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By John A. Barry And Bill Carmel

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About this blog: John Barry is the creator of trAction Painting, a process/performance genre in which he applies paint to large surfaces with bicycles, roller skates, and other wheeled conveyances. With Bill Carmel and other associates, he has bro...  (More)

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Jazz and Abstraction

Uploaded: Jan 10, 2018


The jazz program at Peace Lutheran Church is one of the best deals in the area. On the first Sunday of seven months out of the year, you can catch, in the Peace sanctuary, some of the best acts in the business. No ticket price…just a donation for the musicians. The 2018 calendar is here: http://peacejourney.org/free-jazzmusic-2/jazz-calendar/

The group performing on January 7 was the Erik Jekabson Quintet, with Jekabson on trumpet and flugelhorn, Kasey Knudsen on alto sax, a sub for regular Matt Clark on piano, John Wiitala on bass, and Jeff Mars on drums. Thanks to my coauthor, Bill Carmel, and Peace Lutheran, some of my artworks were hanging on the wall. Bill organizes and helps install exhibits in the church throughout the year.

My work owes a debt to the Abstract Expressionists, particularly Jackson Pollock, avatar of the Action Painting component of AE. As an homage to Pollock’s influence, I named my paint-deposition creation method trAction Painting. My “brushes” are skates, scooters, bikes, a baby stroller, a wheelchair…. The resulting works are large, so I was doubly fortunate to have the sanctuary as my exhibit space.



"Obfuskate." Concept by Bill Carmel; execution by the author.

Pollock listened to jazz while he hovered and ran over huge canvases, dripping and splattering his way to immortality. Fellow Abstract Expressionist Willem de Kooning compared his own painting approach to that of Miles Davis’s approach to trumpet playing. As de Kooning put it: “Miles Davis bends the notes. He doesn’t play them, he bends them. I bend the paint.”

Jazz is my favorite musical genre, so I was happy and honored to have my exhibit open to the strains of that most American of music.

In a later post, I will examine the roots of Jazz at Peace.
Community.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Cholo, a resident of another community,
on Jan 22, 2018 at 5:07 pm

Duane Deterville writes for Open Space, SFMOMA...His writing may be of interest to your readers.

Web Link


Posted by JAB, a resident of Danville,
on Jan 22, 2018 at 6:12 pm

Thanks for the tip, Cholo.


Posted by Cholo, a resident of another community,
on Jan 24, 2018 at 1:11 pm

I enjoy reading about art so I started doing a bit of research and found this article: Web Link

thanks jab....cholo


Posted by Cholo, a resident of another community,
on Jan 26, 2018 at 2:27 pm

There's a TREASURE CHEST OF CHILDREN waiting to be introduced to art and jazz!

Web Link

GO FOR IT!!!


Posted by Cholo, a resident of another community,
on Jan 27, 2018 at 9:44 am

Web Link

jazz dance....exquisite!


Posted by Pololo Mololo, a resident of another community,
on Jan 27, 2018 at 2:16 pm

San Francisco Jazz School: Web Link

A very very very interesting program/classes.


Posted by Cholo, a resident of another community,
on Feb 5, 2018 at 4:30 pm

Hi John and Bill: There is an announcement for an art competition at the Firehouse Gallery. Web Link

You and your fellow artists may be interested in entering!

Good Luck artists!!!


Posted by Cholo, a resident of another community,
on Feb 13, 2018 at 2:24 pm

Artists in Residence at Olymmpics 2018!!!

This may be of interest to you and your readers: Web Link


Posted by Cholo, a resident of another community,
on Feb 13, 2018 at 2:30 pm

Olympic artists: Web Link


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