Daniel Sperry and I set out one day on the bus from Ashland to Medford where Daniel had secured permission to play his cello at the main bus terminal on Front Street. Other than that Daniel would play his music, we had no plan whatsoever. 

As we set ourselves up, Daniel with his little stool, rug and cello, me with my sketch book and iPhone, we noticed a woman sitting on one of the benches, reading. This was Tamu. 

We began to chat with Tamu and learned that she had been a Shakespearean actress with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland. She is now studying for a post graduate degree in Economics. Tamu agreed to be part of our project, and met with us again to help us gather the material we needed. The painting above depicts Tamu as she sat reading and listening to Daniel play music in the park.

Here is a piece by Tamu describing the moments before our first meeting:

“The Cello Man sings as a memory wriggles loose and hovers above . . . in the moment before . . . I chose this book from the shelf . . . in the moment before . . . I chose to cross that street . . . I chose to sit here and read . . . the moment before . . .  . . . in that moment before I chose to read this page . . . who was I? The blessing was born in the moment before I knew I was blessed . . . In the NOW is the time for thanksgiving . . . “

Tamu