Collaboration with Musicians: Part II Gerald Richard Ingley

Part II  of April M Rimpo and Elaine Weiner-Reed's 
Collaboration with Musicians on May 22.

I know I keep saying this, but I am so grateful to Elaine Weiner-Reed for suggesting we continue her "Every Painting is a Song" initiative as part of our two-person exhibition, "Portraits of Life: The Art of Storytelling" at Bernice Kish Gallery in Slayton House. Having musicians improvise pieces to our work, create structured improvisations by a trio of classical musicians, or write lyrics and song was a mind blowing experience. 

Gerald (Jerry) Richard Ingley brought me to tears with his lyrics for Ruby and Bernie to my painting Venus & Mars. I didn't expect him to have time to also write the music, but he did do just that. I got to cry all over again when he sent us a recording of the song along with his thoughts on the piece.

Venus & Mars © April M Rimpo

Venus and Mars © April M Rimpo

CLICK HERE TO HEAR THE SONG

Ruby and Bernie  Gerald Richard Ingley © 2019 Music, Lyrics and Vocals

About my painting Jerry said, "I used a personal experience as a basis for the lyrics after I'd studied the four people, the old guy with the ball cap and sandals standing near to but slightly apart from the woman with … a sweater … tied around her waist. The personal experience is evident in the lyrics, but the outcome of the real experience is … different from the storyline in the lyrics.”

Ruby and Bernie    Gerald Richard Ingley © 2019 Music and Lyrics

            Ruby and Bernie they’d not known each other ‘til the day that Fate played its hand,

Gentile and Jew they were soon to discover a future they’d not understand.

 

Bernie played saxophone Ruby just danced and she’d smile and she’d laugh and she’d sway,

And when their eyes met they were instantly lovers but never to go all the way.

 

You see, night after night they would weep in the shadows of the Temple Beth-El’s mighty stone

Gentile and Jew they held tight to each other, knowing they’d have to leave it alone.

 

So prayers left unanswered and hearts left broken, they parted and traveled so far

Ruby was married, had three lovely children and Bernie was swept off to war.

 

(brief instrumental riff)

 

Fifty years later their spouses had passed and they came back to where they’d grown

With parents now memories, their children on their ways leaving Ruby and Bernie alone.

 

Then on a warm summer Sunday our Ruby stood waiting on the corner of Second and Dell

When a bearded old fellow in a ball cap and sandals asked “Does this bus stop at Beth El?”

 

Ruby turned slowly and nervously spoke in a whisper “oh, can it be true?”

“I once fell in love with a saxophone player, please God, tell me, Bernie, it’s you.”

 

(brief instrumental riff)

 

So the story goes on and they live there together still in love with each other all the while,

You see once in a blue moon when the stars all align, the Gods that we pray to still smile.

For me Jerry's lyrics added depth to my painting that I makes me love the painting more than I already did.  Learning what others think when they see one of my paintings make the painting for me.  Everyone's different perspectives are joy for me to hear. Getting to also hear how my painting sounds through Jerry's song was a amazing experience that I'll never forget. 

Chance Encounters © Elaine Weiner-Reed

Chance Encounters © Elaine Weiner-Reed

Elaine Weiner-Reed   https://www.elaineweinerreed.com/

Read about Elaine's painting and hear Gerald Richard Ingley's Song 
"I Don't Want to See You Anymore" 
on Elaine's Website.

What do you think about the music and lyrics by Gerald Richard Ingley? Please share in the comments.  

I'm sure I will continue to collaborate with writers or every kind in my future exhibitions.  If one of my paintings every inspires you to create a poem, story, play, music, sculpture or an other form of art, please share it with me. Of course, if a painting brings back memories for you I'd love to hear those too. By sharing our thoughts and creative work we make the world a bit better.


Copyright of Text and Images of April M Rimpo Art held by April M Rimpo All images and content remain the property of the Artist. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright of Elaine Weiner-Reed artwork held by © 2019 Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) All images and content remain the property of the Artist.

