Saturday Night on State Street

by RC DeWinter

Title

Saturday Night on State Street

Artist

RC DeWinter

Medium

Painting - Digital Oils-paintography-photopainting

Description

Copyright 2014 RC deWinter ~ All Rights Reserved

It'd been a long time since I'd sung anywhere in public, and I missed it - the atmosphere, the audience, the wonderful feeling of loosing the notes living in my soul into the air. Some friends had gotten up a jam session at a small club in New Haven, and I decided to join them and possibly sit in.
It was a Saturday night in the dead of winter. Although the recent snow had melted it was frigid outside. Still, the club was crowded with people out to drown winter's misery in music and liquid warmth.
I saw a few folks I knew among the audience and, grabbing a bourbon and ginger, sat down to catch up with them. The band was smoking; gears clicked into place and everything felt right. After a couple of drinks I was so enmeshed in conversation I lost track of time and hadn't gotten up to sing.
Suddenly from across the room a couple of people who'd heard me sing years before zeroed in on me and literally pulled me out of my chair toward the stage.
"Come on, get up there. You know you want to," said one as they unceremoniously dragged me across the room.
I was embarrassed and, unfortunately, a little bit worse for the wear, but figured I could pull off a tune or two. After a quick confab with my friend the guitarist, the band hit the opening notes of a 12 bar blues.
I closed my eyes and opened my mouth and that wonderful warm rush that only singing can give me came rolling in like the caress of a tropical sea. I started off with some restraint, but by the second chorus I was wailing the blues as if my life depended on it. The response was enthusiastic, so I sang another.
Acknowledging the applause, I said "Thank you, that's it" and walked back to my table. Between the singing and the drinks I'd begun to sweat, so I decided to step outside into the night to cool down.
I stood there smoking, staring down the street at the lights in the distance, thinking what a long strange trip my life has indeed been. Suddenly someone was standing at my side. I turned and there was Edward, carrying his ever-present satchel full of eclectica and art supplies.
"You're very good, you know," he said in the unemotional way he said most things. "You really ought to get out and do this more often."
Shocked isn't the word to describe how I felt seeing Edward Hopper in the middle of downtown New Haven on a frosty February night.
"How in the world did you come to be here?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be in New York?"
He smiled briefly and said, "Josie and I came up to see friends at Yale. After dinner she was tired and soon went to bed, but I decided to wander a bit. How fortunate that my curious wings landed me here. I had no idea you could sing like that. And I like the look of the street; I may have to do something with it."
That was one of the longest speeches I've ever heard Edward make, but by now I was freezing so I wished him a good night and went back inside. His voice echoed inside me like the voice of my conscience, telling me I should get back to what I really loved, but instead I got back to more bourbon and ginger, enjoying the camaraderie and the occasional praise for my singing from people passing the table.
When I finally left, the sidewalk was empty except for other patrons leaving the club. Edward had returned to wherever he was staying. I didn't expect to hear from him anytime soon.
A couple of weeks later I received a small package in the mail. I recognized the return address and eagerly but carefully tore off the wrapping. Imagine my surprise when inside was Edward's eye view of the corner of State Street looking down Crown, a wonderful reminder of that night when I went out and sang again.
~ copyright 2014 RC deWinter

Looking up Crown Street from the corner of State and Crown in New Haven, Connecticut on a cold February evening.
Reimagined and painted from an original photograph - February 2014

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Uploaded

May 8th, 2014

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