Fri, 21 November 2008 Gratitude I’ve been getting emails and phone calls from some of you, and we’ve been talking a lot about these hard times. These depressing times as some of you call it. Some of you have noted there seems to be a lot of anger going around right now. The scale of the economic problems as we struggle with two wars, jobs being lost, car manufacturing on it’s way out the door, these are no doubt times of uncertainty. Our day to day security is in question. There’s plenty of reason to be angry. Can you believe the antenna on car broke, the only channel I can get is a local station in Hyannis, one hundred percent conservative talk radio. And me the worlds biggest liberal. Oh boy. When I absolutely have to I will turn the radio on and get an earful of Rush Limbaugh or Laura Ingram. I noticed before the elections they were slamming Obama and loving Palin. Now, yipes, the talk radio is filled with outrageous anger. Now I can understand anger about losing an election – I went though anger with Bush being elected, twice. It hurt. Now I know there are some of you listening to show that are conservative republicans – I know you listen to my show because you’ve emailed me whenever I say how much I love Obama. Time will heal the wound the election has caused you, and the economy will survive, and no war lasts forever, and cars will be manufactured. I believe in Obama and I believe he is our hope. With that said I’m going to the inauguration, and I’m doing so out of gratitude. I’m grateful. During these hard times is difficult to find good reason for being grateful, but each of us have reasons for our gratitude. I have gratitude for each one of you. You are my friends. If self-worth could be measured by the amount of joy, support, and motivation from friends like you I’d be a millionaire. The side you don’t see of me is when I work privately in the studio. I put the headphones on and away I go. A dear friend recently sent me an email regarding a unique perspective on the works of Anais Nin.
Lunch with Harry Holl As many of you know I am a deeply spiritual person. I am one who believes that everything happens for a reason. Now some of you might recall the CD I made of a song I wrote for Harry Holl way back when. I went into the recording studio and laid down a song I wrote for Harry based on the wonderful documentary on his life and art, and gave it to him with my gratitude for his wonderful words of wisdom. So how odd is it that a music friend of mine who knows Harry not from art, but instead by his wife’s job in working with Harry, should suggest I have lunch with Harry? I mentioned this music friend’s request to Harry’s daughter one day and after several months it came to be. Now I say this as a preface because in between the time my music friend suggested I have lunch with Harry and the time Harry’s daughter made the arrangements months passed. In those months between my music friend’s suggestion and Harry’s daughter making preparations two totally different friends of mine both highly recommended a book called Lust For Life, the biography of Vincent van Gogh. I absolutely loved this book. My friends were right, they knew I would love this book, and I am so grateful they recommended it. Last week, on that cool day in fall when the sun shines the brightest I had lunch with Harry. We sat in his kitchen, and from his small wooden table in we looked out though the floor to ceiling windows. If his post and beam cabin had a wood stove burning I would have believed we where sitting in the mountains of Vermont. The view out the expansive windows to Harry’s sculpture garden was as mesmerizing as Harry’s sculptures that were strategically placed in artful as well as meaningful locations in his garden. It was one of those unique moments in my life that I knew I would recall many years from now as being special. I mentioned to Harry that I liked a painting hung on the wall that a friend of Harry’s had given him. Harry said his friend painted for fifty years and never sold a painting. Sounds like van Gogh I said to Harry. Harry looked at me and instantly recanted the entire book I had just finished reading. It turns out Harry’s favorite book was Lust For Life. We spend the rest of the afternoon talking about van Gogh, and how, and why, his paintings were marketed after his death. Harry’s couldn’t get the words out fast enough. He was so excited. His energy was contagious. Understanding van Gogh has helped me visual myself in my art world, but understanding Harry Holl’s view of van Gogh has provided me the chance to understand the art of Harry Holl in a unique way. And I said at the front of this story, how wonderful a world it is that we are surrounded by such spiritual gifts. Gotta be grateful for that!