Original songs by Gerald Richard Ingley (c)2019 Music and Lyrics

You may share these videos and April M Rimpo or Elaine Weiner-Reed's work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.No reproductions or prints are authorized. All rights reserved.

Interested in April's artwork or taking one of her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who Select the General Interest topic you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

You can also stay up to date with April M Rimpo art through Instagram @aprilrimpo -  Please join me.

Collaborating with Musicians - Part I ROGUE COLLECTIVE

First of all my thanks go to Elaine Weiner-Reed who conceived of "Every Painting is a Song" a few years ago and made it come to life in 2018 at her exhibition in Chaney Gallery at Maryland Hall. When Elaine and I joined forces for our exhibition "Portraits of Life: The Art of Storytelling", Elaine immediately suggested we continue her initiative of "Every Painting is a Song" as part of our exhibition. I wanted to expand on that idea to include "Every Painting is a Story." Having been in exhibits at the Columbia Art Center where either the artist created a painting to a poem or the poets wrote paintings to the visual art, I suggested we not only collaborate with musicians, but with poets as well.  

As a number of poets and musicians agreed to participate in our collaboration, we realized we needed two collaboration events: one Collaboration with the Written Word and one Collaboration with Musicians. This blog post focuses on the Collaboration with Musicians.

We were extremely lucky to have music created by ROGUE COLLECTIVE, Bob Jacobson, and Gerald (Jerry) Richard Ingley. This post is Part I of our Music Collaboration and features ROGUE COLLECTIVE. Enjoy this amazing group of women as they explore their reactions to painting and share what they hear in the pieces.

Meet the musicians of ROGUE COLLECTIVE and learn more at their website.

Alexa Cantalupo: Violinist | Musician | Creative Director of ROGUE COLLECTIVE - Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance from University of Maryland, 2019 Master of Arts in Arts Management from American University 

Kaitlin Moreno: Violinist | Musician | Professor - Performance degree from the University of Maryland. Kaitlin is dedicated to performing music of our time by collaborating with up-and-coming composers.

Natalie Spehar: Cellist | Composer | Lectures | Performs - Classical, Rock, and Folk Music. Natalie is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Maryland.

Enjoy their amazing Structured Improvisations created by the three talented women of ROGUE COLLECTIVE and hear how they saw the paintings.

Time at the Bus Stop © April M Rimpo

Time at the Bus Stop © April M Rimpo

ROGUE COLLECTIVE's interpretation of Time at the Bus Stop (shared in the video below), so aligned with my thoughts on this painting that I now know how my thoughts sound. Just thinking about it makes me get the chills and tear up at the same time.  My thanks to ROGUE COLLECTIVE for letting me have this incredible experience.

In Her Own World © April M Rimpo

In Her Own World © April M Rimpo

Video of ROGUE COLLECTIVES Structured Improvisation of In Her Own World.

And this post would not be complete without ROGUE COLLECTIVES' amazing music inspired by Elaine Weiner-Reed's paintings.

Heart and Soul © Elaine Weiner-Reed

Heart and Soul © Elaine Weiner-Reed

Enjoy Elaine Weiner-Reed's video about this wonder musical creation by ROGUE COLLECTIVE based on her painting Heart and Soul. Also learn a bit about the three musicians that are the heart of this collective.

Come What May © Elaine Weiner-Reed

Come What May © Elaine Weiner-Reed

Enjoy Elaine Weiner-Reed's video featuring ROGUE COLLECTIVE's music based on her  painting Come What May. 

Challenge Accepted © Elaine Weiner-Reed

Challenge Accepted © Elaine Weiner-Reed

And last but not least, Elaine's video honoring ROGUE COLLECTIVE's music created for Challenge Accepted.

Please share your comments on the art and these amazing musicians.

