Things That Matter

A painting of Quigly Down Under by Tom Gilroy which reminds me of how fortunate I am to have the Gilroys in my life. It also makes me think of him fondly and stays on prominent display wherever I am.

These necklaces I made hold much significance. Initially I made them for an Honors Puppetry class with my friend Ben. They represent a moment in my life when I learned to put personal happiness over wealth. Further, there are many of these now that are all over the world, in places like France, Russia, Spain and so on. I have given them to close friends and colleagues with whom I felt a deep resonance. I gave one to Dennis not long before he passed that was custom made for him, and then a second a a symposium he held.

The movie Three Men and a Baby is something that has always brought me joy, even in times of fairly severe depression. (Borrowed from Facebook.)

Drawings from my crosses and roses period. I was attempting to design a tattoo that I would like, but never hit that perfect combination. (Borrowed from Facebook.)

Image for Primal Cool. The band of a former professor with whom I performed for one brief moment.

When art and music collide. My rose guitar from France. I gave this away, but it was a close companion that got me invited to French TV (I had to pass).

Reading my paper on Jim Morrison and Semiotics “Break on through to the Other Sign” in Las Vegas at the FWPCA conference. (Borrowed from Facebook.)

Recording and writing music with my first guitar that I bought from “Dan the Man” Hardy.

A painting I did that hangs in my Uncle Eric’s garage.

Puppets I made and used to instruct children in K-3. They taught special needs students and saw some light at Energy Express. Rebecca (top), Merv the Math Monster (right) and Alphonse (bottom). Project inspired by my friend Ben, the puppeteer.

Seeing Brad Paisley and Zac Brown Band MANY times with my buddy Kevin. One summer of concerts helped to snap me from the funk I was in after the passing of my father and my mentor (Dennis Tedlock.)

Food from the pastry shop downstairs when I lived in France. It was delicious.

Les Guignols de l’Info. From a museum in the Citadelle. I have used clips from this show to teach French many times.

A public sculpture in Lyon, France. One of the most enjoyable and vibrant works of art I saw when I was over there.

The roses that inspired my intense rose drawing period. Taken outside the house of Mme. Dupont in France.

The family gift exchange, where the chaos an laughter matters more than the gifts.

Meeting Pure Prairie League for the first time in Morgantown, thanks to some help from fellow UB grad students Melissa, Matt and Cheryl who took over running my first symposium. Tickets courtesy of my mother. It had always been a dream of mine to see Poco and Pure Prairie League together. I never expected to get to see them at WVU.

I drawing I gave to a fellow Vendee traveler. These drawings take 10-20 hours, sometimes more, but this one took some interesting turns and was done over the course of weeks.

Art is important in all of its forms. I cannot give proper credit to all of the art I experienced during my trips to France. Much of the art I did not photograph because I wanted to experience it . These are just a few samples, from painting to architecture. I have always also had a special place for sewing arts.

This drawing by Harvey Breverman, who did a famous drawing of Dennis Tedlock, helps me feel closer to Dennis since his passing.

Educating children matters.

Celebrating my mother’s 60th with family. The way our family gets together is inspiring. My love for them is something I cannot begin to express.