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View slideshow Musicians emphasize personal message, art instills emotion
ArtHop and JazzHop report, September

By Joshua Thao,
Writer
September 14, 2012

Instead of only attending the ArtHop like so many of my fellow comrades, I also decided to visit the JazzHop, an event that features the musical talent of several local musicians, Sept. 6. The ArtHop takes place on the first and third Thursday of each month, whereas the JazzHop only takes place on the first Thursday of every month, sponsored by JazzFresno.

For my first JazzHop, I went to Zen Wok Fusion, a small restaurant in the Tower District. I thought the event started at the same time as the ArtHop, so I ended up arriving an hour early. However, because I got there early, I had first choice of seats.

The musicians planned to play on the front porch, so I was pleasantly surprised to find an outside dining option.

I had the luxury of meeting one of the musicians, Oklin Bloodworth, whom I had a nice interview with. He was pleasant and patient while I interviewed him about his musical profession.

Bloodworth talked about the beginning of his musical career and how he started playing with both his parents, who were also musicians. As a child, he played the piano and the drums on boxes his mother bought. However, as he progressed, he eventually added the guitar to his musical achievements and decided to stick to the guitar.

The music started soon after. I was anxious to hear the music that the two groups would play. Merlinda Espinoza sang love songs that were interlaced with her Spanish lyrics.


The guitar complimented her voice as she performed, making wonderful music. The way she emphasized certain words in a song clearly told me what each song meant to her. She had a beautiful voice and listening to her songs lifted me up when they were about love and saddened me when she sang of heartbreak.

I listened to a few of Merlinda's songs but since both the ArtHop and the JazzHop occurred at the same time, I had to leave early to make it to the ArtHop. I went to an Art Gallery across the street from Zen Wok Fusion, known as the Spectrum Art Gallery

Since this was the first time I went to an ArtHop, I did not know what to expect. However, when I arrived, I was warmly welcomed and brought to the middle of the exhibit where the artists had set up a snack bar for their visitors.

The art gallery was displaying the pieces donated by several artists to be auctioned off at the end of the month. Therefore, this wasn't an exhibit based on the works of one artist; this gallery primarily focused on photography.

One of the artists who was featured was Richard Harrison. He has been a photographer for a number of years and decided to display a hauntingly beautiful photo of the moon. Though Harrison normally submits fine art photos, for this particular studio, he wanted to show some of his different pieces.

While looking through the art gallery, I met Rebecca Caraveo, another artist. She has worked in the studio for twenty-two years. Caraveo decided to display a beautiful picture of the Eiffel Tower with trees, although Caraveo works with other art styles.

While walking through the exhibit, I was first amazed at how every photograph had its own uniqueness. There was an assortment of photographs that awed me, scared me or made me laugh. After I finished seeing the art gallery, I headed back to hear a few songs from Bloodworth.

Since this was the first Art and JazzHop I have ever been to, I was surprised at what I experienced. I was happy to go to an event like this as it broadened my perspective on both art and jazz music.

This is the first ArtHop article for the month. Check back for the next article, Sept. 20.

For more information about ArtHop, read the December 6 article, Christmas gallery features jovial mood, campus junior.

For more opinions, read the Sept. 11 article, 9/11 memory impacts senior.





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