First the slang word ain’t is detested, and yet when sung by Bill Withers it seems to work.  It is cold in Wisconsin and  today the general weather seems to be effecting the concentration and drive.  Last night was spent painting in some, and cleaning up, sharping some edges, and signing.  Tonight, this work will be gone over and let go, but the mood, right now to start another, is lacking some enthusiasm.

Lately, there has been a number of these two foot by six foot canvases and they are starting to look somewhat repetitive.  There is a anxious creative need to do a Classical work to shake it all up, but the feel for this music has been weak, and unimpressive.  The music is searched out and played and the information is gathered about how great the work is, but it is hard to be convinced.  Do not know where this comes from.  Time was spent browsing Mozart, and Vivaldi, and just recently Chopin’s waltz Op. 64 No. 2.  The canvas is only eight feet by three feet a must to break this two foot binge of lately, which means about 32 notes.  That few of notes for a Classical piece makes it is hard to find a start and end point.  The start point is going to be a start it here because the measure breaks with the previous measure. The end is harder because a lot of good classical music just keeps moving.   Lucky in this Chopin piece there is a rest that pauses the action and a start that can be chopped off.  Also, a nice early version of this music was found in the Public Domain.   So, time to pump up the creative juices and plunge ahead.  We shall see, if the music fits the height and if so it should be a go.

Back to Ain’t No Sunshine.  There has been a lot of enjoyment listening to the six different versions of this music by: Bill Withers, Aaron Neville,  Bobby Blue Bland, Buddy Guy, Eva Cassidy, and Sting with David Sanborn.  With this variety it has kept the music fresh.  Enjoyed putting down round notes, but would have like them to be larger, like in Winter.  The colors of this work amaze, because they come not from preferences but from the need of the work.  Strange, the work drives the colors, that is driven by the music that in this case comes from a personal arrangement.

A lot of time and frustration was spent with the three ties. Originally they where a lighter green. All have all been washed off and repainted, and changed in style, to try and make them look fresh. Every work of art moves the art forward.  The problem with the style of the ties is that the forward movement has been in a number of different and scattered directions.  Similar to the creative path of the eighth notes which have lately stopped changing in jerky steps with the painting of Naive Melody.

The words are strong and colors sharp and fitting with the music, an exceptional work that challenges the Birthday painting and makes the interesting Cry Me A River, finished near the end of November, seem dated in style.

Scott Von Holzen