escalier de L’Hotel de VilleFrance21 November 1996On my first full day in Nice, I took a bus up to Grasse, the perfume capital of the world. Before the perfume industry fell to products that smell like embalming fluid and every Tom, Dick & Harry had their own signature scent, I used to enjoy memorizing perfume scents and being able to identify them out in the world. Most perfumes developed in the last quarter century give me a brutal headache. I thought it would be fun to tour the perfume factories in Grasse. Fragonard was the only one open and their tour was interesting enough, especially because we were able to gather around the perfume organ where the "Nose" sits to test the scents. You can visit the beautiful new International Perfume Musuem site and sn Read more:Vieux
No title 2007-12-09 22:26:00 Nice, France30 November 1996It was a long night of a train ride from Milan to Nice in a very cozy compartment where every possible sleeping spot was filled. Lots of interruptions by border guards checking passports as we crossed from Italy into France then from France into Monaco and back into France again. I'd had cancellations and a gap in my tour for ten days so I decided to base myself in Nice for that period. After arrival I found my way to the tourism desk where I asked for the most acceptable, least expensive accomomdations. The two lovely women there said they had just the place and sent me off to the Hôtel Pastoral on the rue Assalit. I walked over and met Monsieur Noël Dumas who would be my host for the next two weeks. My room was perfectly simple with a sink and bidet, a
Firenze 2007-12-02 11:51:00 Firenze, Italy17 November 1996I stayed in Tuscany for a few nights. Mostly, it was very confusing and exhausting because mostly, no one I met spoke English and my agent had neglected to arrange for me to be met at the train station or for proper accommodation. In one instance, I boarded the wrong train going in the opposite direction of my destination. There was a lot of talking myself down from intermittent panic attacks and carrying on as best I could when I really needed a good, uninterrupted night's sleep.One night I stayed at some sort of country hotel although hotel might not be the best word. It felt more like an empty convent. Very bare bones with cold terrazzo floors. The woman who hosted me did not speak English but I managed to understand from our conversation that in June
Vasto 2007-11-25 12:19:00 Vasto, Italy14 November 1996Vasto was like Brigadoon. A place out of time with a little bit of magic or historic curiosity around each bend. This ancient city has never been developed because it's built on a cliff subject to landslides. In the above painting, you can see one historic curiosity where the new and the old city walls attach with two different types of arches. Through this opening you are looking south past Vasto Marina, into the Adriatic mist.If you missed last Sunday's installment, go to Amico in Vasto and Vasto Marina to read the first two parts of the story and hear my song on the experience.Lino Salvatorelli was my host. He'd booked me into the Teatro Rossetti named for the poet and revolutionary, Gabriel Rossetti who, upon losing his cause, fled his birthplace of Vast
Amico in Vasto 2007-11-18 11:49:00 Amico in Vasto, Italy13 November 1996I headed north up the beach till I stopped and sat down with my back against a big overturned row boat. There I made the Vasto Marina painting I posted last week. When I finished, I continued in the same direction to the end of the beach.A large, white dog came down from the rocks and over to greet me at about the same time a man brought a dog on a leash towards me from another direction. As soon as the white dog had sniffed and licked my hand, he turned, bared his teeth at the leashed dog and both started barking and making threatening noises. Oh, Great!, I thought. Trapped on an Italian beach in the middle of a dog fight. The leashed dog was led away by his laughing master. The white dog came to my side and would not leave no matter what.I did
Vasto Marina 2007-11-11 12:13:00 Vasto Marina, Italy12 November 96So, there I was in Pesina, with a few days before my next gig, drinking too much Italian table wine. The TV was always on in the kitchen. As the ancient neighbor made the morning Polenta, fetching newscasters interrupted Sissy Spacek and Whoppi Goldberg spouting fluent Italian in The Long Walk Home to advise of a pending rail strike. My host and Italian agent insisted that I immediately board the next train to my next gig. Before I knew it, I was jostling along on the Italian rail system. After lots of personal space in the 1st class compartments on the orderly German trains, I was now shoulder to shoulder with chatty, freely gesturing compartment-mates. Not that I had any idea what they were chatting and gesturing about. The corridors were packed. We
La Rocca, Pesina, Italy 2007-11-04 11:41:00 La Rocca, Pesina, Italy
