On December 29, 2011 I premiered my new website called "online with Carpenters". It was designed in a magazine style. After about six months I just was not happy with the site. It just was not very user friendly. I decided to rework the site and update it.
The newly retooled, reworked site debuted on the internet on June 14, 2012 to very positive reviews from fans and friends. CLICK HEREto visit online with Carpenters
Please check out the new site, I really enjoyed putting it together.
Almost
every diehard fan of Carpenters/Karen Carpenter has seen Chris Tassin’s artwork.
You may not have realized that it’s Chris’ work but certainly at one time or
another you’ve seen one of his works floating around the internet.
Chris is
a wonderfully accomplished artist who has been drawing since a very young age. His
portraits are finely detailed and are realistically lifelike. It is with his
portraits of Karen Carpenter that Chris has come to worldwide acclaim.
I have the honor of sharing this interview with Chris with you the fans of
Carpenters and Karen Carpenter. This is the first in my interview series of
Carpenters Superfans.
- Rick
Henry
RH = Rick Henry, CT = Chris Tassin
RH: When
did you first start drawing? What were your first ever works of art? How old
were you?
CT: There
were some drawings that my mother showed me recently from when I was 4 years
old. They were mostly nativity scenes, which I suppose was not much of a
surprise, considering how much I loved the Christmas season. I enjoyed drawing
throughout in my childhood and started putting larger amounts of time into art
projects in my early teens.
RH: What
or who inspired you to become an artist?
CT: My
mother used to paint when I was very young. Her vision and love for her
projects was wonderful to be around. She inspired me, particularly when
she used to design and paint elaborate Christmas displays for outside our
house. She and my dad made my early holidays visually memorable.
RH:Who are your favorite artists? Do you favor a certain type of
art/painting/drawing?
CT: There
are so many types of art I love, but portraits have always fascinated me. It's
almost as if there is some type of energy or extra something inside a painting
or drawing of a person. At the very least, it usually makes me reflect. It's a
nice way to pay tribute and honor someone as well. Some of my favorite artists,
particularly known for their portraits, include Richard Amsel and John Singer
Sargent. Modern and abstract art are some of my favorites as well.
Pure, vibrant colors have always appealed to me. The entire spectrum of
colors is one of the most beautiful things in this existence. When one
color is positioned or seen next to another, it makes it stand out all
the more. We can appreciate its uniqueness.
RH: How did you learn to draw/paint? Did you take any art classes?
CT: Enjoying
it and drawing the things I loved, helped me learn. Drawing is like most
things in that the more you do it, the more you develop and progress. I
learned mostly through practice and being inspired by other artists. I
had a couple of art classes in high school and then two years of commercial art
school. Since I saw my mother drawing and painting when I was young, I would
ask her things like, "How do you draw an eye?". She
would give some guidance, but I realized later it was through my own practicing
that I would come closer to what I was trying to achieve.
RH: Your
mother sounds like a wonderful person.
CT: She's
a very warmhearted person and cared about making things beautiful for everyone.
I'm grateful for her always.
RH: How long does a portrait generally take you to complete? When working on a
portrait is it all consuming or do you work on it a little bit at a time with
breaks in between?
CT: The
time spent on a portrait varies, but I usually complete them within a few weeks
to several months for the larger or more involved ones. Most of them were done
in colored pencil which is a medium can take large amounts of time. Once I'm
into the process it can consume me, but I do take breaks that vary in length.
RH: Do you have a particular method of drawing/painting? Such as do you have a
special room or a special set-up.
CT: For a
long time I had no set-up. It's not something I had ever taken the time to
prepare for whatever reason, but I should have. About ten years ago I finally
got a drawing table which is very helpful. Before that it was table tops,
the floor, and walls. When doing a portrait, after getting the general
outline done, I always do the eyes first and work from there.
RH: Tell me a little about your first (or first few) Carpenters/Karen Carpenter
drawings? When did you first draw a portrait of Karen? What inspired you to
draw Karen Carpenter?