Plugs Karen Billard & Elaine Cohen. The new Color Obsession Gallery located at 15 Joy Street in South Cape Village, Mashpee (near the Mashpee Rotary turn on Route 28). For more information call 508-246-6246 or visit www.ColorObsessionGallery.com. Deb Donovan: The Crucilbe opens tonight at 7:30 at Harwich High School. Another performance tomorrow. Tickets are $10.00 for adult $5.00 for students. Greg Johnson, 2:00 - 5:00 at O’Shea’s Olde Inn for Irish Session, and 6:00 - 8:00 for Blues Jam
Reception for Lauren Wolk's Flights of Fancy. The Cultural Center of Cape Cod will host a reception on December 5 from 4:00 - 7:00 pm for Lauren Wolk's exhibit of odd birdhouses and other "Flights of Fancy." The exhibit will be on display through Christmas. The Cultural Center of Cape Cod is located at 307 Old Main Street in South Yarmouth. For more information call 508-394-7100 or visit www.cultural-center.org Mary Moquin at www.addisonart.com www.capecodfineartist.com Amy Rice’s Woodruff’s Art Center this Sunday, 11/23, 4-7 pm Comments[0] | |
Sun, 16 November 2008 I’m going to start off this week with a plug. Before I began this radio show I didn’t know what a podcast was, I barely knew what an iPod was. I had been attending an eight week art marketing program thought the wonderful Arts Foundation of CC was sponsoring, and I had planned on missing one of the eight weeks. The topic for that week was podcasting. I said to my fellow classmate how on earth could a podcast on an iPod possibly help me market my art? "You should see what it’s all about," my friend replied. I went to the seminar and was glued to my seat, the speaker, Len Edgerly was amazing as he discussed the world that podcasting can open our eyes to. Yesterday was a cool day thanks to Len Edgerly. For those of you listening from the University of Montana, I deeply enjoyed Len’s video interview of me yesterday. And welcome to my radio show. And I also want to say thanks to Karen Billard, the friend who inspired to attend Len’s lecture, and the friend who handled the technical portion of yesterday’s video interview. You guys are great.
The first question Len asked me was : What's the best thing that's happened as a result of your podcast? I said, the best thing that has happened to me as a result of the podcast can be boiled down into one word: Stories. A lot of stories. Like this story; how’d you ever end up being interviewed via video in Montana from Cape Cod? That’s a story. But here’s one of my favorite stories; One day I was doing an art show down on the waterfront on Hyannis harbor here on Cape Cod. There wasn’t anyone around, so I did as I usually do and practiced my guitar on one of the park benches near my art display. A husband and wife came walking down the sidewalk along the waterfront and approached my art display. She said "I like this art work. He said, "I like the guy playing the guitar. I got up, walked over, thanked them for the compliments. The husband was surprised that as an artist I could also play the guitar. He told me he was impressed. I then asked the standard two questions to break the ice; where are you from, and what kind of work do you do. I live in LA and I’m a Recording Engineer. It took a little digging, but it turned out Bil is the personal recording engineer for Jackson Browne. His job is to record Jackson’s daily sessions. Almost on a daily basis people like my hero David Crosby, Graham, Nash, David Lindley, and Bonnie Raitt come to hang out. About a month after meeting Bil I received and email from him. He said he had been listening to my podcast. I was flattered beyond belief. I couldn’t believe a guy who is hanging out with some of the most famous musicians, those that I am in awe of was listening to me, little Robert John cook of Cape Cod. Blew me away. He told me how he looked at me, a guy living in one of the most beautiful places known, an artist, a musician, an writer. I was cool he told me. Until he said it I hadn’t looked at myself that way, it shifted my perspective. Last week I mailed a commissioned paining to Bil Lane, one of the coolest people I know. The painting was from a photo he had taken while visiting Cape Cod this past summer. Bil is a genuine down to earth nice guy. The night I boxed up th emailing for mailing the next day I sat for a moment and looked at the brown wrapped box, it had Jackson Browne’s studio stamped across it for a mailing address. I was pulled into reflection for a moment, I sat down and thought -I was struggling with letting the painting go. I had spent hours and hours in my studio listening to Jackson on my iPod while painting it. The experience brought back some wonderful memories of my brother and I when we were teenagers. I thought back a million years ago to when my brother and I heard Doctor My Eyes