The Best of 2012

2012 was a good year for my art.
I turned out 41 pieces, most of which were for customers, rather than myself -- a good shift for my so-called business model.
It was a year for focusing on details and depth -- and color.  There were five watercolor paintings done in between the pencil works.
It was fun going through Nos. 141 to 182, choosing my favorites. It's just a personal preference -- the works turned out for families, friends and acquaintances all have a special meaning for me, and there's usually a story behind them.
I try to tell the tales behind my work here at Tom Wills Productions. Here are 20 of my faves from a productive year. Click on the pictures to expand; click on the links to read all about 'em.
I hope to continue growing my small venture in the coming year.
Contact me at hankbonesman@embarqmail.com or willstom01@gmail.com
Thanks for viewing and reading.

JANUARY

No. 141: ON FIRE  Eddie Van Halen

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/01/on-fire.html

No. 122: WTF MUSIC Tom Waits

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/01/wtf-music.html

FEBRUARY

No. 143: GIRLS AND DOGS Sam

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/02/girls-and-dogs.html

NO. 144: SOLID BOND Animal Charity

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/02/solid-bond.html

MARCH

NO. 148: FIT FOR A QUEEN Freddie Mercury

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/03/fit-for-queen.html

and  http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/03/we-did-rock-you.html

APRIL

NO. 150 (a): BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/04/no-150-like-boss.html

NO. 153: CONSIDER AN ORIGINAL  Nina

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2010/09/pencil-dust.html

MAY

NO. 154: GLIMMER TWINS AT 50 Mick & Keith

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/05/glimmer-twins-at-50.html

NO. 156: MEGHAN

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/06/no-156-10-snakes.html

NO. 157: UNTITLED

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/06/no-157-untitled.html

NO. 158: TOXIC TWINS Aerosmith

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/06/no-158-toxic-twins.html

JULY

NO. 163: SANDUSKY

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/07/no-163-sandusky.html

 

 
AUGUST

NO. 165: VERY DARK John Coltrane

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/08/no-165-very-dark.html

NO. 166: WE ARE ALL TOGETHER The Beatles

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2010/02/magic-factories.html

SEPTEMBER

NO. 169: PUG LIFE

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/09/no168-pug-life.html

No. 171: CHOOSE WELL

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/09/no-171-choose-well.html

OCTOBER

NO. 172: BLACK WINGS

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/10/no-172-black-wings.html

NO. 173: LET IT GROW Eric Clapton

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/10/no-174-let-it-grow-with-eric-clapton.html

DECEMBER

NO. 181: WHY NOT Geddy Lee

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/12/no-180-why-not-geddy-lee.html

NO. 182: BIRD + MILES

http://tomwillsproductions.blogspot.com/2012/12/no-182-bird-miles-three-deuces-club-1947.html

No.182: Bird + Miles, Three Deuces Club, 1947

"BIRD + MILES, THREE DEUCES CLUB, 1947" by Tom Wills, December 2012

3 Deuces, 72 W. 52nd St., NYC.
Gone now. But in the 1930s, '40s and early 1950s, 52nd Street clubs hosted jazz legends Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, shown together above, and dozens more.
These guys and their cronies were pioneers of live performance, looking sharp and playing something new called bebop. 
Fast tempo, improvisation, instrumental virtuosity.  This style of jazz ultimately became synonymous with modern jazz.
I dig it. It's my favorite jazz period.

The period frame fits the piece.

 

I play these old records and I can smell the smoke, the perfume, the liquor. I hear the plates and glasses clanking, feet moving, people talking.

I have of late been on a Charlie Parker kick, acquiring all sorts of mono wax on great old labels such as Savoy, Verve, Columbia, Dial and even Parker's own imprint. The sound quality ranges from rough to very good. You have to remember that much of this stuff came from radio broadcasts, recorded at home by amateurs on primitive equipment.  Even the studio recordings are quick, down and dirty.

It really doesn't matter; I can still hear the bird sing.

Parker acquired the nickname "Bird" or "Yardbird" early in his career, reflected in the titles of his tunes, such as "Yardbird Suite" and "Ornithology" (um, study of birds).

I played a lot of Bird and Miles as I drew "Three Deuces Club, 1947." The drawing depicts Miles as a sideman, which he was to Parker at the time, on those early recordings. There's a suggestion of a piano behind Miles, upon which rests his hand. I felt that drawing the piano in detail would have taken away from the foreground image, so I just roughed it in.  Check out his baggy pants! Cool!

MILES DAVIS by Tom Wills, September 2010

Some of the high points of Parker's recorded output were with his so-called "classic quintet" including Davis and drummer Max Roach. The albums above are Davis as a leader; the drawing of Miles is from September 2010 and among my favorites. Miles watched from the wall as I drew his friend.

