This is for Jock (jocko500). When Jock recently made a very moving dedi for me, I realized it was finally time to make one for him. Many of you know Jock's work here: Some of you have seen it in person, even bought some. I've told Jock that I'd buy his whole collection if I could. Jock's a wonderful photographer: spontaneous, direct, grabbing the moment. I fell in love with his gallery through his photography first... But then I discovered his paintings. So let me say: O-M-G. Those of you who know his painting, you'll understand: O-M-G. He dives into his subjects and digs out hues that jump off the page. He'll do meticulous hands, legs, gowns, shirts, then add his whooshing strokes of deep saturated reds, jump-off-the-page yellows...He gives bursts of energy to a single arm, or the side of a violin. He makes a wall radiate. His brushwork reminds me of the energy of Van Gogh with the boldness of Manet and Gaugin---it's electric and broad and filled with love. And that's an important word: His paintings are filled with love. Love for his subjects, love for what they do, love from his heart and soul. Jock's a religious soul, and I'm sure he'd consider it a compliment to say that his spiritual love comes through every inch of his art. And his musicians? OMG. Spirit through and through. I'm a musician, so this is gonna be a cakewalk: No one I've known paints musicians as Jock does. I can't tell you how true his paintings are. He gets their intense concentration, those gazes that stopped caring about the world the minute they picked up their instruments, the wholly inward withdrawal into their music, the transfixed stares, the gazes that have made music a spiritual act for so many centuries...He paints musicians in their work clothes. He paints their roughness. He paints how, the minute they picked up their instruments, they became the music, and he gets their gnarled hands and contorted necks and all the other things musicians go through to make music...forgetting their bodies because, once in the act, those bodies become instruments themselves. No one has captured that the way Jock has. Not in my life. Oh, and dramatic pov's, terrific angles, he'll zoom you into their face and hands the way a photographer would---he gets it, he just gets it. I did classical, jazz, folk and world, and Jock gets it all. I tried to make a 'jock-like' painting, I tried to draw: Terrible results. So I did a substitute; and while it pales in comparison to his work, at least it has 2 things: 1) Those are my hands playing the piano (like I'm playing something for him); and 2) the background is an attempt at visual music. I mean, it's the best I could do at present, but the thought is there. Thank you, Jock, for your deep heart, your deep eye, and the love you put into every square inch of your work. I'm grateful that this site brought us to your wonderful creations. I wish you blessings and spirit and light each day, and prayers for continued inspiration to grace you every day of your life, just as you grace us. With joy, humility and gratitude, for all your gifts to the world, Mark (much fuller zoomed 100%) (it's huge) -----------------------------------------------