Hayden Thompson by Tom Hilborn

Hayden Thompson, abstract painting by Tom Hilborn.

From the Saints & Hards art collection.

Dick Vance by Tom Hilborn

Now Dick Vance by Tom Hilborn is a painting that Tom gave to me.  I love the rhythm, the flowing colors in the painting of early American jazz musician Dick Vance.

Dick Vance was born in Cleveland in November, 1915 and died in 1985.  He was an American jazz trumpeter and arranger.

Somewhere along the way, I noticed that this painting of Dick Vance had images of animals and fish woven into its face.  Tom was not only close to the Saints of the Renaissance, the heroes of American rockabilly music, he is also close to nature.  If you look carefully into his paintings, you will see small images of animal life, flora and fauna and sometimes the night skies.

This artistic work of Tom’s has stayed upon my wall for many years.  I still enjoy the painting immensely.  There is always something new that I find in the painting.

This colorful, joyous abstract painting of Bill Riley by Tom Hilborn draws in its audience by its playfulness and touch of humour.

Bill Riley was one of the original American rockabilly musicians, born October 5, 1933 in Arkansas.

This is a short history of his claim to rockabilly fame from Rockabilly.net.
In the 1950s, Bill Riley:

“…recorded Flying Saucer Rock and Roll which was his first hit record. Recording at Sun Studio’s in Memphis, Tennessee, Riley ended up backing up many of the performers who came through the door to do session work at Sun. His guitar and harmonica work was called into play for any performer without a band. Joining him during these sessions were Roland James and J.M. Van Eaton. These three formed a group called the Little Green Men the name drawn from Riley first hit.”

Source:  rockabilly.net

I’ve included a second painting by Tom Hilborn of Bill Riley in this posting which gives you another perspective into Tom’s artistic vision of this “Hard” from the Saints and Hards collection.  This is a darker view of Bill Riley.  If you wish to read more about Bill Riley, go check out the website:  Rockabilly.net, the ultimate source for rockabilly information.

I wish Bill Riley could see these works of art.  There ain’t no Saints here.

Another painting from the Saints & Hards art exhibit.  This one is titled “CowBoy Copas” by Tom Hilborn.  This painting blends the image of  Cowboy Copas (Hards) and a Madonna-like image which floats above the musician (the saint), abstracted with geometrical shapes.

Cowboy Copas was a popular American country music singer from the 1940s who’s real name was Lloyd Estel Copas.  Cowboy Copas was his stage name.

Andy Boy by Tom Hilborn

“Hards”