Month: February 2012

S_V_H The Pretender image3

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

The Pretender 4 panels with main panel 20 inches (51cm) by 5 feet (152 cm). The color is off with the far left lower panel, which should be more golden than orange.  I will work on the photography.  There is a lot to learn for with these odd shaped works it is more difficult to get the perspective corrected.  Matching colors is always hard, but this usually improves with the updates.  Obviously, it is important that the viewer is seeing what the artist sees, and this means being carefully, and honest, when working with these images in Photoshop.

The three panels where chosen and placed to better display the flow of this music.  Adding them actually solves a problem that has existed since this art was started: finding the right size canvas to  fit the music chosen.

There has always been a limited number of canvas sizes to chose from.  Because of that, it became the common practice to drill holes in the sides, and connect multiple canvases together with bolts, so that the music would fit.   It is only lately, starting with the Mozart work, that the idea of placing canvases on top of others, just seemed the right thing to do.  This artist has in the past enjoy the creation of a couple of sculptures, made out of wood, so this, in a small way, will satisfy that desire, for now, while opening multiple doors.  The fun is just starting.

Listening to Coldplay – Moses

This size work was also chosen to offer flexibility in design and options, and to lower the cost of painting things over, if change is required.  A smaller work does lower the invested time, and can better maintain the momentum and pace for the learning and creative process to be put to canvas.  Once, the basics of multiple canvases is understood, that includes how they are carefully mounted,  it will be back to the big boys.

The Band – Up On Cripple Creek

Next up, is do more color work with the smaller three canvases, and then draw in the rest of the music flow that they will cover.  After that, my notes will  be given a color and that will decide what color options the body of the music will have.

Laura Nyro – Blowin’Away/Wedding Bell Blues.  She was a early favorite artist of a naive third year college student, staying in his first dorm room, on a big time campus.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H The Pretender image1&2

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

The Pretender image1 from Friday night.

Image 2 of The Pretender from Sunday afternoon.  This is a single panel, right now, 20 inches (51 cm) by 5 feet (152cm).

There was some time, and debate, between the finish of Mozart’s Eine and the choice to what to paint next. The original song choice was a Concerto in G minor by Vivaldi; but that would have been a big work that would have required a large canvas and another month dedicated to one work.  This artist wanted a break from that, and also wanted to do a smaller work that would use a lot less resources,  allow easier directional changes to be made, and different ideas to be tried, to see what sticks.

This artwork is an improvisation of  the song The Pretender,  written and sung by Jackson Browne. There where a number of great phrases, from this music,  that would have each required larger canvases, but  one small part of this music was found that would work on a 5 feet canvas.

Listening to B.B. King – Tired of Your Jive

The side thought about choices made: because of the shortness of time and the amount of effort that is required to complete each of these works, my thought is that once a particular piece of music is painted, I would never return to it for another canvas.  There are just too many great pieces of music still to be painted.  But, you never know, in the future a commissioned work for this music still leaves those other choices.  This is a good quality piece of music that fits well with Thunder Road and Hallelujah, in diversity and artist options.

What closed this choice of music, was watching the following video, where Jackson Browne explains the meaning of the music, and how it relates to many a working man and women’s life, including myself.  This music speaks of choices made whether we want to or not.  For now,  this life we lead, may not be the best option, but it does get us through the day.

Listening to  Little Milton – That’s What Love Will Make You Do.

Right now,  there will be two added canvases to this work, one top middle, and one lower right. Because of the impact of those two additions will be quite important, the thinking is to let this tempoary background stand as is, for now.  Next step is the drawing in of the music flow, to see where everything fits.  After that, the two extra canvas can be added, and the background finished up.  We will see.

I nice ending to this entry:  I’ll Be Back by Shawn Colvin.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Serenade No.13 for Strings in Gmajor Final

Published on by Scott Von Holzen1 Comment

Mozart’s Eine Kleinie Nachtmusik, K.525 Romanze Andante; and no I cannot pronounce that name, which is regrettable.  But the wondering is “Eine Kleinie Nachtmusik” may to be more attractive when seen as words instead of just being heard. This painting uses a total of 5 panels and for the most part it is 30 inches plus 2, by 120 inches plus 3 or just over 3 meters in length.  This painting was started on the twelfth of January, and Sunday night the twelfth of February it was finished.  The feeling was that it was  time to move on and  figure out what next to do.

Maybe because of the limitations of space, or the shortage of time that is available to painting, there is always only one work in progress at a time. The thinking is that planning ahead by picking the next music, and prepping that canvas, is the right thing to do, and yet it never happens.  It could be the lack time, but it could be the need to stay focused on the work in progress, that probably has the largest effect. Lately, there  exists a notepad with the listing of potential next work that is handy; but for the most part, the final choice of what music to do next, ends up being more of an emotional decision then anything else. The list be damned.

Listening to The Piano Concerto No. 21 – 2nd Movement – Mozart

This work  may very well have an effect on every painting done in this year.  With canvases, being attached to each other, laid on top, or off to the side, these additional pieces  have slammed open a lot of doors. As far as the color the browns where the most difficult to deal with.  They at first looked drab, until they where re-worked a number of times, and that seemed to help.  It does not hurt to try a color, and then the next day, over paint it. What you have then is the lingering effect of previous paints, that can add to the work’s depth and interest. In this work green was again deliberately held back.  The inner Light Violet speed ring on the notes was a surprise that worked. The four flagged notes where troubling, to a point that they finally convinced this artist, that the look was best for this moment.

So, what is going on in this painting?  I am not sure there is an easy answer.  It starts out as a tribute, and then it evolves from there. The beginning it’s meaning is easy, an artwork portraying a particular piece of music.  Now, at the end, there is still the music of Mozart, but what is on view kicks Mozart’s Serenade  right off its manuscript.

Listening to Escape Club – Wild Wild West

Lets leave it there.

Scott Von Holzen