A painting from my ‘Brush with the Blues’ collection that showcased work inspired by Greek Blues Music, known as Rebetika. This solo exhibition was held in Melbourne, February 2020. It’s the second Rendezvous at the Tavern painting I did for the show.

In the first: an ancient Greek woman holds an early incarnation of a bouzouki and in the background sits a young, modern woman holding a touberleki (drum). This time a Bronze Age Cycladic marble sculpture of a harp player (can be seen in the Benaki Museum in Athens) and a Lyra player from the early 1900’s take their place at the table. They come to play music together, perhaps to explore degrees of connection, see what they may have in common.

A look into the history of the origins to this style, even the singing and dances associated with Rebetika, reveal differing points of view with complex cultural, political and historical arguments prevailing.

As a ‘picture maker’ my own curiosity and learning is portrayed by placing images of paintings from this exhibition on the Tavern’s wall. The wall allows a collage of images to hang together, suggesting that facts, projections and reflections all co-exist. I’ve left one frame blank so more discoveries and relationships can be added to this ‘picture’ over time