When we have a passion for something that we love some may call it an addiction.  It got me thinking while I was drawing this sketch of Stevie Ray and his beloved Number One Guitar.  You can’t watch Stevie playing guitar without seeing the feeling and emotion he had for it.

Cradling his ‘59 Strat as if she was a fine woman, I believe it was his passion for the sound and the feeling that he created with every pick of the 13 gauge strings.

Passion = Strong feeling or emotion
Passion =  the emotion of felling very strongly about a    subject
Passion = any object of warm affection or devotion

Addiction = A chronic relapsing disease
Addiction = Physiological & Psychological compulsion
Addiction = Uncontrollable craving, seeking and use of substance

When we do something that we enjoy, I have heard it referenced before that it is an addiction? Are we crossing an imaginary bridge when moderation goes out the window?

Whether it’s drawing, playing guitar, blogging, gardening or just sitting quietly reading a book, why is it that the guilt can set in? What has driven us to the point of stereotyping our desires to think that they could be an addiction?

I suppose this is where the term guilty-pleasures was born, but why?  Why is it that we should have guilt? If we continue to do something we enjoy, we continue to grow, learn & are able to educate others by our example.

It was the many guitar players before Stevie that drove his desire to play and furthered his success.  We all have someone we look up to or aspire to, with out their passion for what they did, wouldn’t we be left in a teach less environment?

We are all teachers and we are all students, we never know what can be created if we don’t continue to learn about our passions and express them in whatever form they come in.  Keeping a positive attitude is essential in reaching our success.  When we begin to feel guilty the negativity creeps in, and that can stifle your potential.  I will say that there are circumstances that our pleasures can consume us, and the boundaries between  passion and addiction become blurred, moderation is the key.

Originally written in 1936 by Robert Johnson, Sweet Home Chicago has been debated time and time again, regarding the true meaning behind the lyrics, with many references to California.  Does it matter? Not to me, I enjoy listening to any great guitarist buzz through the legendary song, with their own style and rendition.  

When I think of Chicago Blue’s music, Buddy Guy comes to mind instantaneously.  With his well known club - Buddy Guy Legends.  Even though Buddy’s beginnings were in Louisiana, he has become a household name in the Chicago area. 

Where mind you the first day of spring brings us a winter weather advisory.

The original form of Blue’s music is said to have a single line repeated four times, with a very loose narrative.  I recently read the book Moanin’ at Midnight - Howlin’ Wolf, and if you are interested in getting down to the nitty gritty raw life style of a true blue’s musician, this should be on your to read list.

One of my favorite CD’s of Buddy Guy’s is Damn Right, I’ve got the Blues, released in 1991.  “Remebering Stevie” is one of the tracks that makes you feel Damn Right, I’ve got the Blues, you can feel the heartfelt emotion felt by a friends loss, a beautifully done instrumental with that gut wrenching power of the blues.

This is a stratocaster style hand cut solid mahogany body guitar clock.  My husband created this on a band saw and hand sanded and rounded the edges. 

I used acrylic paint on this, and the deep blues were alot of fun to work with.  I used about seven different shades of blue - with a larger paint brush to give the waves a  bit more clarity.  Finished in with a high gloss laquer.

Embedded in the beach is real sand from the shores of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.   I used Fender guitar picks for the 3,6,9 and 12, thought that added a bit more guitar”ism” to the piece.

The clock actually has a small glow in the dark effect, as I used silica sand that is used on streets for the reflective effect for the surf hitting the beach.  I stupidly took this project fresh after the paint to an outdoor craft fair, and I will tell you - that’s a no - no.  Some of the laquer bubbled in the midday sun and I needed to re-do it.  Word to the wise, keep these things covered!!