Gallery St Clair

Laura Adkins -  There is more to life than Nielsen. There is more to life than Hindemith. When you first learn to play in a woodwind quintet, these pieces are your whole world. There are just a handful of them, and they're all you know. Now, I'm not knocking their musical merit by any means. But there is a distinct failure among woodwind quintets to move beyond these works. Sure they're great, but there's so much more. This is what we've always wanted to do with Eleventh Hour. We've all already played these standard pieces, and while we could approach them from different directions and struggle to pump new life into the proverbial dead horse, we figured we might as well find a live horse and see what it could do. So when we were offered the opportunity to play the Green Mill , we looked purposefully for new pieces, less-popular pieces, and pieces that pushed the envelope in one way or another. Eisler's quintet is often overlooked because Eisler

This is the logo I designed for the Eleventh Hour Woodwind Quintet.  I looked for inspiration from the style of new music that they embrace.  Since they are very artsy and somewhat avant garde I was drawn to using geometric to create the illusion of passing time.  I didn't want anything to be too obvious but it needed to clearly project the message of excellence in artistic performance. Shel St Clair

Sigh... He exists, but in a dream. And dreaming, I draw from him What there is to draw from illusion, Life, breath, reason, insanity. I pull close only to find that I have passed through. He is afraid of reality And I must wake. Shel St Clair

Shel St CLair    Business Plans Are Vastly Over-Rated I have been starting and developing small businesses as a consultant for 20+ years and I have been paid to work on countless plans that were not worth the paper they were written on.  The uncontested winner for first place in the category of most important item in starting a small business is, (drum roll) have a solid idea .  That’s right, have a good business idea.  It doesn’t have to be completely unique or original but it needs to be good.  For example, a neighborhood grocery store specializing in gourmet deli items, not unique but if well run it will be a winner if…  Well, if what?  If the location and merchandising of the store are correct.  If not all the best planning in the world will bomb.  So what is your idea?  What do YOU want to do?  Would you buy it?  Why would the people around you buy it?   Imitate What Works Not What Doesn’t Even if your business idea is entirely original and no-one else has ever t

Supreme Court set to rule on health care reform This is the title of an article on CBS News this morning.  who would have thought that when Obama took office that right before his second political campaign for the Presidency the U.S. Supreme court would be ruling on a maverick act that his administration will be judged by.  Obama, the feel good President.  I always find a comparison between him and previous Presidents interesting.  Ronald Regan for instance was a true celebrity, talented, driven, a personality, heart, and intellect that were larger than life and instantly drew people to him.  Regan could be right or wrong but either way you knew he was truly great.  Not so with Obama, he seeks the part of celebrity alright, in the same tacky way that Paris Hilton did, using the office of President to promote a type of individual popularity that is strikingly Junior High.  Reagan said a few golden things that will last in history as the earth changing cries of a society that demanded th

I drew this with oil pastels from a photo that I took early in the morning on a vacation that we took to WY.  - Shel St Clair

The Whole Market and the Hole in the Market Shel St Clair Some 50 years ago a man by the name of Kozy Boren had a vision; he saw a hole in a market, and he found it in an industry that exists solely to make its own customers money.  I point this out because both of these are unique and Kozy touched each in a manner that affected thousands of people individually and the entire U.S. Economy.  Rarely does a man find himself in the exact position on the earth to understand the alignment of the stars and see into the future.  However that club is not as exclusive as the one whose members are made up of those who did something about it and had a positively impact.  This is a truly special man.    In the U.S., the development and growth of small business is encouraged because of the way our economy is tied to the greater philosophy of individual freedom.  Small business is the American way.  This covers the entire spectrum of representative citizens regardless of background, education,

http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=274915 Israel Bombed This Morning IAF strikes Gaza terrorist launching rocket into Israel By JPOST.COM STAFF 06/23/2012 14:30 IDF thwarts rocket attack; Kassam injures 50-year-old Sderot resident; Hamas military wing threatens Israel over air strikes; projectile hits Sderot school causing damage; over 20 rockets fired into southern Israel. Photo: REUTERS The Israeli Air Force on Saturday struck a Palestinian terrorist who was preparing to  launch  a rocket into Israeli territory from northern Gaza, the IDF stated. The IDF recorded a direct hit and thwarted the rocket attack. Related: Hamas: We'll stop rockets if Israel ends aggression Since Schalit deal, IDF rearrests 15 terrorists "The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers will continue to act against anyone who uses terror against Israel," the IDF said in a statement. "The terrorist organization Hamas

The sky is cold, white Irreproachable, pure, white, cold It is like her heart.

