What's Up With That?

I'm noticing a trend among some people of not bothering to answer posts on their blog. We all understand the various reasons a person might not post on other blogs, but who the heck ignores people that take the time to post on one's own blog??? I have always tried to be very conscientious about that here and in the forums. A quaint notion, perhaps, but it seems common courtesy to me....and it's part of what makes the whole thing work. (insert scratching head emoticon here)

Flight

I've been battling a nasty cold and unable to keep up with up with internet stuff. But something needs to be posted here, so check out an instrumental rocker I wrote and recorded some time ago and just put on Youtube. I'm playing a Parker Fly Deluxe, so this was obviously shot well before the Dean "Teaser" guitar came about. The level is a little low, so crank your speakers, the louder the better!

Artworks This Week - Maryland Public Television

In 2006 I was spotlighted twice on Maryland Public Television's Artworks This Week, hosted by public television celeb Rhea Feikin. The second time they brought a film crew to my studio, and that feature has been re-aired often. I just saw it for the first time while editing it for Youtube - I hate watching myself on these things! Each time this segment has been broadcast, I hear from people in the DC/Maryland area, and after it was aired again the other night, I received an email from a world-famous musician who has been a major influence on my creative life. More on that soon! Thank you to MPT, Rhea Feikin, and producer Katrina Threat for your interest and support!

Joseph Zbukvic

Thanks to the awesome Janine Gallizia, I was invited to exhibit with her, Joseph Zbukvic, and a number of other European watercolor stars in Limousin, France last summer. (see this post about the show, and another post about Janine) That was a great honor, and at the time I had no expectations of meeting them anytime soon. Well, Janine has organized another major exhibition to take place in Belgium in October with Joseph, myself, and a handful of the best watercolorists on the Continent. I will be going over for that, and will probably also do a workshop. More details soon.

................ Joseph Zbukvic and his 1956 Triumph TR3

All of my communication has been with Janine, until recently when I was stunned to see an email arrive from Mr. Z himself. Anybody not familiar (if that's possible) with Joseph's renowned work, needs to stop reading now and go here. And here. People who are familiar with his work know that he's regarded as one of the all-time masters of this medium. I'm proud to now call him a good friend, and humbled to be considered a colleague. When I picked up the paint brush again in 2003, I had no idea things would take this turn.

Joseph and I are planning on meeting in Seattle in April for some good times, where I'll be doing a workshop at CWB, and he'll be flying in to do a workshop for Art Escapes Montana at the fantastic Glacier Camp Lodge in Kalispell. Through the organizational genius of Jamie Kelley, Joseph and I will do back to back workshops at scenic Granville Island, in Vancouver, April 2010. More details on that soon. By the way, in 2011, Jamie has me doing a dual workshop with one of my cherished mentors, watercolor legend Barbara Nechis. To our knowledge, this has never been done the way we are planning it. I'm excited!

If you followed this convoluted post, you'll see I owe it all to Janine....again. :)

Tvoj prijatelj!

Kanzashi

Kanzashi 38"x38" 97 x 97 cm

A variation on the Tokyo Express painting. For this one I distorted the drawing to emphasize the hair ornaments ("kanzashi"), and I also distorted the Japanese characters to alter the perspective. All of the whites are the paper. Da Vinci/Fabriano.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

I posted this in an art forum a few years back, and found it fun and very revealing. Maybe a few will post their invitation lists here, I'd like to read them. It's best to confine it to people who aren't around anymore, and to not include departed friends and family. As such, I cannot invite Uncle Fester, President Obama, nor Hannah Montana.

1. Mark Twain - has to be the #1 historical person I'd most like to meet. The dinner, in fact, would likely be in his honor.*

2. Chopin - need a truly tragic musical genius...will also play after dinner.

3. Bertrand Russell - only philosopher I can understand, will hopefully explain stuff I don't get.

4. Marilyn Monroe - the flame still burns!

5. Whistler - you might think I'd have more artists, but with Whistler present, no others are needed (and he'd be the first to point that out). Also exempts Oscar Wilde, et al., kill two birds with one stone.

