During the fall of ’73, concurrently with my explorations of the medium of oil painting with somewhat frustrating results, I also started drawing in pencil again; ideas put down in an 11″ x 14″ sketch book, often while listening to classical music – a lot of Wagner and other 19th century Romantics. To evoke the pleasure of seeing my new work in print, I volunteered my services as artist and calligrapher to friend Harold Stover who conducted a series of concerts at Second Presbyterian Church, 96th Street at Central Park West in NYC – the church on the upper west side where he was employed as organist, and music teacher in their day-school.
In September I drew the first of my 8-1/2″ x 11″ advertising flyers for this series – an indication of the three concerts projected for the upcoming 1973/74 season. My calligraphy overprinted a pen & ink of the English countryside drawn from a photograph. The second poster advertised an organ concert Harold was scheduled to perform at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue in NYC in mid October; reproductions of both seen at top left. Immediately above are two more flyers from ’73: a drawing done from life of cellist Richard Locker, printed as a bendé with type superimposed (poorly done, I must say, as a designer with years of experience looking back at my initial efforts with type – obviously still thinking too much ‘in the box’) advertising a solo recital; and the other, the annual Christmas concert. These were the beginnings of an artistic commitment that lasted until 1980, when I moved back to Maine. Last December’s Adventus holiday email series started with artwork from this series, done for Christmas 1975.
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