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HOME TO THE ART OF STEVE SLASKE

Scroll down the page to see pages from my sketchbook and works currently on my drawing board. Most recent drawings are at the bottom of the page. All concert drawings are completed during the time of the performance. I welcome your comments- write to me at info@skylinecityprints.com.

Every day of the week, there's a free concert at the Cultural Center in Chicago. I try to get to the classical concerts whenever I'm in Chicago. When I do, I almost always always draw as I enjoy the music. This page from my sketchbook is one of my recent favorites. The musician was Spanish guitarist Rafael Serrallet who played beautiful works by composers unfamiliar to me. I met him after the concert, we chatted for a bit and he signed my drawing for me requesting that I send him a copy, which I did. The drawing shows the beautiful setting of Preston Bradley Hall where the concerts take place.  

9 January 2008 concert featured New York pianist Stephanie Shih-yu Cheng playing works by Debussy, Ginastera and others. Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center was packed to capacity. I did get to meet the artist and a couple of her family members who took pictures.  My drawing shows another angle of the impressive Preston Bradley Hall.

Drawing in progress: this is a drawing I'm working on of the view from my Chicago studio windows. This is the drawing as of January 15 after 2 days work. i will continue to update the drawing here as i progress.

13 January 2008. Chicago Chamber Orchestra at the Chicago Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall. Featuring works by Haydn, Schwaen and Arnold. Featuring American artist James Mattern, trombone and Israeli artist Amit Pelled, violoncello. I was trying to include as much of Preston Bradley Hall as I could in this drawing. I had more time to complete this drawing since it was a full concert lasting about an hour and a half. Below is a drawing of a concert 3 days later featuring, once again, Amit Pelled accompanied by Israeli pianist Alon Goldstein in an all Beethoven program. I zeroed in more on the artists in this drawing.

 Progress on drawing as of 22 January.

28 January 2008. Pianist Katie Hamada and another view of Preston Bradley Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center.

Drawing progress as of 29, January. Now waiting for just the right dramatic sky to complete the drawing. 

30 January 2008. Today's concert featured Martha Councell on flute and Richard Steinbach, piano. An awesome concert (flute and piano together are on the main floor of heaven) of Bach, Schumann, Faure and- my all-time favorite- Aaron Copland whose works are not performed often enough in settings such as this. My pen was flying today... 

10 March 2008. Today's concert at the Chicago Cultural Center featured the Orion Ensemble playing works by Dahl and Arensky- two composers whose music was new to me. Dahl's music reminded me of Aaron Copland- one of my favorite composers. I realized this was my second drawing of this group in Preston Bradley Hall. 

12 March 2008. Today's concert featured Quintessence Piano Quintet performing Brahms. Awesome. For a change of pace, I decided to zero in a little more on the peformers and a little less on the setting today. Four of the five musicians were from my part-time home, Milwaukee- three are members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Welcome to the big city. All five signed my drawing.

Fifth House Ensemble performs Mozart and Brahms in the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) Hall of the Chicago Cultural Center. The concert venue has temporarily been relocated from Preston Bradley Hall while workers restore and open the Tiffany dome to natural light. My friend Marie Plum from Milwaukee accompanied me to the concert and was awed by the music and the setting.

Edo DeWaart conducts the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in Gustav Holst's "The Planets", one of my favorite pieces of music. It is the Saturday night concert of his debut series with the orchestra and he is warmly welcomed by the Milwaukee audience including my friends Jenny, Jeff and myself. We combed the area after the concert trying to find Maestro DeWaart to sign my drawing to no avail.