for the first time on the AM radio. The year was 1973, my father was taking us to Washington, DC. History was being made, Watergate had just broken and thousand’s of people were descending on Washington. We were driving to Washington from Boston and stopped for breakfast somewhere in Virginia. We sat in the breakfast diner and over the AM radio came Jackson’s voice, ‘Doctor my eyes have seen..." My brother and I were impressionable teenagers. Hearing Jackson Browne’s beautiful voice and penetrating lyrics left an impression no doubt. Not to go into a sad story on you, but my brother passed away and broke my heart, I miss him dearly, but each time I paint he sits on my shoulder. So listening to those old songs from Jackson’s ‘For Everyman’ and ‘Saturate Before Using’ brought new meaning as I painting away on Bil’s painting with my brother on my shoulder watching me. After boxing the painting up, knowing I would be mailing it in the morning, I decided to sit down with my guitar and record whatever came into my head. I played for about an hour, then burned the recording onto a cd, and put the cd in the box with a thank you note to Bil. The painting would now be on it’s way to Jackson’s studio. It was a painting in which the painting has two half's, the instrumentals on the cd being the audio half, and the paint on canvas being the visual half -- combine the two and you have my art. The painting arrived and I got an email from Bil: "Robert, the painting is amazing. it's too f***ing awesome. thanks again so much- it's too cool to see one of my photos come to life." Now, to bring this long story back to Len’s question as to why this is the best thing, the best story, is that the podcast was the link to me being validated as an artist. The podcast in these stories become the representation of my professional efforts to justify my creative voice. The podcast is part of the validation. I want to share something else that’s going on right now. I’m not sure how to describe it, so I apologize upfront for not being able to articulate what I’m trying to say very well, but I haven’t been in the studio for the last few days. I’ve been tormented thinking though the development of what I think is the coming of a new technique. I’m searching for something elusive. I can feel something ahead of me, a new technique, something new to my style. It’s just up ahead, right around the bend, but I can’t see it, and I can’t grasp it yet. But I’m gaining on it and I can feel I’ll soon catch up with it. I’m waiting eagerly right now, with extreme motivation. I was telling a friend the other night that I am getting excited about a show I was recently invited to, It’s called Mutual Muses. It’s an exhibit at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod where they take the art from a painter and a poem is drafted from a poet. At the same time a poem is handed to a painter and a painting is developed. Next week I will be given the poem from which I am to produce a painting. I feel for some unexplainable reason that the new technique or style, whatever it is that is luring me awaits in this new painting. I can feel I will finally catch up with whatever is up ahead around that bend on this new canvas. I am eager to read the poem and let it out. I miss not being in the studio driving myself to push work out, but I see in my mind’s eye that patience will reward an improvement to my style and technique that is keeping my desire to paint cherished and filled with excitement. I feel like I’m counting the hours til Christmas morning and when the poem arrives I’m going to run down the stairs and see what’s under the Christmas tree. The other side of this is that I’m currently looking at my prior work with boredom, a slight feeling of embarrassment. If it weren’t for the stories, the reason and purpose behind each painting I have done I would throw them all away. But the paintings are documents of things I have thought though and I can’t let them go. I can sell my paintings and focus on the pleasure it was to put my art in the hands of a person who enjoys it, but I can’t throw away the canvas that stores the thoughts I processed while applying paint. PLUGS Framing by Deb Sprang, email Dspang7@verizon.net The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod 2008 Fall Grant Awards. Twenty-one local artists and cultural organizations will receive a total of $30,850 in grants at a special reception from 6:00 - 8:00 pm on Wednesday, November 19 at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth. The meditative paintings of Anne Ierardi will be displayed at the Breakdown Lane Gallery, 26 Pearl Street, (off of Main St.) Hyannis, MA. Anne’s reception is Thursday, November 20th 4-8pm. The last plug this week goes to a poet friend of mine, whose poems I really like . Please check out www.poetrypoem.com/jsparrow peacelove, Robert Comments[0] | |
