Tag Archives: Casey Abrams

11 Art Banners at Jazz in the Pines Idyllwild

Miles Davis by Gawecki. Whenever I hear "Kind of Blue," I know everything's going to be OK.

Miles Davis by Gawecki. Whenever I hear “Kind of Blue,” I know everything’s going to be OK.

This year at Jazz in the Pines in Idyllwild, 11 bright hand-painted banners will be decorating the French Quarter and near the main stage. Many of the jazz musicians featured on the door-sized banners are locals, including musical director Marshall Hawkins, the late crooner, Herb Jeffries who had a home here, and vocalist/pianist Yve Evans, who lives in Palm Springs.

Musical director Marshall Hawkins being painted on Gawecki's kitchen floor.

Musical director Marshall Hawkins being painted on Gawecki’s kitchen floor.

Bassist/singer Casey Abrams, who wowed on American Idol three years ago, Caleb Hensinger, a trumpet player and Graham Dechter, jazz guitar, were Idyllwild Arts Academy graduates. Abrams will appear with Hawkins on the main stage at 4:15 p.m. today (Sunday).

Jazz guitarist Graham Dechter in process. He is an Idyllwild Arts graduate.

Jazz guitarist Graham Dechter in process. He is an Idyllwild Arts graduate.

Hensinger was a scholarship student who is studying at Berklee in Boston. Jazz in the Pines is a fundraiser for student scholarships at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and Summer Program.

Jazz banner of Etta James by Gawecki who saw her perform at the Chicago Theater with BB King.

Jazz banner of Etta James by Gawecki who saw her perform at the Chicago Theater with BB King.

Other banners at the festival include jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Etta James. All the banners were created on tab-topped cotton curtains with acrylic paint from the hardware store. Local artist Marcia Gawecki, who worked as a van driver at Idyllwild Arts for five years, likes using bright Behr mistints like seafoam green and neon pink.

This is Gawecki's fifth image of Marshall Hawkins. No. 6 is near the main stage.

This is Gawecki’s fifth image of Marshall Hawkins. No. 6 is near the main stage.

She paints on her kitchen floor in Idyllwild. It’s the only available space for the large banners. Outside on the deck, pine needles rain down and bugs meet a sudden death with the paint.

The large banner of Casey Abrams was painted during his time on American Idol.

The large banner of Casey Abrams was painted during his time on American Idol.

This is the first time Gawecki has shown all 11 banners together in an outdoor space. She hopes to showcase them all together at a gallery this year. Three of the 11 were purchased by locals, including Anne Finch, co-chair for this year’s jazz committee, and Pam Pierce, Casey Abrams’ mother. Celebrities who own Gawecki’s banners and paintings include comedian Bill Cosby, rock flutist Tim Weisberg and President Barack Obama. Gawecki sent Obama a T-shirt a few years ago, and his framed thank-you note hangs in her home.

After the jazz fest, Gawecki hopes to sell eight of the original banners which range in price from $500 to $800. For more information, call (951) 265-6755.

Yep, Another Marshall Hawkins Banner

First image of Marshall Hawkins for Town Jazz

First image of Marshall Hawkins for Town Jazz

Marshall Hawkins,  head of the Jazz Department at Idyllwild Arts, is back as Musical Director for Jazz in the Pines held this year in Idyllwild on August 16-17. Just the other night (during a break playing at Cafe Aroma) he asked me to head up his booth at the festival.

I was thrilled mostly because we’d be continuing our long relationship with jazz and art. When Marshall headed up the Town Jazz event for two years in Idyllwild, I illustrated the image for the T-shirts and posters. Then when that ended, I continued to paint banners of him and sell prints at the Acorn Gallery (next to Cafe Aroma) where I work and paint.

Casey-Marshall T-shirts in seafoam green are for sale for $15 at Acorn Gallery

Casey-Marshall T-shirts in seafoam green are for sale for $15 at Acorn Gallery

Marshall also had the great idea to make a Casey Abrams-Marshall Hawkins T-shirt. Casey did great on “American Idol” and post-Idol is performing all over the country new songs, such as “Cougar Town.”

He’s also acting in an Indie movie with some big-name stars. I remember seeing Casey in a student short called, “18 Minutes.” He played the son of a guy who was going mad (played by Chris Pennock from “Dark Shadows” fame). Casey was about 15 years old at the time, with chubby cheeks and red curly hair. No beard was around then, but you could tell that he had acting talent. I had always thought he should be in the movies. He was so natural and funny doing those Ford commercials on “American Idol.”

Anyway, we printed the Casey-Marshall T-shirts, and would sell them at Casey’s concerts at the Hemet Theater and other events. We had them printed at Desert Arc in seafoam green and black. Proceeds from the $15 sale price go to Seahawk MOJO, Marshall’s charity for putting jazz music in the grade schools.

Prints of Marshall Hawkins are on sale at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Prints of Marshall Hawkins are on sale at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

The last of the Casey-Marshall T-shirts are for sale at the Acorn Gallery, and lately, they’ve been selling to an unlikely group–Seattle Seahawk fans who don’t know Casey or Marshall, but like the name of his charity, Seahawk MOJO.

This year, at Marshall’s booth at Jazz in the Pines, he will be selling some of his CDs, which are currently in the works, he tells me. Last year, when I sold the Casey-Marshall T-shirts everyone asked about Marshall CDs. As a teacher and performer, it’s hard to find time to record your own music.

“Now everything is coming together,” Marshall says.

So, at the booth, they’ll be Marshall’s CDs, and my Pop-Art style artwork. I’ll include images of Miles Davis because Marshall used to play with Miles Davis. A photo showing the two of them performing is on display at Cafe Aroma.

Miles Davis by Gawecki. Whenever I hear "Kind of Blue," I know everything's going to be OK.

Miles Davis by Gawecki. Whenever I hear “Kind of Blue,” I know everything’s going to be OK.

Miles Davis is one of my favorites. Whenever I hear, “Kind of Blue,” I know that everything is going to be all right.

I will also have images of Yve Evans, a talented singer from Palm Springs, who is a friend of Marshall’s. I painted a banner of Yve for my one-woman art show two years ago at Cafe Aroma, and Anne Finch purchased it. I think it may be hanging in her sound studio.

The smaller image that I painted of Yve this year is more Expressionistic than Pop Art, and makes her look more like a warrior. Marshall saw it and approved. Anne didn’t like it so well. I may make some posters of that image since she is popular.

This is my fifth image of Marshall Hawkins.

This is my fifth image of Marshall Hawkins.

I’m also painting a huge banner of Marshall Hawkins. I may use it as a backdrop at the booth, so there’s no mistaking where Marshall items will be sold at the jazz fest. Or, I may loan it out to another project, but that one’s “under wraps” for now.

Anyway, since this is my sixth image of Marshall in the past few years, I hope that I can bring a new freshness to his image. I also hope that Marshall’s wife doesn’t think that I have a crush on him. Frankly, I’d wonder why a local artist was doing so many images of my husband!

I like and respect Marshall, and he heartily promotes my art, so I guess you could call him my “muse.”

Because good things happen with my art when he’s around!

Copyright 2014-2024 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Getting Over Painting in Public

Marcia Gawecki at Idyllwild Art & Wine Walk. Photo by Peter Zabadi.

Marcia Gawecki at Idyllwild Art & Wine Walk. Photo by Peter Zabadi.

By Marcia E. Gawecki

Ever since I was young, I’ve always hated painting in public. My dad was stationed in the Phillippine Islands, and my sister and I took watercolor lessons from an old Filapino painter. He didn’t saymuch, but with his paintings, he spoke volumes.

During our lessons, it was customary for students to paint along the walkway into the gallery and shop. People would often stop and watch awhile. My sister, Beth, was definitely a better painter, and found a way to block out any distractions, including visitors.

For me, however, I would suddenly become self-conscious, and fumble with my paint, taking on too much paint or water, and creating an instant mess. Visitors would leave in embarassment, knowing that they caused the commotion.

It got to the point that I would rush through a painting in the early part of our lesson so it would be nearly done by the time that the nosy customers would walk by. Or worse yet, stop and watch.

Because of this, I almost stopped painting. But then I realized that most artists paint in private.

