About 40 years or so ago, my Dad saw that the movie "Bullitt" was on TV one night and insisted we watch it together. He promised the car chase scenes were like no other and there was very little talking in the film - two things that still catch my attention to this day. I'm so glad he invited me to watch that film because it's still one of my absolute favorite movies from that era. Steve McQueen was as cool and suave as they came (oo-lah-lah) and I remember being glued to the TV screen the whole time watching these intricate car chase scenes with little to no talking while still being jawdropping and intense.

The first time I heard Sheryl Crow's song "Steve McQueen", I couldn't have imagined a more perfect song describing him. But more than that, she made HERSELF be the Steve McQueen in her story which makes it even more rebellious and fantastic.

Please enjoy my scratch track version of Sheryl Crow's tune "Steve McQueen".

Today's offering is a diptych from The Museum Series of an "exhibit" of mule deer. The first image is the piece as a whole, the second image is of the paper diorama of two fawns that live inside the first panel and the third image is of the slide that will be housed in the second panel. I photographed the slide through what is called a "loupe" atop my light box to show what's all going on there. All slides and View-Master images will also have a magnifying glass attached in the piece so it can actually be seen and give that feeling of being in a theater.

As I've mentioned before, each piece will have its own lighting added that folks will be able to activate by pressing the black button on the piece. I know this goes against everything art museums drill into people's heads about not touching artwork or even getting too close to even look at a piece, but I'm intentionally breaking ALL the rules by encouraging people to physically interact with my pieces because that's how I roll. I want people to explore what's inside and really drive home the fact that you are looking at an exhibit through another exhibit and experience that pure joyous sense of discovery. Yes, I realize now in our scary germ infested world this will probably present future issues, but I'll cross that bridge when and if I ever get to it.

Title: The Museum Series: Mule Deer
Year: 2020
Media: Acrylic Paint, Paper Collage, View-Master Slide & Wood Panel
Dimensions: Diptych, 4"x 4" wood panels hung 1/2" apart

Back in Sweet Jelly times, people used to ask me what we sounded like. I used to tell them "Weezer" meets "Barenaked Ladies" meets "No Doubt". I told them that because those were the three main influences that came from three of the band members. Aaron Johnson was a hardcore Weezer fan, I was a huge Barenaked Ladies fan and Lance Dobersek was a huge No Doubt fan. Truth be told, I had no idea No Doubt even existed so when Lance shared his enthusiasm of No Doubt with me I of course was blown away and became a hardcore fan as well. I mean, Gwen Stefani is a Hollywood goddess in every single way. Her voice is amazing, her stage presence (along with the band's) is amazing and I really love the lyrics to her songs and could certainly relate to them in so many ways.

So for today's Carolaoke offering, please enjoy my scratch track version of No Doubt's "Just A Girl". These lyrics are spot on for any gal trying to be seen and heard in this world.

The museum series is chugging along nicely, but a couple pieces I'm currently finishing up need to be "walked away from" for a bit so I don't burn them in the backyard out of frustration. I know that's juvenile and ridiculous, but that's what happens over here sometimes.

Today's studio closeup is another offering from my past. These pieces were done in 1998 and was me experimenting with a more conceptual-abstract(?) direction than the realistic renderings I had been doing in art school.

This experiment is a quadriptych done in the style of the covers of "Dick and Jane" books that were popular back in my parents' day. I remember purchasing this book for creative idea inspiration and this was my brainstorm at the time. I loved the colors and design of these covers especially how they had lined them up for this photo shoot.

A few years back, after I relocated these panels in my upstairs studio stash, I think that's when it clicked for me to start hunting down my own reading materials from elementary school and give a nod to my generation's reading curriculum.

Please enjoy my tribute to the old "Dick and Jane" book covers.

Title: Dick And Jane Covers
Year: 1998
Media: Acrylic Paint, Canvas Board and Collage
Dimensions: Quadriptych, 5" x 7" canvas board panels hung 1/4" apart

Everything about this song written and created by Sara Bareilles is a work of art. The lyrics, the music, the harmonies, the instrumentation - all of it is a perfect musical package. She's also an amazing and dynamic performer as this clip certainly showcases. You can't help but feel like you're part of her world and not "just the audience" making it a complete experience. Not very common in this current world. Her voice is amazingly beautiful as she sings out the words of finally being able to stand up for herself and stop secretly hurting and hiding. It's as if this song gives her some power over always being polite and listening to everyone else's opinion but her own. I really relate to this. I have been going through similar experiences forever since my time began. Rewiring the perpetual chatter of your inner self is sometimes WAY harder than tuning out the words and thoughts of others.

Sometimes.

But you have to in order to survive on this planet.

Please enjoy my Carolaoke scratch track version of Sara Bareilles' "King Of Anything".