This is a progress update on this eighth painting in the Vivaldi Four Seasons series.  You can see by this snapshot that this painting is close to completion,  probably less than two weeks a way.  All the main parts are in place leaving clean up and repainting, my main concern now.  This is an exciting and difficult work because of the use of so many colors.

This is a Spring painting, and like most springs everywhere, every thing is wakening and transforming.  This is what you see in this artwork.  There are many parts: the notes, the shafts, the beams, the ties, the words, the incidentals, and the backgrounds, that have all been painted with colors to help them stand out from the rest.  I want nothing to boring about this work.  Each of these chaotic canvases, that make up this third movement of Spring, could each be framed to stand alone, and yet together they represent Spring at its’ peak.  But, I did find a part of this work where restraint actually gave me a better look.

Those squiggle lines, you see above, are my notation that represents a musical tie.  With Blue Rondo, I have a similar tie, but in that painting I added a second squiggly line.  I found that trying to add that second line on this canvas, just did not work.  I believe it was because of the narrow stripping in the background of these ties, that cause me to change my mind, and to go with one line only.  To my surprise that single squiggle works, giving a clean break among all the chaos.

The words in this painting translate roughly as “Their faces glowing with Springtime’s brilliance, ” or how about this translation, ” (nymphs and shepherds) lightly dance beneath the brilliant canopy of Spring.”   For the first time, the words on different canvases, use different colors.  I am thinking Spring, so the more varieties of colors used the better to add interest to each canvas.

All in all, I will be glad when done with this painting. I can then start the Ninth Vivaldi, think about a Birthday canvas, and choose a much smaller work, around six feet like Blue Rondo, to paint next to the Vivaldi.  I need to move to do some smaller sizes to increase the options for buyers.  Of course the song choices will be the music I enjoy.  I will try to pick pieces that I think hold up well, or have an interesting message that I wish to present.  Think of it this way, the Great Impressionists painted a lot of unknown buildings,  objects , and people, and their works have done well.   I can have fun with the music I choose, some of it lasting some not so much,  because in the end it is how the work finishes that will decide how great the artwork is.

We shall see.

Scott Von Holzen