Sunday Morning

I woke up with Sunday Morning by the Velvet Underground stuck in my head today. It got me thinking about how that “Sunday” feeling is a universal thing people have been considering for a long time. Even the term “Sunday scaries” is starting to catch on in our vernacular.

I think a lot of us can relate, whether we’re anticipating the impending work week or in the other case, trying to encapsulate that lingering hangover + anxiety or as I like to call it “hang-xiety”.

Many songs have been written about it but I think the Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning and Kris Kristofferson’s Sunday Morning Coming Down were on the same wavelength when it came to capturing that feeling.

There’s a lot of mutual recognition within the lyrics here:

“Sunday morning, brings the dawning
It’s just a restless feeling by my side
Early dawning, Sunday morning
It’s just the wasted years so close behind..”

It captures that quintessential Sunday wistfulness and paranoia, similarly found in Kristofferson’s Sunday coming down:

“Then I crossed the empty street
And caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin’ chicken
And it took me back to somethin’
That I’d lost somehow, somewhere along the way..”

The Velvet Underground’s song is more stripped down lyrically in an iconic rock n’ roll kind of way and Kristofferson is more on the side of poetic in his songwriting as he describes the scene as walking the streets of Nashville the next morning after flying too high that previous Saturday night.

Regardless of the artist’s approach or musical genre, both songs succeed in their attempt to reflect a mood we can all connect to.

✨Happy Sunday✨

🌟Happy New Year🌟

The Tower (2022) and Golden Hour (2022)

This month my artwork is being featured at Spellbound Cafe in Deland! The cafe provides an enchanting ambience along with delicious coffees and teas. I included a few photos from the art opening at the beginning of the month. I’m looking forward to future art opportunities this upcoming year✨

My art friends!

Interior Castle Exhibition

The fall season brings so many festivities and I’ve been busy enjoying them all🍁 At the end of August I had a solo show at the new Art Haus gallery in downtown Sanford. I’m really grateful that I had this opportunity to share my paintings as this was the culmination of a series I’ve been working on the past year. It was nice finally seeing everything come together and getting the work out there. The reception was a lot of fun, I got to see many new and familiar faces!

Golden Hour, acrylic on canvas

It’s always insightful to see which paintings people gravitate towards. The piece that generated a lot interest from viewers was by far “Fool’s Descent”. Ironically this was the painting I struggled with the most but will forever be my catalyst painting for the entire series. In reality it sent me over the edge and into an exploration of myself that was much deeper than I have ever been willing to go, unexplored territory if you will. Kinda funny really.

Nick Criscitelli at Garbology exhibition

Interior Castle coincided with another exhibition Garbology, which was a group show exploring the theme of “trash”. There were a lot of amazing artists showcased here including Nick🖤 [I may be a bit partial but..] I can really connect with his new paintings and the chaotic yet magical energy they portray.

🌟Circuit Church @ The Nook🌟

A couple of friends and I went to check out a music event in Orlando a few weeks ago. Circuit Church is a record label that throws live outdoor shows monthly at The Nook on Robinson. Local musicians perform all varieties of electronic music. Most notable from this last show was the music of Birdlady.

Seeing this music during a sunny evening outdoors is something expected considering the noise and experimental nature of this genre. The mood and atmosphere it created was a surprisingly calming one. I totally zoned-out during Birdlady’s set as I watched the wind whip through the overhanging trees above. It was a seemingly suited soundtrack for a galactic collision or the merging of supermassive black holes, any sort of cataclysmic planetary event caught in slow-motion. This was it, this was the soundtrack.

Take a listen to Birdlady using the link below.

https://birdlady.bandcamp.com

This must be the place..

The Nook itself is such a cool bar/hangout spot that I’m kinda sad I didn’t discover it until so recently. The owners are super friendly and welcoming, not only do they support local artists and musicians by providing a space for them to share their art but they host a ton of events during the year as well as reoccurring movie and vinyl nights. It’s not everyday you find a place like The Nook that really fosters creativity within the community. I can’t wait to spend more time in this place💜

Check out The Nook:

https://instagram.com/thenookonrobinson?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Circuit Church:

https://circuitchurch.bandcamp.com

A finished old(ish) painting?

I finally finished up this painting I began back at the end of August. It started as a quick sketch but once I started painting it no matter how much I tried replicating the spirit of the drawing I couldn’t get it right. It really frustrated me during my struggle to “will” it into existence. Is she wearing a crown? Wizard’s hat or a dunce cap? The joke was on me. I gave up and left this painting sitting in my studio for close to a year until just the other day.

