I love the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.
It started in 2001 as the Strictly Bluegrass festival and evolved from there. One rich guy, Warren Hellman, endowed the festival as a gift. Now many thousands gather in the park for one great act after another.
I enjoy setting up a blanket in a good spot, and dancing a little while I draw each band. See the art below.
marker and pencil on paper, 8” x 10”, 10/3/2026
Steve Earle talked about choosing a different bluegrass band to join him on stage each year at the festival. His commitment to bluegrass inspired me to only use color pencil for this drawing. I didn’t stick to that, though. I added some marker at the end to give the art some extra pop.
marker and pencil on paper, 8” x 10”, 10/3/2026
I was hopping stages at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival and didn’t see all of Laurie Lewis’ set, so this drawing has a bit more of an abstract quality to it.
marker and pencil on paper, 8” x 10”, 10/3/2026
I got a CD of Hot Tuna’s Splashdown in the 90’s and had it on heavy rotation through college. I had to see former Jefferson Airplane members Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady perform live, and am very thankful to my friends who got us a spot so close to the stage.
As with all of the other drawings of musicians on this site, this was created in the moment at the show.
marker and pencil on paper, 8” x 10”, 10/3/2026
It was quite a surprise treat when Peter Rowan came out to join the show on the banjo stage.
marker and pencil on paper, 8” x 10”, 10/4/2026