by Steve Eulberg
Dear Patrons, (This post was originally written on my PATREON page. If you’d like to be MY supporter, you can click on this link to find out how your support helps me.)
This post is unusual because it isn’t about what I’ve been able to produce, but it IS about how art inspires art.
Grit Laskin, a member of my union local (Local 1000 AFM-American Federation of Musicians), is a builder of amazing guitars. (I have loved every one that I’ve had a chance to play!)
Grit’s artistry is not confined to the sonic qualities of building, but he is particularly known for the visual artistry in the one-of-a-kind inlay that he custom designs and builds on the headstock and necks of his guitars.
I have only seen a few of these in person, but I was transfixed by his now-out-of-print coffee table book, A Guitarmaker’s Canvas—The Inlay Art Of Grit Laskin. The beauty and imagination from those pages inspired me.
As my local 1000 sister, Cathy Fink, says in the video above, not only is she fortunate to be Grit’s friend for 40 years, she and Marcy are stewards of some of his instruments, which inspire them in their music-making and creation.
So, on this Valentine’s Day, here is my Valentine for you, my patrons: this art, to which I have no connection other than being drawn in and bewitched by its beauty, gives me encouragement to follow my muses as they whisper and beckon me forward on my creative path.
Your support helps me to keep my focus and move forward on the stumbling steps of creativity. Thanks for being my Valentines!
Steve