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 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Together

Published on by Scott Von Holzen1 Comment

haveMerryChristmas_Finalb When I finished this years Christmas artwork in early November, and placed these words on the cover of the Christmas card, I did so because they express the wish that all Family’s share at Christmas time, no matter their beliefs.

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familyThrough the kindness of the fates here we all are on Christmas Eve, at the home of  Dorothy Von Holzen,  who dearly love my Father, and was devoted to him, and to her entire extended Family.

Dorothy Von Holzen, holding the youngest Family member, Jolene Lainberger,  Amanda Stangl, Cory Lainberger, Roger Von Holzen, Kris Von Holzen, Mark Stangl, Kinsey Stensen, Mason Stensen, Myk Segura, Barbara Von Holzen, Eric Von Holzen, Julie Stangl, Kendyl Stensen, Jordyn Stensen, Jeff Von Holzen, Steve Stensen, Samantha Stangl,  Scott Von Holzen, Alyssa Stensen, and Jordon Von Holzen.

Together

Scott Von Holzen

 

S_V_H It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday image 1 & 2

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

 

 

itSoHard_1It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye is a painting consisting of three canvases, with a length of fifty-two inches.  I have three images to show how I advanced the background for this music.

When you get to the third image is of the ,done for now. Next up I will be placing in the music flow, once I have cutout the music.

IitsSoHard_2

itSoHard_3Below is my attempt to learn how to simile, without looking silly, like I lost it, or fiendish, the last thing that I am. I would say I achieved none of those goals. Actually, I will be including more pictures of me with the artwork, to better the connection between me and all you readers, viewers, visitors, or whoever, or whatever you are. My thinking is that I would like to counter the fact that I do not see a lot of Blog sites that have images of the Blogger. I have already added a Contact option to this Blog, to again add another point of connection. It is a learning, and understanding process I am trying to development to better connect with the public,  and not by becoming a door-to-door peddler of this art.itSoHard_3b

Let me get back to the story of this artwork, and why I picked this music for my last artwork for 2015. Early May I attended the funeral of my favorite Uncle, Walter Von Holzen. He was the first family member that had graduated from college. He was the one that said to me, why would you go to the tech when you can go to the University of Wisconsin.  I took his advice,  and it and he changed me.

Then within a couple of weeks later we had to put Roxy, our favorite cat down.  She was dying from an eye disease,  and starvation because of it. Having to make that decision made for some emotional moments.

Then in mid September I received a distraught call, at work, from my step brother, telling me that my Father had passed away. I thought I would handle this better than I did with Mom’s passing, but I have not. It is a Life reality check when you lose both of your parents, the only people you have known all of your days.

Finally, our favorite, Aunt Selma, who was still mentally sharp at 95 years old until she contracted pancreatic cancer quickly past away in October.

All of this,  and the need to consider other life changing decisions has had an impact on me.  And yet, I have found ways to move myself, and this art ahead, probably with the help of my Mother.  She told me many times, “Never cut yourself short.”  She must have always knew how lucky I was, but she obviously also thought that I needed constant reminding.

Life really comes down to what you do with the opportunities that present themselves in good times and bad. It then come down to this: It up to us yet type of people, to carry on knowing that the best is yet to come, that Time has granted us all a pardon, and oh by the way, just as a reminder,  don’t forget to never cut yourself short.

This painting will look back. This painting will also carry me,  into a better 2016 with these words from the music, ” And I’ll take with me the memories to be my sunshine after the rain.”

 

Scott Von Holzen

 

 

S_V_H Embraceable You Final Image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

embraceableYou_FinalEmbraceable you is finished. This painting comes from a Jazz Standard piece written  by George Gershwin in 1928.   This artwork consists of four canvas panels over sixty-four inches in length, and is larger than I had originally planed. What changed this artworks dimensions was my decision to add extra words, and then increase their size.  To make room for the larger font I needed to use larger canvases, which then required me to enlarge the music.

In the original plan I wanted to keep this artwork on the smaller size because of this music’s absence of drama (no slurs or ties, no flags, or beams), but my focus  changed from the music to the words to at least add some interest. That changed in direction created  a problem, absent if I would have used smaller canvases, of what to do with all that space between the music.  After a couple of, what I would consider,  tired attempts at stripping I realized I had nothing. That is when I turned to the painting, I Won’t Dance, a Jerome Kern Jazz Standard from the same time period as Embraceable you.  I Won’t Dance uses Art Deco treatments to mirror the times, and I thought a similar look might work with Embraceable.

IWontDance_Final

To start with I added narrow gold and blue striping across the entire work. That gave it the Art Deco look which did greatly improved the interest and the character of Embraceable.  I then repainted some of the original stripping to improve the contrast, and to blend better with the music.

I actually had to learn like this work. It fell out of favor early in its development, probably because of the changes I made to the original plan.  It got worse when I  questioned the colors used for the music.  I felt my color choices, chosen for their feminine look, where to close in tone which made the music appeared to have a plastic  look.  It was not until I added the Art Deco touches that I realized that the music worked fine with the new look of background.  In the final image you see how everything came together.

My feelings for this artwork have certainly changed a lot since I first chose this music.  I now think Embraceable You does achieved an interesting,  and unique look, that I like. This painting should feel very good about itself, getting out of me, what it needed.

 

Scott Von Holzen