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| Sergio meets Sergio! |
Saturday, September 16, 2017
What A Night!
by Gregg Chadwick
Thanks to everyone who came out to the Santa Monica Art Studios last night to see my exhibit Luchador's Dream which was inspired by the incomparable Sergio Arau.
Saturday, September 09, 2017
Please Join Me at Art & Home 2017: a Benefit for LA Family Housing
by Gregg Chadwick
Gregg Chadwick
Generation Pink
14”x11” oil on panel 2017
Generation Pink
14”x11” oil on panel 2017
Generation Pink, inspired by the Women's March held on January 21, 2017, will be exhibited at Art & Home 2017: a benefit for LA Family Housing - hosted by Room & Board in Culver City.
Along with around 750,000 others, I marched with my family and friends in Los Angeles to show the world that we stand for love, inclusion, diversity, and social justice. Generation Pink is part of a series of paintings exploring the Women's March and the continuing protests in this volatile time. As an artist, I often use my creations as a sort of reflecting device that mirrors and focuses attention on social and political change. As Marvin Gaye sang so poignantly- “What’s going on.”
In collaboration with Angeleno magazine, please join us for a special art show at Room & Board in Culver City on September 13, 2017.
Over 100 local, contemporary artists have donated artworks in support of LA Family Housing. (LAFH).
Dedicated to helping families and individuals transition out of homelessness and poverty, LAFH offers a range of housing opportunities enriched with supportive services.
Artwork on display in the showroom will be available for purchase for $400!
If you have always wanted a Chadwick, this is a wonderful opportunity to get an artwork at an affordable price and to support an important cause.
Please RSVP at https://lafh.org/artandhome
Wednesday, September 13 at 7 PM - 9 PM
Room & Board
8707 Washington Blvd, Culver City, California 90232
More at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1864796443838619/
https://lafh.org/
Don't forget my recent Clark Hulings Fund podcast with Daniel DiGriz.
Friday, September 08, 2017
You Are Invited - Sept 15, 2017 : Luchador’s Dream - Inspired by Sergio Arau (New Paintings by Gregg Chadwick)
by Gregg Chadwick
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| Gregg Chadwick Flor De Asfalto (for Sergio Arau) 56”x86” oil on linen 2017 |
With his music, words and images, Sergio Arau has inspired me to create a series of paintings that feature him as the main character in my painted movies. Rock Star, actor, director, screenwriter, and artist Sergio Arau has often performed while wearing gear honoring Mexico's most famous wrestling star El Santo (The Man In the Silver Mask). Known as lucha libre, Mexican wrestlers such as El Santo are defenders of the poor and vulnerable. By taking on the persona of the Luchador (wrestler), Josh Kun writes in Audiotopia: Music, Race, and America, Sergio Arau and his bands have mixed "the traditional with the contemporary, the rural with the urban, the American with the Mexican, the charro with the rockero."
My paintings in Luchador's Dream carry Sergio Arau into a Los Angeles seemingly pulled from the lyrics of his songs or gathered from scenes of his films that were left on the cutting room floor.
Gracias Sergio!
The exhibition runs from September 7 - October 7, 2017
(Luchador's Dream is, in true rock n' roll fashion, a completely unaffiliated, and unofficial satellite exhibition of 2017: Año de México en Los Ángeles / Mexico in Los Angeles 2017)
What: Luchador’s Dream - Inspired by Sergio Arau (New Paintings by Gregg Chadwick)
Where: La Galería de la Cocina - Santa Monica Art Studios, 3026 Airport Ave. SM 90405
When: Opening - September 15, 2017, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Website: www.greggchadwick.com
Happy International Literacy Day!
Friday is Int'l #LiteracyDay!— United Nations (@UN) September 7, 2017
Literacy skills are essential in an increasingly digital 🌏: https://t.co/4oJ7W3d19Y pic.twitter.com/basXy08ywR
Thursday, September 07, 2017
Happy 100th Birthday Jacob Lawrence!
by Gregg Chadwick
100 years ago today, the seminal artist Jacob Lawrence was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When Lawrence was in his teens his family moved to Harlem in New York City, where he studied art with Charles Alston at the Harlem Art Workshop.
When Lawrence graduated from the American Artists School in New York he became a participant in the WPA Federal Art Project. The young artist broke new ground in 1941 with The Migration Series which garnered national attention.
I find the video below from the Phillips Collection in which Lawrence discusses The Migration Series fascinating:
During World War II, while in the United States Coast Guard, first as a public relations specialist on the USS Sea Cloud, and then as a combat artist on the USS Gen. Richardson, Lawrence created a series of artworks documenting his vantage point on the war.
