5 on Friday - Set 180

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

This week I'm handing the set list over to my uncle, Charles Doucet (father of my historical-romance-novelist cousin, Julianne MacLean.)

My uncle has been a musician, among many other things, for most of his life. He's heading off today for a three-day art show with his painterly photography collection at Victoria Park, across from the Public Gardens on Spring Garden Road, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you aren't in the area, you can check out his web site where all pieces are available (just contact him through the web site.)

Brad and I are heading over this afternoon to visit my aunt and uncle at the show -- that's them pictured above at their 50th wedding anniversary celebration last summer.

And now...over to you, Uncle Charlie.

~~~

Charlie Doucet’s 5 Tunes from Musicians of Influence

1 - St. Thomas - Barney Kessel

Barney Kessel:  My first and greatest influence as a beginning teenaged, potential jazz guitar player! Bought his album, “The Poll Winners, with Ray Brown on Bass, ( another major influence!,) Shelly Manne on drums. Wore the album out attempting to duplicate what I heard thru my 331/3 LP player in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

2 - All the Things You Are - Hank Garland

Hank Garland: A very tasty guitar player… I learned his tune, “Relaxin”, back in the 1960’s and it’s in my repertoire to this day.

3 - Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me - Ed Bickert

Ed Bickert: A Canadian, working out of Toronto, is recognized as one of the best jazz guitarist in the world. He plays guitar on the Moe Koffman hit, “Swinging Shepard Blues.” Also backed up Paul Desmond, the alto sax player formerly with Dave Brubeck of “Take 5” fame.

4 - Django in Paris - Joe Pass

 Joe Pass: A superb and truly amazing  jazz guitarist! His playing is immaculate, every note true and crystal clear, even at fast and furious tempos. I have a number of his teaching DVDs…too bad he has passed away… a real loss to up and coming guitarists looking for a creative path to follow!

5 - Lady Be Good - Ray Brown

Ray Brown: A Bass Player of impeccable talent. The foundation of time for any musicians he played with… such as Barney Kessel, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitsgerald and countless others. At 76 years old, he had just finished a golf game, went to bed in his hotel room for a nap before an evening performance… and didn’t wake up… another great loss!

Thursday Thirteen - 200! - 13 of My Favorite T13s From My 100 - 200 Archives

My, how time flies. Can it really be two years and 100 Thursday Thirteens since I celebrated my first one hundredth T13 anniversary?

100! - 13 of My Favorite T13s From My Archives

Well...let's see what I've been up to since then.
















1 - 13 Paintings By My Sister-in-Law, Violetta Smith

A special event I enjoy having here at A Piece of My Mind are my virtual art shows. Besides the Sidebar Art Gallery which hosts a new show every month, I have hosted eight art shows featuring single artists or mixed artists.

You can check them out by visiting my Art Gallery Archives. The link is at the top beneath the blog header.















2 - 13 Reasons to Read Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer

Another regular feature here is my book review T13. You can check out my current assortment of 38 reviews by visiting my Book Reviews link, just under the blog header.












3 - 13 Questions For Kim Michele Richardson, Author of The Unbreakable Child

Something new I've started and which I really enjoy is the interview T13. I haven't collected them all under one roof yet, but that is on the list for this year.















4 - 13 Ways to Admire Tom Hardy

Another extremely delightful series of T13s is my Eye Candy series. Just getting started, really.












5 - 13 Things About the Night My Teenage Dream Came True

I can honestly say that this night put my crushed-up belief in dreams back together like Humpty Dumpty.












6 - 13 Things About Travelling 25 Years Back in Time

This is like a movie. But it really happened.










Photo by Eric Wynne

7 - 13 Ways to Celebrate 100 Years of the Canadian Navy

A stirring celebration out here on Canada's east coast.












Photo by Natalie Behring-Chisholm

8 - 13 Reasons Canada's Defense Minister Peter Mackay Should Man Up About Torture Allegations

Every now and then, I give an actual piece of my mind.












9 - 13 Insider Views at the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies

Fan girly time!













10 - 13 of My Favorite Animals

Rrowrr...












11 - 13 Ways My Corporate Team Walked For the Cure

For anyone who can't be there in person, I'll do my best to make you feel like you were.
















12 - 13 Things My Sister Will Say to Her New Husband on Their Wedding Night

LOL!

















Photo by Anita Coady

13 - 13 Special Moments From My Sister's Wedding Day

Considering their walking-down-the-aisle song was Somewhere Over the Rainbow...

Through the Opera Glasses - 64 - July Art Show

For the month of July my Sidebar Art Gallery featured a collection called Red, inspired by the color featured at my wedding eighteen July's ago.















Surfacing by Wayne Boucher















Spirit of the Sockeye by Blaine Billman














Black Mountain: B.C. by Emily Carr











Highbrush Cranberries - Cardinal by Robert Bateman



















Montreal 1852 by Cornelius Krieghoff



















Toll If You Please by Paul Peel











Jelly Shelf by Mary Pratt














Lacing Up by Ken Danby



















June 1979 by Alex Colville

Shelley Munro says What a great selection, Julia. I like the Sockeye one and Lacing Up.

Akelamalu says Great pictures Julia I particularly like 'Spirit of the Sockeye' :)

Thursday Thirteen - 164 - 13 Creative Works by My Grandfather, Charles Doucet Sr.