Sat, 8 November 2008 This week's topic: Who Is Our Audience?Plugs Friday, November 7, Opening reception for all artists on from 5:00 - 7:00 pm at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod: Paintings by Cristina Reverdy, in the Board Room. Sally Vince, in the Vault. Jackie Reeves, in the Blue Room. Ciselage by Rosa Pimenta, in the Great Hall. Exhibit runs November 5-9. For more information call 508-394-7100 or visit www.cultural-center.org
Saturday, Nov 8, Red Top Artists Retreat House presents Tripping Lily performing at 8:00 pm. Touted as fresh, energetic and live, Tripping Lily's pop-rock groundwork is crossed with folk music and cutting edge vocal harmonies. The band's unique ability to absorb traditional music while speaking to the here and now is proof of their versatility as contemporary musicians. Red Top Artists Retreat is located in Hyannisport at 101 Edgehill Road. (508) 775-9395.. For more information visit redtopartistretreat.com Sunday, November 9, West Bend Music Studio, specializing in musical instruction/lessons, violin sales/rentals, ukulele sales, artist development and musical supplies. Open house on Nov 9th from 2-5 in the afternoon. Open House; hor d oeuvres, beverages and live music the day of the Open House.314 Main Street Route 28, West Dennis, MA, www.myspace.com/westbendmusicstudios, westbendmusic@gmail.com Tuesday, November 11, David Roth’s Full Moon Open Mic at WOMR in Provincetown, 7-9 PM, show up at 6:30 PM (494 Commercial Street) to sign up for a song/poem. Comments[0] | |
Sat, 1 November 2008 For most of us, when we are young we struggle to find our way as we try to map our future. Trying to plan our future without knowing where we’d like to be or what we want to be is perplexing. How we get to place we aren’t sure of, nor where it is even located, or if it even exists, is frustrating. Without knowing where we want to be means the direction toward the success we seek is often elusive, unclear, and without definition. From my glimpse of history, no one is a better example of this than Van Gogh. He tossed and turned in many different directions as he tired to find his place in the world, failure had tormented him. And how many times have each of us held different jobs, maybe changes majors in college, went from one hobby to another, as we sought our creative refuge. And today more than ever before perhaps far too many choices are in front of us. And we suffer from instant gratification being directly in front of us – meaning if we try something and it doesn’t instantly bring the success we are seeking we quickly turn to something else. Maybe in our haste we have just gone past the very thing we should have spent more time investigating - such as a hidden passion. So how would you know your calling? Van Gogh didn’t understand painting as his calling until later in life, after searching and struggling through his torment. One day, long before Van Gogh ever painted, he strolled with an influential teacher of his. As they walked past Rembrandt’s old home Van Gogh’s teacher said, " Rembrandt died in poverty and disgrace." "He didn’t die unhappy though," Van Gogh replied. "No," the teacher returned, "Rembrandt had expressed himself fully and he knew the worth of what he had done." "What if the world had been right in neglecting him?" Van Gogh asked. "What the world thought made little difference. Rembrandt had to paint, the chief value of art lies in the expression it gives to the artist. Rembrandt fulfilled what he knew to be his life purpose, which ‘justified’ him." In today’s world we are consumed with applying ourselves in the direction of success which may or may not be our calling. And our calling, I believe, is the only opportunity we have to live a ‘justified’ life. Without answering our calling we end up not ‘justifying’ our lives. A life not justified, it seems, is a life without success. But how on earth would you ever recognize what being ‘justified’ means. What does being ‘justified’ feel like? Last Wednesday night I went to play my guitar as I usually do at a small pub in Hyannis. I arrived particularly early that night and as I brought my equipment in to set up to play I was greeted by an artist and musician I know. The artist was the singer, and the musician was playing lead guitar, they were already on stage and performing. I could ‘hear’ and ‘feel’ the rhythm of their music instantly. I quickly set up, strapped my guitar on, and joined in. It sounded like we had played together for a hundred years. It felt great. As we were into maybe the third song I felt ‘justified’ when I looked I looked down to my right hand and saw it brushing the strings very rapidly as it matched the beat of the