Brooklyn Museum

Yesterday slopped over to Flatbush to see the Brooklyn Museum. First I stopped over at the Brooklyn Library where there was a lovely exhibition of children's illustrations. The building is tremendous, huge and impressive. I particularly enjoyed the Brian Lorca illustrations, done in pen and ink and watercolour. Nice, professional work, reminded me of the children's illustrations I loved in Puffin books when I was young.
Then passed the impressive entrance to the Botanical Gardens (I shall go in one day) and on to the Brooklyn Museum. It was wonderful. I really loved it. Especially the Edward Hicks which really caught my eye, the children sitting down with the animals in a folk art bonanza. I'm going to use it as a model for my 'Lamb & Tyger' CD when I get home, but I think I would like to paint the animals on a piano and then photograph that. So I need to buy an old piano and get some enamels maybe - although if I rip the varnish off I could use oils which would be closer to Hicks's technique.
I liked so much, I will have to write about my reactions one by one. Debs knows a lot a LOT about Edward Hicks, she has a Hicks style frame in the house, which has a different type of joint to fix it. She really knows a heap about art, a huge amount, a massive amount.

Banjo Jim's

Had a wonderful gig last night at this very cutesy red-painted bar. First on was my lovely friend and great songwriter, Daniel Carlson and his amazing band. I last played with Daniel in Nottingham last summer, at the Folkwit gig.

I have to say Daniel is great on stage. And so are his band. The sound was brilliant. The guitarist had painted his guitar with swoops of colours that seemed to echo the sonic textures of his solos, and in his camel dungarees and with his long hair tucked into his cap, he looked very dapper as he kicked his leg emoting and expressing with his instrument. The drummer as right on it, into and out of the swells, the keyboard player I so enjoyed, with his Wurlitzer and Minikorg.

So kind, the band members stayed with Daniel, and so did friends of his during my set so it felt really good in the room. I loved performing, I played piano as well as uke again, and Daniel was kind enough to help me with the mic, when the one by the piano didn't work for some reason. I entertained with songs from old London town and demonstrated an old-fashioned knees-up (kind of). I have discovered that I love singing my setting of William Blake's London, you can really give that song some welly, and the words really help you lash it out.

My good friend, the amazing poet Shannon Elizabeth Hardwick schlepped over from New Rochelle, where she's living (Norman Rockwell lived there as well I found out yesterday during my visit to the Brooklyn Museum). Amos then gave us all a lift to a cool shop that serves flavoured rice pudding, called 'Rice to Riches'. I had almond and cheesecake flavours with roasted cherry topping. And we drove back over the Brooklyn Bridge, so I got to see night time city scapes. Awesome.

Another New York day

We've had no water last night, as the water workers are doing some work on the water. Debs thinks everyone else is probably using the water because that's the New Yorker way. Thank goodness it's nearly day and we will have water again in half an hour.

I'm thinking about going to a museum this morning. Either Brooklyn Museum or the Guggenheim. We're not going to do the painting today, because we have dinner guests this evening. Debs is doing turkey and basmati rice. She's a great cook. More than great. Really, really impressed.