The Smithfield Sessions

The Smithfield Sessions was an event organised with Dublin City Council and we were lucky that the person who was choosing the locations for Dublin Sketchers for this month was interested in providing us with a live experience and an opportunity to sketch people. And this was a free event, set in large marquees in Smithfield.  I had a fantastic afternoon and I felt so energised by it!

First, I went to the small marquee, where a traditional Irish music workshop was in progress. The teacher, Zoe Conway, was teaching tunes to a number of fiddle, flute and accordion players. I haven't a clue about music, and it was fascinating to see how quickly her students (mostly teenage girls, but also some older people) were able to pick up the elements of each tune and then put it together. 

I was fascinated by how each person holds their violin slightly differently, but mostly, I was looking at their hands and trying to keep track of the gestures.

Even a young baby was enjoying the music. She was probably 6 months or 9 months, and she was clapping her hands to the music. I found it extraordinary. But then again, I know nothing about babies' development stages and she might have been a year old, for all I know.

Donal Lunny was there throughout and at the end, he went on stage and played a polka with Zoe Conway. I was all so fast that this is as much as I managed to sketch!

Then it was all done and time to go to the larger marquee and sketch the jazz musicians!

First onstage was Aleka, a wonderfully-talented young woman with a virtuoso voice. It was fun to sketch the band and a couple of the people in the audience.

Next on stage was Matthew Halpin and his band. I wonder is he related to Claire Halpin? And again, I got completely obsessed with how the hands were placed on the instrument. I didn't have the best spot, so I kept sketching the lead guy, Matthew, over and over.

 I didn't get to take any photos on location. Here are some of the sketches as they were at the time. I was able to deploy my watercolours at the jazz concert, but not at the trad workshop.

The Dance of the Cherry Trees

 It's that time of the year again!

But our dreams and the golden grain

I am so sad that Nanci Griffith has died. She was one of our shining lights. So don't be surprised if I start using her song lyrics for my next few paintings.

We saw her in Dublin on one of our first dates, at the Stadium, and then again some years later at the Helix, and the National Concert Hall, and probably at the Olympia too. She was so wonderful on stage!

I wanted to share a video I love here, but the owners of the video won't allow embedding, so you'll have to click this link and watch it on YouTube instead. It's Maura O'Connell singing Trouble in the Fields with Nanci Griffith accompanying her on guitar and vocals. The quality of the video isn't good, but it still brings me joy every time.

Here is a quarter sheet version of the same idea I have been exploring. I like it a lot!

Against all Odds

My musical tastes are quite varied. You could say all over the place. From Neil Diamond to Joe Jackson via U2, Nanci Griffith, The Clash, Dawn Upshaw, Mozart and Gorecky.

But this song came back to my mind recently - Against All Odds, by Phil Collins. Now that's a blast from the past, isn't it!

Symphony No3

Why am I posting this video of Gorecki's Symphony No 3? Because it's one of my favourite pieces of music and I was practising sketching people from it!

The Enchanted Island and Symphony No3

 More people in action!

I had to loop these over and over to get the gestures, but I didn't pause them. That's a big step! The first page and a half was from The Enchanted Island on Met HD On Demand. And the cellos (and small violins) were from Gorecki's Symphony No 3, one of my favourite pieces of music.

Sweet Music

I have no idea what these things are called, modular synthesizer, Moog, electronic music console, knobs and cables. But they were so much fun to sketch! And definitely easier to draw than a guitar!

Cherry blossoms in your hair

A couple of weeks ago, they were at their peak. Now they're gone. Just mush in our backgarden.
I'm so glad I captured them!

And let's move from James Joyce to John Spillane, with The Dance of the Cherry Trees:

Let me tell you 'bout the cherry trees
Every April in our town
They put on the most outrageous clothes
And they sing and they dance around
Hardly anybody sings or dances
Hardly anybody dances or sings
In this town that I call my own
You have to hand it to the cherry trees
And they seem to be saying,
To me anyway;
"You know we've travelled all around the Sun
You know it's taken us one whole year
Well done everyone, Well Done"

Every year, it makes me just as happy!

The Bug

If you were wondering what I was talking about ...

Cherry Blossoms everywhere

Very often, by the time I get my act together to go out and paint them, the trees have lost their spring freshness. This year, I was determined I would not miss the cherry blossoms, at the very least. So last Saturday, the sun was shining, and they were at their fullest. So I picked up my backpack and walked down the road and started painting them in a little park near us.

I found that the latest colour I bought recently, ultramarine rose (Daniel Smith), is perfect to capture the pinkness of them, with a touch of Lavender for the shade. I dropped in a little Potter's Pink for texture too.

And today, Thursday, most of the petals are gone, lying in our back garden  - one of our neighbours has a cherry tree, and the prevailing wind sends most of the petals to us. So I feel so lucky that I did capture the trees at their most glorious.

And of course, I can't talk about cherry trees without including John Spillane's song, which never fails to make me happy, no matter what time of the year!

The Köln Concert

Some music can make me so happy with life. The Köln Concert,  by Keith Jarrett, is one of those albums that does that for me - it makes my heart sing. And I'm not a big piano fan. And I don't like jazz. But this is not jazz to me. This is life at its best.

