The last month of 2021 breezed by
in a flurry of holiday activity, school related work, artwork
and an eye cast upon what's to come in the new year.
Many good things are happening but until I'm ready to
share evidence of those things, here's a photographic recap.
Dad: “This Bloody Mary is missing something.”
Happy Thanksgiving from The Montone Family and my adopted
brother Steve, who (as we all know) is my parents’ favorite child.
Watching Get Back… WOW. Just WOW.
This crystal clear, rich sounding Beatles rehearsal footage from 1969 is quite a revelation. Hearing the band develop and run through songs many of us have known for decades is quite a window into music history. Watching the interactions, behaviors, creative discussions and strategies being devised between John, Paul, George, Ringo and others is giving me a fresh perspective on the band as they were approaching their endgame. Many Beatles fans know that even though work from these sessions (which spawned the Let It Be album and film) was released after Abbey Road, it was actually Abbey Road that the band recorded last. Having been devised as a cohesive, formally produced epic, Abbey Road was recorded to wipe the stigma left from the loose, disjointed and then-abandoned Get Back / Let It Be sessions. This session work was later fashioned into an album by producer Phil Spector for a May 1970 release.
Rest In Peace Stephen Sondheim
22 March 1930 - 26 November 2021
Pictured here after the closing matinee of Gypsy with Patti LuPone and co-writer Arthur Laurents, Sondheim stood alone as an influential Broadway composer and lyricist who gave us West Side Story, Follies, Company, Sweeney Todd, Sunday In The Park With George and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum. I recall an audible gasp followed by a great roar from the audience when he appeared on stage. His mere presence gave all of us chills of excitement and I was grateful to have captured this moment in photos. Thank you, Mister Sondheim.
Standing ovation, sir.
We’re Not Antiques. We’re Vintage.
Watching old episodes of What’s My Line?
Shows me all the other things I could have been.
The father of one of my students was kind enough to pose
for a photo for his daughter to work from and for me to use as reference
for an in-class demo so I sent this demo painting back to him as a thank you.
It isn’t Christmas until I hang my favorite Snoopy ornament from 1976 on my parents’ tree. 45 years later and I still cherish it. Wishing everyone joy, peace, health and prosperity today and every day.
Merry Christmas from The Montone Family and
my adopted brother Steve (AKA my parents’ favorite child).
Here's to a beautiful 2022.
I won't go into more talk abbot the Omicron variant and the fact that
many social engagements have been shut down as a result. I've been spending
almost all of my time working, doing artwork and seeing very few people apart from
family and one or two friends. Hopefully, as this wave of Covid crests and subsides,
we will all have learned more about this ever-mutating monster and how to avoid it.
I hope all of you are happy and safe. All good wishes. - CDM
