Saturday, Sunday, and Eric Lewis

Saturday in the studio is always a good time.
My studio is at Five Points. The graffiti building across Jackson Avenue from PS1 in Long Island City. On the weekends there are always a bunch of graffiti guys painting up the walls and hip hop artists making videos, you name it.
This week my neighbor Martin was finishing up his painting of Johnny Cash for a tribute show that was last night at South Paw. It turned out great.
I spent the day tracing the last of the parts of The Creation of Adam to plywood and continued cutting them out. Here are some more pics.
The work is going well and I hope to have this one assembled and have begun the painting process by the 11th of March.
I go to San Diego for three days on the 12th to see The New Children's Museum that has invited me to participate in a show in October. I can't really afford the time out of the studio this month but I think it will be worth it.

Tonight Eric Lewis will be playing at Joe's Pub. Some friends from TED will be there but the show is sold out. I am hoping to get a ticket last minute. If you haven't heard him play you MUST check him out! Click the link below or search him on Youtube.

I first saw him play via live simulcast at TED last month and was blown away. I have never heard a more powerful pianist in my life. He started out with some chaotic, dis-harmonic plinking and banging, growing louder as he played until it sounded like some kind of eruption of madness. His facial expressions were absolutely compelling. As the music boomed from what seemed like every direction the crazy chaos melted into brief moments of the most sublime melody and just when you begin to get comfortable he would blast back into the chaotic yet tremendously calculated discord. As the song seemed to be falling apart and coming back together at the command of his fingertips I was moved to tears. For me it was the best thing I saw at TED. In fact, I'm a little misty thinking about it now. Wow, what a genius. I hope I get to go.
-J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YwYeUt6REw