As I looked at this paining over the past month it seemed like it wasn’t as far off as I had initially thought. I guess when I started the painting before, I wanted it to be something that it really wasn’t ready to be at the time.

The other day I started adding in some dark areas to the painting. Before that it was more of a light colored tropical portrait that never was. I’ve experienced so much since it’s first stages of creation and I see glimpses of that person who started the painting but it feels different now. I feel different now.

This is a painting of the fool embarking on a journey, soon to be shrouded in darkness. Not knowing what will come next or what the lesson will be. The carefree yet cowardice of the fool, getting caught up in the details instead of stepping back and getting a glimpse of the bigger picture.

Drifter’s Sympathy Podcast

This past month I started to delve back into Emil Amos’ Drifter’s Sympathy podcast. He just released some new episodes and I figured I would start back from the very beginning. I discovered Emil while listening to The Duncan Trussell Family Hour back in 2016. I figured if Duncan’s such a weirdo and they grew up together, as good friends Emil must be just as interesting of a person.

Being a music lover, I fell in love with the podcast immediately. In a way it reminded of listening to Little Steven’s Underground Garage when I was a kid, it used to play on the rock station Sunday nights when I was in high school. I would sit in my room with all my backlight posters glowing, soaking up every minute of the music and stories. I could always count on terrific music recommendations way before the internet was so accessible. For that, I’m forever grateful. Anyways, back to Drifter’s Sympathy…

The podcast delves into the idea of the Outsider or Loner archetype. How it emerged throughout history in music and movies, how we came to admire and relate to the myth ourselves. I enjoy the format of the podcast, not only because it highlights lesser known tracks by some often over-looked artists, but also how Emil’s own personal tales are woven effortlessly throughout the episodes.

Each episode has its own theme and as he chronicles music history it parallels his own experiences. I picture it almost as a fireside storytelling session. Unusual interactions and strange states of mind, what it was like growing up in the 90’s set to a killer soundtrack.

There are some seriously hilarious anecdotes he shares. Especially early on in the the podcast during the “Ron Trilogy”, a few episodes where he discusses his teenage guru Ron, an older gay Deadhead.

My favorite episode so far is probably Episode 19: Insidious Mind Control. I laughed myself to tears listening to these old prank call recordings from Emil and Duncan as they sow dissent amongst the general population of their small college town.

See the link below to check it out.

https://open.spotify.com/show/5FVtLnvzB84Fifso8V1DOD?si=bCaoUNSFQMCLEoG1LFoVCQ

Nicolas Cage Proclaims ‘I Am a Goth’ Ahead of Playing Dracula, Says His Pet Crow Insults Him

Nicolas Cage once played a man who is convinced he is a vampire (1989’s “Vampire’s Kiss”), but he’s about to go full bloodsucker as Dracula in …

Nicolas Cage Proclaims ‘I Am a Goth’ Ahead of Playing Dracula, Says His Pet Crow Insults Him

“Listen to them, children of the night. What music they make…”

Last night we took a walk down to the river near our house. Along the way there is an abandoned building that used to be a Walgreen’s years ago. It was around 8:15, perfect timing really. As we passed by, I heard the familiar sound of excited bats chirping. I looked up towards the building and at that precise moment a swarm of bats began to take flight, emerging out of a small gap between the roof and shingles. There were so many, much more than I would have imagined. It was enchanting, the magic in the ordinary.

P.S. Who is the best Vampire?

Masayoshi Takanaka meets Santana💫

I recently discovered the music of Masayoshi Takanaka while browsing on YouTube. I wasn’t in the best mood so I played Brasilian Skies solely based on the cover art. This man looked like he was having the time of his life on a beach somewhere. The music was happy, ecstatic and upbeat. Then I realized something, you cannot feel sad and listen to Takanaka’s music at the same time, it’s just impossible. What a revelation..

Cover art from Brasilian Skies – 1978

More great album art from Takanaka’s All of Me – 1979

As I went further down the rabbit hole, I found out that Takanaka has an extensive discography ranging from the early 1970’s up until just a few years ago. After about a month solid of listening to these albums with no end in site, I came across the best video yet, the one that would totally blow my mind – Takanaka performing “Ready to Fly” w/Santana live in Japan. I’ve always been a big Santana fan but I had no idea they ever performed together. (My favorite Santana is of course the infamous Woodstock performance of “Soul Sacrifice”, but that’s a story for another time)

So in August of 1981 Santana did a brief tour of Japan with Takanaka called The Summer Live Super Session. This legendary performance at Yokohama Stadium has it all: two heavy hitting guitar masters, city pop synths and an OUT OF CONTROL percussion section driving it all home…it doesn’t get much better than this.