Art in the Burg
FXBG Music Scene Fast heart mart & acoustic fire
Beyond the Skyline
by a.e.bayne
by norma woodward Many know and love her as an inspiring art teacher since she taught art in local public schools for forty years. Kathleen is now retired When she retired, she devoted herself to exploring her own art full-time. She says, "As I look back on my years of teaching art to young people and my efforts as an artist, I recognize that I have always searched for creative and meaningful learning experiences for myself as well as my students. I find that I have many visual statements to make. I constantly search for new outlets of expression and ways to develop my artistic growth. For this reason, I challenge myself by seeking opportunities to move in different directions with my work."
"Going Back to Ol' Virginia"
“Sunday Drive”
THE
FREDERICKSBURG LAMP Only Available At
The Copper Shop 371-4455 1707R Princess Anne
Kathleen Willingham is the Featured Artist at Brush Strokes Gallery for the month of August. She will have a new series of oil paintings on display that will continue to describe her love of nature and the visual surprises that happen every time you look to the sky. In this series of paintings she has focused on and attempted to capture some of the events that go on beyond the skyline/the horizon line and made an artistic interpretation of them. In the past year or so, Kathleen has been working on landscapes using pastel in which the emphasis was on the land and fields but as she surveyed her past work, she noticed that a lot was being said about clouds and dramatic skies. She decided to work in oil again and think more about the mood of the sky. Some of the images she has created are paintings of sunny warm summer bright skies with light cotton ball clouds, calm overcast partly cloudy conditions that almost become gray, early evening, sunsets, sunrises and clouds that may be threatening rain or other weather events. In some of the paintings she has referenced photos that she took and some are from her imagination. Kathleen feels that the skies are truly fascinating in all seasons with a variety of conditions and ever changing colors, cloud formations and activity. The mood and attitude of the landscape that is below the horizon line is affected by what is happening in the sky and in this series of paintings is not quite as important as what is going on in the sky.
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Kathleen’s fans will find her work not only at home at Brush Strokes but also in extensive juried shows as well as several regional galleries. Kathleen can be knwpaintz@gmail.com www.kathleenwillingham
reached or
Norma Woodward is a photographer and a is a member of Brush Strokes Gallery and FCCA
“Marsh Morning”
at at
Fast Heart Mart’s veins run rich with Virginia narrative. He’s missed his birth state, his family, and the rivers and wide variety of trees, which are scarce in his adopted home of California. It’s been three years since Fast Heart Mart last played the ‘Burg, years that have most recently included two months of touring through Europe. He is psyched to return to his beloved home state to open a show with his friend and celebrated local musician JoJo Bayliss at Colonial Tavern on Friday, August 5, 2016. It’s a line-up not to be missed by traditional and alt music fans alike. Fast Heart Mart and Bayliss have a mutual respect for one another’s music, and their styles are complementary. Fast Heart Mart describes Bayliss as a brilliant musician who creates passionate music with expert finesse. He says Bayliss puts his own spin on traditional rock and blues tunes, adding, “Joe and I have a lot in common in our outlook on life and music, so it's a pleasure to be sharing the bill with him.” Bayliss has similar praise for Fast Heart Mart, describing him as one of the most unique artists he has ever met. “Mart stays true to traditional aspects of bluegrass and folk, yet he maintains a very original style and sound of his own. He's an excellent entertainer with incredible talent, keeping his audience engaged from the very first note until the last.” Fast Heart Mart says his music expresses an immediacy of emotions and describes his songs as folk with punk attitude. He notes, “It’s where humor and beauty meet. I like to question the system a lot in my music, but I also like to make people feel good.” Though Fast Heart Mart’s shows have always incorporated audience involvement, he encourages them even more these days with calls to clap and sing along. He says, “People want to interact with the music. They want to have an
experience. Not everyone likes to dance; not everyone is a musician, but clapping and singing along can give them some musical expression at a live concert.” The most influential musician in Bayliss’s own life has been his father, Joe Bayliss, who has played with such legends as Charlie Daniels, Roy Buchanan, Chuck Berry, and Jerry Lee Lewis. He says his father turned him onto the music he plays today. Bayliss and his band are mainly influenced by music from the 1960s through the 1990s, covering styles as diverse as rock to surf to soul. He says, “The band's motto is 'Rock n Roll with a Whole Lotta Soul’. One of our greatest assets is taking a broad spectrum of wellknown covers and making them our own by adding our own personal twists and touches. ” Of the August 5th show, Bayliss says the audience can expect lightning-fast finger picking with incredible melodies. He adds, “Everyone on this lineup is extremely talented. The show is a special acoustic showcase featuring Fast Heart Mart, followed by my acoustic act, Acoustic Fire, with special guest guitarist Jonathan Wiley (Melodime Band) and Mark Willis on percussion. The audience should expect to hear four decades of their favorite songs played with melodic flair and high energy acoustic rhythms. It'll be a finger-pickin' good show!” Fans can find Fast Heart Mart and Bayliss online prior to the show. Fast Heart Mart’ website is www.fastheartmart.com , and he has music up on Spotify and Bandcamp. He documented his European tour at songsandwhisperstourdiary.blogspot.co m, and he’ll be fresh off the boat from Finland when he plays this show. JoJo Bayliss is on Facebook, ReverbNation
A.E. Bayne is a writer, visual artist and educator. She publishes the Fredericksburg Literary and Art Review.
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