The Skyline Newspaper

Detail from“Jimi Hendrix” by Jonathan Smith. Photo by Jason Hennington

Jonathan Smith’s Art Show

By Trey Darby
Skyline Editor

Although most of us have never had the opportunity to see them “live,” we will always recognize the dark “shades,” heavy corn-rows, and bright smile of Stevie Wonder; the sweet-and-sultry voices and beautiful faces of Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin; and Jimi Hendrix’s (probable drug-induced) smoky smile, soft heavy eyes, and thick gravity-defying afro.

Half of these musicians aren’t alive today, but their influence will never be forgotten.  They have all played a part in the history of America’s distinct musical accomplishments... and influenced SRSU artist Jonathan Smith.

“Music has had a major influence on my art,” Smith says in his artist’s statement, and this is obvious in the number of paintings of musicians in his show.  Nearly half of them depict the icons listed above.

I don’t know why Smith has portrayed the faces of Wonder, Holiday, Hendrix, and even Miles Davis in grays, blacks, and whites on his canvases, but I can say that he seems to have captured them just right.  I’ll even forgive him for not at least doing Hendrix in purple. 

These solemn colors were not the color of his iconic artist’s skins, or the music that they sang, or played, - but were maybe the color of their mood just then, in their time.  But I might be wrong - because they managed to capture and share colors, in song and music that no one had ever seen before. 

The other half of Smith’s gallery is more modern.  Smith strokes his brush more bravely there, and even sometimes leaves portions of a canvas blank, to good effect.

He shows off with Hip-Hop (and monkeys) and gets a bit romantic/fantastic, but maintains some sweet strokes and solid paintings.  He even gets soft on us, with a (very nice) portrait of “Momma Smith,” the woman in his life who influenced him most strongly - his mother.

Smith’s show runs through tomorrow, Friday, March 07.  The closing reception is 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., in the Francois Art Gallery.

Get Your Butt on Your Bike and Ride!

By Sharon Collyer
Skyline Reporter

Alpine is an urban cyclist’s paradise. For anyone who has spent years pedaling in metropolitan monsters such as Miami, San Francisco, or New York City, Alpine feels like bicycle nirvana.

The town is small enough where two-wheel transport can get any cyclist from anywhere to anywhere within the city limits in under twenty minutes, yet the eclectic blend of main streets, residential neighborhoods and quirky alleys make every ride a new adventure. Our thoroughfares have the right amount of traffic to test anyone’s urban riding skills, yet locals are still kind enough to slow down for rebel riders. Plus, the terrain is varied enough for a sightseeing cyclist to enjoy a mellow Sunday morning ride on smooth streets with coffee cup in hand, or a weekend warrior can take to the rocky bike trails on Hancock Hill behind campus.

If the fantastic cycling opportunities that Alpine offers aren’t inspirational enough to get readers on a roll, think of the exorbitant cost of gasoline; at $3.19 a gallon and rising, just driving to school or work is soon going to cost big bucks. Bicycling is free once a bike is acquired and if those unbecomingly tacky Lycra outfits are avoided at all cost. Moreover, if the bike is used as a primary source of transportation around town, a rider will get many mini-workouts throughout the day; thus, cyclists feel better, their hearts and lungs are stronger, and their sex appeal surpasses that of automobile users ten-to-one. Let’s face it: bike riders simply look better; their skin is always sun-kissed and they generally glow with health. And, the best part is that cycling can be part of an incredibly rich social life.

“One thing you can do - if you are of legal age, of course – is to line up the bars in a route, and start with the furthest one from your house,” says John Elsbury, Alpine’s own Bike Man. He explains with a twinkle in his eye and a purr in his drawl: “I like to start with the Press Boxx, then go to the Tinaja and I finish the night at the Blues. However, if you live near campus, you might want to do it in reverse. But, if you don’t feel completely at ease riding your bike when you are sober, please don’t do it after a few drinks.”

Elsbury has owned and operated Alpine’s only bike shop for five years at 602 W. Holland, and has experienced first-hand the changes in the town’s cycling culture. “There are definitely more riders now than a few years ago.
I work on more functioning bikes now than ever.” Functioning bikes? “Yeah, as opposed to the bikes wasting away in a garage somewhere gathering dust.”

The Bike Man’s shop is a great place to find a good deal on a good bike and get some great riding advice. Elsbury will even map out an urban route for any bike riders according to their abilities. However, if potential bikers are pinching pennies, local Saturday morning garage sales often include bikes. The Alpine Avalanche classifieds are also worth reading for good bike deals. Additionally, browsing the local establishments where “For Sale” posters hang can lead to a fabulous bicycle bargain. However, test driving the bicycle before purchasing is highly recommended, since not all bikes are made for all people, and not all people are made for all bikes.

Before purchasing, it is also useful to examine what one will use the bike for, and then shop according to need.
Road bikes, lightweight machines built primarily for speed, don’t take well to dirt roads and rough handling.
Sturdier mountain bikes can take on heavy terrain, but are often too cumbersome for long trips. A person doing the bar crawl will not need 28-gears; a person routinely climbing steep hills will definitely appreciate the extra cogs. In short, budding cyclists should just buy what they need. They can always upgrade later.

