Packin' my Leavin' Trunk

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Roots and Blues

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Bright Moments,

Rob Jones

Make Up My Dying Bed (Blind Willie Johnson)

Make Up My Dying Bed (Blind Willie Johnson) Gutbucket 2012

ink, acrylic, and sawdust on found wood

This cat was intense and aggressive with a sweet slide and the trademark gravelly growl of the street performer. The playing compliments the voice and the religious subject matter! Died by contracting malaria from sleeping on a swamp damp mattress in the burned down shell of his house/church in the hot Texas sun.

Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues (Charlie Patton)

Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues (GutBucket, 2011)

Acrylic and sawdust on found wood

Did the blues start here? Possibly.  Did the Blues lifestyle and image start here? Possibly, I really don't know, but in my pantheon of blues, it sure comes close...

See that My Grave is Kept Clean (Blind Lemon Jefferson)

See that My Grave is Kept Clean

Acrylic, sawdust, and wire on found wood (GutBucket, 2011)

Blind Lemon Jefferson was one of the original country bluesman. His influenced can be traced down through Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell, RL Burnside, to countless others.

Rock Me Mama (Butch Cage)

Rock Me Mama (Butch Cage) 2012

ink and acrylic on found violin case

Butch Cage could raise a ruckus with his partner Willie B. Thomas.  Together, this dynamic duo played in the old timey black southern string music fashion dating back to the early 1900's.  The tunes swing and rock, folk and blues and pinch of raw southern jazz.

Cross Cut Blues (Eugene Powell)

Cross-Cut Blues (Eugene Powell) 2012

ink and acrylic on found wood and saw blade

One of thee finest country blues men of his time and a link of present to the past.  Eugene Powell aka Sonny Boy Nelson recorded several songs in the 30's and 40's, usually backing up other musicians, such as his wife Mississippi Matilda.  He continued to record until his death, lucky for us his style changed very little.  As a child, Eugene was shot in the face with an arrow by one of his peers during a PE activity.  It was believed by many to a malicious attack on Eugene due to bi-raciality.

Carolina Ramblers (Bar Stool)

Bar Stool is the acoustic duo of "Dixie" Dave Collins and Dave "Shep" Shepherd of sludge/doom/weed/swamp metal outfit Weedeater.  I am pretty excited for this project mainly due to the instrumentation and the idea of these two good'ol boys gettin' back to their Carolina roots so to speak. Dixie has one lived in voice! I referenced a photo of Country Outlaw O.G. Charlie Poole and his band for the pose. I was fortunate enough to catch Weedeater a couple weeks ago, here in Columbus, and I got to meet Dixie Dave.  He is one nice dude and he absolutely dug the painting. Shep, I will get you next time!

Ink, acrylic, jaw harp, hardware on found wood.

Leviathan Blues (Capt. Ahab)

Thee infamous Captain Ahab...the first major painting of '012. Ink, acrylic, rope, and found wood on found wood.  This is another really large piece, and has given me the idea of continuing to pursue creating literary characters or tale-tale heroes in this style.  I like it, its fun and challenging...now I just need to find some more big wood.

White Whale Sleigh Ride

Thee final piece of '011...what a doozie!  Ink, acrylic, rope, and found wood on found wood.  I took inspiration form Matt Kish's Moby Dick book.

When the Saints Go Marching In II (2011)

The Last Testament (Bunk Johnson)
ink and pencil on found wood
14" x 18" (ish)

Emile Barnes (Honestly I cannot remember what I called this one)
pencil and ink on found wood
12" x 15" (ish)

Clarinet Marmalade (Big Eye Louis Nelson)
pencil and ink on found wood
14" x 18" (ish)

Big Eye Nelson is a continuation of all things simple in the world of rob jones line portraiture. The other two ere just plain fun with the wrinkles and the what have you. On a side note, Big Eye was an honest moniker given Louis Nelson because one eye was bigger than the other and helped differentiate him from the other Louis Nelson on the NOLA jazz scene.

The Future is Unwritten (Joe Strummer) 2011

The Future is Unwritten
pencil and ink on found wood
12" x 16" (ish)

An early piece continuing last year's fetish with drawing/painting hands and concentrating on line. Joe Strummer is one of my heroes. I was kinda in a funk the December he passed away. Long Live Joe!

The Transfiguration of Jeffrey Lee (Jeffrey Lee Pierce) 2011

The Transfiguration of Jeffrey Lee
Ink, acrylic, found objects, on found wood
36" x 48" (ish, its a biggin')

(Detail)

Without a doubt, Fire of Love by the Gun Club, is one of my all time favorite albums. Jeffrey Lee is one of my all time favorite musicians. It is a punky, swampy, bluesy, rockabilly trip through spiritualism and mythology via the darkside of voodoo. It is just plain bad-ass. I must have listened to it 20 time working on this painting. Some of those bottles have been a part of other paintings and now they finally have a home. This one falls in the Icon Alter realm with Gram Parsons, Dave Eugene Edwards, and undocumented Fela pieced owned by Ryan Mowry. Anyway, one of the biggest and baddest of '011!

Fat Possum Blues Review 2011

5 Fat Possum Greats for Chris at Bayport BBQ in MN..home of the Deep Blues. Fun little project, got me listenin' to the albums that got me into the blues in the first place. Thanks Chris!