Author: Scott Von Holzen

I am currently renewing an artistic adventure that first started in 1974, and ended in the early 1980's. A casual comment restarted the quest in art in 2004. Now, at night I am surrounded by artworks done and in progress, shelves full of art books, my music collection playing through a classic NAD amp and a pair of solid, classic free standing speakers, my piano, violin, blues guitar, and saxophone. So all is musical no matter what I am up to in the studio. Since I was a kid I have had the urge to be creative Now, in my later sixties, I am determine to know. I want to follow this to the end to see what these paintings, and all this music amounts to. This is probably the last great adventure I will have, so I am all in. So, watch out for nonstop music, canvases with multiple panels, with paint spread thick or dribbled on, words with meaning, and results that will challenge, push the meaning of music, and may even splash back. This blog's real purpose is to document my story in the making, and you are welcomed to follow along. Thank you for your support. Scotty Von Holzen

S_V_H Bach BWV 988 – Aria final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen1 Comment

AriaBWV988_ImageFinalThis is the final full size image of the Bach work that I will be shipping to Japan.  When it arrives in Japan it will be re-stretched losing about 60mm around each edge of the frame. The final image that will hang in the Grand Bach Hotel in Kyoto Japan will be 1600mm x 500mm or about 64 inches by 20 inches in height.

The video below pretty much sums up my thoughts,  and feelings about this artwork.  Actually, I did this video to do a short lighting check, except that I kept on going. It is kind of funny in spots,.  Still,   I should have worn a better shirt,  turned off the fan I was using to dry the painting, been organized,  and stood up  straight.  Otherwise, the message is good, and it certainly documents the progress of this art, so I went with it.  Next up I will be finishing my Waylon Jennings painting,  and  starting another commission work, the Pat Benatar song, We belong.

Check out this video of an artist that needs a staff of advisors if he is ever to make it in the Big Town.

 

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Bach BWV 988 – Aria image1

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

AriaBWV988_Image1aAlong with a Waylon Jennings artwork I am also working on a second painting that will be hanging in the Grand Bach Hotel in Kyoto, Japan.  This new artwork will be another Johann Sebastian Bach work, BWV 988 the Aria from the Goldberg variations. And like the first work I sent to Japan in 2014 the owners are again very particular about the look of the art that decorates the hotel.

My first artwork for the Grand Bach was a lesson in compromise over creativity.  For that work I was given general color, with style direction,  along with a small early painting I did called Crossroads to use as my guide. As the artwork progress the client would politely asked me, through their intermediary, to makes changes from the updated images I sent them. When I finished the painting for the Grand Bach,  and sent the final image the owners where not pleased. They requested that I repaint all the green colored areas out of the work before shipping. I said I would not, for I had finished the artwork  (oh I was so young and naïve then). I offered to give their money back. After some discussion instead of compromising my artist vision (silly boy) I offered to create a new artwork in an incredibly short  week (I would never do that again).  Here are the two original paintings I created for the Grand Bach in 2014. Both artworks are 86″ in length x 56″ :

This is the second version that hangs in the Grand Bach reception area, Bach BWV 1065:

bach1065_ver1

I am standing in front of the original Grand Bach painting that now decorates my studio. This is Bach BWV 1014:

Bach&Me Looking at the Grand Bach website today, which at the time was not available for the than new hotel,  I can easily see that the color green did not fit in with the Grand Bach Hotel decor. I should have painted over all the green with some boring brown or rust, whatever they wanted, but that thinking is now, and not than.

This first image of Aria I have submitted for approval.  By agreeing to their terms of reviewing my progress I am knowing  dampening my creativity, and basically  creating an artwork based on acceptability.  This all seems counter to my artistic philosophy, but these two artworks for the Grand Bach Hotel in Kyoto Japan have been a valuable opportunity. They both have thrown me outside my little predictable artist world.  They both have forced me to develop new problem solving skills,  and both of these projects are an awakening when it comes to excepting commission works.

After submitting that first image I heard back from my intermediary who requested to totaling change the colors for the artwork, going contrary to their earlier preferences. Here is the updated first image, which is far different from their original color requests.  They ignored me when I pointed that out.  Out of frustration I finally ended up repainting the entire first image, losing two days of work.  I sent the new image.  They thanked me for making the changes,  and requested a new image when I started placing the music.

AriaImage2

I think it is somewhat odd that no one involved with either Grand Bach project even offered,  requested, or asked me about the Bach music that I chosen to portray.  I have given them wonderful Bach musical works, but for all practical purposes I could have given them Elvis’s In the Ghetto, and just told them it was Bach at his best.  Maybe I can save Elvis for a future commission projects as my cynicism, and artist confidence matures.  Overall, that it seems to me,  that their only concern is that the artwork matches the decor of the hotel like on the other decorations.

For all the rest of us that care about the music we like and not how it looks, here is the Bach BWV 988 Aria.   My artwork for the Grand Bach Hotel is the first 25 seconds,  played exceptionally by the eccentric Glenn Gould:

Scott Von Holzen

 

 

 

S_V_H Waymore’s Blues Image 1

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

waymore1aThis is my first artwork based on a Country song by Waylon Jennings’s  entitled Waymore’s Blues. This is another of many examples that the root of America’s music originates from the Blues, including Country.

First up is the studio version of Waymore Blues:

Now, this is a lot more interesting live version.  I like the back-en-forth conversation Waylon has with himself and the woman next to him.  She certainly  has the country look,  that leaves me wondering what is going on here. Waylon seems a little unsettled, and out-of-place compared to her.

This artwork is 20 inches by 60 inches in length.  For the background I wanted to use colors that depict a Waylon Jennings style.   Shades of blues became the obvious choice to portray his rough blue jean look.  Looking for another color that choice became obvious: brown, for it is hard to ignore Waylon’s full head of hair. As a nice contrast I added a strip of Silver which I see around the rim of his hats. I also added to the background my own stylized version of Waylon’s logo, which you see it in many of his videos.

I know the color Black is also a dominate color for Waylon,  but I am saving black and white for the music.  Those colors come from his guitar.

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