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| Jacob Lawrence No. 2 Control Panel, Nerve Center of Ship, gouache and watercolor on board Collection USCG Museum |
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| Shipmates and Jacob Lawrence with one of the paintings he made while serving in the US Coast Guard during WWII. |
After the war Lawrence was invited by Josef Albers to teach painting at Black Mountain College. Lawrence's exposure to Albers’ Bauhaus-inspired theories and teaching methods greatly influenced his artistic explorations. Lawrence wrote, “When you teach, it stimulates you; you’re forced to crystallize your own thinking … you’re forced to formalize your own theories so that you may communicate them to the students … you go back to your studio and think about this again.”
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Faculty of the 1946 Black Mountain College Summer Art Institute, including Jacob Lawrence and his wife Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center collection |
In 1949, Lawrence and his wife Gwendolyn returned to New York where Lawrence continued to paint. Lawrence, aware of his depression, checked himself into Hillside Hospital in Queens, where he stayed for 11 months and painted as an inpatient.
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Jacob Lawrence Depression Tempera and Watercolor on Paper 1950 22 3/4"x31" Whitney Museum |
After many years in New York, in 1970 Lawrence and Knight moved to Seattle when he was invited to teach at the University of Washington. Lawrence was an art professor at UW until his retirement in 1986. He continued painting until just a few weeks before his death in June 2000 at the age of eighty-two. Lawrence's last commissioned public work, the mosaic mural New York in Transit, was installed in October 2001 in the Times Square subway station in New York City.
Lawrence's powerful artworks grace numerous collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum, and the Brooklyn Museum. The vibrant paintings of Jacob Lawrence tell stories of liberation, resistance, and resilience.
More:
Why the Works of Visionary Artist Jacob Lawrence Still Resonate a Century After His Birth
Wednesday, September 06, 2017
Saturday, September 02, 2017
Don't Miss Your Chance to Enroll In Health Insurance for 2018
Trump cynically cut Obamacare outreach by 90% so that Americans won't know these dates.
It is up to us to spread this critical information.
Folk's lives depend upon it.
November 1, 2017:
Enrollment for 2018 health insurance begins.
December 15, 2017:
Enrollment for 2018 health insurance ends.
Please share #ACA enrollment deadlines for health insurance.
Monday, August 28, 2017
For My Finnish Friends!
— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) August 28, 2017
From SimoHayha.com "In 1939, the Soviet Union attempted to invade Finland. Being a member of the Civil Guard, Häyhä was called into service, serving under the 6th Company of JR 34 on the Kollaa River. Commanded by Major General Uiluo Tuompo, the Finns faced both the 9th and 14th Soviet Armies, and at one point were fighting against as many as 12 divisions - about 160,000 soldiers. Also at one point in the same area, there were only 32 Finns fighting against over 4,000 Soviets!
Despite being outnumbered, however, the Finns were still victorious at the end of the day. The invading Soviets weren’t as organized as one would expect: they spoke many different languages, and they weren’t used to the harsh Finnish winters either. In fact, the winter of 1939-40 was very snowy, and had temperatures ranging from -40 to -20 degrees Celsius.
The Finns were also smart in their tactics, the most notable of which were known as “Motti”-tactics. Since the Soviets would invade by the roads, the Finns would hide out in the surrounding wilderness. They would then let the invaders cross the border, and attack them from behind!"
Notes on Hurricane Harvey and Climate Change from The Climate Reality Project:Houston is underwater due in large part to climate change & @realDonaldTrump is worried that Finland's president is proving that point.🇫🇮 https://t.co/qaPMJMXqI8— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) August 28, 2017
"Climate change intensifies the impact of hurricanes. Here’s how:
1. By adding fuel to the fire, climate change makes hurricanes more devastating. Average global sea surface temperatures are rising. As sea surface temperatures become warmer, hurricanes can become more powerful. In the case of the Category 4 Hurricane Harvey, this greater power comes from “sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico that are 2.7 - 7.2°F (1.5 - 4°C) above average, relative to a 1961-1990 baseline.”
2. Climate change is linked to extreme rainfall (and therefore, flooding). Global temperatures are rising. As the world becomes warmer, more water evaporates from bodies of water. Therefore, there’s more water vapor in the air. This gives hurricanes more precipitation, and can result in more flooding when the hurricane makes landfall. The Weather Channel said that Hurricane Harvey “may end up being one of the worst flood disasters in US history.” Some areas could see up to 50 inches of rain.
