Man’s world 24 inches by 6 feet. There has been a lot of color decisions and color removals trying to figure out just what this work is looking for.  There is an effort to try and not use colors that were used on the background, but the leftover options have not been inspiring.  A question is what does any choice of colors and their shapes have to do with the music?  The only answer is that some of the colors, light blues and greens, represent the feminine, and the browns and darker colors are then the boys colors. That makes sense since it is from the music of James Brown, but many of the versions of this music are sung by women  including Joss Stone, Etta James, and Christina Aquilera from the 2007 Grammies.  In that case does color really matter knowing that many of the musical pieces painted by this Artist have been covered by all types of artists with varied musical styles.  Consider that it has never been presumed that any of these canvases are based on any particular artist’s music.  So again, does color matter?

As for the different shapes used, they all comes from out of nowhere, for no other reason then to add interest, and to make the work stand out from all the rest. It could be that the music is just an excuse to doddle in color. Thinking back many years, when bored, with pencil in hand, lines, and shapes where drawn on paper for no other reason then to keep the pencil moving and try somehow, when it was finished to tie it all together.  Most of the time they where pictures of mazes to no where. Maybe, these shapes are just the Artist’s mood following the brush wherever it may go as the music plays.  Maybe, it is the desire to make the music solid, graspable, and available. Music starts and ends then goes to the next piece, and that starts and ends, and finally it all just fads.  Maybe, with this art a particular piece of music can be made to hold the ground a while longer with pretty colors and curious shapes.

Scott Von Holzen