6. Bruce Lee - had to think about this a while, and it marks me as a hero-worshipper from a certain generation. But I believe there was a lot to him besides the karate, and everytime I heard him speak (well, not as Kato, but...) he seemed to make profound sense. He could also kick yer ass, and that's kind of cool too....maybe the most amazing athlete ever.

7. Tom Lehrer - oops, he's alive. Sorry. OK, I'm going for an alternate, Peter Ustinov, who beat out last year's alternate, Stephen Potter. There's almost too much talent in Ustinov to be cramming into a dinner party, but this is not just any affair, and it's the kind of occasion where he was without peer.

8. #8 is very tough, because you realize how close you are to the end of the list. (A couple of times the planning committee stretched it to a dozen invites, and then people were making it a baker's dozen, etc. It got out of hand, so ten is the official limit.)So you can't choose just anybody for this chair, it's too precious. Blago could have got millions for it. Anyway, this year it goes to Da Vin.....I mean Dar....I mean Dino! Once again Dean Martin, my favorite entertainer, makes the Top 10. The King of Cool edges out other stiff cocktail competition like Galileo, Shakespeare, and Mother Teresa. (he'll go on after Chopin)

9. Taking booze, drugs, and a fast life to another level, Tommy Bolin. Sort of a given with me, ultimate modern age tragic genius.

10. Regaining some dignity, but not shrinking from the dramatic, Amelia Earhart. Never had her before, way overdue, would like to know what happened. Joan of Arc on next year's wait list again!

A bit lowbrow, no doubt...heavy on the entertainment with a touch of glamour, light on statesmen, religious leaders, scientists, and, strangely, women. (no "revealing" jokes, please) So what, make your own list!

* Whistler thinks it's in his honor.

PVW Workshop

Thank you to the 28 members of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists who attended the workshop Friday and Saturday - what a great group of artists and very nice people! Many are advanced painters with signature memberships and lots of experience, and as usual, I probably learned just as much, if not more, than they did. Once again, Da Vinci Paint generously supplied free triad samples of their fluid acrylic, and everyone was impressed by the vibrance and versatility of this totally boss paint. PVW also made me an honorary member which was quite unexpected and much appreciated! Special thanks to Marilyn Milici who organized it, and to the board who invited me to judge the show and conduct the workshop.

PVW Awards 2009

The awards reception for the 35th Anniversary Exhibition of the Potomac Valley Watercolorists took place tonight at Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda. It was a bitterly cold night, but there was a very good turnout - lots of fur coats, high fashion, and my wife even wore her chapka. I gave a brief talk, and then 21 awards were given out. Seen above is Elaine Hoffman with her remarkable painting Face Off, which I awarded first prize. It is a marvel of transparent watercolor painting, rendered in a loose but utterly commanding and convincing style. The palette is superb, the composition killer, and the picture truly transcends the rather unexpected subject matter (hockey players). I wish I had painted it! There are many very fine name painters in this organization, so there was plenty of first rate competition. Congratulations to Elaine, and thanks to PVW for inviting me to judge. The workshop I'm doing in conjunction with this show takes place January 23-24 in Alexandria. It's full but there is a waiting list - contact Marilyn Milici for information.

Princeton Art & Brush

While at the SCAD expo in October, I was introduced to Howard Kaufman, the man behind Princeton Art & Brush Company. Howard is the former CEO of Grumbacher, so he knows the art business. I was demonstrating for Da Vinci at the expo when we met, and that's when I realized my two favorite brushes (1 1/2" flat and a mop, both seen lower left in photo) are Princetons. It was a very good time to realize that, and now I am exclusively using Princeton brushes! I love their synthetic sable 4050 series - that 1 1/2" has held up very well to plenty of abuse for about five years. I use the same brushes for watercolor and fluid acrylic, and while I constantly wash them out, I'm not always thorough, and sometimes even forget. I'll be using some of the pure kolinsky 7150 series also....no acrylic allowed with those!

