Lennie Jones is our featured poster artist for 2012. With a background in music, Lennie began playing professionally in 1965,
and in the late 60's his band was pursued by none other than Frank
Zappa who wanted to sign them to his record label. Opening for the
original Canned Heat, shakin’ hands with Muddy Waters,
Bill Monroe, Bill Graham, seein’ the immortal Jimmy Reed and giggin’ for
Zappa further solidified his love of playing, hearing and living the
Blues. Lennie's music career later morphed into the art world as a painter of the Blues.
We commissioned Lennie to put his distinct Blues spin on the 2012
Telluride Blues & Brews Commemorative Poster continuing our Blues focus poster tradition we have held close for so many years. Renowned for his large-scale, hand-painted Blues focused images, and his primitive style leads some to categorize his artwork as "outsider art," a term attributed to French artist Jean Dubuffet, who coined the phrase Art Brut to describe art that is raw and pure, without the countless layers of training and cultural sophistication that afflicts most mainstream art.
Lennie describes himself in this very fashion saying, "I am an outsider artist, a primitive self-taught painter of the holistic Blues experience." He goes on to describe himself further, "I have thrived in the mysterious and primitive wilderness, very happy,
healthy, and blessed with a timeless source of spiritual inspiration to
my art, heart and soul...An’ the music never left me."
Returning to the Festival for his third year as our poster artist, Lennie Jones presents to you,
Blues Burn. Posters will be available for purchase in the Merchandise Tent during the festival and Lennie will be in person for poster signing daily at 2pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment