I have posted the new, full interview at the end of this posting!
Also, I am having my first ever
painting sale! I have two paintings on
Ebay for Half-price! There are also a few more on my website (click the
Studio Sale link) that are on sale as well... the sale has been great and I hope the paintings are finding good new homes! :) I have started painting on such a large scale with my acrylics that space in my little studio is at a premium, time to make room!
I have also just finished another watercolor in my new shadows and music series... this is my Peruvian guitarist Hector:
"Shadows of Hector"
11" x 15"
Watercolor on #140 Coldpress
and lastly, for my birthday I received the wonderful present of a digital SLR, I know, finally I have made it into the digital world! I have just begun taking photographs again and have even decided to slowly begin accepting musician photoshoots again. It feels good to have a camera in my hands again!
I shot Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band (full shoot on my website) when they came to Portland and an extended shoot of my metal & classical guitarist husband Djerek!
As lastly, for now, this coming First Thursday the gallery will be open and will be completely filled to the brim with my work, the first time in about a year! There will be many new pieces and the studio sale will be held in the upstairs part of the gallery! If you are interested in a piece that is on sale, let me know... once it's gone it's gone! Plus, all shipping is free for pieces on ebay (within the contintental US).
Now, back to work!
Much love,
Brandy
Blues Matters Interview Part II
BRANDY KAYZAKIAN-ROWE
AN EYE FOR THE BLUES
INTERVIEW PART 2: PAINTING
Following our first interview with Brandy, there was then a hiatus of a few months as she busied herself with opening a gallery space in Portland. But Blues Matters! caught up with Brandy again at the start of 2008…
Check out issue 44 of Blues Matters! to view examples of Brandy’s painting work!
BM: A lot of changes in your life since we last spoke. You have opened your own gallery in Portland Oregon… How did that come about?
Portland, OR is a thriving and artistic town that has so many opportunities, one of which is Everett Station Lofts, a live/work loft/gallery space downtown in the Oldtown/Chinatown neighbourhood. My husband and I attended a photography opening for Peter Best and after talking to the gallery owner, we realized that he lived in the gallery. I was lucky enough to get one of the ground floor gallery spaces, ironically, that was right next door to that very gallery. Everett Station Lofts & Galleries is part of the First Thursday art walk that happens year round.
BM: What has the response been to your new space?
Wonderful, really. I have seen people of all ages and walks of life come through the gallery doors. My biggest joy is when people see themselves in a piece of art. I want to create paintings and photography that expresses my love of cultures and people. I am endlessly interested in everyone around me and find it all overflowingly beautiful.
BM: I see that you are now moving strongly into new media and methods. Is there something you can do with the new materials that you couldn’t through photography?
I took photos just about everyday while I lived in Memphis. I woke up every morning and my first thoughts were the performances I was to see that night, or the film I was to develop. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, while breathtaking, it was not my home and I lost my desire to take photos. So after about a month or two of feeling stagnant and homesick I began to paint for the first time. I never took painting classes in school but it was now my way to express myself, beginning by painting images from my photographs from the Delta. I painted Bluesmen, juke joints and colourful people met along the way. The first two of these Delta paintings sold just this past December, and it was bitter sweet to see them go.
I began to paint using watercolors for the first time in January 2007. I experimented with watercolors for several months and then moved back to acrylics. Just recently, with the sales of my paintings, I purchased oil painting supplies and have begun to study techniques. After some work in oils, I have found that my true medium, in painting, is acrylic. I love the bold colors and quick drying time... When I feel I need a break, or think of an idea that calls for it, I break out my watercolor supplies! To further the case of my ever wandering mind, the past few days I have had a resurgence in my desire to take photos and found a 2-year-old spent roll of film in my camera bag... After having it developed I discovered photos from my last performance that I attended, Alvin Youngblood Hart; what a way to get back into photography!
BM: Are you still in touch with the Blues scene in Memphis and Clarksdale? Is there any similar scene in Oregon these days?
If you are there for a day or ten years, you can't help but create a second family in Mississippi. There are so many people that I think of often and miss dearly, I e-mail and write many... I am lucky some of the musicians that I met and befriended are touring and have come to Portland once or twice to perform with me up front. As for Blues in Oregon, I do know there is a very large annual riverfront Blues festival, and my Delta Blues photography show was one of my best attended openings. I think my severe sense of homesickness for the Delta has caused me to be a bit of a hermit when it comes to venturing out into the Portland Blues world, something I hope my renewed love of photography will remedy.
BM: Last time around, you spoke of trips to Italy and other parts of Europe; have you managed to exhibit in Europe yet? What was the response?
Funnily enough, about a week ago I began creating submission packets to send out to galleries across the USA and Europe. This will be my first attempt at submitting my photography abroad, so we may need another follow-up in the future to fully answer this one!
BM: You have become involved with the ‘Keep A Child Alive’ & ‘Emergency Communities’ campaigns. How did this come about?
I discovered the Delta through my work with The Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis…my heart has always been devoted to children. I grew up with many hard times, financially, but my parents always made sure that I never truly felt the pinch. They nurtured my love of art and reading in any way they could with what they had. I believe my sense of the world came from this and I saw a lot of myself in the children I taught while with the Dixon. Now that so many of these experiences have fuelled my work, I want to give back when I can. I will be donating portions of the profits of each of my paintings to "Emergency Communities", a group working to restore and rebuild the 9th ward of New Orleans. New Orleans is a place that has always been a dream and a fantasy for me; I have wanted to live there since I was a child. I see so much life and vibrancy in the people of New Orleans and I want to be a part of the restoration of their homes and communities.
"Keep A Child Alive" administers life-saving drugs to children and families in Africa who are suffering from the pandemic of AIDS. As I have said before, children are the centre of my heart and I ache for their suffering. So many can be helped with such modest contributions. I have just begun selling my paintings and cannot wait to begin really donating on a regular basis to these and many other charities. I have never been in a financial position where I could afford much else than rent and food - selling my work allows me to give to others who have dignity but are in need.
BM: Do you feature the work of other artists in your gallery? What determines your choices?
My work is shown in the gallery about half of the time, alternating with other artists, of which, I have shown eight, so far, and have several lined up for 2008. I want the gallery to be a place that furthers peace and unity, shares culture and provides a platform to learn from each other.
and I will leave the session of Reggie Houston until later, just finishing it up now! If you are interested in a session, e-mail me and we will make it happen!