Thanks again for your generosity, Howard, and even more for your terrific brushes. :)

Workshops 2009-2010

The following workshops are confirmed. More will be added, check the Workshop page on my site. I know the workshop for PVW in Alexandria is full with a waiting list.

2009

2-day workshop - VisArts - Rockville, Maryland. January 10-11.Contact: Minna Philips 301-315-8200

2-day workshop - Potomac Valley Watercolorists - Alexandria, Virgina. January 23-24.Contact: Marilyn Milici 703-941-4575

Demonstration - York Art Association - York, Pennsylvania. March 29.Contact: YAA 717-755-0028

3-day workshop - The Cape Artists - Lewes, Delaware. April 8-10.Contact: Sonia Hunt 302-644-2973

4-day workshop - The Center For Wooden Boats - Seattle, Washington. April 20-23.Contact: Mareth Warren 206-382-2628

3-day workshop - VisArts - Rockville, Maryland. June 3-5.Contact: Minna Philips 301-315-8200

2-day workshop - Plaza Art - Rockville, Maryland. August 29-30. Contact: 301-770-0500

2010

4-day workshop (6-day event) - Kanuga Watercolor/Watermedia Workshops - Hendersonville, North Carolina. April 11-16.Contact: Robbie Laird 530-259-2100

4-day workshop - Art Escapes Vancouver - Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia. April 20-23. Contact: Jamie Kelley 604-730-2776

4-day workshop - Sandy Maudlin/Greentree Studio - Lawrenceburg, Indiana. August 6-9.Contact: Sandy Maudlin 812-539-4505

4-day workshop - California Watercolor Association - Concord, California. October 18-21.Contact: Karen Powers 510-502-6211

Getting The Right Shot....

...for a Christmas card can be tough with a 4-year-old. But it's a lot of fun!

masmoulin s'est jeté à l'eau, celle de l'aquarelle

Thank you to Pierre for the attention on his watercolor blog, whose title (see above) translates roughly to "Masmoulin's dive into watercolor." When you put "Nicholas Simmons, un aquarelliste qui connaît la musique" into Babelfish, you get "Nicholas Simmons, a painter in watercolours who is up to all the tricks" heheheh. (I got a better explanation from Pierre!) He has blogged about many great painters on the watermedia scene, and documents his own watercolor journey. Check out his blog here.

365 Days Later & More Tommy Mania!

I started this blog a year ago today, and have averaged one post every 4.5 days, drawn 22,000+ visits (Sitemeter doesn't count mine) from I don't know how many countries, and evidently have entertained some people enough to warrant returning regularly. Some of the best watermedia painters in the world have looked in, and even commented. Music fans, old colleagues, students and bandmates, workshop attendees, collectors, and the occasional long-lost friend. I was even honored with a post from Bruce - um, 365 days ago! :)

Well, it's all been exciting and a lot of fun, but even more exciting is what's happened with Tommy Bolin over the past 12 months. Johnnie Bolin, Dean Guitars, and I introduced the commemorative "Teaser" guitar at NAMM last January to a spectacular reception (see posts from Dec. 2007 and Jan. 2008), and the new January 2009 issue of Guitar Player magazine has a full page ad for the guitar on page 82, opposite the cover story on David Gilmour - appropriately, in my view, as Pink Floyd's legendary guitarist has been another huge influence on me. The ad utilizes the tag line I came up with, Once In a Million Years, a Shooting Star Returns. We're very pleased that the guitar has nearly sold out, and is already being auctioned on ebay with starting bids at the list price. There may be more Tommy axes from Dean in the future!

But it doesn't stop there! Greg Prato's new book, Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story, is now available! This is the book so many have been waiting 32 years for, and we are all indebtted to Greg for taking on the project. He interviewed approx. 50 people (including myself), all of whom either knew, played with, or were otherwise connected to Tommy in an important way. I haven't gotten my copy yet, but my nose is glued to the window, waiting for the postman. The book can be ordered here.