10 November 1996From Alkmaar, I traveled through Germany, night after night for a good three weeks. Most of those dates were in the former East and it was all very interesting and each stop in Jena, Weimar, Bautzen, Dresden and the rest was a story in itself. Finally, I left the order, clocks and chill of Germany (which I was becoming accustomed to) and boarded the train past Kufstein and the jade green Inn River, the darkened Alps, to Milano and then to Verona where I was met by Donato and Marina LaRocca. Donato, Marina, their full-grown son, my guitar, large suitcase packed with CDs and I crammed into their tiny car with Donato at the wheel and raced off (and I do mean raced) down the ancient narrow, curving roads up towards Lake Garda. I was already exhausted and
Alkmaar 2007-10-28 11:35:00 It's Sunday and, as promised, it's time for my tour paintings post. Rather than start right off with the first of this series, I thought that I'd set the scene with my preliminary venture. I may be new to the painting blogosphere but my little secret (no longer) is that I've been at postcard (size) paintings for exactly eleven years.Towards the beginning of my first European tour as a singer-songwriter, I performed at Atlantis in Alkmaar, Netherlands. Not too long before that, I'd landed in Brussels with a fresh head cold and was already exhausted from dragging around a suitcase filled with CDs, my trusty guitar on my back, and, as I was on my own except for the club folks, audiences and occasional host, lonely.With plenty of time before catching the train to my next gig in Nijmegen, I
Snee Farm 2008-03-09 22:16:00 Snee FarmMount Pleasant, South Carolina16 August 1997I had to move from Tamworth, there was no question about that. At some point, early in 1997, I was performing a gig or two in Charleston, South Carolina and was invited to give a presentation on songwriting at the Charleston Writers Conference. I did a lot of walking around Charleston and fell in love with the place. Who wouldn't? During the conference I met an administrator at the College of Charleston who rented out the semi-detached back section of her home on the Peninsula and suddenly there was a plan in place. We agreed on a date. I packed up and drove down only to discover that my new landlord had changed the date and arranged for me to rent a room from a friend in Mount Pleasant. So I unloaded my U-Haul into said friend's
Isle of Palms 2008-03-16 03:15:00 Isle of PalmsSouth Carolina17 August 1997From about 1985 through 1990, I painted architectural portraits on commission, mostly of homes. I take a lot of pleasure in drawing and painting houses.In 1985, beginning with a study made for a mother's day card, I painted the small Mediterranean Revival house where I lived in Sarasota, Florida. That became the prototype for a larger project over the following year. I selected twelve examples of different historic residential architectural styles from the city's master site file, hunted them down, made a watercolor of each, did research on the buildings, architects and early residents, then wrote up my findings. All this just happened to coincide with Sarasota's centennial celebrations so I was able to conclude the project with a show of the pa
Dunes in Bloom 2008-03-23 20:33:00 Dunes in Bloom
Isle of Palms, South Carolina28 August 1997There is nothing quite like coming upon sand dunes in full flower. These dunes lined the path to the Isle of Palms beach where the little pink house sat.All things considered, even though my life was in flux and I was making do out of a suitcase in strange temporary quarters preparing for another European tour, I was a quick drive to a very nice beach and that alone made all the difference. That, and my little box of paints.Dunes in BloomIsle of Palms, South CarolinaWatercolor on cold press Lana paper4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"US$ 295 + USPS Priority Shipping Choose shipping US International Special edition of 5 signed and numbered $39 giclée printsEvery Sunday I post a new painting and st Read more:Dunes
from Rue de L'Orient 2008-03-30 03:15:00 from Rue de L’Orient
Bruxelles, Belgium21 September 1997This was the first and last thing I saw on the way in and out of Europe my first two tours (although I'm sure the crane was not up the whole time). In fact, I first arrived in the dark so this was my first view of Europe from Monique and Arnaud's apartment on the Rue de L'Orient. I painted this just before taking the train up to Eindhoven for the beginning of my 1997 tour.I am so fortunate to have such dear and generous friends in Brussels who always met me at the airport, provided a warm bed and bath after landing and before take-off, and an open, family welcome on each visit. Visiting with them each year (and then with their new addition, Ignaz) became such a regular part of my life for a while, that I sorely missed them when I
Offenberg, Germany 2008-04-06 03:15:00 Offenberg, Germany