Don't say I didnt warn you... You should not expect to find much of use here.  This is a project, a study of sorts in  human interest .  While there is still breath in me I wish to chronolog the events and thoughts of my life.  I hope you find them amusing, I know I do.   I refuse to be held responsible for the intellectual or spiritual content of this Site.  I intend to ramble about various and sundry thoughts and observations that I have.  I shall also tell you stories about my life and the lives of those that I love and have loved.  I will not be held accountable for their precise factual content but I promise that they will be full of  truth .  In turn, I would love to hear what you think.   I will not promise to be politically polite in my responses but I am a caring soul so I will be kind.  I plan on inventing words so if you come across one please feel free to ask what it means.  I am interested in your thoughts, more than that; I am interested in how you formed

When I was a small child my mother would compare me to   Lucy Van Pelt .  Maybe you remember her, she was Linus’ sister; Linus was  Charlie Brown's   best friend.  Lucy always had an opinion and she expressed it frequently.  While I understood that the comparison was another way of saying that children should be seen and not heard, I became fascinated with Lucy and why my mother would compare me to her instead of simply saying, be quiet.  I was 5 or 6 when I began to listen to the undercurrent of language that was spoken in my household and the world beyond.  Language was like a river, it could be shallow, deep, smooth, turbid, clear, murky, or a myriad of other things but one thing was for certain, there was always a surface meaning and there was always something going on underneath. Why Lucy?  Well, what mother was pointing out is that I constantly analyzed people, their motives and actions and then openly commented on them.  Not a very lady like quality in a primped and curl

,  Chicago based composer Max Pankau, born in 1984, is the son of best-selling author Ed Pankau and artist Shel St Clair.  His professional music career began at 18 when he joined the US Army Band. Assigned to the   76th Army Band , in Mannheim, Germany, Pankau toured Europe playing private military functions and civilian concerts.  While there he gained performance experience in large ensemble and chamber music and was featured as a solo artist.  In the winter of 2005, he played at Belgium's national festival for the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. In Europe he formed relationships with professional musicians and through them broadened and developed his musical taste.  Pankau studied horn under Andrew Joy , principle horn of WDR Sinfonieorchester, and Peter Arnold, an international soloist.   While he did compose in this period, his compositions did not yet have the clear direction of New Music and focused mostly on the blues and jazz.  Musica

Shel St Clair Caelestis Incognita; An empire awaiting explorers and conquerors ·          Discover and master a new kingdom – your human soul ·          Rise to power with the influence you attain over others ·          Master; love, friendship, companionship ·          Solve the mystery of human existence ·          Dominate and control your universe Kallitopia, a nation that dwells in the reaches of hyperspace.  This is the opportunity to explore an undiscovered realm, to populate and dominate a frontier that is both pure and virgin, and inhabited by pagan savages.  The kingdom must first be populated by brave pioneers, those who will first face the challenge of dominating their own will in order to properly influence others.  Press into the inner reaches of the darkest savage jungles, the mind and emotion of first yourself and then others, to subdue bestial urge through the exercise of ethical and philosophical instruction.  Rise to the summit of the Kallitopia

Midwest Sourcing Brings Full Internet Marketing Blitz to Small Businesses Shel St Clair There is buzz everywhere in the technological world about the advancement of demand for mobile viability in websites.  Why?  Because it is the new way of doing business!  Consumers are learning a new way to make buying decisions; they are being trained by internet savvy directories to search online via mobile for everything from “Breakfast food – Lincoln Park” to “Plumber – Downtown Chicago”.  Spontaneous buying decisions account for the better part of sales for most small merchants, and the trick has always been finding ways to attract those customers.  Twenty years ago a large and attractive sign in front would suffice for most businesses, but a unique development has recently arisen.  A brave new world of consumers now carries with them a devise with which they constantly communicate.  All of their online society knows everything: where they are, what they just ate, did they like it,

About_Shel_St_Clair

Shel St Clair artist

Okay… So I live in Chicago, therefore everyone I know was in some way been immediately affected by the recent NATO conference.  I watched the news, I watched video uploads.  Sigh… Thank God for the police.  Here are a couple of thoughts for you, what would you do if there were no police or military?  Really?  No. I’m not kidding, what would you do? Alright, you hate NATO.  Remember it was formed in hope of it being a peace keeping organization?  If it were disbanded because it is a “war monger” what would the ensuing political ramifications be?  Ever read  Lord of the Flies ?  Individual reaction and societal reaction to disorder and lack of authority are very similar.  Well they are different in this way.  Countries are larger and individuals usually don’t have nuclear arms.  So, no NATO,… okay, who do the countries of this world answer to? http://shelstclair.com/pages/About_Shel_St_Clair_blog