Parker died at 34. Heroin, alcohol, ulcers. There are discographies that describe him scoring before a session and either blowing the room apart with his horn, or being barely able to stand.
Miles had a similar demon but quit it in 1954, performing as a headliner up to his death in 1991.

There's rarely an agenda when I draw, unless it's a commissioned work or a special gift. In this case, however, I drew specifically to create an entry for an art show in 2013.  We'll see how that goes.
Here's how I put Bird and Miles together again:

No. 181: Why not Geddy Lee?

GEDDY LEE By Tom Wills, December 2112 ...

Rush will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame April 18 in Los Angeles. My timing is pretty good on this one. 

 

My neighbor Joe, another newspaper type, asked me once or twice, "When are you going to draw Geddy?"
At first it was kind of a running joke. Geddy Lee of Rush. The nerd band.
Well, Joe and I really, really like Rush. Maybe we are geeks. Or maybe -- well, probably -- we're smart enough to understand the band.
Yeah, that's it.
Plus, Geddy Lee is a badass, ranking high among the greatest bass players ever.

 Hate on this.

Sadly, my daughters hate Rush. It's Geddy's voice, they say, although the youngest daughter admits it's better since he's brought the voice down a few octaves.
Women, generally, hate Rush.
Wives especially despise Rush.
People who like New Wave music hate Rush.
Many Americans hate Rush.
People who read and write like Rush.
People who like science fiction and fantasy like Rush.
Musicians respect Rush even if they hate the band.
You are on one side of the fence or the other. There is no "on the fence."

 

 
My fascination with Rush started, appropriately, in Canada.
My dad had a military pal that we'd visit as kids in Burlington, Ontario. That was not a terrible drive from Ohio and it was always a good week's stay.
But then they moved to Calgary, Alberta.  One long ass drive.

Dad took it upon himself to fly the family out to Billings, Montana and then drove north to Alberta.
I will never forget that ride. Miles and miles (kilometers and kilometers) of nothingness. Occasional grain silos. Canadian Pacific tracks. No rest stops.  Occasional picnic tables.  Family togetherness put to the test.

Calgary was great. Beautiful.  We saw a glacier lake, all kinds of Indian artifacts, fossils and bones, streams and rivers, blue skies. It was beautiful. It was cold, and it got dark really, really early and stayed that way for a long, long time.  People plugged in their cars to keep them from freezing.
The oldest of the three Canadian kids we visited, Murray, had a car. That was cool -- he could drive my brother and I to the store and other places.

Also cool was that this particular car had a cassette player he'd installed.
And, installed in the player was Rush. The "2112" album, to be exact.
It was 1976. America's bicentennial.  And I was in Canada discovering Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart.

This was music unlike anything I had heard before. Loud. Heavy. Melodic. Shrieking. Like Led Zeppelin but not at all like Led Zeppelin. I had him play the shit out of that cassette and bought the record when we got back to Ohio.  I still have it.
Joe and I are still listening to Rush. He loaned me the new one, "Clockwork Angels," which has been in regular play at home, car and work for several months.
Even the haters concede it's probably the band's best: A cohesive work by one tight-but-aging band that rocks harder than ever.

The geeks go hard and win.

Nos. 176-180 (and etc.): The Giving Season

No. 179: Bob & Donald Carroll, Sylvia, Christina & Kathleen, Christmas 2012

"Mom cried when she saw it. My brother's mother-in-law cried too. Made two women cry. Way to go, Tom!"

No. 180: Peter Tranovich, Christmas 2012

"Just wanted you to know my husband's grandma loved her picture. The initial reaction was a quiet gasp and she got teary eyed but held it together. She said something about it being the most perfect gift."
 

I don't like to see people cry, nor do I intend to make them weep. Sometimes it happens, however, if I get a picture right on -- especially if the recipient has no idea of what's coming.  Happy tears, truly, are easier to take.

No. 176: Anthony Wills Armistead, November 2012

171: Keith and Kara, October 2012

Such a reaction, I suppose, validates the work I have done, the piece that I have created, something that I hope will hang in homes for generations.

No. 181: Viola Franco, Christmas 2012

No. 173: Viola Franco, October 2012

"They loved it! Thanks again"

This holiday season I have been fortunate to be invited to draw for friends. Some of these friendships have managed to continue through more than 45 years. Others, for lesser decades.  A few friendships are more recent but just as special.

No. 177: Jain and Bert's dogs, Christmas 2012

"I loved it. It is one of the very few gifts I have ever received that I will always cherish. 

You have a special gift. Thank you so much!

It's an honor, when friends trust me with their families -- including their pets.
Thank you.

No. 169: Pug Life -- For Dennis, September 2012

No. 178: Christmas Puppies 2012 -- one for me!

To order a sketch or painting by Tom Wills, contact
hankbonesman@embarqmail.com
or willstom01@gmail.com
Please allow three weeks for delivery.