As if that weren't enough, Martin Popoff's history of Deep Purple from the years 1968-1976 - the years that matter - is hot off the press. Extraordinary. One might think that the title of the book - if it were to use the title of a Purple song or album - would be something culled from one of the classic, "signature" Purple periods: Shades of Deep Purple, Machine Head, Highway Star, Smoke On the Water, Made in Japan, etc. But no! Mr. Popoff instead used the title of one of the tracks Tommy wrote for Come Taste The Band: Gettin' Tighter !!! I still remember when I heard that song for the first time, and was floored. Tommy had reinvented the wheel, and injected a grinding American bluesiness, funk, and jazz-fusion sensibility into the British supergroup's patented monstrous sound. Popoff didn't stop there. One might expect a picture of perhaps the Mk. II lineup on the cover, or maybe the Lord/Paice/Blackmore core, or, predictably, one of those familiar pics of Ritchie Blackmore. No again! Instead, a never-before-seen photo by Richard Galbraith - from a roll of film thought to be lost forever - showing the one and only Tommy Bolin in a shot that sends chills down the spines of disciples. (the famous jacket can be seen more clearly here, scroll down) How cool is that!! Read more about the book, and order it here.

Since I came up with the idea of the guitar, and got Johnnie together with Elliott Rubinson of Dean Guitars, there has been a snowball effect of Tommy's visibility: a great feature in Classic Rock magazine, the cover of Guitar Player magazine in February 2008, another feature in Guitar Player, June 2008, "10 Things You Gotta Do To Play Like Tommy Bolin" (good luck!), Greg Prato's new book, and Martin Popoff's new book. The Tommy Bolin Archives site and TommyBolin.biz are busier than ever, and the CDs just keep rolling out. The buzz gets louder each day as new generations of music lovers discover the genius of the beautiful kid from Sioux City. Coincidence? I don't think so. :) I used to scrawl "Tommy Bolin Lives!" on the walls of my highschool. It's true.

Zen Board!

The Zen Board is cool! It uses what is known as "magic paper" - you simply paint on it with water, which then turns to a rich black...and completely disappears a minute or two later to a reusable state. Lights and low humidity contributed to faster-than-normal drying/evaporation in this video; however, developing speedy brushwork and thinking is invaluable for location and life painting/drawing. The video is in real time. I used my own music in the background. A big thanks to Princeton Art & Brush Company, whose fine Series 4050 synthetic sable brushes were used. Also thanks to my great friend Debra Halprin, who gave me the Zen Board. (insert hug and kiss emoticon here)

Turn up your speakers!

Watercolor magazine feature - Winter 2009

The new Winter 2009 issue of Watercolor magazine (American Artist publication) has a 14-page feature about my work written by UK artist John A. Parks. It's a great spread, the largest in the magazine - I'm indebtted to John and to the editors! Subscribers are receiving it now, and it will be on the newsstands December 16.

Thanks also to Da Vinci Paint and Creative Catalyst Productions for their full-page ads inside the front cover - I appreciate it!

For obvious reasons I don't want to post high-res pics, but here is the opening paragraph:

Nicholas Simmons paints in watermedia on a scale that rivals oil painting. The subject matter is a dazzling mix of figures juxtaposed with printed lettering, graffiti, Japanese block prints, neon lights, reflections, and lavish corners of nature. The effect can be disorienting, as though a camera has taken a picture by accident, revealing an image that is both exciting and mysterious. The paint itself swirls, floods, drips, and spatters, driven on by the general excitement of the imagery and giving the work a sense that it was done in a rush in a matter of minutes.

CC in Annapolis

Friday night I went to an opening at the new American Contemporary Gallery in Annapolis where there is a group exhibition that includes Carol Carter. I hurried down there, as Carol and I have missed meeting on a few occasions, and I wasn't going to let that happen again. The gallery is killer, has the proper Soho/Chelsea vibe, and is a perfect venue for large-scale contemporary work.

