Month: May 2011

S_V_H Like a Prayer image2

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

Like a Prayer 2 panel 24 inches by 8 feet:
This image is the completed background for the music.  Next, the notes will be drawn in using a slow drying titanium white acrylic. In the past the background was reworked only after the music had a mature look to it.   What will be a different technique, this time, is once the  basic draft of the notes are in place, and checked for position, the background is going to be worked once again.  Color contrasts in the shape of basic rectangles will move with the notes.  Not sure the look here, or even the colors that would work.  Beyond that, the only sure thing is that they will be either 5mm or 10mm in width,  elongated rectangles with a look that will shake up the background and create interest and probably movement. Maybe this will be too much, or too decorative, or too meaningless.  It is idea that just popped up.  We will see.

Scott Von Holzen

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S_V_H Like a Prayer image1

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

Like a Prayer 24 inches by 8 feet:
Prayer is the third and final image in this made up trilogy: music themes dealing with faith.  It is going to be a hard fit.  Madonna was a favorite of this artist many years ago.  Prayer only surface during a browsing search for a new music theme for the next painting.  As always, it is hard to start on the next work until the current one is finished.  That is not the way this artist wants to work that is just how it works.  Since it was hard to break the mood of Thunder, Prayer seemed a logical choice.  The music has a lot of musical variations that help, and words that offer different meanings, but how small of a canvas could be used?  Hallelujah was ten feet.  Thunder was nine feet and length.  With some effort Prayer could fit on a chosen eight foot canvas.

Not much to look at.  The first picture is usually the results of  an exercise in putting paint on canvas in a effort to cover up big chunks of whiteness.  The color theme of Cyan just seemed a natural fit with this music.

Even after a music theme is picked there is some reconsideration that occurs because this artist knows that there are many great pieces of music that he will never have the opportunity to interpret.  There is this feeling that only the best of the best should be a considered. But, it just does not work that way. It is like what is happening right now, listening to Cherish by the Association that just happen to play, and knowing that there is something about this music that reminds the artist of days gone by. It is about the mood of the artist.  It is about taking a walk and the music just comes up next, that puts it in the mind.  It is about hearing  the music done by a different artist that surprises. It is about finding a part of the music that fits on the canvas size that is chosen to be used next. And it is about finding just the right words that makes the work  come together.  The art does not care what music it is portraying, it only cares that it is interesting, and fits.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Thunder Road final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

Thunder Road 3 panel 36 inches by 9 feet.
Just few dabs of paint, the cleaning of the canvas edges, and the name, date and signature and this work is finished.  It has been over a month. The song Thunder Road, all ten versions in the collection,  have now a total number of 273 plays.   It would have been more except this last week, the music filter was set for Bruce Springsteen, so another 150 songs were given a chance to be heard.  Of those the one song that stuck a chord, surprisingly was Youngstown, especially the live version.  There will never be enough time in this lifetime to get to that music, but it’s effect lingers, as Thunder Road will for weeks to come.

How would this painting rate, with its rival Hallelujah, and with this artist progress?  The darkness of Hallelujah’s background and the power of blue is hard to criticize, and could have been used with Thunder, but that seemed redundant.  The strength of the violet strip in the middle of Thunder does give it a snap that the Hallelujah lacks.  Thunders eight notes are a lot more intricate in design and colors, but it is not sure that is better then the simpler , and maybe stronger, Hallelujah. The more complicated colors relationships, and shapes use in Thunder, does add considerable more interest.  The notes themselves in Thunder spin across the canvas and are more interesting then the dimmer and basic design used in Hallelujah.  Hallelujah’s word is stronger but its thickness did not seem appropriate in Thunder. Also, more important in Thunder, was that its words blend more with the whole canvases muted color theme.

One thing that grew over the weeks with Thunder, that strongly resembles Hallelujah, and even exceeds it, is its emotional impact of being music of faith. Thunder is not a song about God saving the poor soul, that cannot save itself.  It is bigger then that. It is about the strength of faith in the beliefs of two people, to lift themselves up and above that they once where. Thunder is about a chance for salvation.  Thunder is about a belief greater than any pray to God.  Thunder is about people taking control and responsibility for their own destiny.  Thunder surprised  this artist, and hopefully Thunder will stir a better understanding of what true salvation is about.

Scott Von Holzen