CT: Being
a young child in the 70's, hearing all the great sounds on pop radio, the
Carpenters music stood out to me the most. I remember hearing
"Yesterday Once More" often and being so captivated by it. I had no
idea who the lady singing was, but her story about listening to the radio
waiting for her favorite songs and how today seemed "rather sad",
affected me. Hearing the Carpenters sound and her voice saturate the
airwaves over the years, I realized how special they were. Up to the
point of Karen's death, even though I loved their music, I was what you
would consider more of a casual fan. I only owned a Greatest Hits album
set that I treasured, and the Christmas album. I was in my junior year of high
school on February 4, 1983, the day that Karen passed. I'll never forget
hearing the news after classes that day. I realized in that moment what a great
loss it was and I was filled with thoughts of her. I immediately felt
compelled to draw her portrait and began on it the day after. Discovering
more of who Karen was and becoming more in awe of her one-of-a-kind voice, warm
and funny personality, and her genuine quality, touched me deeply. It continued
to inspire me to render her lovely image through the years. I consider
her an angelic friend as I know she continues to be a friend to all who love her
and the gifts she brought with her brother Richard Carpenter.
RH: Do you have a particular favorite drawing of Karen? What makes it your
favorite?
CT: The colored pencil portrait of Karen that I remember
working on the most, was in 1993, when I did one of the solo poses of her
curled up in the big violet chair. While it's not a very original
piece at all, because it's almost exactly as it is in the wonderful original
photograph, it was a favorite and the one that challenged me the most. The
artwork is a large piece, measuring 30" x 30". I went through
so many violet colored pencils. But it was that subtle, gentle smile on
her face that was difficult to render. Since it's a favorite pose of many
fans, most are familiar with that closed mouth, relaxed soft smile she has in
that shot. Even with the control of a pencil, it was much harder to get
it to look natural than I thought it would be. At one point I erased the entire
mouth. The waxy texture of a Prismacolor colored pencil is difficult, if
not impossible to erase. It tore away some of the surface of the
illustration board. This really disappointed me as I thought the piece
was ruined and I'd spent so much time on it. The rest of her face was all
done and her eyes were especially pleasing. I put it away out of
frustration and left it alone in fear I'd make it worse. About a year
later when I was relaxed and ready to attempt the mouth again, I carefully took
the time to gently lay in the colors again and it turned out fairly well.
It was a nice surprise to see that I could salvage it.
Another
favorite of mine would be the more recent black and white pencil drawing I did
in 2009 for the biography, "Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen
Carpenter". It's a piece that I was asked by Randy Schmidt to create
and it's one of my more original drawings of Karen, inspired by her 1975 look.
RH: Before we continue with this video I'd like to share a few other drawings Chris has done, outside of his Karen Carpenter/Carpenters work.
Trumpeter, Al Hirt
RH: You did such an outstanding job on the "If I Had You" video. What
inspired you to create this?
CT: Thank
you. That video was fun to put together. It's a great song and one
of my favorites. I felt it would work well with that sort of quick cut, fast
moving visual treatment. Karen's solo work, particularly on "If I
Had You", had such a sophisticated, modern sound. It's sad that she never
got to make any promo videos for her album. I felt that in putting the video
together, it would be my tribute to her, along with helping expose this great
recording to more people.
RH: It worked. Your video has near
443,000, which is an amazing feat. The HD version has an additional 32,000
views. You must be proud.
CT: I'm
happy it's been well received and enjoyed! It's especially fun to read comments
from those hearing the song for the first time. They are impressed by this
edgier side of Karen and love her performance. It was a thrill and a surprise
when Larry Herbstritt, one of the writers of the song, commented, "As I
sit here fighting back the tears, I feel such appreciation for this lovely
video. I miss Karen and wish we all could have her back again."
RH: I did an interview with Larry. He’s a nice guy and extremely talented.
RH: What type of software or editing tools did you use for the video?
