Cell Perches & HVO

The autumn art show at the community gallery was entitled: Repeat. This theme challenges the concept that repetition is a fundamental part of visual language and is used to create movement, stillness, confusion, or order. Repetition shows up all over the art world through imagery, process, color, and subject matter thus adding deeper meaning to the work. To meet this vexing format, the BRC craftsman fashioned the “Starry, Starry Knight” banjo (below) to echo a metaphor of the iconic night sky painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

Also recently crafted with an equally repetitive theme was a smartphone holder decorated with left-over fretboard inlays from previous BRC banjo projects. The desktop implement (below) was named the “Eagle Bluffs Cell Perch”  in recognition of a nearby avian wildlife preserve along the Missouri River. This patch of backcountry is located adjacent to a county road and not far from a now defunct pub where the BRC founder jammed with Bluegrass pals for many fun-filled years. These musicians appear in the final pages of the nature book “Where the Pelicans Fly” by author Paul Sinrud Johnson who celebrates the wonders of nature  found in the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area of Boone County, Missouri. Enter “Sinrud” in the website search engine and scroll down for further details.

The American Bald Eagle, our national symbol, is the only eagle native to North America. The Eagle Bluffs Cell Perch was gifted to a friend as a token of thanks for her service in the US Armed Forces.

At the gala evening Repeat Show reception in the exhibit hall seen above, gallery visitors puzzle over the Starry banjo and yet again contemplate the age old question- what is art? For an earlier discussion of this philosophical issue, enter the word “abstruse” in the website search engine and scroll down.

From the BRC: Some folks say art is in the eye of the beholder.

The G&F jam band was founded in 1995 and first billed itself as The Bluegrass Jammers at community festivals and street fairs. From its very beginnings, all tips and fees have been donated to the University of Missouri Children`s Hospital. In a few years, the band’s name morphed into The MoonShyne Reunion at local picnics. When this ensemble of Bluegrass musicians began to entertain weekly at a basement coffee house near the University campus circa 2005, the Gainor & Friends moniker evolved. Since 2009, we have performed regularly each Sunday afternoon at the mid-town Broadway Brewery, except during the deep pandemic months when gigs were sporadic. The family-friendly brewpub has been a gracious host to us, and its patrons have consistently donated to the Children`s Miracle Network over the years. Last month, our total donations to the local pediatric medical center surpassed $28K, and three-fourths of these monies have been collected at the popular and busy brewpub.

The BRC craftsman salutes the many devoted musicians, like the ones pictured above during the milestone jam last month, who have donated their time on Sunday afternoons to play music for the brunch crowd and afternoon patrons who have generously supported our fund-raising initiative. Well done, all.

As the emblematic mascot of the University of Missouri sports teams is a fearsome feline, the BRC craftsman fashioned a “Tiger Country Cell Perch” smartphone holder this summer by incorporating thematic fretboard inlay materials left-over from previous banjo projects.

Similar to all BRC banjos having a signature inlay on the heel of the neck for the eyes-only of the musician,  the “Tiger Country Cell Perch” has the silhouette of a leaping big cat on the under surface of its wooden base for the enjoyment of its new owner.

The tiger-themed red oak smartphone holder was gifted to a fellow musician who is a veternarian and research director at the University.

Previously featured in the 5/28/22 “Outback” BRC webpage posting, the  “Ozark Wilderness Cell Perch” is based on the observations of an old-time Bluegrass fiddler who is an avid outdoorsman and cherishes the southern Missouri woodlands and wildlife. These earlier photos can accessed by entering “fauna” in the search engine and scroll down.

A field of 138 oil and watercolor paintings, sketches, fiber art works, photographs, and sculptures were submitted last month to the competitive mid-summer “Scapes” art exhibit at the local community gallery. The Ozark Wilderness Cell Perch was among the 88 entries accepted into the juried show which focused on the world of escapes. At the gala opening reception, guests closely study the diminutive smartphone holder.

From the BRC: The BRC guy applauds the G&F jammers for collecting three hundred hundred and twenty dollars in tip donations during this past month of July at the brewpub. Y’all are the best.