It has been snowing nearly all night and all day.

 You know how one can get stuck? Stuck inside, stuck unmoving, stuck... Well, the snow is... really very nice honestly. But, I just wasn't ready. Here were are in January in Chicago and I was able to stand outside and paint in a light jacket... with SUNSHINE for goodness sake. It was just wonderful.

It reminds me of New Orleans. Yes it does. Mm hm.

So what does a bean do on a stuck snow day?

Well, my first move was to get up outta the bed (my office as I rather call it), come downstairs, and immediately listen to some records.
A lil Elmore James, a lil Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday...
I am laying on the floor wearing red suspenders, headphones,
in a sea of cardstock covers
and paper sleeves.
I'm hittin' all the bargain bin records here but then I toss on ol' Louis Armstrong.
"Satchmo and Friends" was 99 cents...(again with the bargain bin)
and I remembered what a damn fine song he sings
bout missin' New Orleans.
Do you know it?

Have a listen here and tell me
you don't hear the sad desperation
for the big easy! (Do you know what it means to miss) "New Orleans"

Also, a shot I took while in NOLA of the Armstrong park under construction, 2010. 35mm B&W film.

Well Beaner whatcha got to show for ya self?
Here it is. "To Miss New Orleans" 25in x 31in SOLD

(It is still snowing)
(And it ain't the good kind either. Not the kind ya can make an igloo outta)

(An igloo whiskey bar)

(I think I'm onto something)

The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see

December, January... Usually mighty chilly here in Chi-cago. Well, last summer e'ryone was talkin' up this winter bein' the worst of the worst.
It hasn't been under 45 degrees this week.

I'm not complainin'! Heck no!
Instead, I'm living up thoughts of summertime. Times when you can stay outside all day and all night staring up at the sky.

To see, the big orange harvest moon.
"Shine On Harvest Moon" was originally written in 1908 by by Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth.
But this wind-ow is for another singer who performed this song.

Mance Lipscomb. Listen to Mance here. Mance, short for emancipation, a nickname he got when he was young, was a farm hand and laborer most of his life. He was 'discovered' in the late 50s and then recorded in the 60s making several albums consisting of ragtime, blues, and folk.
What makes Mance stand out is his smooth clean voice and very precise and rich guitar pickin.'
One of my favorites, here's to you Mance Lipscomb!
(Listen to Mance's 'discovery')

 Now this wind-ow gave me some terrible trouble. It was some "Trouble On My Mind" (Lipscomb album! Real good). Why was it a trouble? Well it had, unbeknownst to me, 6 layers and years of white paint on the frame. It took me quite a while and lots of stripper to take it off. When I went to stain the frame, the stain wouldn't set! So, eventually I had to strip the caked on stain off and came to the conclusion that someone used a laminate or glue to coat the wood.
Therefore, I used a latex paint and I like it! It works and looks great on this window.

Decide for ya self.
"Shine On Harvest Moon" 28 inches x 32 inches SOLD For sale on Etsy

Take me out to Henry's Swing Club

     We gotta double trouble wind-ow right here. John Lee Hooker, a legendary blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. One of my favorites, and other folks' as well, is 'One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer.' Check out that tune riiight here.  (The video features Mr. John Lee seated in a lounge chair in an alley or side street in what looks like NYC. While seated, he signs and plays electric guitar to the song with sunglasses on)

     "Henry's Swing Club" is a tune he wrote back 'round 1948 or 1950. The track appears on the '92 compilation, Graveyard Blues. Listen to it here. 
  
     So what's so double trouble bout this one wind-ow, now? Well, I hear John Lee Hooker's singin' and pickin' and he makes me want to put on some dark glasses and sip on a bourbon. Well, when I hear "Henry's Swing Club" I want to listen to some Dixieland blues and kick my wingtips 'round. Man oh man. Double trouble.
      And that takes us to the wind-ow. The frame has been refinished: stripped, stained, and coated.

"Henry's Swing Club" 28.5 inches x 27 inches $215

 

Tell me, what's better than whiskey?

RYE Whiskey!

(Hey, take it easy, "Bourbon Whiskey" is coming. I am paintin' it right now.)

Anyway, rye whiskey goes very well with classic prohibition era cocktails such as a Manhattan.
Therefore, this long n' lean, unique, window gets the honor of showing off my favorite whiskey. Why, Beaner, what's your top ryes?
Well! Let's go through a few...

Starting with what's in my glass right now.. Bulleit, aged 4 to 7 years at 90 proof.

Sazerac! What a lovely font on that label... Aged  6 years and at 90 proof.

Next up we have Templeton, aged 5 years, 80 proof.

My favorite rye to order when I'm bellying up to the bar is Whistle Pig aged 10 years minimum, 100 proof, and with an attractive label. Best on the rocks or neat on a chilly winter night.

"Rye Whiskey" Refinished frame. Measures 54.5 inches x 14 inches $SOLD