CT: Photoshop
was used for editing the images and then iMovie to put the video together.
RH: aha, you’ll have to teach me how to use iMovie.
RH: How many images of Karen were involved? Did you have to draw multiple
images of the same pose in order to create the somewhat moving image of Karen
toward the end?
CT: I'm
not sure how many images were used. As far as Karen moving toward the
end, I just took frames of her from “Music, Music, Music” and edited the
background.
RH: How long did it take you to create the video?
CT: It
took a month or two to complete, working on it a few hours here and there most
days.
RH: What was your biggest challenge in completing it?
CT: The
biggest challenge was having it timed correctly. I wanted to keep most of the
images changing on the beat during the chorus, and following the words on
screen during certain portions. The program used for building the video
gave a little trouble near completion. It wouldn't export it to a movie file,
but after shifting around some of the images, it worked out.
RH: Will you do another Karen Carpenter music video? I'd like to see one for
"Guess I Just Lost My Head".
CT: There
have been a few ideas in my mind for videos of other songs. "Guess I Just
Lost My Head" would be a good one. There have been a few things delaying
me in doing so. Finding the time is one. Another is that the ideas I have
envisioned will take more learning on my part and different computer programs.
Finally, there is the fact that I've already used most of the Karen solo
images available to us on the first video. I suppose if they were used in
a different treatment and style, some could be used again and still seem fresh.
RH: Now on to your views about the music...
RH: When did you first hear Karen's voice? What was your response?
CT: My
earliest memory of taking notice of Karen's singing was hearing "Yesterday
Once More" on the radio when I was seven years old. She sang in a
way that I believed every word. I thought she was telling her own personal
story. The song haunted me. No other singer grabbed my attention like she
did.
RH: I
like how you say that you felt as though Karen was telling her own personal
story. I agree, she really had a way of making each song feel like it was her
life story. I feel that most when I hear the song “Road Ode”.
RH: What was the first Carpenters record you purchased?
CT: The
first ones I ever purchased were singles of "Yesterday Once More" and
"Sing". Later on I found the double LP compilation set of
"The Carpenters Collection" in a nearby record store in the late
70's. I was so happy. Not only did it contain the hits, but it was the first
time I heard certain album cuts that were included. The cover had one of those
beautiful photos of Karen and Richard from the 1977 photo sessions. Karen was
so pretty with those big, brown eyes and lovely, bright smile.
RH: Do you have a favorite Carpenters song? Favorite album?
CT: As
anyone who loves the Carpenters knows, it's really hard to pick a favorite
song! I guess my all time favorite classic still has to be, "Yesterday
Once More". I'm still in awe of it in every way.. her performance,
the poignant lyrics, the harmonies, that gorgeous bittersweet melody.
Richard Carpenter, John Bettis, and Karen's talents combined to create a
classic full of longing and memories. It was the perfect recording for
the airwaves. It was about radio, the songs we love, and our reaction to them.
Its style and sound was a tribute to classic pop.
My
favorite album is a tie between "Horizon" and "Christmas
Portrait". I feel the way so many do about "Horizon".
It's the Carpenters at their finest. There are so many incredible
performances on that record. Karen is at her most divine on
"Solitaire", the incredible "Only Yesterday", and the
exquisite "I Can Dream Can't I". The Christmas album is my
other great love. No one can sing a Christmas song like Karen. Her
voice is the very sound of the season and all it brings. It is the voice of an
angel.
RH: Boy,
do I ever agree with you on that Karen is the true “Voice of an Angel”.
RH: Where were you when you heard of Karen's passing? What were your feelings?
CT: My
sister had picked me up from high school that day. Not long after I got
into her car, she started out with, "Chris, Karen Carpenter of the
Carpenters..." Before she was able to complete the sentence, I knew
somehow what she was about to say. I remember immediately acknowledging
to myself that she had died. Then my sister continued, "..she died today.