I can't find any decent version of it on YouTube, only some pale imitation. So you'll have to go to Spotify or Deezer to find it!

If you're not sure, check out this article by someone who's much more knowledgeable than I am.

Perfect for the dark days.

Solitude Standing Live 2012

I can't quite remember how I came across this album on Spotify. Listening to these brings me back years, probably around the time I arrived in Ireland. Happy memories.
Don't you love Suzanne Vega?

The dance of the cherry trees

These photos are a bit old - around April maybe? But I was thinking a lot about cherry trees around then. I even did a little watercolour in May, not very good, but still, a memory of our neighbour's cherry tree. They are really a spring tree. Once the tree has finished flowering, the leaves grow, dark and dull. I haven't looked at it since. But for a brief moment, cherry trees make the world sing.

Feel free to sing along! Me personally, I like to dance to this little tune!

Tilted - Christine and the Queens

You've probably all heard of her at this stage, but still, I want to share this video with you all - I saw Christine and the Queens sing an acoustic version of this on the BBC coverage of the Glastonbury festival. It was magic. At first I did not recognise that she was singing in English, but after a few words, it didn't matter, as she has an amazing voice. And then towards the end, she started singing and rapping in French and it all made sense (well, I still have no idea what the song is about, but I could understand the words). Christine (real name Héloïse Letissier) is French of course.

If you're curious about the lyrics, as I was, click here to find them.

Tricot

I'm not big into rock, generally, and I certainly had never heard of math rock before. But this is what happens when you listen to Japanese radio (Tokyo FM World). You get to discover things you never thought you would have liked.
One of the programs I caught was an interview of an all-female Japanese rock band called Tricot. They were talking about their new EP, called Kabuku. Now, I didn't understand 99% of the interview, but Tokyo FM world have a lot of their programs both in English and Japanese, which is great for beginners like me! They also have some in Japanese and Chinese, which is really confusing for beginners like me!!

There was one song in particular, the 5th one on the EP, called Blue, that I liked a lot. Since the album is only out a week, I haven't found a video for it on YouTube, but you can find it on Deezer or Spotify, if you're so inclined!

What I found on YouTube is this little combination of their music. I hope you like it!!

Bach Collegium of Japan

A wonderful concert at the National Concert Hall last week: Bach's Mass in B Minor, by the Bach Collegium Japan, conducted by Masaaki Suzuki, its founder, conductor and music director.

It wasn't a piece I was familiar with, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was told by my companion on that evening, who used to sing in a choir, that Suzuki was conducting the Mass really slow, and that it must have been very hard for the singers. She also said that normally this Mass is sung by a choir of a hundred - we only counted 18 or 19 singers, including the soloists (who were all Western, strangely enough). I didn't notice any of these subtleties of course, as I had only listened to the first half hour of it on Deezer the night before.

What I did notice however, was how clearly every voice, every instrument, shone through. It was an amazing experience - Bach is not as rhythmic as Handel - no sing-along Hallelujah or For Unto Us A Child Is Born here. But a feeling that every note counted.

That's the joy of live music

(Picture from Alix Pochribniak via Twitter)

And here are links to the full Mass on YouTube - Embedding was disabled, so when you click on these, you will be brought to YouTube.

Part 1

Part 2

Well done everyone

A little song that made me happy yesterday:

Joe Jackson

OK. I've got a few posts half-ready, but I often end up missing the moment. Like I still have to write my post about Turandot at the Met HD last week. The longer I leave it, the harder it is to remember why it mattered at the time.

So, while it's still fresh in my mind, a word about Joe Jackson's concert at the Olympia last night. And for those of you who missed his two concerts in Ireland, he's just starting a UK and Europe tour, so, no excuses. Plenty of chances to catch up!

I've been a fan forever. I know the words to all the songs - well, a few words here and there anyway. But I know exactly at what point the music is going to go WHOA and I'm ready to punch in the air and bop along. Well, couldn't exactly do that in the Olympia as my seat was in the Circle, but I had a great view, and no tall man/woman in front of me.

What can I say about Joe Jackson that hasn't been said a thousand times before? That I'm glad I went on my own, because it was LOUD. That he's still got IT, whatever that may be (and he is ten years older than me). That his songs are a lot more romantic than they sound. That when he is on stage, we all feel like we got the cure for gravity. Well, I was floating. Thank you Joe

PS: I didn't take these videos myself, and they might disappear from YouTube soon. Enjoy while you can






And a few words from my favourite: One More Time:

Tell me one more time, as I hold your hand, that you don't love me
Tell me one more time as teardrops start to fall
Shout it to me and I'll shout it to the skies above me
That there was nothing after all

Oh, and one more. He played Big Yellow Taxi, just like at this concert

Sigur Rós

This will probably be taken off YouTube - after all it's the whole album. But while it's there, have a listen. Iceland is definitely on my bucket list!

The Gloaming

Saw The Gloaming at the National Concert Hall last night. Wonderful.

Here is the video from the Albert Hall