Over the years, when I lived in Omaha, Chicago, and now Idyllwild, gallery owners have encouraged me to paint in public. I would immediately refuse, saying I was too shy, or my canvas was too big for it to work.

Then I’d secretly watch the other artists that agreed to paint outside. One painter working outside the former Artisans Gallery in Oakwood Village, had them captivated. People were drinking wine and milling about, and occasionally would ask her questions, about where she lived, what medium she used, and how long she had been painting.

Louis Armstrong outside Acorn Gallery Idyllwild. 38 x 50 1/2 inches.

Louis Armstrong outside Acorn Gallery Idyllwild.
38 x 50 1/2 inches.

She responded with patience and grace. Then she noticed a squirrel digging and running up a nearby tree, and included it in her painting! Needless to say, I was amazed! She ended up selling a couple of paintings. I think it had something to do with the outdoor connection.

But that still didn’t convince me to paint in public. My palms still get sweaty at the thought of it. Then I managed to get my portraits in the Acorn Gallery, next to Cafe Aroma. I started watching the gallery two days a week.

Kirsten Ingbretsen, the owner who is also a mixed-media artist, would encourage me to paint inside or outside the gallery. She was very casual about it.

Billie Holiday is on display at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Billie Holiday is on display at the Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild

Then the Idyllwild Art and Wine Walk arrived, and two of the Acorn artists had agreed to paint outside on the deck. They set up their easels and table, and made it inviting. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to participate, but I set up my banner of Tim Weisberg next to a chair in the parking lot. My back was to everyone who were busy drinking wine, so it was easy to handle.

I decided to get over it.

It was OK until people started getting rowdy and nearly spilled their wine on my back. However, I met some interesting people, and maybe got a commission out of one encounter.

The next week, when I would set out the easels and sculptures on Acorn’s deck, I could see traces o red paint left over from Kirsten’s art projects. At first, I tried to scrape the paint away, but it was stubborn. Scrubbing it was like scraping up frosting left over from a birthday party.

One day, I decided to paint outside under the umbrella, hoping to attract more visitors to the gallery. I was working on a sign that I needed for an art booth. However, I noticed that the longer I painted outside, the less people came into the gallery. They seemed to go the long way around the steps to Cafe Aroma.

I felt like an art troll guarding the door of the gallery. No one would dare cross me, unless they could comment about my painting. Little did they know, it was the last thing I wanted!

So I moved inside. Believe it or not, Kirsten did not object to painting on her glass desk, next to the counter. It was tucked away in the far corner, so visitors didn’t really see me working there until later.

I’m not sure when I started painting there regularly, but it was a matter of necessity. I had some commissions to finish before Christmas and was running out of time. At first, I would just paint the backs of the banners, something that I’d always leave for last. Then I kept adding colors to the back, and pretty soon it looked like an abstract!

When I started working on the front. At the time, I was working on a portrait of baseball pitcher Sandy Koufax. When people would come in, I’d immediately stop painting. I’d even cover it with a towel or a nearby folder, and go help them.

Then people started asking about the paintings.

“Oh, you do those bright portraits?” they’d ask. “What are you working on?” “Hey, that looks exactly like him!”

Sometimes, I’d go into detail about what kind of paint I used, or why I decided to paint on tab-topped curtains. Then I’d point out the other prints in the gallery, and the conversation would go into another direction.

These encounters were innocent enough, and really didn’t produce any sales. People were just curious about what you were doing. Kind of like if I were to see a woodworker whittling away at a piece of wood. I would stop and watch too.

But inside, I still was the young girl who was afraid of messing up.

Then yesterday, I had an encounter with a young artist. Her name was Gabriela, and she and her parents were looking around the gallery. They were from a rural town in Northern California.

Gabby was asking pointed questions about Kirsten’s work that was on display on an easel. This particular one was intense and theraputic. I explained that Kirsten paints about her experiences, and in this case, about a fight she had with her friend.

“She painted this painting a few years ago right after an argument, and then put it away,” I told Gabby, who was looking at the Buddah and sailboats at the top of the painting. “Then she painted this part later. You can do that, you know, finish a painting years later.”