3. Sea-level rise caused by climate change can “dramatically extend the storm surge driven by hurricanes.” According to NOAA, a storm surge “is the abnormal rise in seawater level during a storm, measured as the height of the water above the normal predicted astronomical tide.” To put it another way, the storm surge is the ocean water pushed into the coast by the force of the hurricane. Global sea levels are rising. When sea levels are higher, storm surges intensify and can lead to more widespread and greater damage. The highest-reported storm surge from Harvey (in Port Lavaca, Texas) was 7 feet above the mean sea level."
Thank you President Niinisto for taking @realDonaldTrump to school! #Finland #ClimateChange #History #SimoHayha 🇫🇮— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) August 28, 2017
“Finland would never have signed NAFTA,” President Trump says at a news conference with Finland’s president. pic.twitter.com/J4fRnvnw2T— AJ+ (@ajplus) August 28, 2017
Saturday, August 26, 2017
The Gathering Episode 2: Voting Rights is a Moral Issue
“A truly moral agenda must be anti-racist, anti-poverty, pro-justice, pro-labor, transformative and deeply rooted and built within a fusion coalition. It would ask of all policy, is the policy Constitutionally consistent, morally defensible and economically sane. We call this moral analysis and moral articulation which leads to moral activism.” —Rev. Dr. William, J. Barber, II
Friday, August 25, 2017
Humor Break On a Tough Night
Humor Break On a Tough Night https://t.co/DRHwc3PaTW— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) August 26, 2017
This just instantly made today better... pic.twitter.com/mAnwSqgA5n— Brittlestar (@brittlestar) August 24, 2017
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Hope You Had a Happy Solar Eclipse
#Eclipse2017 time lapse captured from Easley, South Carolina by Gary McNeillie [6 minutes in 30 seconds] https://t.co/4diLr3jWv7 pic.twitter.com/bXqEZRQ1kb— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 21, 2017
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| The eclipse over Empire State Building by Gary Hershorn #newyork #nyc |
Sunday, August 13, 2017
WWII Era Anti-Fascism Film from US - "Don't Be A Sucker"
"The world is a dangerous place...not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it"
-Albert Einstein
In the light of the horrific, fascist, white-supremacist violence against peaceful folks in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017, I find this film produced by the US War Department during WWII to be instructive. Clips from the film are appearing on social media sites. The full film is presented here.
From IMDB:
"Financed and produced by the United States War Department in 1943, and shot at the Warners studio, although it was distributed through all of the major studios' film exchanges and also by National Screen Services free to the theatre exhibitors: A young, healthy American Free Mason is taken in by the message of a soap-box orator who asserts that all good jobs in the United States are being taken by the so-called minorities, domestic and foreign. He falls into a conversation with a refugee professor who tells him of the pattern of events that brought Hitler to power in Germany and how Germany's anti-democratic groups split the country into helpless minorities, each hating the other. The professor concludes by pointing out that America is composed of many minorities, but all are united as Americans."
-Albert Einstein
In the light of the horrific, fascist, white-supremacist violence against peaceful folks in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12, 2017, I find this film produced by the US War Department during WWII to be instructive. Clips from the film are appearing on social media sites. The full film is presented here.
From IMDB:
"Financed and produced by the United States War Department in 1943, and shot at the Warners studio, although it was distributed through all of the major studios' film exchanges and also by National Screen Services free to the theatre exhibitors: A young, healthy American Free Mason is taken in by the message of a soap-box orator who asserts that all good jobs in the United States are being taken by the so-called minorities, domestic and foreign. He falls into a conversation with a refugee professor who tells him of the pattern of events that brought Hitler to power in Germany and how Germany's anti-democratic groups split the country into helpless minorities, each hating the other. The professor concludes by pointing out that America is composed of many minorities, but all are united as Americans."
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Stand in solidarity with Charlottesville
Heather Heyer is her name. She was 32 years old. She was murdered on Saturday, August 12th in Charlottesville, VA by Neo Nazis. May she rest in peace.
Stand in solidarity with #Charlottesville !Add your event to stand in solidarity with #Charlottesville: https://t.co/nKSXu3EI2w pic.twitter.com/euaz16RSeo— Indivisible Guide (@IndivisibleTeam) August 12, 2017
Mr. Trump: A car drove into a crowd, a life was lost. What will it take for you to condemn white supremacy? Speak out. Attend the funeral.— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) August 12, 2017
Anyone who does not abandon a political party led by a man unable to condemn white supremacists and nazis is without morality or principle.— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) August 12, 2017
— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) August 12, 2017
The case against "many sides." pic.twitter.com/ryohQhs5Vm— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) August 12, 2017
Failing to condemn neo-Nazis and white supremacists who perpetrate this violence is a dangerous lie that only fuels more hatred & violence.— Robert Reich (@RBReich) August 13, 2017
These are the consequences of sanitizing white supremacists who seek to be rebranded as part of American "right." They are peddling hatred.— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 12, 2017
Shame on you @realDonaldTrump and the racists in your WH - Bannon, Miller, @SebGorka - the blood of Heather Heyer is on your hands!— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) August 13, 2017
If you can't make it out, you can donate. Here's a medical fund for counter-protesters attacked in Charlottesville: https://t.co/IUBCnkBqEP— Teen Vogue (@TeenVogue) August 14, 2017
Dear Well-Meaning White People Who Want Nothing To Do With Alt-Right:— Jose Antonio Vargas (@joseiswriting) August 12, 2017
We, people of color, cannot carry this burden.