As I state over in my sidebar, 'I love to showcase creative works by artists of all stripes.'

Here at A Piece of My Mind, I've had an embarrassment of riches when it comes to my own family. I've posted art shows featuring:

My mom - Paulette Phillips

My uncle - Charles E. Doucet

My sister-in-law - Anna Baccin

My other sister-in-law - Violetta Smith


















For today's Thursday Thirteen, I'm opening my Art Gallery doors to feature my late grandfather, Charles Doucet Sr.

When I was old enough to start noticing what characteristics made up the different members of my family, I knew that one grandfather played the fiddle, and one grandfather painted. Grandpa Doucet was the painting grandfather, and anytime I smell turpentine or oilpaints, I automatically think of him.

He made his living as a portrait photographer, but didn't leave his passion for photography in the studio.

I have very affectionate memories of him constantly sketching in numerous sketchbooks with colored pencils or pastels. I remember being fascinated as he mixed the colors on his artist's palette. I remember all the rags and the brushes in his basement on the shelf outside his darkroom.

His art work graced the walls of his home and of his children's homes. I've never lived anywhere without an art piece of his upon the wall.

So I'm pleased to share a small selection of his work with you, in honor of his birthday, which is coming up on the 27th. Feel free to stroll about the gallery - I'm going to see about that tray of fruit heading this way.




- 1 - A depiction of the Sacred Heart

A very early piece done in colored pencil, dating from his boyhood in Cheticamp, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia












- 2 - Cheticamp rug hooking













The town where he grew up is known for creating fabulous, intricate hooked rugs. In later life, he gave lessons on rug hooking.



- 3 - My circus clown










When I was little, this hung in my bedroom.



- 4 - Yarmouth Harbour










My grandparents moved from Canada to Michigan in the 50's, and back to Canada in the 70's when he retired. They settled in my Gram's hometown of Yarmouth, which has really incredible sunsets. He painted a lot of silhouette landscapes during this period.



- 5 - Moonlight

He also did quite a few snowy scenes, especially set at night.















- 6 - Bluenose II

He did this one especially for my Uncle Warren, who served in the United States Navy.




The Bluenose II has its home port in Nova Scotia, and is featured on the Canadian dime.




















- 7 - Cottage with Birches

This always hung in my grandparents' living room.

It was definitely hanging on the wall beside Gram's rocking chair during her last decade here.






- 8 - Cape Breton scenery

This piece was painted on the outside of the shed at their Yarmouth home. It became a bit of a landmark for awhile.









- 9 - Portrait of Simon Doucet

Grandpa concentrated mainly on landscapes, but he was known to paint figures from time to time. This is a portrait of his father.









It was painted from this photographic portrait, also taken by Grandpa.















This is an amazing shot of my great-grandfather, since Grandpa was very keen on posing his subjects for studio portraits. The naturalism and candid moment is quite atypical for my grandfather's photography.









- 10 - Turkish Coffee

















- 11 - Abstract Autumn Colors













Grandpa didn't create too many abstract pieces, but this one is a favorite of mine.



- 12 - Snow Scene











- 13 - Sunset, Yarmouth











Here's my grandfather with his wife, Juliette - my Gram. This was taken at his portrait studio for their 25th wedding anniversary.










Also here at the gallery, in spirit, is my Aunt Sheila.








Nabbed for a picture are Charles' children, Louis, Warren, Paulette and Charlie.







We'd all like to thank you so much for dropping by my grandfather's art show. ((hugs)) It's been great to see you here!

Shelley Munro says I particularly liked the Turkish man and the snow scenes. Very nice!

Kelly Boyce says What a great show! I love the candid photo of your great grandpa.

Akelamalu says The scenery on the side of the shed is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. no wonder it became a landmark!

Through the Opera Glasses - 59 - May Art Show - The Prodigal Son's Return

Last month I was prompted to put this art show up on my Sidebar Art Gallery because of the third piece, The Prodigal Son in Modern Life: The Return by James Tissot. I have that one in my Scorpius picture file, which I gather like a storyboard. I grab lots of images from the web that put me in the middle of my story, and I have a picture file for all of my stories.

I also have several physical collages of my stories because my writers' group does collage workshops every now and then. I love doing them.

I was drawn to the art inspired by the Prodigal Son's story because of the dynamic between the father and son. Particularly for Scorpius, who isn't a Prodigal sort in any way, but who longs for his father because he was abandoned and never claimed.

In my Weekend Writer's Retreat serial fiction, this longing for a father figure finds refuge in his falconer master, Richolf.











Detail from The Prodigal Son by Duane Michals



















Prodigal son sketch by Charlie Mackesy















The Prodigal Son in Modern Life: The Return by James Tissot













The Return of the Prodigal Son by Guercino



















The Return of The Prodigal Son by Pompeo Batoni



















The Return of the Prodigal Son by J-L Stapleaux

















The Return of the Prodigal Son by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo



















The Prodigal's Return by Edward John Poynter



















The Prodigal Son by Edward Stott

Wylie Kinson says Even the ones that didn't catch my eye on the first scroll through, I found myself going back and staring at them until they touched something deeper.