Gabby’s mother saw my paints on the desk, and mentioned that Gabby got an easel and several canvases for Christmas.

“What kind of paint do you use?” she asked.

“I use Behr acrylic paint from Home Depot,” I explained. “I have them mix the $3 samples in bright colors. They have screw on lids, so I don’t spill the paint while I’m painting on my kitchen floor.”

People are always amazed that artists will just paint in the middle of a room. That’s nothing! I know of a sculptor who built a clay pot in the middle of his living room while his wife was away! However, she threatened to leave him if he did it again!

Then Gabby’s dad showed me one of Gabby’s recent paintings on his cell phone. It was an incredible painting of a sunset. There were reds, yellows and blues, with lots of movement. My heart was full!

“How old is Gabby?” I asked.

“Six years old,” her mother replied.

Then I understood why they were a little apprehensive. At that young age, Gabby had real talent. She could even be great, if she kept it up. I tried not to jump up and down and shout that they had the next van Gogh on their hands! Instead, I took their lead and remained calm.

“You should frame it,” I suggested. “It’s really good!”

Gabby beamed.

Her mother said she had put the sunset up in her room. I could tell that they probably didn’ t have much money, and were overwhelmed with what they were going to do with her. I wanted to suggest private lessons, but in the rural area where they lived, there probably was limited resources.

So I suggested that they get large canvases from thrift stores, and paint over those ugly paintings.

“You can use white or any color to cover it, and sometimes there’s texture from the previous painting that you can use in your own landscapes,” I suggested.

Gabby liked the idea, and I asked her if she painted from nature, or out of her head.

“For the sunset, I painted what I saw. My parents like to look at sunsets,” she said. “But other times, I paint from out of my head.”

Artists who can paint from imagination or memory are a different breed.

Then I handed her a poster that I had done of Casey Abrams that showed all the bright colors, explaining that it was OK to give him a green face and purple hair.

I’m not sure how much of what I said sunk in with Gabby. My guess is that she would be light years ahead of me in no time. But she seemed like a well-adjusted young girl, curious about the world.

After they left for Humber Park searching for the last traces of snow, I looked back at Kirsten’s desk. My paint tubs were lined up like little soldiers, while the brushes were resting in the small water cup. The portrait was half hidden, but it was a definite mess.

Then I realized then that I would never have had that art conversation with Gabby had I not been painting in public. I would have said hi to her, and talked about the holiday or the weather, and that would’ve been it.

I would have missed Gabby’s sunset.

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki Art. All rights reserved.

Giants, Scoundrels & Locals at Honey Bunns

Nanci Killingsworth stands before Marcia Gawecki's Pop Art portraits

Nanci Killingsworth stands before Marcia Gawecki’s Pop Art portraits

Honey Bunns & Joe is a small-sized bakery with a big heart for art. For the past year, they’ve given away wall space in their Idyllwild business for artists to host shows .  The June show is called “Giants, Scoundrels & Locals,” a motley crew of Pop Art portraits by Idyllwild artist Marcia Gawecki.

marciagawecki_honey_buns_and_joe_bakery

Granted, it’s not a big space. The sign on the wall says there’s a capacity for only 10 people. But ask any artist whose shown there, and they will tell you that you can do a lot with those four walls.

“I had 25 prints and three small banners, and I managed to fill the space,” Gawecki said, with the help of her friend Nanci Killingsworth.

Gawecki’s show features $25 prints of jazz giants like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald. Most of them were created for Jazz in the Pines, a two-day jazz event held on the Idyllwild Arts campus in August each year.

There’s also prints of scoundrels or celebrities who have “fallen from grace,” such as Michael Jackson and Mel Gibson. Gawecki sized up her choices in her “Artist Comment” posted on the wall:

“Many Hollywood stars that I have painted have “fallen from grace.” I don’t have to like them, only get a good likeness.”

Gawecki has had an art gallery refuse to show Mel Gibson because of his anti Semitic beliefs.

Mad Mel Gibson by Marcia Gawecki

Mad Mel Gibson by Marcia Gawecki

“For this show, I titled it ‘Mad Mel’ to give viewers an idea of my feelings towards him,” Gawecki said. “I didn’t want to offend anyone with the image, but open up a dialogue . There’s been some anti Semitism in Idyllwild, and we need to get it out in the open. I don’t think it should be tolerated.”