Alpine offers bike riders a gaggle of riding options, from thirty minute ‘around town’ quickies to more complex half-day adventures. Here are a few suggestions:

• Although Alpine does not have officially designated bike routes, anyone can stop in at the Chamber of Commerce and pick up a detailed Alpine road map. Elsbury recommends using this map to chart out loops around town. “A good ride is to bike out to the end of the Old Marathon road, go under the trestle, and come back to town on Cemetery Road,” he says. “From the shop, it’s a bout five miles round trip. Low traffic volume…but you don’t want to do it with a road bike.”

• Drive to the top of Big Hill, park on the side, unload your bike, and check out the dirt roads in North Double Diamond and Loma Del Norte. This can be as long or as short as the rider wants to make it. Mountain bike recommended.

• Ride out to Sunny Glen, cycle the main loop and come back. This is a long ride and will take several hours.
Don’t do it in the middle of a hot summer day. Or, for a shorter ride, drive a vehicle out to Sunny Glen, and
park and unload at the Sunny Glen turn-off. Part of this loop is on hard-packed dirt.

• Ride the Marfa-bound dirt road paralleling the railroad tracks. Go as far as the gate, and then turn around.
This one-and-a-half hour adventure is challenging and bumpy, but great for those seeking solitude when they ride.
Definitely mountain bike only.

• Ride the new bike single-track trails on Sul Ross hill. Just get on a path and see where it takes you.

• And, the author’s favorite, the aimless and laidback ‘let’s check out what everybody else is doing’ ride around town. This option has been found to lower stress and increase social contact. Definitely a must for riders who love living in Alpine and want to get to know their neighbors.

Remember: smart cyclists wear helmets, take water, and carry a spare tube. At night, they use a light. Smarter cyclists use thorn guards in their tires and wear bright clothing to be seen by traffic. The smartest cyclists know how to perform basic maintenance and repair on their bikes and let the Bike Man take care of the rest.

Get your butt on your bike and ride!

Local Musicians collaborate at third Dieckert Memorial Concert

On Tuesday, March 18, the third chamber music program in the Dieckert Memorial Concert Series will be presented in the Studio Theater of the Francois Fine Arts Building at 7:30 p.m.

The program features local artists and members of the music faculty of SRSU in a musical “potpourri” of chamber music from the Baroque to Modern periods.  Lyric soprano Jane Ross, Alpine, and mezzo soprano Erin Lippard, Sul Ross faculty member, will perform solos and duets by Bach, Verdi, and Webber. 

Virtuoso clarinetist and faculty member Michael Lippard will play solo selections and duets with Marilyne Dieckert (flautist).  Dr. Justin Badgerow, pianist and Sul Ross faculty member, and Dieckert will perform a Handel “sonata”  and Jane Ross and the ensemble will perform an accompanied aria from Bach cantata No. 158:
“Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn” (“Footsteps Toward Faith.”) 

In observation of the final week of the Lenten season, Dieckert will play several of Bach’s organ chorale preludes depicting Christ’s suffering on the Cross.  Milhaud’s Trio for flute, clarinet, and piano, and compositions by Dieckert, will be included in the program.  Highlighting the program, the Bach-Busoni version of the famous Tocatta and Fugue in D minor will be performed by Dr. Justin Badgerow on the piano.

This concert, sponsored by Marilyne Crill-Dieckert, Ph.D., is dedicated to her late husband, Dr. Julius W. Dieckert, Professor Emeritus of Texas A&M University, who passed away June 16, 2006.  This continuing series of concerts is designed to honor a brilliant, selfless man who contributed much to this world through his biochemical research as well as his philanthropy.

By endeavoring to present the finest music possible, this program represents an attempt to follow the standard of “the pursuit of excellence in all things,” set forth by Dr. Dieckert throughout his lifetime.

Midwinter Concert

The annual Mid-Winter joint concert by the SRSU Concert Choir and the Wind Ensemble will be presented tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Marshall Auditorium.

The Concert Choir, under the direction of SRSU Associate Professor Donald Callen Freed, will sing compositions ranging from the 15th to the 20th century, including Handel’s “Lord, I Trust Thee,” Mozart’s “Ave Verum Corpus,” Hugo Distler’s  “Praise to the Lord,” Gabriel Faure’s “Cantique de Jean Racine,” Randall Thompson’s “The Road Not Taken,” (based on the poem by Robert Frost), and Donald Freed’s arrangement of “Yellow Rose of Texas.”  Dr. Justin Badgerow, Assistant Professor, will assist at the piano. 

The Wind Ensemble, conducted by Michael Lippard, will play a variety of selections, including “Shenandoah” (arranged by Frank Ticheli), “Slavonic Folk Suite,” by Alfred Reed, “When Jesus Wept,” by William Schuman, “Waves,” by Brian Balmages, and a stirring march by John Philip Sousa entitled “Hands Across the Sea,” (arranged by Jerry Brubaker).

At this free concert several new Sul Ross music majors will be joining the ranks of the Concert Choir and the Wind Ensemble for the first time.  The public is invited to attend this concert by two of the major performing music organizations in Alpine.