You must engage.
Monday, August 07, 2017
Sunday, August 06, 2017
Dancing at the Apocalypse: Jesse Malin's "Meet Me at the End of the World"
by Gregg Chadwick
Jesse Malin: Fox News Funk from Meet Me at the End of the World
Jesse Malin's new EP, Meet Me at the End of the World, is out. Produced by Joseph Arthur, this collection of four new songs timely addresses our current Trumpian tribulation and is sparking some major conversations across the music world. Lucinda Williams was so inspired by Malin's Meet Me at the End of the World, that, as Fran C. Anderson reports in Rolling Stone, Williams "hopped on the phone with the D Generation frontman ... for a wide-ranging chat about their approach to songwriting, politics, Canadian electro dynamo Peaches, and a possible future collaboration." In their conversation Williams and Malin earnestly conversed about the mix of politics and music in their art. Williams said,"Anybody who says politics and music don't mix is, that's just in your face stupid."
Malin replied,"You walk out your door and it's political. You're dealing with it. You need gas in your car, you need food, everything is always just class-related, and rock music has always had an awareness of class and separation in the downtrodden." Continuing this thought Malin expressed to Nate Herwick on Grammy.com that, "And [I thought about] how much the media is owned by the government, by the big corporations, so you're not getting the full story. I think [this song is] a call to people to go beyond that, go with their guts and their hearts. You have got to treat the people around you with love, but you also have to question the powers that be, because as much as I love this country and this planet, there are some people that are out to line their own pockets and have an agenda."
Summing up the album Malin said to Williams,"the music is what brings us together, and we need it right now. We need each other. We need to stand together, and support each other, and give the message, which is really love. I mean, to me, Meet Me at the End of the World as a record is about survival. And you have to live your life like it could be the last day."
Jesse Malin: Revelations/Thirteen from Meet Me at the End of the World
Jesse Malin: London Rain from Meet Me at the End of the World
Jesse Malin: Meet Me at the End of the World from Meet Me at the End of the World
"Anybody who says politics and music don't mix is, that's just in your face stupid."
– Lucinda Williams
Jesse Malin: Fox News Funk from Meet Me at the End of the World
Jesse Malin's new EP, Meet Me at the End of the World, is out. Produced by Joseph Arthur, this collection of four new songs timely addresses our current Trumpian tribulation and is sparking some major conversations across the music world. Lucinda Williams was so inspired by Malin's Meet Me at the End of the World, that, as Fran C. Anderson reports in Rolling Stone, Williams "hopped on the phone with the D Generation frontman ... for a wide-ranging chat about their approach to songwriting, politics, Canadian electro dynamo Peaches, and a possible future collaboration." In their conversation Williams and Malin earnestly conversed about the mix of politics and music in their art. Williams said,"Anybody who says politics and music don't mix is, that's just in your face stupid."
Malin replied,"You walk out your door and it's political. You're dealing with it. You need gas in your car, you need food, everything is always just class-related, and rock music has always had an awareness of class and separation in the downtrodden." Continuing this thought Malin expressed to Nate Herwick on Grammy.com that, "And [I thought about] how much the media is owned by the government, by the big corporations, so you're not getting the full story. I think [this song is] a call to people to go beyond that, go with their guts and their hearts. You have got to treat the people around you with love, but you also have to question the powers that be, because as much as I love this country and this planet, there are some people that are out to line their own pockets and have an agenda."
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| Jesse Malin |
Jesse Malin: Revelations/Thirteen from Meet Me at the End of the World
Jesse Malin: London Rain from Meet Me at the End of the World
Jesse Malin: Meet Me at the End of the World from Meet Me at the End of the World
Friday, August 04, 2017
Happy August Recess: How to Make the Most of It
Over the August recess some members will hold "tele-town halls" instead of in-person events. Here's how to make the most of these calls: pic.twitter.com/Olt1hTIQIX— Robert Reich (@RBReich) August 4, 2017
Wednesday, August 02, 2017
Sunday, July 30, 2017
Medicare and Medicaid Should be Strengthened, Not Gutted
by Gregg Chadwick
Fifty two years ago on July 30, 1965, in a groundbreaking act, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. Both programs still stand as strong examples of the United States government at its best. Because of LBJ's vision and the thousands of health care activists that laid the groundwork before the bill became law, Medicare and Medicaid have brought high quality, affordable health care to seniors, people with disabilities and qualifying individuals.
