NED

NED’S MYOGRAPHY

I love art. I draw, paint, carve, photograph, create and perform music. I was born on Thanksgiving Day 1953 in Sparta, Michigan. I grew up in the country, west of town in the fruit belt/dairy farm area. My ancestry is full of artists, musicians, performers, and many other very interesting individuals. This produced talented and encouraging parents that let me explore my interests. This family also produced alcoholics and care givers. I have no addictions, but I am a psycho-magnet. …Go figure! I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters. I am the fourth from the oldest of many talented siblings. When I was a little boy I would get toys for Christmas and wind up playing with the boxes they came in. One Christmas my Grandma Cleta gave me a huge box filled with larger to smaller boxes, and spools and paper rolls that I turned into works of design. That was my best present and a great memory of her! I would make all kinds of fun things. When JFK was killed I was at home sick from school making an oven out of a box, to cook a sewn turkey I had fashioned out of old socks. When I got my first drum set it was one that I made out of round oatmeal containers with pan lids for cymbals that I played with two tinker toy sticks. I always listened closely to my Mother play her piano and sing. I learned to play it and wrote my first song when I was 8 or 9 years old. When I was in my very early teens, my brother, Jim, sold me his old Gibson acoustic guitar and I learned to play it by ear and with the help of instruction books. By that time I had assembled two broken drum sets into one working one. I was doing all of my other art too. I loved drawing a lot, but music always seemed to utilize all of the arts together into one. I was in many different kinds of bands over the years. I met many fascinating tortured artists and fun people. I married 3 times and have 7 children: Ian, Chi, Cory, Joy, Tom, Brheanna, and Clara. I have now been blessed with 7 grandchildren, Mia, Aidan, Nolan, Liam, Eliy, Arheanna and Dante. Sara (Buckwheat), is my best friend, always. I felt when we got married, that everything was now the way it was supposed to be. I believe in Jesus and kindness. I still have my eccentric flair, though it is a little faded. Today I don’t like most music because so much of it is not inspired or written from the heart. In Heaven, I doubt the music has to be 3 minutes long, have a hook, be easy to dance to, and is being performed by dancers who happen to sing a little bit. The world needs art that is responsible, and at the same time, to not be controlled by a few limited imaginations. Maybe it just needs families to pass it on to the next generations from family members that they will never meet. Maybe it can be found on a lone web page that few can find, but those who do, can appreciate. I really don’t know. Some of the gifts that I have been given are on display here.

My Pooka is my friend!

Universal. Ned. Campy. Lumpy. Engorged.

.......Engorged I'm sure!