I Only Knew the G Chord
$ 1,500.00
"I Only Knew the G Chord."
Another new painting inspired by one of my living ancestors, my Great Grandmother Nadine (Jay) Eden. She described the picture to me with these words, “I was 12 here. We played music a lot at pie suppers to raise money for the vets. I only knew the G Chord, but I just watched other people play and learned the rest. Dad had got me a mandolin and I’d already learned it so it wasn’t all new. William Essary let me borrow his guitar, I never got one of my own until I was married.” The picture and the story remind me of her tenacity and resourcefulness. It shows she wasn’t shy about her skill when she wanted to play, and she knew she could learn what she didn’t know. These qualities are typical and valued in Ozark Mountain culture, I’ve painted this memory as a tribute to her teaching. She babysat me daily for years, I ran around the Stone County hills with her picking blackberries, learning to make dumplins, and tending our family graveyard. She constantly taught by example how to embody these principles. I learned the importance of them while she taught me other skills she’d picked up, including how to paint. I chose to paint this one in black and white, in homage to the black and white family photo that inspired it.
Another new painting inspired by one of my living ancestors, my Great Grandmother Nadine (Jay) Eden. She described the picture to me with these words, “I was 12 here. We played music a lot at pie suppers to raise money for the vets. I only knew the G Chord, but I just watched other people play and learned the rest. Dad had got me a mandolin and I’d already learned it so it wasn’t all new. William Essary let me borrow his guitar, I never got one of my own until I was married.” The picture and the story remind me of her tenacity and resourcefulness. It shows she wasn’t shy about her skill when she wanted to play, and she knew she could learn what she didn’t know. These qualities are typical and valued in Ozark Mountain culture, I’ve painted this memory as a tribute to her teaching. She babysat me daily for years, I ran around the Stone County hills with her picking blackberries, learning to make dumplins, and tending our family graveyard. She constantly taught by example how to embody these principles. I learned the importance of them while she taught me other skills she’d picked up, including how to paint. I chose to paint this one in black and white, in homage to the black and white family photo that inspired it.