Carol has some fantastic new watercolors from her swimmer series, and several acrylics that are done in a rawer, opaque, edgier (pun intended) style. I'm already quite familiar with her paintings, but it's always inspiring to see the work of an artist you admire in the flesh. Better, is when you meet the artist in the flesh! I also got to meet her brother Sam - he's for real! :) - and and his lovely gal.

It was a gas to meet the gallery owner/director, John Bodkin, who is also an artist. This guy is totally cool, and a raconteur of the first water who kept me on my toes with stories of encounters with some of the most famous 20th C. American artists. The whole time we spoke, I kept thinking "I know this guy." Lo and behold, I got him to admit that I had indeed seen him on a number of TV shows, commercials, and at least one film (Coma) that I was familiar with. I knew it!!!

I'll be returning to the gallery soon with some friends to check out the exhibit again. Thanks to the gallery, John, Carol, and the other artists for a splendid evening!

Janine Gallizia

Janine Gallizia is an Australian watercolorist living and working in Europe. She is a very successful artist, with a busy schedule of exhibitions and workshops throughout France, Belgium, and beyond. She is also one of the foremost ambassadors (to use Wayne Roberts' term) in this business, organizing events that feature some of the biggest names in contemporary watercolor painting. I am fortunate to have become friends with her, and am indebtted to her for including me in one of these exhibitions.

I gasped when I first saw her work, and she continues to amaze me with her incredibly sensitive and virtuosic handling of the medium. The subject matter ranges from everyday city and cafe scenes, to intimate glimpses of her studio and home, to dream-like visages of Venice - where she captures the atmosphere and mystery like nobody else. I'd post some images here, but I'd have no idea where to start - or end. Go to her website!

Janine's first two books, Lumière & Ambiance en Aquarelle and Rester Simple! are sold out, but her new book and DVD, Spontanéité & émotion…une liberté construite are now available. I have both, and find them absolutely entrancing. (If I ever do a book, this is how I want it to be.) They are written/spoken in French, of which I have a severely limited knowledge, but it doesn't matter - I nonetheless hang on every word, and have spent some time translating text. Most of all, it's the images that matter, and seeing how she wields the brush. I strongly recommend purchasing the book and DVD. If possible, try to get into one of her workshops - I know a few artists who have, and their experience was unforgettable.

So, who loves Janine's work, can't wait to meet and learn from her, thinks she's beautiful, and....speaks a little French???

Moi !

People, People

Brother, brother, help me please,

I'm as lonely as I can be.

All my friends are scaring me,

But if you forget me then I will leave.

Sister, sister, what can I do?

I'm in love with tootsie too.

Please excuse me if I am low,

But me feelings just have to show.

People, people, hold my hand.

Where in the hell is this promised land?

Float right past me, oh I like your style.

Seek it, seek it, seek it, seek it, you're here for a while.

Mother, mother, so good to me,

Praying just so I can be.

My father, my father, my only one,

I hope you're proud of this your son.

People, people, hold my hand.
Where in the hell is this promised land?
Float right past me, oh I like your style.
Seek it, seek it, seek it, seek it, you're here for a while.

Listen to them play now....

Happy Thanksgiving, Johnnie!
And God bless Tommy, Barb, Rich, and Pudge.
Y

Featured Artist - watercolorpainting.com

If you Google "watercolor" the first thing to come up (after Wikipedia, of course) is Greg Conley's watercolorpainting.com, a large website devoted to all kinds of watercolor-related info, tutorials, demos, product reviews, etc. and one of the largest collection of art links I've seen. The site generously features recognized artists on the homepage. Greg is a fine painter and musician, and has expended a lot of time and effort in creating this valuable resource for artists.

He recently invited me to be the site's Featured Artist for the next couple of months. Thank you, Greg!

Click here and then scroll down to see the Featured Artist section.

Tagged?