The news on the radio says she had a heart attack." My heart sank. My
response was, "She was my favorite." My sister said, "I
thought Olivia was your favorite." "No", I said,
"Karen was." I was deeply saddened by the news. I didn't know
much about Karen at that time other than having loved her voice on the radio
since I was a boy, and playing the couple of Carpenters albums I owned. I had
only seen very few photos of her up to that point. For some odd reason, I'd
even managed to miss all of the Carpenters TV appearances while I was growing
up. I just knew that something significant had happened in the loss of Karen. I
remember having thoughts like, "She was too good to be true."
She had such a rare quality, not only in the sound of her voice, but in
the feelings that came through her voice. She was just like a beautiful breeze
that touches you and then it's gone.
RH: Wow,
Chris that was beautifully worded. You really have a way with words.
RH: What was your reaction when you first heard Karen's solo album?
CT: First
hearing Karen's solo album was both an exciting and bittersweet experience. I
loved most of it and was surprised by some of it because it was so different
from her previous work. I remember being particularly impressed by "Guess
I Just Lost My Head", "All Because Of You", and her great take
on, "Still Crazy After All These Years". I was so glad when it
was finally released on CD in 1996. The cover image, while one of my favorite
photos of Karen ever, is not very pleasing in terms of its treatment. It's too
bad they didn't go with the originally planned color stylings of her
photographs. I'm guessing that the thinking was to do a different look on the
cover photo in '96 because it was being released so many years after the fact.
The face looks washed out. I realize it was a design choice, but I just wish
more care would have been given to it. She was so beautiful in that solo
shoot. She deserved better. Well, at least the folks at A&M were
consistent. They gave her a lackluster treatment till the very end.
RH: You
are so right. It’s too bad that A&M did not put more care into Karen’s (and
Richard’s) image. Even more they should have given Karen more opportunity to voice who she was and what she wanted to record.
RH: Do you have a favorite song from her album?
CT: As
much as I adore both "If I Had You" and "If We Try", my
favorite has to be her solo version of "Make Believe It's Your First
Time". When I first heard it, I was in awe. I had always thought the
Carpenters' version was nice, but it was not a favorite of mine. For the
first time, I found myself loving the song. The solo version is so
intimate and her performance is heartbreakingly beautiful. I feel that
the arrangement is better overall and the soft solo piano that begins and ends
the song is gorgeous. I miss the bridge that was later added to the Carpenters
version, but other than that, the solo recording of it is perfection.
RH: I’m
with you on “Make Believe It’s Your First Time”. I was never much for the
Carpenters version, which showed up on “Voice of the Heart”, but Karen’s solo
version is pure magic. It’s one of several songs from her solo album, which I
feel had hit potential.
RH: What are your views on the shelving of her album?
CT: Karen's
album should have been released at the time. We'll never know if it would have
changed the ending of her story, but at the very least it would have
been a celebrated event and a highlight in her career. She and her legacy
deserved that. Karen was far too huge a talent not to have put out solo
records. Had it been released in 1980, I feel that the solo album would be even
more treasured by her fans than it is now. While not everything on the
album was top-notch, the rest of it was far too good to keep it under wraps.
They had the greatest female voice in the world in their hands. If there
were certain tracks they were less than pleased with, they should have paid
*her* to record more songs instead of the other way around. It's simply
criminal and very sad that she was not supported.
RH: Do you think any of the songs on her solo album could have been a hit in
1980? Which one song do you think would have been best for a single release?
CT: It's
hard to say for sure, but "Making Love In the Afternoon" sounds like
a hit to me. Another strong one is, "If I Had You". When it was
released as a single in 1989, it was encouraging to see it go to number 18 on
the Adult Contemporary chart. I heard it often on light rock radio stations,
which was exciting. One time after it was played, I remember hearing a DJ say,
"That was the late, great Karen Carpenter with 'If I Had You'.. that is
HOT!!"
RH: And
that’s it Chris, Karen Carpenter was just simply sizzling HOT! And your
portraits of her capture that essence completely.
