Custom Work

It would be interesting to do custom work for hire… like most painters used to do – albeit a long time ago.

Before photography was invented, if you wanted an image of a family member or friend or your house, you would visit a few artists until you found one that you felt would be sympathetic to the work you had in mind, and you would hire her/him to paint or sculpt it.

A modern version would be to write and record music (and/or create photographic images) depicting a person’s favorite landscape, house, friend (or poem, season or?). Depending on the price, the resulting music/photographs could be a work for hire and the sole possession of the person or entity commissioning the work.

I mean, sure, anybody can throw together some photo-snaps with loops from gar(b)age band… but having something composed and recorded by an artist you like, would be quite something else.

Interesting.

28. July Friday

I leave the hotel around 7:20AM to go to Cafe Sierra on Lorna Street where I have a delightful strong latte (two shots of espresso). At 8:00AM I get picked up at the hotel and taken to a TV station. After getting the gloss of my facial skin expertly reduced and before the TV interview starts I conduct a brief phone interview with a radio station in Wellington using the NZ tour manager’s mobile phone. I am asked Why Flamenco and use the opportunity to mention the history of Flamenco, the Oud, Rahim AlHaj and our ListeningLounge…

The TV interview that follows also gives me the opportunity to mention the ListeningLounge and the upcoming One Guitar CD. Then back to the hotel and on shuttle busses with everyone else to the airport to fly to Wellington where we will play the last concert of this tour. Tomorrow we fly home: Wellington-Auckland-Los Angeles-Albuquerque… I might sleep for three days until we leave on Thursday for the concert in Colorado. Ah, we will travel on the bus again – how wonderful.
St. James Opear House Wellington - 4
The St. James Opera house in Wellington has great character. It is a building from the 1920s which has a stage that is slightly tilted towards the audience. For a brief time theater designers thought it clever to tilt stages so that the audience might be able to see the actors’ feet… but it was impossible and even dangerous for any dancers of course and the practice was soon dropped. I remember the feeling of pitching forward in my chair all night… 1996 we performed here I believe.
St. James Opear House Wellington - 4
Self-Portrait

Everyone is very tired, but the performance turns out well. Afterwards I sign in the lobby. A Russian brings 10 CD booklets and the DVD for me to sign and tells me that we have fans in Moscow. A young Austrian tells me he is visiting from Vienna where he attends the Music school. There are even recently immigrated Mexicans in the audience.