The Art Of Sotiris Bafitis & His Wine Expertise- Service Call To Me Regularly At Cleveland Park Wines, Washington D.C. Before 2009, After ...

I should have posted this a very long time ago and am going to post it now as it is very apropos to the GREEK Big Theme Wine-Tasting that we will be hosting very soon at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008, Tel:202-363-4265 sales@clevelandparkwine.com, www.clevelandparkwine.com ).

The GREEK " Big Theme " Wine-Tasting is on Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 ( 5:30-8:30PM ) and everyone is invited so come join us. We will have three other people pouring besides Nikolas and Sotiris Bafitis ( Nikolas is the president of Nikolas Imports that specializes in Greek wines. The two will be our two featured guests for this Greek Moment Of Wine here in our nation's capitol. It will be fun and educational to host this Greek evening of around thirty or so wines from Greece which will include three Retsina resin wines.

No need to call, just come and enjoy the experience as it and the wines wash over you and make you believers of the excellent, varied and really world-class high-quality of Greek wines today.




Sotiris brought me the ATLANTIS wines a very long time ago. I credit Sotiris with bringing Greek wines to the fore-front/attention of the Washington D.C. metropolitan dining/wine scene when he made the first wine list for the still-trendy Washington D.C. restaurant Zatinya and included many Greek wines. The restaurant became an immediate success and the rest is history as many of us already know.

There have been many questions raised over the years of which distributor has the right to sell which Greek wines in Washington D.C. ( and when I talk to each and everyone of them I hear another story ). Let it suffice to say that for all of this the selection of Greek wines here in Washington D.C. and that I am thrilled to sell them and have been for thirty years or so now. I have written much on this and am thrilled to continue doing so.




In preparation for this GREEK Big-Theme Wine-Tasting I have taken many samples of Greek wines down to the beach provided to me by both Nikolas Imports and Dionysos Imports. I have not tried them all yet but am still off for this week here at home in northern Virginia and will continue to sample them before our Big-Event in just another week from now. It's Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 12:30 PM as I type this blog and get ready to post it.




I tasted all these wines pictured above with Sotiris a year ago back in 2009. I have since bought and sold them all to grand success. My daughter was even able to go over and visit Mathew the owner of ATLANTIS and have a tour of the winery. Sotiris arranged this for me and I thank you both Sotiris and Mathew for what you did for my daughter's visit there to your winery and to the beautiful island of Santorini where she had a wonderful week in their off-season in the first week of December 2009. I wish that I had been able to be there with her. Oh well ... perhaps the next time.




This was downloaded here on my art blog because I wanted to make t more about the art of Sotiris and Sotiris the Man that by the way got married and has a beautiful young child born recently. Congratulations on both Sotiris!





Being an artist I am always looking at things through my artist's eyes and wanting to show visually as much as through words the moment that I have shared with my visitors to Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits. This one was an old-friends, casual and totally relaxed visit with just me and Sotiris. I have been buying Greek wines now from Sotiris for seven or more years and so there is little pretense or pomp and circumstance. We taste, talk, joke, tell stories, ask leading questions of one another and I always try and enjoy the moment I share together with him to the very fullest.




I really enjoyed taking these more artsy photos that speak to the truth and relaxed nature of our time here spent together now back by the office.

I have more to write and add later today here but for the moment will post this " as-is " and finish really soon. Stay-tuned ...











Enjoy these fun photos, cheers, ... I loved some of these wines including the ATLANTIS dry rose. TONY

My Early Prints "To A Discerning Eye" That William Stanley Hayter Might Have Really Liked Back In 1978 When I Made Them If He Had Ever Looked At Them

In the black and white etching above : " To A Discerning Eye " I did it on le 10 Juillet, 1978, Lundi ( Monday ).

Here in the dark Navy-blue etching below , also called " To A Discerning Eye " ( Troisieme Etat, #6 ) it was pulled/printed on Mardi ( Tuesday ) le 27 Juin, 1978. Funny, both of these etching were done about this same time now ( it's now Thursday, really early morning, July 30th, 2009 at 1:07 AM ) : that's 31 years ago. Wow, how the glorious time has flown! It sure has been a good ride, really. I also have never felt more artistically alive and awake and in love with life and all my art expressions from drawing, watercolors, collage work, poetry and photography. I'm alive and thriving and only lacking time and energy to accomplish all that I still want to : whatever or wherever that may be and lead me ...