The 1965 Medicare Act required that hospitals had to desegregate in order to get Medicare money. Medicaid, also, required the desegregation of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Both programs pushed the country forward towards a more equitable health care system.
Instead of cutting back or repealing Medicare and Medicaid, which would give a massive tax break to the one percent, we need to build on the success story by expanding coverage and benefits. I am deeply convinced that we as a nation should make sure that every American has access to high quality, affordable health care.
Today in 1965, Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare & Medicaid into law. We must strengthen and expand, not slash, them. pic.twitter.com/0zX6opMpMw— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 30, 2017
Fifty two years ago on July 30, 1965, in a groundbreaking act, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law. Both programs still stand as strong examples of the United States government at its best. Because of LBJ's vision and the thousands of health care activists that laid the groundwork before the bill became law, Medicare and Medicaid have brought high quality, affordable health care to seniors, people with disabilities and qualifying individuals.
The 1965 Medicare Act required that hospitals had to desegregate in order to get Medicare money. Medicaid, also, required the desegregation of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Both programs pushed the country forward towards a more equitable health care system.
Instead of cutting back or repealing Medicare and Medicaid, which would give a massive tax break to the one percent, we need to build on the success story by expanding coverage and benefits. I am deeply convinced that we as a nation should make sure that every American has access to high quality, affordable health care.
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President Lyndon B. Johnson signs Medicare and Medicaid into law. Courtesy LBJ Presidential Library |
Medicaid and Medicare were signed into law 52 years ago today in Independence, MO. pic.twitter.com/mpoT1NCAca— Emma Sandoe (@emma_sandoe) July 30, 2017
Then was Secretary of HEW during the passage and implementation of Medicare and Medicaid. He practically passed and wrote Medicaid alone. pic.twitter.com/GoHo8rAI1b— Emma Sandoe (@emma_sandoe) July 30, 2017
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Michelle Obama's Advice to College Students
Michelle Obama gave the best advice to these college students as part of her @BetterMakeRoom campaign pic.twitter.com/jKbQoxqp16— NowThis (@nowthisnews) July 29, 2017
Good Morning Rabih Alameddine
by Gregg Chadwick
Along with his literary work, Alameddine is a master at social media, especially twitter. If you are on twitter, follow Rabih Alameddine now. His feed is full of surprises, especially his engaging threads of artworks. Have a Happy Weekend!
Rabih Alameddine is a San Francisco based author whose most recent novel, The Angel of History, is a masterful act of remembering. The scourge of AIDS ravaged the queer community in the 1980's. Alameddine honors the lost in his book that echoes Mikhail Bulgakov’s satirical, elegiac work The Master and Margarita. For those who have been asking me lately for book suggestions, these are both must reads.Good morning— Rabih Alameddine (@rabihalameddine) July 29, 2017
Happy weekend pic.twitter.com/bU6Kc42wGO
Along with his literary work, Alameddine is a master at social media, especially twitter. If you are on twitter, follow Rabih Alameddine now. His feed is full of surprises, especially his engaging threads of artworks. Have a Happy Weekend!
Good morning, Velázquez pic.twitter.com/31wBaLrOrP— Rabih Alameddine (@rabihalameddine) July 29, 2017
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| Saturday Morning at Gregg Chadwick's Studio |
Thursday, July 27, 2017
First Reveal: Ask the Dust (Sergio Arau)
First Reveal - I have been working on this large painting 4.5 feet by 7.5 feet for quite a while now. Great thanks to @SergioArau and @YareliArizmendi for their art and inspiration. In process - "Ask the Dust (Sergio Arau)" #literature #art
🎨 #artistsoninstagram #losangeles
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Transrights are Human Rights!
