Billy Stapleton ~ Blues Guitarist and "The Curator of Cool"

I met Billy when I went to watch the band "Little Bill and the Blue Notes" play. I had just recently finished a painting of Little Bill and Billy is the guitarist in this vastly entertaining group. After the wonderful show that night I enthusiastically asked if he would sit for a portrait and he graciously agreed.

We really didn’t have a concept ahead of time of what character we would have for his photo op but as we talked it became clear that guitars would have to be a part of it. Billy is an avid guitar aficionado and has AMAZING skills! He gave me quite the education in this department and I enjoyed listening to his life story. It became clear that this guy is the definition of cool, thus leading me the title for his photo, "The Curator of Cool".

Billy was born and raised in the San Francisco area and came of age in the 1960’s. His first instrument was an accordion which he began lessons on at age 7 but he quickly moved onto guitar. As a teen he worked in a music store and belonged to the typical boyhood bands. This gave him plenty of exposure to the emerging music scene of the times. He frequented all the local concerts bringing him into contact with a vast array of bands and personalities many of which became legends. 

Billy regaled me with fascinating stories of rubbing elbows with the likes of Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix. I was particularly smitten with the story he told of getting backstage with a $10 bribe to see Jimi. Once there he was star struck and couldn’t move from the doorway into the room. Jimi noticed and grabbed a coke and brought it to Billy with hand outstretched in welcome. Billy was certain that nothing but garbled noise escaped his mouth!

Billy’s website is chock full of fascinating stories and information. Check out his Guitar Stories for sure! Little Bill and the Bluenotes, the band he is part of, was just honored with the Washington Blues Society’s “Best Traditional Blues Band” award and a schedule of their gigs is listed here. If you live in the Puget Sound region you gotta go see ‘em!

Back to School

Ever short on inspiration or need a boost of energy? 

Just visit a school classroom and you’ll find it in surplus! Last week I visited a 6^th grade class where my sister Lisa teaches and I went away not only motivated, but also impressed on so many levels. It never ceases to amaze me what teachers accomplish on a daily basis with society’s most precious commodity…our children. And it is these children that give me the most hope, joy, renewal, inspiration and sense of commitment.

My original intent was to take a photo of Lisa with the portrait I had recently finished of her. For varieties sake and because it is so much a part of who she is I thought it would be fun to put her in a classroom setting. From there the plan evolved into a lesson in my FACE art for the kids. They had recently learned about caricatures and had even drawn some of their own so this was a natural segue.  

I brought my easel and a drawing of a FACE of my niece (Lisa’s daughter) to do a quick demonstration on. I explained my concept and process and after the demo we passed out FACE paintings for each child to hold in a group photo. This is where they had the most fun of course! Choosing a FACE and then pretending to be this person was a wee bit like Halloween I suppose. Although they couldn’t see the results until I sent the picture to my sister later that day.

For me it was refreshing to witness that art is still alive (at least at this particular school). The kids were amazing, smart, polite and very respectful in handling my portraits. Art is not just for the artist alone or for one client that happens to pony up the currency to purchase a painting; it is meant to be shared and interacted with. To all you artists out there….contact a school nearby and share your talents with the kids. 

It will revitalize your spirit and encourage you on this journey we are all taking together!