Basin Street Blues

Basin Street Blues 20x25"

Cambria's Allied Arts first exhibition for the new year is titled January Blues. My entry is Basin Street Blues. I started with an old desk drawer that I picked up off the roadside in Pescadero several years ago. Like so much of our stash - just waiting for the right time.



I covered it in gesso, tinted with Naples Yellow. I found vintage images of New Orleans jazz bands and sheet music online, gave them a digital blue wash and printed out on parchment paper. I collaged these and bits of vintage sheet music to the inside of the drawer then sealed with gel medium. I then used Claudine Hellmuth's peeling paint technique - spreading Vaseline here and there, then over painting with blue and rubbing off the Vaseline to show the light paint and collage underneath.



The final step, drilling holes and wiring on an old trumpet (with a Staz-On blue mouthpiece) and pieces of clarinet. Both of these were found at the local swap meet - and were quite cheap as they were beat up and non-playable (but perfect for art!) The exhibit opens tomorrow night and runs through January.