by Gregg Chadwick
On this day in 1948, President Truman ended segregation in the United States Armed Forces. Today in a hate filled series of tweets Trump brought it back. Trump's argument against transgender soldiers echoes one used against gays, women and blacks. Even as I am calling my Senators and engaging in active measures to help preserve our healthcare, I am standing up against Trump's bigotry. Currently, thousands of transgender folks serve proudly among the 1.3 million active-duty members of the United States military. Brave souls who volunteered to put their lives on the line. Today, their commander in chief kicks them to the curb. The scale of this insult should not be underestimated. An unconscionable act by Trump. As the Women's March organization puts it:
On this day in 1948, President Truman ended segregation in the United States Armed Forces. Today in a hate filled series of tweets Trump brought it back. Trump's argument against transgender soldiers echoes one used against gays, women and blacks. Even as I am calling my Senators and engaging in active measures to help preserve our healthcare, I am standing up against Trump's bigotry. Currently, thousands of transgender folks serve proudly among the 1.3 million active-duty members of the United States military. Brave souls who volunteered to put their lives on the line. Today, their commander in chief kicks them to the curb. The scale of this insult should not be underestimated. An unconscionable act by Trump. As the Women's March organization puts it:
"The care of trans people is not a "distraction"—it is a human right." #TransRightsAreHumanRights
Sorry, Donald, tweets do not a policy make. @Mic pic.twitter.com/0vprabrvKn— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 28, 2017
I fought too long to end discrimination based on race and color to allow discrimination based on gender identity to be considered acceptable— John Lewis (@repjohnlewis) July 27, 2017
Must Read by Katelyn Burns @transscribe Trump Military Ban Indicates Attempt to Make Trans People 2nd Class Citizens https://t.co/K2wnlkN15f— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) July 26, 2017
A salute to the 15,000+ transgender patriots now currently serving in the United States Military. #ThankYouLGBT #TransRightsAreHumanRights pic.twitter.com/jm5Im4oHUd— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) July 26, 2017
Trump's argument against transgender soldiers echoes one used against gays, women and blacks #Transrights https://t.co/E0H5wXNjoV— Gregg Chadwick (@greggchadwick) July 26, 2017
Rep. Joe Kennedy III to transgender servicemembers: "Know that we will never take your service, your courage, your patriotism for granted." pic.twitter.com/DR5S5t8QfV— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 26, 2017
Rep. Joe Kennedy III on trump banning Transgender Americans from serving in our military. Run for President please!🙏pic.twitter.com/QbkHYzzzyA— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) July 26, 2017
69 years ago today, President Truman desegregated the troops.— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) July 26, 2017
Today, #PresidentPutinDonaldTrump spat in the eyes of ALL LGBT Americans. https://t.co/JvLi9lmQcL
From a report commissioned by the pentagon last year. Let's not tolerate blatant transphobia under the guise of some huge 'financial burden' pic.twitter.com/1wz1bvaB0O— troye sivan (@troyesivan) July 26, 2017
The queer response to today's anti-LGBT bs from Trump (paraphrasing Ms Sophia from "The Color Purple")... pic.twitter.com/PeyTngcaXx— Charles M. Blow (@CharlesMBlow) July 26, 2017
Trump’s plan backfires: Even Republicans blast him for bigoted military ban https://t.co/s4q7B5ALxc via @shareblue— Oliver Willis (@owillis) July 26, 2017
The care of trans people is not a "distraction"—it is a human right. Today's #SignOfResistance is by @PplsAction. #TransRightsAreHumanRights pic.twitter.com/WxF5Fct1Br— Women's March (@womensmarch) July 26, 2017
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Air Force Staff Sgt. Logan Ireland is among the transgender service members presently serving in the military. (Photo courtesy of Logan Ireland)      |
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
The Dance of Life
He told ISIS he would rather die than stop dancing. Now he's training and performing in Europe. pic.twitter.com/ENctcJkadi— AJ+ (@ajplus) July 26, 2017
Thursday, July 20, 2017
"Elvis Has Left the Building" at L Ross Gallery in Memphis, Tennessee
by Gregg Chadwick
My paintings Pink Cadillac (Elvis at Graceland) and Memphis Train (Arcade Restaurant) have just arrived at the L Ross Gallery in Memphis, Tennessee for my latest exhibition. They will join my painting Suspicion (Elvis Presley) in the exhibition Elvis Has Left the Building which runs from August 2 - 31. This group show, which has become a notable annual event for the L Ross Gallery, will kick off with an opening reception on Friday, August 4 from 6 – 9 pm.
In my recent Clark Hulings Fund podcast with Daniel DiGriz, DiGriz caught me implying that Elvis is alive. On the walls of the L Ross Gallery this August, Elvis does live on, but as Fredric Koeppel writes,"his memory is slowly fading and becoming the stuff of rumor and legend tending toward oblivion." The show title makes this poignantly clear. I have been reading Ray Connolly's new book Being Elvis: A Lonely Life which deftly examines Elvis' life through the lens of Memphis in the 1940's and 1950's. Childhood poverty and class aspirations spurred Elvis on in a way that left no room for error in his art but left his life dangerously open to misfortune and eventual tragedy.