26 September 1997On a beautiful morning after a delightful night performing in the Gasthaus Schwabenhans (I'm not exactly sure where), I took a walk in Haslach along the edge of the Black Forest where the air was fragrant, flowers spilled out of boxes at every charming window and at least eighty percent of the people I passed were outfitted for serious hiking in Lederhosen, good shoes, thick socks and sporty hats. I was given a lift up to the Offenberg train station and, with a couple of hours to wait, walked around in the very hot sun until I spied these black swans on a milky green waterway. I sort of remember being slightly hung over and was probably dehydrated so the railing I worked on was welcome support. Studying the shade over the water kept me cool. Though I
Along the Rhine 2008-04-13 03:15:00 Along the RhineGermany28 September 1997In Köln I played at a basement club referred to by the owner as a puke hole. I think it was mainly a punk club but I played completely unplugged and could have heard a pin drop. I was relaxed and the gig was fun though the spots were blinding. George, the owner hosted me overnight in his apartment with a fabulous view of the spires and Dom, the old tithe house and Cologne-Rodenkirchen suspension bridge. After a good breakfast he put me on the train down to Heindenheim. I think the ICE train along the Rhine was called the Friedrich Schiller. I'd been on the route before and would travel it again. Good thing because it was really a delight to watch the castles, vineyards and little towns slip by. Although I made this painting in one sitting, I
Rathaus from across the Mach See 2008-04-20 03:15:00 Rathaus from across the Mach SeeHanover, Germany9 October 1997The short version of this story is that I'd performed in Dresden at some weird spot decorated as a 1950's Americana Diner with disco balls. I'd picked up a bug on my way to Hamburg and by the time I arrived in Dresden, my voice was almost gone. I pleaded with the booker but he pleaded back and my sense of wanting to fulfill my obligation won out. So I played and sang as much as I could until I had no voice left at all at which point I was able to go to the hotel where I broke into a full-blown fever with all the drama of chills and shakes and sweats and I won't go into any more detail. The next day, my agent invited me back to her place in Hanover to recover. I tossed and turned in her guest bed (or maybe she put me in h
Eindhoven Roses 2008-04-27 03:15:00 St. Rochusstraat 37Eindhoven
, Netherlands2 October 1997This was painted my second year staying at Ad and Ankie's apartment in Eindhoven where many, many fellow singer songwriters have been hosted and a number of beautiful albums have been recorded and produced.The light is exceptional in this 3rd floor room and I'm afraid that I came nowhere near to capturing in this little painting the way the light played on the roses. Determined to paint something, I included in this little arrangement a small teddy bear given to me once by a club owner who insisted that the bear must go on tour with me. That very moment, I placed the bear in my guitar case where he lived throughout my touring years. I think of this painting as the beginning of my working relationship with Ankie Keultjes who is large Read more:Roses
Angel Oak 2008-05-04 03:15:00 Angel OakJohn’s Island, South Carolina17 November 1997Back to Charleston after the tour. I was finally able to get the keys to the apartment, paint the interior and, wonder of wonders, move in. Once settled, I started hustling work performing in restaurants and hotels and making short excursions to perform elsewhere. My idea was to try to work locally as much as possible. It had been clear for some time that touring was not good for my well-being.In the meanwhile, I took Charleston to heart, examining every bit I could. Early on, I visited Angel Oak Tree with paint kit in hand. A massive structure, I remember sitting back a bit, trying to take it all in. But no matter how many times I started the underlying drawing, I could only seem to capture a section of the tree so finally surre
Folly Beach House 2008-05-11 03:15:00 Folly BeachHouse
South Carolina23 December1997It's been a long time since I was last in Charleston so I'm not sure if this house is still standing. When I lived there, this was one of the last beach front houses on Folly Beach remaining from the pre-Hurricane Hugo era. it seemed like a very comfy, old-timey place with the last stand of palmettos on the beach front. The house was my personal Fol Read more:Folly
City Hall 2008-05-18 12:56:00 City HallCharleston, South Carolina4 January 1998Living on the Charleston, South Carolina Peninsula was a very pleasant experience, especially because I love to walk and could get myself almost everywhere necessary on foot. Charleston City Hall is across from the downtown Post Office (another historic building) where I held a mail box so I looked at the pale pink marble edifice almost every day. W Read more:City Hall
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