Artwork & Words © Richard Ewing all rights reserved

Artwork & Words © Richard Ewing all rights reserved

Monday, April 2, 2012

IF ...return

Legend has it that Robert Johnson was, at best, an embarrassing guitarist ~~no where near the stellar skill level of the likes of Son House and that ilk.  Robert then disappeared for about 2 years, and upon his return showed himself to be astoundingly gifted as a guitarist.  The consensus was that Robert had traveled to the crossroads at midnight and made a deal with the devil: to become a master blues guitarist in exchange for his soul.
Robert recorded his classic blues compositions, then was murdered at age 27...

© Richard Ewing.  All rights reserved.

© Richard Ewing.  All rights reserved.

© Richard Ewing.  All rights reserved.

© Richard Ewing.  All rights reserved.


© Richard Ewing.  All rights reserved.
Thank you and enjoy.
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11 comments:

  1. Rod MacGregorApril 2, 2012 at 3:35 AM

    Wow...this is amazing...I have to say that because of my various tastebuds colliding in joy...I love Johnson's blues and the story, playing the guitar (yet to sell my soul...completely) and your artistic interpretation....probably ranks one of your top works in my opinion.

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  2. Canato JimomiApril 2, 2012 at 3:41 AM

    I adore your style.
    The Club 27ers make for great caricatures, what say you? Do I get to see more of 'em here? and wont that be nice? Janis, Jim, Jimi, Amy, Kurt... my two cents.

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    1. Richard EwingApril 2, 2012 at 8:01 AM

      I found it odd that I hadn't, in the nearly 100 past IFs, done ANY 27-clubers... There's certainly enough of them, and such an odd ...coincidence?
      Grist for the mill!


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  3. Cindy D.April 2, 2012 at 5:31 AM

    Wow! This has to be one of my favorite ones. So cool and smooth with all of your terrific touches. Fantastic face and pinstripe suit. Simple but effective background. Love it!

    I do wonder what's going on with those two stick figures in the sketch, beneath what seems to be Jesus with a cup of coffee. :)

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    1. Richard EwingApril 2, 2012 at 7:55 AM

      Thanks so much for the compliments.
      The stick figures were my passing glance at the prodigal son returning... you can see the train of thought following the Jesus image. The prodigal boy didn't offer much facial interest as I'd have been inventing his mug... and Mr. Johnson came with such wonderful baggage.


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  4. k.h.whitakerApril 2, 2012 at 7:50 AM

    awesome Richard!!!

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  5. Mardi SpethApril 2, 2012 at 1:21 PM

    Richard, you've outdone yourself! This is my new favorite. In a nutshell, it's fantastic. The dark, muted palette adds to the mystery, and all the wonderful color complexities in his face make him very much alive. It was worth losing sleep over. Wow … and wow, again! Submit this to CA's Illo Annual okay?

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  6. Bill JaynesApril 3, 2012 at 2:10 PM

    Haunting and the drawings act as an X-Ray of the finished piece as I moved through them in the slide show. Wow, well done.

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  7. Alice AndreiniApril 3, 2012 at 3:41 PM

    This is just great. I love the guitar shape implied. The hands are beautifully rendered...very expressive....as is the head. The subtle shifts in value of the head are mysterious and captivating and the dark /cool palette lends a nice deep base to the whole.

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  8. Creations By MitApril 4, 2012 at 1:51 PM

    Great interpretation! Just love how he seems to be fingering the invisible guitar.

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  9. Linda HensleyApril 4, 2012 at 4:51 PM

    Love it! Especially the way you wrapped his body around and the expressiveness of his hands. For some reason the moon really speaks to me too, and I like the way it emphasizes his big eye. Very, very cool.

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