Here are two Artist's proofs that I did ( one in black ink, and one in dark navy blue ink ) of a very early plate that I made using textures, cloth, fabrics to make it. I think if Bill Hayter had ever really looked at it he would have approved and even perhaps really liked it. Of course I have no way of knowing any of this except from the times he actually spoke to us downstairs at his Atelier 17 in the basement.

He did this a couple of times if not more and I even have a sketch or two that he made of his ideas and how to actualize/ better visualize them. I'm glad that I kept them. I will take a picture of them and include them here later. It was nice, we would all sit around a drawing table downstairs and he would take the time to show and to teach us some basics of etching. He had a very kind smile. His face itself was as if completely etched. Perhaps it was a bit more like it had been carved first and then etched later as well : like a bas-relief in gnarled/grizzled flesh with curly hair.

Even after all these years I am very pleased to know that I worked in Bill's Atelier 17. I met so many people from around the world and that, too was worth as much if not more. His Atelier 17 was a very good place for people to meet and to work side-by-side and to exchange ideas and learn by observing as well as from talking and actually sharing ideas and experiences.

Enjoy these two copies above. I will be adding to this blog and writing many more about my experiences in Paris, France from 1977-1980 when I etched at the Atelier Calvert Brun, then at Atelier 17 with William Stanley Hayter and his two assistants Juan and Hector Saunier : and then at the end when I was the assistant to Joelle Serve at her own etching workshop.

Great times and experiences that are fun to remember in bits and pieces. Cheers, TONY

The Art Of The 2005 DE MEYE Chardonnay From Stellenbosch, South Africa, With Theresa Morrison @ Cleveland Park July 2009

Enjoy these artsy photos I took last week of Theresa Morrison and the bottle of 2005 DE MEYE Chardonnay with the wine poured in a Reidel glass. I love the color of bright sunshine in the glass. These few pictures tell a story all in and of themselves. Are you buying into it?

We are currently selling the wine here at Cleveland Park Wines & Spirits ( 3423 Connecticut Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20008 sales@clevelandparkwine.com www.clevelandparkwine.com Tel: 202-363-4265 ) and have just ordered more to come today,

I take I hope more evocative pictures that speak of color and form and focus on specific parts of the picture as the overall composition. I also hope to have things within date and fix and provide a clue to the particular moment that each picture frame captures.

Cheers, TONY

Early Paris Sketches Done In My Paris, France Sketch Books Of 1978-1980 / Black And White & Color Watercolors

Hope you enjoy these. They sure do bring back a lot of old ideas and memories. Done before I got married and was living in Paris, France in a chambre de bonne in the 16th arrondisement on the Avenue Paul Doumer - le quartier riche a Paris ... TONY

Life's Got A Death Grip / Hold On Me / I'm Here For The Whole Show ... Monday Morn. 1 AM July 13th, 2009

I think these are from the early nineties. I will check and put the correct dates in soon. They may have been done in 1990 or 1991 - even as early as 1989 because that is when I began these, I think in September of 1989 when my wife and daughter were off on vacation and I had to stay at home and go to work. Cheers ...







Here are some of my early color mixed-media pieces done on paper and here just in time to celebrate life and tomorrow's French " Bastille Day ". Cheers and hope you like them. I sure had fun drawing them and writing this one Word-Poem that I have included here along with the mixed-media pieces. TONY

Sunday Afternoon Live Jazz Music 2009 ( March )At The Home Of Lee And Leslie

Music Live , Jazz Raz Ma Pa Tazz
Graazz Fazz Snazz So Live Alive
I Sure Did Thrive ... For Yeah 'Nough
Vi Vi Vie My Mine Vite Fast Quick
Vited To Li Is List Iste Iste
Isten To Music Jazz Alive
Those Gath At Ath Ath Athed Here There
Round Did So Very Thri Hriv Htrive
Thrive ...


I Could Hear It As I Approached Their House,
my friends of ever and ever and go strong
still ever of long long ago. Our bond does grow,
our fect ect ection other for do does stren ren
engt engt engthen moe mo more time with time was
is still now of the now hear the here music live
now home theirs in out so good great leve jazz my year

Sec Sec Second It Me Bless Does Beckon Thanks Be To
Friends My Old New Of Les Es Eslie Lee Whee Three Us
Others Too No Blues Just Jazz Live Great Sounds Moods
Broods Be I Trill I Spill I Fill Over Flow Go Fast Not
Slow Pics Take I Me My Ohhhh I Do Love The Sounds Live
Hearing Steering Me My Acts My Pics My Comps Doze Po
Po Sit Stand Twirl Sitions Quick Quick Lick It Itt
Itty Bitty Lotsy Mid Id Iddle Throb Trob Obbin' Bob
Baba A Obbin' Abbin' Me Mind Gu Gu Uts Butts Soles
To Head My Heart My Art Consoles Souls A Stabbin
Grabbin Gnabbin' ...

