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 Dave Brubeck Blue Rondo á la Turk Finalimage

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

BlueRondoFinal This is the Final Image of Blue Rondo á La Turk. These 8 canvases, that make up this work, contain a piece of the music, that when arranged, as you see in the images above, produce the flow that is Blue Rondo. This sectioning of the music gives me more creative options, enhancing the overall look and emotional impact to a greater extent than canvas based on one look.  Each piece can stand out, but still remain part of an even greater whole.  A universal theme, I do believe.

In the past the look of an artwork was fairly consistent even across multiple canvases.  For examples take a look at Thunder Road, Hallelujah, or Body and Soul, all from 2011.  This trend continued through 2012 with Four Seasons Autumn Allegro, completed in December and  pictured on the main page of the website.  This pieces  look of Blue Rondo first showed up in early march, of this year,  with The Pretender.  That trend showed its strength with 2012 Christmas painting, Let It Snow.

TakeFive

Take a look at the only other Dave Brubeck piece, Take Five,  from March of 2006, and you will see how far this art has changed. What a different 7 years can make.  According to the words of  Robert Frank, a photographer must have both a sense of Purpose and a sense of Passion. I cannot help but think that is the same philosophy that drives every creative person and what pushes this art. Everyday, I interact with people who have purpose but no passion, and regrettable that has become a learned and a reinforced behavior, in today’s disposable work place.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Dave Brubeck Blue Rondo á la Turk image 3

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

BlueRondo3Blue Rondo á La Turk, near finished, image 3   This artwork now consists of eight canvases. The eighth canvas is the 8 x 10 inch on the bottom right side, of the enlarged image.  I forgot that there were two slurs  used in this music.  You can see the second one in the upper right of the above image. The style of is this slur comes from Cy Twombly used in It’s a Man’s World.  While the added slur reminds me of the outstanding one from Hallelujah

This close up shows how my style changed while working on this work.  That happened after I watched a documentary on Gerhard Richter that shows how he applies his paint using, squeegee like, large L shaped frames.

In many of my past works I have used different sizes of pallet knives to drag the paint.  But seeing the documentary on Richter gave me a fresh approach to how I could improve my method of applying paint with a knife.  I tried this style first on the eighth canvas on Blue Rondo. I found that by taping off those parts of the canvas I did not want to change, made it easier to spread the paint in a similar style of Richter.

Using this application method I have now moved on to the Vivaldi work. Here I saw dramatically that the big difference from Richter, for me, was the use of tape. By taping, I found that I could then show a mixed of styles.  You can see this technique, better applied on the Vivaldi work, in the images below, from Blue Rondo.  I have now created my L shaped tools to replace the pallet knives. Their application advantages, and their lack of size limits, along with the taping, makes me think there is some interesting options ahead for me.

BlueRondo3b

The following video I took with an iPhone.My Canon 7D  is in for repair with a power on issue. I did find the video, for some unknown issue,  impossible to edit using my Sony software, so I uploaded it as is.

I would like to present polished images and video on this blog, but the belief that this is a documentary site and not a vanity blog, gives me the leeway I need to actually keep up this effort. Even in this form this website requires hours of work for each blog entry.   I approach each of my artworks in a non compromising way each day, but that certainly does not extend to these pages. It is like I am writing on a deadline.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – Winter – Allegro image2

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

4SWinterAllegro2

This painting is just under 18 feet (5.48m) in length and is hard to photograph,but the color and the contrast is fairly accurate, even with the uneven photography.

When I listen the music and read the Allegro part of the Vivaldi’s Winter Sonnet:

Now we walk on the ice, with slow steps,
attentive how we walk, for fear of falling

If we move quickly, we slip and fall to earth,
again walking heavily on the ice,
until the ice breaks and dissolves.

We hear through the closed doors
Sirocco, Boreas and all the rushing winds at war –
this winter, but such as brings joy.

I feel that this music and those words speak to those bitterly  cold temperatures and hard numbing winds that we who live in such climates, scurry quickly inside to avoid, and certainly dislike.  Maybe the word “joy” in the Sonnet refers to the relief one feels with the warmth of a fire, a cozy blanket, and shelter from the wind.

Thinking that way, this one work, is going to use a lot of white, grays, and blues that are the look and feel of ice and bitter cold.  Also, I must find a way to depict the raw winds. And finally, to push this artwork, hopefully, I can offset this wintry theme, based on  that one word  joy.   Taking that word, I am thinking I can bring in some bright contrasting colors, to shake up, and lighten the mood of this work, while increasing this artworks overall emotional grasp on the viewer.

That is the thoughts, and we will see if this artwork cooperates.

Scott Von Holzen