Ok, it's been awhile since I put out the news, but it's been a busy several months. Here's a quick rundown:
March: Released "A Taste of Heaven" on Amazon, et. al. As usual, the link is on the
Music page. No video at the moment. We'll see about that one. Comments are appreciated!
May/June: Submitted "The Wizard" and "Keys Point Sunset" to the Mistlin Spring Show. They took first and second prizes, respectively in the Pastel category.
It was a good show. There were lots of landscapes in many media--the oil competition was particularly fierce!--and some fascinatingly creative sculptures. Ping and I
enjoyed the gala that opened the show.
June/July: "Saratoga Gap Outcrop" was one of 108 works juried into the 24th International Pastel Society of the West Coast,
Pastels USA open competition. This was an outstanding show! I was honored to have one of my pieces on the wall among so many greats in the Art Museum of Los Gatos. The full catalog is available as a pdf
here. Many thanks to award-winning artist Gerry Boyd who helped me navigate the logistics and took the time to tell me about his framing technique, and to Evelyn Delgado who had a delightful chat with Ping and me as we came to pick up the art after the show.
There are several new pictures up on the Pastel Landscapes gallery including the award-winners noted above, and two smaller paintings done in the last few weeks. "Bridalveil Creek" is based on one of those wonderful pictures one gets in Yosemite Valley near the famous fall, and "Glacier Point View" is from a shot I took during our early morning visit to (surprise!) Glacier Point the first week after we moved to the Central Valley. The latter is hanging now in a private home just a few miles outside the national park
Back with more soon!
Cheers! --Mark
Watch this space! I re-recorded "A Taste of Heaven" with all new vocals
and instrumentation. Ok, I kept the original lead guitar and a couple
of other things, but it's virtually brand new. I just uploaded it to
Tunecore, and it should be available soon on Amazon.com, iTunes and all
the others. I'll announce the video release when it's available!
All the best! --Mark
February 22, 2010
Oh, yeah! The third single "Clear Blue Sky" is out now! Go to the
Music page to check out the videos and get the link to download the mp3, too! Hey, collect 'em all!
Your comments and ratings really do help! Thanks so much for posting on YouTube and elsewhere!
The new
Blog is up, too. Read the first posting in the Cross-Cultural Experience category on "English with Chinese Tones."
Cheers! --Mark
February 5, 2010
"Glass Slipper" is based on the Cinderella story...only this time it's from the prince's perspective. It's a perfect metaphor describing what it felt like when I met and fell in love with my wife. Check out the
Other Pastels page (new!) on this website for a larger version of the image from the YouTube video.
Please post comments on the video, reviews on Amazon.com, and sign the guest book when you get a chance. It's always good to hear from folks!
Cheers! --Mark
January 27, 2010:
I'm excited to announce the release of my first song for commercial distribution!
"Not A Perfect Girl" is
a piece I wrote for my wife in December 2009. It talks about
how--though she doesn't always see it herself--she's very special.
The song will also be available from a slew of online stores including iTunes and Napster within the next two to four weeks--I'm hoping in time for Valentine's Day
The video is out now on YouTube!
May this music bless everyone who is "not a perfect girl" or guy and all those who love them/us!
Cheers! --Mark Ivan Cole
PS: I appreciate your help spreading the word! Please send the link to
anyone who would enjoy it. Word of mouth is always the best way to get
these things out into the world.
Thanks in advance for your help and support!
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