Besides the title, Gawecki showed a bloody red cruxifix protruding from Gibson’s eyebrows. It was painted shortly after the release of his 2004 film, “The Passion of the Christ,” which many say depicted Jews as being exceptionally brutal to Jesus Christ.

Gawecki has not been one to shy away from politicizing her views in paint. The image of Michael Jackson originally had the title, “The King of Pop is Not” to discuss his many child molestation accusations.

“If you look closely at his ears, you can see their pointed or elf like,” Gawecki said.

And the image of Ronald Reagan was reframed for the Honey Bunns show. The original one was a wooden frame with camoulflage on it. Gawecki had just come back from living two years in Chile, and had an earful of Reagan’s offenses.

“Reagan has a slight bit of red under his nose,” Gawecki said. “Its not a shadow, but blood.”

The rest of the painting was all done in green hues. The red is subtle but is more obvious when you add the camelflage frame, she said.

There’s also Idyllwild locals, including Marshall Hawkins, who heads up the jazz department at Idyllwild Arts who was just inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame. He started Jazz in the Pines which is now celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

In addition to Marshall, there’s American Idol heartthrob Casey Abrams, the ‘Bronze Buckaroo’ Herb Jeffries, who turns 100 in August this year and Jeffrey Taylor, who owns Green Cafe Internet and has been promoting films for 15 years now.

“I like to title my shows because then it gives them a framework,” Gawecki said. “But everyone’s giant could be someone else’s scoundrel.”

Gawecki sold one painting yesterday, but other artists at Honey Bunns have had more success.

Originally, Gawecki's portrait of Ronald Reagan had a camouflage frame

Originally, Gawecki’s portrait of Ronald Reagan had a camouflage frame

Nanci, a mosiac artist from Idyllwild, had made the most of her show space last fall by adding shelves, and using her interior design know how. Before her opening, she had already sold five pieces.

“I called her with the good news, but she was up until midnight making more mosaics to replace the five that were sold,” said Dan Slattery, one of Honey Bunns & Joe’s owners.

“After he called, I was happy that people liked my work, but I also had to raise my prices,” Nanci said.

As a memento, Nanci left Honey Bunns one of her mosiac cups for their stir straws. Other artists have left paintings, prints and photos on the wall as a “thank you” for not charging for the space.

“People can’t believe that we don’t charge any commission,” Dan said. “But the way I see it, every month someone comes in here and redecorates the place. It’s really great! Not like getting bored seeing the same old painting.”

For other artists like Helen Ziler, who had her Honey Bunns show in May, sales aren’t the mark of success. The fact that her son considers her art “family heirlooms” meant more than any sale.

“My son looked around the room, and told me that he wanted to keep all of them in the family,” Helen said wistfully. “That meant a lot to me.”

This was also Ziler’s first art show, and it was comfortable enough for her to want to continue in her pursuit.

Billie Holiday is one of the giants in Gawecki's "Giants, Scoundrels & Locals" show at Honey Bunns in Idyllwild

Billie Holiday is one of the giants in Gawecki’s “Giants, Scoundrels & Locals” show at Honey Bunns in Idyllwild

Dan’s wife, Laura, is the baker who also has talent.

“I’m just creative,” Laura Slattery said, when someone called her an artist. Some of her confectionary creations include lavendar-almond scones, snickerdoodles and of course, sticky honey buns.

“She likes to mix it up by combining different ingredients and not featuring the same thing all the time,” Dan added.

On the wall above the door features one of Laura’s photos. It’s a close-up of her hands kneading dough. The reflected light makes the pose more intimate. It was a collaboration with a photographer friend over the internet, she said.

“Giants, Scoundrels & Locals,” a collection of Pop Art portraits by Idyllwild artist Marcia Gawecki, will remain at Honey Bunns & Joe through June. The bakery is located at 54385 N. Circle Drive in Idyllwild, and is open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Call (951)659-8606.

Copyright 2013 Marcia Gawecki. All rights reserved.