Final Post

This class was unlike any I have ever taken, and it's difficult for me to put into words how much it meant. I'll do my best to summarize:

At the beginning of the course, I was confused as to how I could bring in all this material from the readings and songs into a single art piece each week. Now I cannot imagine doing a project without understanding the context of the time, the people, and the place. Tony would often say in class "see where it takes you", and I get that now. He wasn't expecting us to translate history into art; he wanted us to interpret what we learned through our own understandings and experiences. And in this way, learning about American folk songs became extremely personal.

I remember at the beginning of the course, I would get confused when Tony would mix up verses of a song or change the wording. Now, I understand that that just doesn't matter. Each time these songs were sung, the words were altered. But the meanings remained constant, and that is something that ultimately carried through in our art work as well (I hope). In other words, our art pieces were reflections of what we took from the songs each week, in the context of the time period and place. Sure, everyone's work varied and reflected a different interpretation, but the meaning and soul of the songs came through - at least in the ones we were able to connect with on personal levels. These songs are a part of American culture, and they are a part of all of us as Americans. 

This was the only class I've gotten to take where the instructor really got to know each student individually. It became apparent very quickly that Tony has a real knack for reading people, and he would offer individuals advice that was specific to them. I really appreciated this, and I think that it is what allowed me to grow from beginning to end of the course. I liked that Tony never pushed me to use a larger scale or switch to a different medium; he was conscious of my style and knew where I hoped to end up (working in graphic design), so he instead helped me accomplish what I could within my own art realm. And he did this for every student in the class.

So thank you, Tony, for taking the time to look at us as individuals instead of as a group. I think you actually know more about my art style than I do..for example, when you told me to look at New Yorker magazines, I didn't expect to become so inspired by them. Thank you for letting me into this class, I cannot express how grateful I am for that. And thank you to all the other students as well; every one of you added something to the class that made it all the more special.

Thank you, and Goodnight (Irene).

Crossroad Blues

This piece was inspired by Delta Blues as a whole. It symbolizes the black and white struggle through the colors, a guitar through the cut outs, and a prison through the lines and image of Robert Johnson.

Robert Johnson's songs really stood out to me because of the sheer intensity of them. His expressive lyrics and mastery of guitar make him impossible to overlook, even among so many talented artists. Johnson had a way of romanticizing and making poetic the extreme hardships that he experienced. There is little known about Johnson, and his life was short, but his musical legacy will never be forgotten.

From the Delta Blues come stories of loneliness, torture, terror, and sadness that African Americans experienced during the Great Depression. Listening to these songs was difficult for me because I could hear how personal the experiences were to the artists, and I feel for them. These were real, terrible occurrences, and the Delta Blues are a reflection of the horrible pain and great emotional toll that African Americans suffered during this time.

This Land is Your Land

When I read about Woody Guthrie's life, I found that he spent large amount of time wandering about: hitch hiking, riding freight trains, singing his songs and sharing his music as he went. This piece was inspired by the dust bowl and the constant pull he felt to keep going, to keep wandering.

At first, Guthrie's wanderlust automatically made me think back to Leadbelly and the question of "Who is Leadbelly?" I thought that perhaps Guthrie's inability to stay in one place had something to do with his inability to find himself. Then I realized that Guthrie really was just content moving about. Wandering was a part of him.

The colors and textures I used were inspired by the material I found about Guthrie. I didn't really have a plan when I began the piece, but I think that that's fitting for him. 

In The Pines

This piece's art was primarily inspired by the question "who was Leadbelly?" I found myself more and more confused the further I researched him. I think that's fitting, though, because I'm not sure Leadbelly even knew who he was. I titled this "In The Pines" simply because I love that song. It's probably because I've heart Kurt Cobain's version so many times.

Watching clips of Leadbelly acting or singing added to my confusion because it was difficult to tell which performances were coming from the heart, and which were just attempts to increase his fanbase. Seeing him act was a bit amusing because it was so clear that he was reciting a script; there was no emotion or soul tied to his words. And as Tony pointed out in class - Leadbelly had a very strong, distinctive face that just did not correlate to the weak, submissive characters he often tried to portray.  I also find his eyes particularly striking. Not quite sure why.

For this illustration, I used a mixture of pen and ink and charcoal. I wanted to portray a lack of identity through these similar, gray people because that is how I ultimately interpreted Leadbelly. 

Tony mentioned in class that he feels I have been putting more of myself into my art recently, and that my style has a New York/1920's flair (thank you for the compliment, by the way). I've been thinking about this a lot, and trying to figure out how these newer pieces are different than the older ones. In a way, I think it is because I put less thought into them - I was less concerned with tying the illustrations directly to the songs, and instead, just drawing whatever came into my head after I had listened to the songs and done the readings. Drawing without planning out the details is something I couldn't do before this class..so I'm really excited to see where this takes me. Maybe it really will be to New York one day!

Sitting On Top of the World

I really appreciate the message in "Sitting on Top of the World". Like many of the other songs , the lyrics are about past lovers. Yet rather than threatening to kill her or get revenge, the singer is simply saying the he is going to be okay. Life will go on. "And I don't worry/Lord I'm sitting/On top of the world".

 I particularly appreciate the part of the song that says: "If you don't like my peaches/Don't shake my tree/'n Get out of my orchard/Let my peaches be". Truer words have never been spoken.

The shoes I drew here were intended to have a more rugged look to them. They were supposed to be ones that could have been worn in an orchard or by Doc Watson as he sang this song. They were supposed to reflect manual labor and rural living. But they ended up with a polished, city look that I was pretty disappointed with. But Tony told me that this was only natural; I was relating the song to my world, and in my world these are the types of shoes I know.

I Shall Not Be Moved

I love listening to Mississippi John Hurt's music. He has a distinct style that is unlike any musician's I've heard. There is a gentleness and warmth that comes through in his voice and through his lyrical fingerpicking guitar style. This tree symbolizes his music for me - delicate and beautiful, yet steady, and powerful.

I based this piece of of the song "I Shall Not Be Moved". I listened to a version of Mississippi John Hurt singing it and found it extremely powerful. The song is an African American spiritual that describes how African Americans' faith in God overcomes all obstacles. The song later gained popularity as a Civil Rights Movement unison song.

Down by the Sally Garden

The more I read about Appalachian history, the more I realize how little I know about it. I really enjoyed hearing and listening to this week's British Ballads. I find the consistency in theme intriguing; the ballads seem to personal, single narratives about love affairs, revenge, escape. I think a majority were written by women because they concern sexual struggles from a female standpoint. It is interesting that "love" emerged as such a powerful theme in the British ballads, above religion, death and afterlife. Perhaps this speaks to the loneliness people were encountering at this time.

The imagery that comes to mind when I hear these ballads and read about Appalachian history is of a desolate, isolate, and beautiful place. The lyrics are often simple and rhythmical. I read in an encyclopedia that Appalachia came to be viewed as a "repository for a dying tradition" in the late 19th century, and this is why collectors/folklorists began to search for ballad singers and their repertoires.

I'm grateful that these songs were preserved. They speak of a time and place that was destined to be forgotten or looked over in history, had it not been for the Appalachian music tradition that came out of it.

This makes me wonder what has been lost in time. To think that so many beautiful songs could emerge from Appalachia makes me think that a great many others, from different places in America and around the world, have been lost. Thank goodness these were not among them.