At the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo, Mississippi on September 26, 1956, Elvis played a powerful, homecoming show in the town where he was born in a two-room shack 21 years before. Elvis had left Tupelo when he was thirteen. In the interim, Elvis had become Tupelo's most famous person. As Ray Connolly recounts in Being Elvis: A Lonely Life : "Elvis put on a special show that day...It was staged outside the fairgrounds in front of a large tent, and, as he sang in the afternoon show, he could see over in the background, a long freight train rolling past." Starting on that day, as the concert closed, Elvis and the band slipped off stage through a trap door. No encores that day nor in the future. Instead an announcer would express over the PA system that "Elvis has left the building."
My painting Memphis Train (Arcade Restaurant), is steeped in the musical history of the city and pays homage to Jim Jarmusch's 1989 film Mystery Train. The Arcade Restaurant which graces the painting is a major player in Jarmusch's cinematic ode to Memphis and Elvis. Across the street from the Arcade is Memphis Central Station which opened for railroad service in 1914. My painting reflects the rich, diverse past, present, and future of Memphis. I listened to the Junior Parker song Mystery Train, which supplied Jarmusch his film title, as I painted. I also listened to Elvis' cover version of the song. Two brilliant renditions.
The city of Memphis itself tells many deeply American stories. Memphis can claim an important role in the development of the Blues and Rock n' Roll. The legend goes that W.C. Handy, who lived in Memphis from 1909-1917, wrote one of the earliest blues songs, St. Louis Blues, in a bar on Beale Street in 1912. During the 1940s and 1950s, Memphis was home to B.B. King, Junior Parker, Johnny Ace, and Joe Hill Louis. R&B and gospel music label Duke Records began in Memphis in 1952. Also in 1952, Sam Phillips started Sun Records, the seminal early rock and blues home. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner,, and Roy Orbison created powerful early recordings at Sun Studio.
My painting Pink Cadillac (Elvis at Graceland), like many of my artworks, went through a process of change and revision. Like a time traveler drifting into the past, Pink Cadillac, began in our present era and shifted as the painting developed back into the 1950's. As if in a dream, I found myself in front of Graceland watching Elvis slowly walk away. Knowing that Bruce Springsteen had written his song Fire especially for Elvis, I listened to a mix of Bruce and Elvis as I painted. As Ray Connolly writes in Being Elvis: A Lonely Life: "at the time of Elvis' death" Springsteen was trying to get the song to Elvis in Graceland. Springsteen never learned if it reached the King.
Springsteen when remembering his childhood expressed that "I couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to be Elvis Presley." Springsteen's fandom reached a pinnacle when after a concert in Memphis on the Born to Run tour in 1976, Bruce jumped the wall outside Graceland that night and made it to the front door hoping to meet Elvis in person. Security guards told him that Elvis was in Lake Tahoe and not available and then escorted him back to the street.
My paintings Pink Cadillac (Elvis at Graceland) and Memphis Train (Arcade Restaurant) have just arrived at the L Ross Gallery in Memphis, Tennessee for my latest exhibition. They will join my painting Suspicion (Elvis Presley) in the exhibition Elvis Has Left the Building which runs from August 2 - 31. This group show, which has become a notable annual event for the L Ross Gallery, will kick off with an opening reception on Friday, August 4 from 6 – 9 pm.
In my recent Clark Hulings Fund podcast with Daniel DiGriz, DiGriz caught me implying that Elvis is alive. On the walls of the L Ross Gallery this August, Elvis does live on, but as Fredric Koeppel writes,"his memory is slowly fading and becoming the stuff of rumor and legend tending toward oblivion." The show title makes this poignantly clear. I have been reading Ray Connolly's new book Being Elvis: A Lonely Life which deftly examines Elvis' life through the lens of Memphis in the 1940's and 1950's. Childhood poverty and class aspirations spurred Elvis on in a way that left no room for error in his art but left his life dangerously open to misfortune and eventual tragedy.
At the Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show in Tupelo, Mississippi on September 26, 1956, Elvis played a powerful, homecoming show in the town where he was born in a two-room shack 21 years before. Elvis had left Tupelo when he was thirteen. In the interim, Elvis had become Tupelo's most famous person. As Ray Connolly recounts in Being Elvis: A Lonely Life : "Elvis put on a special show that day...It was staged outside the fairgrounds in front of a large tent, and, as he sang in the afternoon show, he could see over in the background, a long freight train rolling past." Starting on that day, as the concert closed, Elvis and the band slipped off stage through a trap door. No encores that day nor in the future. Instead an announcer would express over the PA system that "Elvis has left the building."
