I have this instrumental by Bill Evans, an interesting jazz pianist, stored in my Favorite Songs playlist on Apple Music, but until now I never thought about painting it. This music caught my attention at the right time, while Iwas looking for a new project. My mood is for a lighter song, involving only a basic three-person jazz melody comprising piano, bass, and simple background use of drums. What stood in this Evans cover of My Foolish Heart is the stand-up bass accompanimen, and these lyrics: “When you’re lost in the magic of a kiss. Her lips are much too close to mine. Beware, my foolish heart”
The beginning of a new project involves several first steps, including creating a worksheet to make sure the “sampled” music fits on the canvas. In this first image there are three prominent adjustable metal strips. The worksheet therefore has three staves. When working on the artwork I will use us my own custom notation and this worksheet to build and attach the notes from my cover sheet music onto those three arrangeable metal pieces.
Of interest, and for a better feel of the music, I search for live video versions of this song. I also read up on the song’s history, noticing that it was Billy Eckstine’s version of My Foolish Heart that became a popular hit. I doubt I would have chosen this music based on this original 1950s version so at first, excluded this audio from the post. My thinking was I did not want the reader to think an old guy doing an old song. Bill Evans’ jazz cover is how I came to know this song. Later I realized an interesting take on the Evans and Eckstine versions. The sheet music did not change between the two songs. The lyrics didn’t change. But fourteen years separate the Eckstine and Evans recordings, and that timeline I now see as a difference in the music’s “style”. The music never changed; what changed was its presentation. Amazingly, that it is now 62 years after Bill Evans’ versions. And now the same idea of changing the style, not the music, is happening again..
A little aside and then back to the artwork.
I have often wondered if I could step outside myself. Here is a little top off my cup of coffee before going back to work.
My posting time has not kept up with my work in progress. That is because I was spending weeks of my time on one important art submission, and a backup. I had enough 2026 works to submit to the ARC Gallery in Chicago, but I wanted to add two fresh artworks. This turned out to be challenging and time-consuming. This art, no matter the needs, continues to develop. And when it does, this requires a lot of trial-and-error adjustments, timeline be damn. The results where I barely finished each of them to only be just enough to submit on their last deadline dates. Unexpectedly, both submissions received a friendly, generic rejection.
I know well “rejections” over the years. This time felt different. I thought all the effort with these two recent works, especially the one titled Rolling in the Deep, would present enough interest to make the first cut at the ARC Gallery. I also felt that of the two latest works, one would be a solid choice for the local Pablo Annunal exhibit. This thinking comes from previous rejections by The ARC Gallery, allowing me to improve on my submissions. As for the Pablo I have shown there twice over the years, with 2021 and Play That Song being my last. I knew well that the exhibition is a crap-shoot because the jurors change every year, meaning every year is a simply reset, no matter the quality of the art.
That got me wondering if I stepped outside myself, could I see this art objectively with the same eye as the artist? What would I think of his wall hanging interactive, constructive sculpture wall art? I believe I would be curious enough to at least think, “Who is this guy, and what is he up to? “ In over twenty years of putting this art out there, “connecting” to people and walls has been temporary at best, and missing at most. I put these thoughts here because they are part of where I am right now with this art. And even though they have little to do with today’s art direction, the past has everything to do with this present project.
Here are a couple of earrlier versions of this artwork showing my build of the stereo system that will be added, inbetween the two side-firing speakers.
Here are of couple of live videos of My Foolish Heart along with this interesting audio of a favorite singer of mine and working with Bill Evans.
Mr. Brightside is the assistant editor, along with the software ProWritingAid. The author remains responsible for the final version.
“No AI-generated or AI-altered imagery; photographs are camera-captured by Scott Von Holzen.” 08/25
Scott Von Holzen
