Hank Jochum, my dad, painted this in the late 1930's, just after he and my mother, Jane Jochum, married, and just before he served in WWII in the army as a PFC. There are only a handful of his paintings and pastels. Life, family, the war and responsibilities seemed to overshadow his creative side.
Yet he still played guitar at neighborhood gatherings,and pulled that guitar out many nights after a long day at work.
Hank is solid with me in so many ways, I feel his inspiration in my artful expressions. He once asked "Who's gonna help these girls?", referring to Rubyfruit Begonia, my first women's band in the 1970's in Pennsylvania. Hank taught me, and us, his version of "Nancy Brown", a song from the '40's that he surely sang with "The Agony Four of the Medical Corps", his fellow PFC's.
My Mama, Jane...."Captain Grammar", wise owl...actress and writer in a parallel universe.
Sister Gail. Wearing a "Cowboy Hank" tshirt, and hosting the 20th (and what turned out to be the final) Garage Band.
Held every summer at Gail and Chuck's home - in the GARAGE, of course, torrential rain or torrid heat - we would play for HOURS and HOURS and HOURS. It was some of the most fun I had playing music, truly.
Gail Jochum, early 1950's
|
"Hole in the Sky" - Isle of Skye, Scotland 1991, Gail J. Blacklock
|
Listen: Hole in the Sky ©2012Beth Jochum
|
|
Kevin Lord Homer, joyously playing his bass in 2011 with his uncle Glenn, auntie Beth, and some friends. This beautiful soul journeyed on in January 2018. I placed this photo inside this favorite Georgia O'Keeffe painting as I see him ascending to a Higher Place. The cross necklace belonged to his Mom (and my beloved sister), Gail Blacklock.
|
rising above