RH: I
thank you Chris for your time and I have really enjoyed sharing this time with
you and coming to learn a little more about. I wish the very best for you in
all your endeavors. I hope to one day see that video for “Guess I Just Lost My
Head”, that in my mind is one HOT song!
The song “Downey Girl” is an ode to Karen Carpenter, written
and performed by Dave Alvin. The song is tender and simple. The emotion with
which Alvin conveys the song is honest and soulful. Best of all, the melody
stays with you and grows on you as you hum it’s refrain. I think this is a
song Karen Carpenter would have liked had she been around to hear it.
Dave Alvin (2009)
One of the most compelling parts of the song is the dobro
played by steel guitar master Greg Leisz. This made me think of the Carpenters
song “Two Sides”, which contains some excellent steel guitar work by Jay Dee
Maness.
“Downey Girl” was released in 2009 on the album “Dave Alvin
and The Guilty Women”. With this album, the Downey, CA born Alvin reached back
to the experiences of his youth to for inspiration in writing these songs. In
the song “Nana and Jimi”, Alvin writes about how his mom dropped him off at a
Jimi Hendrix concert when he was 12 years old.
Dave Alvin got his start in music in 1979 when he and his
older brother Phil formed the band The Blasters. They performed a unique blend
of roots rock, alternative country, rockabilly, blues and punk rock. Alvin left
the Blasters in 1986 to pursue a solo career and also worked with punk band X
on their “See How We Are” album. He also recorded with The Knitters, The
Flesheaters and The Gun Club.
In the lyrics for “Downey Girl”, Dave Alvin mentions that
Karen had the “voice of an Angel”. One of the most emotive parts of the song is
when Dave sings, “No one in our whole town, knew anything was wrong,” this
obviously is a direct reference to Karen’s battle with anorexia. In the song
Dave sings, “Well I never liked her music”, which echoes a sentiment that was
shared by many during the 70’s. In their heyday it was uncool to admit you
liked Carpenters, even though their records sold millions around the world.
Near the end of the song Dave sings, “And I can feel a little pride, when
people say her name”, with this line Dave Alvin sums up his tribute to the girl
with the golden voice almost in the same way one would look upon the amber
waves of golden grain.
We come to this day once again. A day, if Karen were alive, we would be celebrating with her. Instead millions of fans worldwide have fond memories of her beautiful voice and the way she touched each and every one of us in different ways.
March 2, 2012 Commemorating Karen Carpenter's 62nd Birthday
I wish to remember Karen Carpenter for the beauty she graced upon this earth.
Thank Karen Carpenter for your beauty.
In commemoration I wish to post a few links of songs written in honor of Karen.
Hello Friends! I have just created a new Carpenters website called "online with Carpenters". this one will take the place of the old website The Carpenters Online which I started back in 2002.
This is a stylish site which is fashioned in the style of a book with pages. It's easy to navigate through. At this point it does not contain much information but with time it will include a good amount of fun stuff.
In the next few days I will be adding a News page which will keep you up to date on the latest news pertaining to Karen, Richard and everything Carpenters.
Very
good news for fans of Karen Carpenter and the Carpenters. For the week
ending December 17, 2011 the album "Christmas Portrait" is at #153 on
the U.S. Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. Last week it was at #175, it
moved up an entire 22 positions.
The highest position
the album has reached in the U.S. was #150 back in 1978 and so far it
has been certified platinum for sales over 1 million copies.
It
would be great to see "Christmas Portrait" remain on the charts for a
third consecutive week. It would be even better to see it surpass it's
peak of #150. But it can only happen one way and that is by generating
sales. I urge those of you who yet do not own the CD to purchase it.
"Christmas Portrait" is one of the most beautiful collections of
Christmas music ever. In my humble opinion it is the very best Christmas
album in the history of recorded music.
Below I have
provided a link to the album on Amazon. But in order to keep it on the
charts you have to purchase a new copy from Amazon.