drummer, and the bass player. The chords I was producing also matched the singer’s voice, and the lead guitar player was following the pattern. We were in synch. I looked at my right hand as it was moving in lightening speed and it was as if I was watching someone else’s hand at work. In that moment my hand and I were creatively connected. It felt as if my mind was capable of wandering to a different place. The place my mind had wondered to is a place art can bring us. Wether it’s painting with a brush, writing a short story, or playing a musical instrument, there are times when a three point connection takes place that puts one into this type of creative mediation. The three point connection comes from the first point of being creative, the intellectual thought of what it is you want to put on the canvas, the story you’d like to tell, or the song you’d like to sing. The second point of the connection is expressing the creativity is the physical aspect, the paint brush you choice, the pencil or computer you write with, the guitar or piano you play. The third point is taking the idea and letting it flow through your fingertips as you let it out. Many years ago I read a book titled "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". It was a wonderful book which detailed the writer’s version of my overly simplified description of what it mean to connect the dots being what we want to create and how we create it. In the book the author did an outstanding job through his descriptions of employing his care for an old motorcycle as he journeyed across America. He delineated how connecting his care for his motorcycle came out in his focus as he combined his creativity with his physical attention into the motorcycle’s well being. He was focused on the motorcycle’s every vibration and subtle nuances. He was ‘justified’ in his concentration of his environment. The parallel to his explanation of his care for his motorcycle is easily translated into the expression of creative mediation and being justified as an artist, writer, or musician feels when they climb into their work and see themselves being delivered to place of success. Being delivered to a place where we are focused on achieving a place of joy is the success I believe each of us inherently seek. And seeking that place we feel so wonderful within doesn’t mean we have to discount ourselves in our daily life. Right now the economy stinks, art sales are pretty much at zero, and a return on an investment portfolio isn’t obtainable. This means that if tomorrow we have to alter direction and get a job at something outside of art, music, or writing that we are no longer an artist, musician, or writer. On the contrary, our employment doesn’t dictate who we are, our employment doesn’t define our success, unless we allow it so. We can live a parallel life in that we work for money to exist, but the title of our employment doesn’t have to limit our opportunity to be ‘justified’. Van Gogh’s sacrifice was his understanding that the success we seek is finding that place inside ourselves where we connect our creativity to our physical realm and experience the creation. The product of the experience is the justification of our purpose, which validates our arrival to place of importance and makes us feel so very worthwhile. Comments[0] | |
Tue, 28 October 2008 Thanks for listening! Comments[0] | |
Sat, 18 October 2008 Hello Everyone, Sorry the show is a little late this week -- think I need a new computer, and maybe something other than dial-up? Thanks for staying tuned. You guys are great. This week's plug: Go Red Sox, and Go Obama. We need you both to win. Peace to all, Robert Comments[0] | |
Tue, 7 October 2008 Hello Everyone, Hope you enjoy this week's show. I'm battling a cold, so I might not sound exactly right, and I might seem a little sluggish -- but the positive attitude is there somewhere, even amidst this messy economy. Hang in there!
Peace & Love To All, Robert Comments[0] | |
Fri, 26 September 2008 Robert John Cook's upcoming exhibit... "FALL FOR THE ARTS" (as featured in Cape Cod View magazine) Saturday, October 4 Not only will Robert John Cook's Mayflower Studio be open to the to the public, but his work will also be on display next door at the Guyer Barn. The featured exhibit at Mayflower Studio is "The Wellfleet Inspiration", a collection of Robert John Cook's latest works, generated by the inspiration and influence after his meeting Larry Horowitz. Special programs include a workshop and discussion from Cook regarding his technique and unique style, and he may even share of some of his trade secrets. A demonstration will also be provided (at a time to be determined) based on interest during the show. The major event will be the auctioning of Robert John Cook's latest piece.