Copyright of Text and Images of April M Rimpo Art held by April M Rimpo All images and content remain the property of the Artist. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright of Elaine Weiner-Reed artwork held by © 2019 Elaine Weiner-Reed (EWR) All images and content remain the property of the Artist. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright of all music held by © 2019 ROGUE COLLECTIVE. All content is the property of the Artists. All Rights Reserved.

You may share this blog post with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited. No reproductions or prints are authorized. All rights reserved.

"In Her Own World" 18" X 12" watercolor

In Her Own World, a watercolor by April M Rimpo

In Her Own World

Watercolor
Varnished with UL Protective Varnish
Framed with no Glass

18" X 12"

Available on my website for purchase once it returns from the 41st Georgia Watercolor Society National Exhibition

My husband and I attempt to visit New York City about once a year. We often take a walk through Central Park at some point during the trip. Sometimes our walk is just to enjoy a beautiful day in NYC and other times it's the shortest route to our destination. 

Last year it was chilly in New York when we were there in the Spring, so we walked quickly through the park to get to the closest Metro stop that would be a good route back to our hotel. As we approached one of the tunnels on our path I noticed this young woman sitting just inside the tunnel playing her cello. Her music was lovely. I took photographs of her as we approached and after we passed her. 

I couldn't help but wonder about her music background. For me she represented so many great musicians working hard to succeed. But maybe instead it was just a sunny Spring day and she was sharing her musical art with the world.

Interested in April's artwork or taking one of her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who Select the General Interest topic you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

"Connecting" 36" X 20" watercolor

Connecting by April M. Rimpo

Connecting

Watercolor

36" (h) X 20" (w)

Continuing with my series Masterful Musicians, Connecting represents my awe of this master Blues, R&B, and Jazz performer, Vanessa Collier. Multi-talented, Vanessa writes much of her music, has a voice to die for, performs incredible solos on the sax while roaming among the audience, and shares soulful pieces on the guitar. She gathers a number of young talented musicians around her delivering a show that connects so well with the audience you will never forget her. Some songs grab onto you and you find yourself humming them for days after watching this masterful woman share her love of music and energy in every performance.  Play your heart out, Vanessa Collier.

Check out this painting during my two-person exhibit with Elaine Weiner-Reed, Portraits of Life: The Art of Storytelling. Elaine is equally mesmerized with Vanessa Collier's music and will also have some paintings that celebrate Vanessa's music. 

Portraits of Life: The Art of Storytelling

Two Artists ~ Two Styles~ One Vision

May 8 through June 9, 2019

Rimpo and Weiner-Reed are passionate about their paintings telling stories about life. Although they work in other subject matter, portraits are their favorite subject for telling stories. Their art explores the depths of the world around them: portraying cultures and people, honoring history and traditions, depicting the emotional content of an encounter, and revealing the undercurrents of human interaction. 

Location: Bernice Kish Gallery in Slayton House, 10400 Cross Fox Lane, Columbia, MD 21044 

• Reception and Artist Talk: Saturday, May 18 (3-5pm)
• Collaboration with musicians and writers: Tuesday, May 21 (6-8pm)
• BOB JACOBSON (Saxophone, Clarinet)
• ANN BRACKEN (Poet, Author, Creator of Possibilities)
• Full lineup can be seen at our event page

Collaboration with Rogue Collective: Wednesday, May 22 (6-8pm)

• Based in the Washington DC area, Rogue Collective explores "the gap" between classical and popular music through collaboration, original composition, improvisation and performance. 
• ALEXA CANTALUPO (violinist) 
• KAITLIN MORENO (violinist) 
• NATALIE SPEHAR (cellist) 

Interested in April's artwork or taking one of her classes? Consider becoming a Studio Friend by signing up for her twice-monthly email. April segments her newsletter so you can select topics you'd like to hear about when you sign up. For those who Select the General Interest topic you will receive emails about twice-monthly. If you are only interested in classes, then the emails will be much less frequent discussing upcoming classes and how to register. Select as many topics as sound of interest. Thank you for your support of April M Rimpo Art.

Contact April and see more of her art on her website

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Copyright April M Rimpo All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.