Amazon is selling the disc for $12.98 brand new. (UPDATE: Since the publishing of this post Amazon has put the disc on sale and is now selling it for $11.54)
On
the Amazon page for the album you will see a small box with the heading
"Formats". In this box it lists MP3 Download, Audio CD 1990, Vinyl and
audio Cassette.
To keep the album on the charts you can
either purchase the MP3 download of the entire album for $5.99 ( that's a
great price) or in the line that says Audio CD, 1990 you would purchase
the first listing under the Amazon price heading for $12.98 (now on sale for $11.54).
The prices listed in the Formats box under the Amazon Prices heading is what you want to purchase to keep the album on the charts.
What are your favorite songs from "Christmas Portrait"?
UPDATE!
Very good news for Carpenters. "Christmas Portrait" has officially bested it's previous peak position. Back in 1978 the album reached #150. This week the album has moved up to #126 with a bullet.
The next goal is to get the album into the Top 100 (that would be big news.). If you haven't bought it - go out and buy it.
Here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000002GHQ/ref=nosim/populasongsmu-20 *** Remember in order to keep the album on the charts you either want to buy a new copy directly from Amazon.com (which is currently selling for $11.54) or you should buy a download of the entire album. If you already own it than buy a copy or a download for a friend or family member. Let's make it happen.
This is a great listing of almost everything available by or about the Carpenters. Listings include MP3 downloads, CD's, DVD's, VHS, books, e-books, sheets music and other miscellaneous items.
Happy shopping. Share the love of Carpenters music with your friends and family...
Karen Carpenter loved to cook. She enjoyed preparing everything from gourmet meals to baking cookies. The kitchen in her condo was custom built with the the latest and greatest in appliances and fixtures.
One of Karen's favorite treats to make was Peach Mabel, a deliciously creamy dessert.
The recipe was included in a celebrity charity recipe book which was sold to raise funds for Osteogenesis.
PEACH MABEL INGREDIENTS
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon almond essence
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 pint whipped cream
1 pkg. Knox gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
1 box vanilla wafers
2 cups peaches (canned & drained) METHOD
-Place wafers in plastic bag, half box at a time and crush with rolling.
-Spread on bottom of baking dish (8 x 11) or something similar. Save some to sprinkle on top.
-Mix butter, flavorings, salt & sugar in blender. Blend well. Add eggs and blend.
-Mix gelatin with water quickly & blend with other ingredients.
-Whip cream till stiff & fold into blended ingredients. Now fold in the drained & diced peaches.
-Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top. Refrigerate for a couple of hours
For your holiday pleasure please enjoy this interview Karen Carpenter did in December 1978 to promote the newly released "Christmas Portrait" album.
Carpenters - Christmas Collection is a seasonal favorite that begs to be played every year. Karen Carpenter shines with her crystal perfect voice and the music is fantastically beautiful.
As most of us know Karen Carpenter's voice was known around the world by millions of fans. The music of Carpenters has reached the #1 spot in almost every country imaginable and today their music is still revered as some of the finest music ever made.
Today Karen Carpenter Avenue is happy to share this video of the Carpenters performing live in Australia in 1972. This clip features the songs "Hurting Each Other" and "we've Only Just Begun".
It's been a while since we've seen a new Carpenters release. But lo and behold there have a been a few in the past year or so... just not a bunch of hoopla made over them. The last Carpenters release to make a splash was compilation album 40/40 released in October 2009. It hit #1 in Japan and #21 in England.
On March 9, 2010 a DVD was released of their Live At The BBC concert from 1971. They named this DVD "Live In London".
In November 2010 a live CD was released and titled "Live In Stage". This contains the songs Carpenter performed in 1971 for the BBC Concert - this must be the companion piece to the DVD released earlier in the year.
The most recent release was another live CD this one titled "Live On Air" was released in January 2011 and is the audio release of their 1974 Japanese tour.
