Eindhoven Roses

St. Rochusstraat 37
Eindhoven, Netherlands
2 October 1997

This was painted my second year staying at Ad and Ankie's apartment in Eindhoven where many, many fellow singer songwriters have been hosted and a number of beautiful albums have been recorded and produced.

The light is exceptional in this 3rd floor room and I'm afraid that I came nowhere near to capturing in this little painting the way the light played on the roses. Determined to paint something, I included in this little arrangement a small teddy bear given to me once by a club owner who insisted that the bear must go on tour with me. That very moment, I placed the bear in my guitar case where he lived throughout my touring years.

I think of this painting as the beginning of my working relationship with Ankie Keultjes who is largely responsible for my albums Ephemera and The Glory. She also beautifully produced and performed on The Watchman (Ad van Meur's) albums.

Most of old Eindhoven was destroyed during bombings in the 2nd World War so, though the city was established at least by the end of the 12th century, it has a very modern feel. There's an enclosed graveyard near St. Rochustraat with a large wall listing columns of names of people (some entire families) that were killed in a terrible Allied bombing. (See A Bridge Too Far for a good description of the ridiculousness of war and its tragic mishaps.)

Eindhoven also boasts the largest park of any city in The Netherlands. This park includes a theater, lake, organic farm, prehistoric village, stream, walking paths, gardens, aviary and more. Fortunately, Ad and Ankie live about two blocks from the park and I spent at lot of time walking there, often with Blaue the Border Collie (and a well-worn frisbee).

Eindhoven Roses
Watercolor on cold press Lana paper
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
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Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

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Rathaus from across the Mach See

Rathaus from across the Mach See
Hanover, Germany
9 October 1997

The short version of this story is that I'd performed in Dresden at some weird spot decorated as a 1950's Americana Diner with disco balls.  I'd picked up a bug on my way to Hamburg and by the time I arrived in Dresden, my voice was almost gone.  I pleaded with the booker but he pleaded back and my sense of wanting to fulfill my obligation won out.  So I played and sang as much as I could until I had no voice left at all at which point I was able to go to the hotel where I broke into a full-blown fever with all the drama of chills and shakes and sweats and I won't go into any more detail.

The next day, my agent invited me back to her place in Hanover to recover.  I tossed and turned in her guest bed (or maybe she put me in her own bed and moved herself to the living room - I forget now) for a few days and finally had to get out of the apartment and into the air.  So I did and took my paints with me and walked to this man made lake then followed the trail around.  I think that Hitler had the lake built and on the beautifully overgrown landscaped trails around it, there are sculptures of fine examples of Aryan youth in vibrant poses of strength and health.  

It was chilly and windy but I settled down for a bit to paint this and am glad that I did.  It's just about all I remember seeing of Hanover!

Rathaus from across the Mach See
Watercolor on cold press Lana paper
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
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Special edition of 5 signed and numbered $39 giclée prints

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Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Along the Rhine

Along the Rhine
Germany
28 September 1997

In Köln I played at a basement club referred to by the owner as a puke hole. I think it was mainly a punk club but I played completely unplugged and could have heard a pin drop. I was relaxed and the gig was fun though the spots were blinding. George, the owner hosted me overnight in his apartment with a fabulous view of the spires and Dom, the old tithe house and Cologne-Rodenkirchen suspension bridge. After a good breakfast he put me on the train down to Heindenheim.

I think the ICE train along the Rhine was called the Friedrich Schiller. I'd been on the route before and would travel it again. Good thing because it was really a delight to watch the castles, vineyards and little towns slip by. Although I made this painting in one sitting, I was traveling on a high-speed line (ICE) so it was a composite of several scenes flying by.

When I arrived in Heidenheim I learned that my agent had neglected to make arrangements for a room but everyone was very kind and someone came up with a solution. I performed by a large poster of an American Indian with a quote of a Cree Indian prophecy:

"After the last tree has been cut down
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten."

Along the Rhine
Watercolor on cold press Lana paper
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
US$ 295 + USPS Priority Shipping

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Special edition of 5 signed and numbered $39 giclée prints

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Offenberg, Germany

Offenberg, Germany
26 September 1997

On a beautiful morning after a delightful night performing in the Gasthaus Schwabenhans (I'm not exactly sure where), I took a walk in Haslach along the edge of the Black Forest where the air was fragrant, flowers spilled out of boxes at every charming window and at least eighty percent of the people I passed were outfitted for serious hiking in Lederhosen, good shoes, thick socks and sporty hats.

I was given a lift up to the Offenberg train station and, with a couple of hours to wait, walked around in the very hot sun until I spied these black swans on a milky green waterway. I sort of remember being slightly hung over and was probably dehydrated so the railing I worked on was welcome support. Studying the shade over the water kept me cool. Though I thought the painting was a bit rough in execution, it was charming in its own way and gave me a sense of accomplishment before heading up to Köln for a concert that night.

Offenberg, Germany
Watercolor on cold press Lana paper
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
US$ 295 + USPS Priority Shipping

Choose shipping US International

Special edition of 5 signed and numbered $39 giclée prints

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.