Peace, Comments[0] | |
Mon, 8 September 2008 Hello Everyone, You guys are great. Thank you so very much for your continued support! Love & Peace, Robert Comments[0] | |
Tue, 19 August 2008 Hello My Friends, Thanks for listening to this week's show. I have a reception at the Cape Cod Cultural Center in Yarmouth on Friday, August 29 between 5:00 and 7:00. Hope to see you there, I have some new pieces I'm excited to share with you. Peace & Love, Robert Comments[0] | |
Tue, 5 August 2008 Hello Y'all, Thanks for joining this week's episode. The plug for this week: www.jayelliottphoto.com Thanks! Robert Comments[0] | |
Wed, 23 July 2008 Hell Y'all, This week's show is all about Inspriation -- it's about you! You guys are great! Peace, Robert Comments[0] | |
Sun, 13 July 2008 Hello Y'all, Thanks for listening to this week's show. Click here for the link to the feature of you know who in the Cape Cod Times (fast forward to 3:30): http://youtube.com/watch?v=p8JBhms5v8U Robert Comments[0] | |
Sat, 5 July 2008 Thanks for listening to this week's show. And thanks for the wonderful feedback and constant support. You guys are great! I have been witnessing many young people joining the ranks of listeners lately, so this week I have tried to concentrate on their view as they enter the art world. For example, art guilds and art associations are not all the same, so how do you determine which one is right for you and your type of art. Are the members hobbyists or professionals? Or is the guild or association for a much older crowd that use it as simply a social click? Do they all follow 'art rules' and paint basically the same thing? And how do you determine if membership is congruent with your art objectives. Powerful questions when you consider that the answers can either nurture or hinder a young artist's creativity. Hope you enjoy! www.RobertJohnCook.wordpress.com Robert
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Fri, 20 June 2008 This week's show:
Thanks for listening! Robert
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Fri, 13 June 2008 The week’s Radio Show, 13 June 2008 · Internet Community o Self-Promotion o ABOUT THE ARTIST: Robert John Cook graduated at the top of his class from a local community college in 1978 with an Associate of Arts, and later the Robert John Cook has been honored with juried shows, and juried membership into premier guilds. He currently serves, or has served, on the Board Of Directors of the Cape Cod Arts Association, Nauset Painters Guild, Cape Cod Celtic Society, and the Yarmouth Art Guild. He is a member of the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, the Cape Cod Museum of Art, and Chairman of the Yarmouth Historical Commission. To enhance the community of artists, Robert founded 'All Artists Cape Cod', hosting open monthly conversati ons on topics of interest to all disciplines of artists on A descendant of five Pilgrims, including William Brewster, Robert John Cook captures his amazing art in a sort-after series of unique drawings, paintings, and sculpture that meaningful traverse his ancestral heritage. Respective of his forefather Pilgrims, Robert draws with pen & ink, paints with a palette knife, and uniquely captures sculpture in clay, bronze, wood, and found objects. Always imaginative, Robert John Cook began his art during childhood and has remained a serious artist ever since. Robert works daily at his Mayflower Studio located in downtown o ARTIST'S STATEMENT “All of my work is original and inspired by my imagination. I am in love with the opportunity to create, to make something from nothing. The thrill of creative accomplishment consumes me, whether it's my art, music, or writing. To create has been my life-long passion, I believe to enjoy leaving our mark is the most important aspect of life -- this purpose drives me to draw my pen & inks, paint with my palette knife, and bury my fingers deep into my sculpture. And there is no better place to enjoy this level of excitement than o PROFESSIONAL AFFLIATIONS & SHOWS · · · Nauset Painters Guild · · Arts Foundation of · · o IN THE RECENT NEWS o CLASSES - July 23, - July23, o VENUES - The DHC Gallery, - Cafe Redesign, - Harbor Your Arts Shanty; Oil Paintings & Drawings · Recent Art Projects o Drawings o Paintings o Sculpture · Mary Moquin, www.capecodfineartist.com Comments[0] | |
Fri, 6 June 2008  Hello Everyone, Thanks for tuning in to hear this week's episode. And thanks for all your support and important feedback. Hope to see you soon! Robert Comments[0] | |
Thu, 29 May 2008 Hello All, Thanks for dropping by to listen to episode #3. Robert Comments[1] | |
Thu, 22 May 2008  Hello All, This week's episode was a joy to create and I hope you enjoy it. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks! Robert Comments[0] | |
Tue, 20 May 2008 Here is the iTunes link to the Robert John Cook Radio Show: http://http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=281060074 Category: podcasts -- posted at: 6:39 AM Comments[0] | |
Mon, 19 May 2008 Hello All, Thank you for dropping by to listen to episode #1 of Robert John Cook's art. Please visit my website for additonal info, www.RobertJohnCook.wordpress.com
Thanks! RJC Comments[1] | |
robertjohncook's Podcast
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