Kemoe Reamoe Rambo Tab Tab Apps Live Tabbin ' ...
No Here Apple Just Peops A Play La La Tra La Playin'
Intrsues Trues Trucs Things Deir Theirs Trume
Strum Instruments Blarrin' Flairin'
Us Down Starin/Sqaurin' None Us Sparin' ...
All Us Done Been Had With Muse Jazz Sounds
'Cert Burt Urt Earned Earnie Earnest Nest Ours
Jazz Now Soled Poled Paired Snared
A-Snarrin , ...



I loved hearing the sounds as I approached their house to hear all this great live jazz. This was my second time round, my moment to throw self mine and to roll around the sounds like if they were to be a carpet that I could roll round my body and carry/listen/succumb

constantly at will, anytime to their sounds played over
and over to delight to bright to flesh mesh thresh me
out shout swim river up purp purr urp urpose me like
up river me as trout ... point my snout push up up up
up 'n out ...

I was very pleased to be returning a second time for what promised to be more great live jazz, more people to meet, more new sounds to hear. Thank you for inviting me. I am now here to hear and poised with camera my ohhh my all mine ! In sounds now I do will cert will blurt flirt sound jazz's with ...




This man sure does play a wicked harmonica. I love the harmonica, really I do : it infil fills me trates me fibers synapses flesh blooded bathed paved and all. I love the blurred motion pictures I got of him as he moved as if the music was his muse to muss to him entrust with deliverance it's gift sounds jazzed to us all ...




These pictures top and bottom are of my wonderful friends and hosts. Of them I sing praise raise glass my wine of filled praising this their effort

Once gain I again much so verry very mucho
Mas muy merry cups coups-beau beautes beautiful
Beau beau coups live jazz butter bliss blast last
I soon be plasted blasted gnasted teeth theirs sounds
Abounds all me rounds salvs their salvo vo vo vos voes
Visions jazz me them to fuzin' contuzin'
Words-a-makin' Pressions Like Prints As
Their Art A Makin,
Over bod mine breakin' sna na snakkin,
Me soon now a flakin, ...

I can't seem to write plain 'n simple here as I begin to hear all over these sounds wondrous of all over again ... so please excuse me while as Jimmy said "I kiss the sky " ...






Let this drummer set the beat and help add to the tone the tenor the mood the wit the art the smart till be us struck over by music by truck till quite us

All be stark our arcs our nake ache aked
Breaked aked ked keds akedness till we like
To confess cert not be de dee deep depressed
Rather but happy lots all out butts 'spose
'Posed guts nuts ours tats for our tits our
Wits our saliva our spitz pits ... happy as be can
We Be 'Duced 'Sprused Gaaahhh Nused Noosed Truced

Down To Core To Scivvy To Wear
Under To
Below Skin Ours
Jazz Be Us Make Spazz

Dee Eeee Eep Into Like Subs
Like Before Marines
Water In Over

To Born Where We Be Been
Our True Our Colors
To All Our Vid Vid Idual
Now Pooles Pools Of
'Bined Come Com Yeah
Bliss Fill Us Lows To Highs
Sighs To Cries
Us Fill Now Spill Full




It's so all-consuming that people have to take a break, to chill to be bit 'laxed : especially these two fine musicians that play the same instrument. What more can they have to say to each other now after having waxed poetic so on this same fine bass violin?!?







Red wine for one , water for the other. The print a one-of-a-kind behind the man's head of white -silver hair called " La Fete " made way, way back in 1980 in Paris by me. Nice to see it there. It sure does bring back memories. And here we have a great fete/ a party grand and beautiful and filled with live jazz sounds.

This Tuesday, in two days it will be France's " Bastille Day " and their will be lots of small as well as big, grand fetes everywhere!





I sure do love the sax, and here so close for all of us to hear hear hear! Wow!




And here come more of those pounding live drums drums drums ...