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Gregg Chadwick
Suspicion (Elvis Presley)
36”x36” oil on linen 2016
“Gregg Chadwick takes the opposite stance in the oil-on-linen Elvis Presley (Suspicion). Here, a familiar depiction of the singer is rendered in blurry, shadowy lines, as if his memory is slowly fading and becoming the stuff of rumor and legend tending toward oblivion.”
- Fredric Koeppel, The Commercial Appeal |
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Gregg Chadwick
Memphis Train (Arcade Restaurant)
Boxed and Ready for Unveiling
20”x24” oil on linen 2017
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My painting Memphis Train (Arcade Restaurant), is steeped in the musical history of the city and pays homage to Jim Jarmusch's 1989 film Mystery Train. The Arcade Restaurant which graces the painting is a major player in Jarmusch's cinematic ode to Memphis and Elvis. Across the street from the Arcade is Memphis Central Station which opened for railroad service in 1914. My painting reflects the rich, diverse past, present, and future of Memphis. I listened to the Junior Parker song Mystery Train, which supplied Jarmusch his film title, as I painted. I also listened to Elvis' cover version of the song. Two brilliant renditions.
The city of Memphis itself tells many deeply American stories. Memphis can claim an important role in the development of the Blues and Rock n' Roll. The legend goes that W.C. Handy, who lived in Memphis from 1909-1917, wrote one of the earliest blues songs, St. Louis Blues, in a bar on Beale Street in 1912. During the 1940s and 1950s, Memphis was home to B.B. King, Junior Parker, Johnny Ace, and Joe Hill Louis. R&B and gospel music label Duke Records began in Memphis in 1952. Also in 1952, Sam Phillips started Sun Records, the seminal early rock and blues home. Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner,, and Roy Orbison created powerful early recordings at Sun Studio.
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Gregg Chadwick
Pink Cadillac (Elvis at Graceland)
Boxed and Ready for Unveiling
24”x30” oil on linen 2017
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Springsteen when remembering his childhood expressed that "I couldn't imagine anyone not wanting to be Elvis Presley." Springsteen's fandom reached a pinnacle when after a concert in Memphis on the Born to Run tour in 1976, Bruce jumped the wall outside Graceland that night and made it to the front door hoping to meet Elvis in person. Security guards told him that Elvis was in Lake Tahoe and not available and then escorted him back to the street.
Springsteen described the night, "'And it took us out there in the middle of the night, and I remember we got outta the cab, and we stood there in front of those gates with the big guitar players on 'em. And when we looked up the driveway, in the second story of the house, you could see a light on, and I figured that Elvis has gotta be up readin' or somethin'. And I told Steve, I said, 'Steve, man, I gotta go check it out.' And I jumped up over the wall and I started runnin' up the driveway, which when I look back on it now was kind of a stupid thing to do because I hate it when people do it at my house.
'Anyway, at the time, I was filled with the enthusiasm of youth and ran up the driveway and I got to the front door and I was just about to knock, and guards came out of the woods and they asked me what I wanted. And I said, 'Is Elvis home?' Then they said, 'No, no, Elvis isn't home, he's in Lake Tahoe'. So, I started to tell 'em that I was a guitar player and that I had my own band, and that we played in town that night, and that I made some records. And I even told 'em I had my picture on the cover of Time and Newsweek. I had to pull out all the stops to try to make an impression, you know. I don't think he believed me, though, 'cause he just kinda stood there noddin' and then he took me by the arm and put me back out on the street with Steve.
'Later on, I used to wonder what I would have said if I'd knocked on the door and if Elvis had come to the door because it wasn't really Elvis I was goin' to see. But, it was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody's ear, and somehow we all dreamed it. And maybe that's why we're here tonight, I don't know.
I remember later, when a friend of mine called to tell me that he'd died, it was so hard to understand how somebody whose music came in and took away so many people's loneliness and gave so many people a reason and a sense of the possibilities of living could have, in the end, died so tragically. And I guess when you're alone, you ain't nothin' but alone."Elvis has indeed left the building, but the echo of his presence remains.
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Gregg Chadwick The Alchemist (Elvis in Headphones) monotype, oil, and pastel on paper 14"x11" 2017 |
The gallery is located at 5040 Sanderlin Ave., Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38117
More on Gregg Chadwick’s blog: https://greggchadwick.blogspot.com/2017/07/elvis-has-left-building-at-l-ross.html
And the L Ross Gallery Website: http://lrossgallery.com/
Gregg Chadwick
Pink Cadillac (Elvis at Graceland)
24"x30" oil on linen 2017
Gregg Chadwick
Memphis Train (Arcade Restaurant)
20"x24" oil on linen 2017
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