Thanks to my masterful painter friend from India, Milind Mulick, for thinking about me. I don't really have the time to play, and there is no way I can choose only seven other people to tag. But, I will reveal the requisite seven little-known facts about myself for a few chuckles....of course, I can't resist throwing a wrench into the works: one of these facts is not true!
Which one?

1. Drove a car 200 mph.

2. Snuck through a Russian border checkpoint without a visa.

3. Did 85 sit-ups in one minute.

4. Flew a Lear jet at 45,000 ft.

5. Told Larry Csonka I've never watched a football game because it's too boring.

6. Laughed uncontrollably at a funeral.

7. Gave guitar lessons to the #1 world-ranked men's and women's tennis players.

Back to our regularly-scheduled programming soon.

Da Vinci Fluid Acrylic - Jerry's

A screenshot from Jerry's Artarama website, with a good explanation of Da Vinci Fluid Acrylic.

American Art Collector - December 2008

The new December 2008 issue of American Art Collector magazine has an ad for my painting Tokyo Express on page 58. Giclée prints of this painting will soon be available.

Thousands of extra copies of this issue will be given away at RED DOT Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach. If you are in South Florida, don't miss this incredible show representing 220 galleries and over 2000 artists.

TAM Award

Summer Sonata (detail above) was a finalist in The Artist's Magazine 25th Annual Art Competition in the Landscape/Interior category. See the new December 2008 issue.

Thank You BWS

I just finished a 5-day workshop for Baltimore Watercolor Society that started on Nov. 5, and what a week that was! A great group of people gathered faithfully at the Howard County Center for the Arts everyday at 9:30. There were a number of very good painters and I probably learned as much as they did. The Photoshop demo was quite well received, and I may be doing another workshop for BWS specifically dealing with Photoshop.

*Workshop info for the next couple of years will be posted on my website again soon.

Metheny Music Foundation

The Metheny Music Foundation preserves, promotes, and perpetuates an informed appreciation for all styles of music, honoring the history of the Metheny family through four generations and the rich musical heritage of the city of Lee's Summit, the state of Missouri, and the surrounding region.

A worthy cause promoting good music for future generations, while celebrating a great American musical family.

New Website

My website http://www.nicholassimmons.com/ has undergone a complete renovation. The site is designed with the same look as the ads that will be running in American Art Collector. It's still under construction, and probably will be for the next month or so. Workshop information, links, etc. will be sublinked from the main pages. Please visit!

American Art Collector - November 2008

The new issue of American Art Collector magazine has an ad for my painting Sueno del Verde. Giclée prints of this painting are now available. We're scrambling to get my new website up before the November issue hits the stands - the purchase page will have complete information about available originals and prints. Should be only a few more days. In the meantime contact me for details.

Tommy Bolin "Teaser" COA

The Tommy Bolin "Teaser" commemorative guitar I designed for Dean Guitars is almost ready to ship. Since NAMM in January, the bodies have been cut and painted, and highly-figured flame maple selected for the necks. The limited edition series is well on its way to being sold out, and there may be more Tommy axes in the future. Above is the Certificate of Authenticity included with each guitar, and will be signed by Tommy's brother, Johnnie Bolin.

Pennsylvania Watercolor Society 2008

The 29th Annual PWS show is a very high quality watercolor exhibition. I was fortunate to get the award, because there were tremendous paintings in representational and abstract styles, many of them potential winners in any competition. Other award winners included George James, Denny Bond, Donald Patterson, Ratindra Das, Mel Stabin, and Carole Pickle. Thanks again to PWS, Debi Watson, Gerald Brommer, Jean Uhl Spicer, and the Chester County Art Association. Tokyo Express is on the cover of the catalog.

SCAD - DaVinci

I'm in Savannah, Georgia for SCAD's art trade show. A cool vibe, lots of art students, interesting people, and quite a few vendors. I think most everyone is selling stuff at 50% discount. Tomorrow it will be even busier. Tonight was a party at the Pei Ling Chan Gallery and Garden. I'm demonstrating DaVinci Fluid Acrylic and watercolor....with that sign looming over me, heheh.