View artwork made by the guitarist, recently collected in a book published by Inventory Press and Audio Visual Arts
John Fahey began making abstract art towards the end of his life, mostly painting and sometimes drawing. Many were used by Fahey to barter with for hospitality while he lived on the road and in motels, and others were given away or discarded.
The first book collecting a selection of John Fahey’s paintings is published by Inventory Press and the New York gallery Audio Visual Arts, bringing together 92 works by the guitarist, along with essays by No Neck Blues Band founder Keith Connolly and critic Bob Nickas. Read more on the book here.
Comments
The paintings are excellent
Kdub
It be nice if the paintings weren't switched every two seconds
Female cat person. Interesting concept.
Love his music. I heard of him nearly 50 years ago. I only recently found a number of his pieces on Youtube. Glad they have been preserved. He was an original.
WaltM
Anyone know the medium?
The medium was any surface that Fahey could find along with acrylic, water color and tempera that he would sandwich on the floor and stomp on in some cases. Read about it in my book "Conversations With and About John Fahey." https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/952357
Bob Gersztyn
I bought one of Fahey's paintings when I saw him perform at the Unitarian Temple (A Frank Lloyd Wright building, appropriately enough). Great show, I had to leave early so I was unable to get a signature on this particular painting.
There were several paintings there that were signed, some quite good, but there was something about the painting I purchased that just overwhelmed my visual sense. I wound up gifting it to a friend who was much older than me and had seen Fahey perform at his peak when he lived in California for a time.
The year I saw him I think was about '98 or '99. He had a great engineer from Chicago, I think it was Ed O'Rourke who was handling his sound and engineering duties. I think he might have been recording the show too. I just focused on him for the first 20 minutes while Fahey tuned (or perhaps de-tuned) his guitar, and waited for his head to stop shaking "no" and finally just started nodding along with the music. That's when I knew the show had started. A bunch of families who had come to watch, all dressed up, walked out before he started playing. They actually thought his tuning session was how he actually played.
They missed a good show, should have done like I did and watched the engineer sitting on the Altar behind Fahey. Fahey himself sat alone on a folding chair with just his electric guiar and relatively small amp. He was very experimental that night, but it was pretty hear to hear him throw in a couple of licks that players like Leo Kottke borrowed from. Great experience.
Gerard
Thank you Gerald. Appreciate hearing your experience. You're obviously generous. And with art that you loved to boot. Gratitude to read your thoughtfulness experienced.
Mofo
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