This is the second image of With a little help from my friends, that consists of two canvases fifteen inches by fifty-eight inches in length. What you are looking at, for now, is the finished background for the music. I did have a lot of issues in choosing the right mix of colors, because each of these panels represents a different emotion in the music.

The music that I have chosen, in my chosen versions, goes from loud, and questioning, to soft and thoughtful. For the stronger left panel  bright colors seemed obvious.  Starting out with that first image I posted in an early blog entry,  I tried adding brighter yellow and lighter magenta colors.  This did not work. Finally in a spontaneous move I painted over those colors, leaving the blue and pink strips alone. I applied multiple transparent layers of Quinacridone red, that created different shades of red that brought that panel into harmony.

Those efforts with the left panel then created issues with the softer looking right panel. I had to find different ways for that panel to compliment the strong left panel, and create a smooth looking transition that follows the changes in the music. After some indecision I decided to stay with the base colors that you see in the first image of the right panel.  I then matched the structural changes I had made with the left panel which brought the two canvases closer together. Finally, by again using multiple transparent layers of blue-green colors, I was able to bring the right panel into a good color balance.

At this stage I now have two panels that work well together, and hopefully will work towards representing the huge range in the performances of this music. Between The Beatles original  version, and the most obvious cover by Joe Cocker, you can understand the difficulty in choosing a musical direction for this artwork.  These two completely different, and wonderful interpretations of this music, left no choice for  me but to borrow from each. With luck I will create an artwork, that when finished,  will represent the wide range of this classic sixties music.

The Beatles from the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Joe Cocker from the album Mad Dogs and Englishmen. I remember distinctly having, and enjoying this two record album, when it first came out in 1970

 

Scott Von Holzen