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 Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – allegro Final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen1 Comment

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons Autumn Allegro RV 293.  Finally, a final image.  This took forever.  I am glad to move on. The truth is I have no other choice, because of the approach of Christmas, and the need to paint this years Christmas song.  Each Christmas time  I paint a song that is then photographed, printed on canvas, and sent out in this years 2012 Christmas card to all those who have purchased an Artwork, a few friends and family.

The following video sums up a lot of my feelings about this work.  Although fairly raw, this video clearly demonstrates my need to learn how to stay on camera, and to practice out loud the art of speaking the English language.  Time will improve all that, that is for sure.

The photography I did outside  in the shade on a nice sunny Sunday afternoon in the crisp North land.  It is kind-of-nice to take your work outside, it puts things in a different perspective.  One thing,  made obvious with this last work, is that the growth in this Art has been too slow. A lot of that lost time is because of my working for the Man.  Soon, it will be time to take that jump.  I am thankful that I will  have this opportunity that many do not.  Still, to do it will take  courage, that at this point the financial risk  makes that seem risky.  Although, I do not know how real the word risk is, I do know that the word soon is a nagging adverb.

Back to Vivaldi’s Autumn Allegro, the only parts that disappoint me are the background and the beams of the music.  When it comes to the background, the style I am using to paint them is boring. In the past I have done better.   I need to figure out someway of applying acrylic paint that does not create a static background.  I have done this in the past, so maybe it is time to take a second look. The other disappointing part of this work is my handling of the beams ( those long rectangles that form the base of the music).  I need to break some new art ground and like the background find my own way.

That brings me to the Birthday paintings.  The use of a pallet knife, to create square patterns of multiple colors to build the background image, reminds me of Van Gogh and his use of  flowing multiple brush strokes.   Those elongated  brush marks  flowed across this works, which is not happening with my little squares.  I am wondering if I can developed a similar technique.  With music, the subject of this art, the kicking of the background across the canvas is a must.  The problem, so far, when creating backgrounds that move is the layering of paint, which creates a rough effect that is quite dramatic, but shows through to the music layer.  This is not what I want.  I want the music to float, over the background untouched.  So far that has not been accomplished.  Take a look at this artwork and you can see in the those light violet not heads the background poking through.

Listening to:  Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb

Chopin Nocturne # 18 in E

The Eagles – Train Leaves Here This Morning

I Need You – Tim McGraw

Wow, I started this artwork on August 23rd.  I cannot believe it took this long.  The Music Class and the size of this work is much of that, but still I cannot continue on that pace.  Now, I have a blank six-foot canvas sitting on the ease.  It looks so small, and so limited, but I can work on that. A fresh start is long overdue.  Time to let loose.

Iron & Wine – Free Until They Cut Me Down

Mozart, Symphony #29 K 201 Allegro Moderato

Antonio Vivaldi Summer Allegro Non Molto

You Learn – Alanis Morissette

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – allegro image5

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

This is image 5 of this prolong task of creating a painting of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons Autumn – Allegro. The larger image is another attempt at Photomerge using Photoshop.  The technique is improving, but for now, only good as a snapshot image.

The words of this work are ” Celebra il Vilanel con balli e Canti.”  Which roughly means “The country-folk celebrate, with dance and song.” You can see the beginnings of the words ‘Vilanel’ and ‘con’ in the image above.  The words are boxed in to give them their own style, to help them stand out, but also to fit with the color scheme across the bottom of this artwork.  When I use the words ‘own style”, that is a part of the philosophy of this art.  The short explanation is that all the major painted elements of an artwork are painted in ways to best set each a part from the rest. Of course, it all works together, but that does not have to mean blend together.  Every artwork grows from the last, but demands its own identity.  It has always been that way.

Now, I would like to explain the two other major elements of change in this painting.  The first are those large dark notes.  There are six groups of these notes.  The reason they are darker, slightly larger, and painted with less detail,  is that these notes  represent the slowing down of the movement in this artwork, as they do in the music.  Of course the  music tempo is quite fast, notice the comets inside the notes that spin the music,  and since these dark notes represent eighth notes the amount of pausing,  is real, but barely noticeable.

The other addition to this work is all those colorful squares that goes every which way.  Again, they are seeking their own look, different from the upper and lowing sections of this artwork, where you see  squares and rectangle, that represent  fall colors.  In the middle the color choice was anything but the natural colors of fall, and the images work with the rest of the work, but do more than just that.  All those colorful shapes help to hide the boring background, and work will with the music to help keep up the fast pace of this six seconds of Vivaldi’s great music.

This artwork has gone way over its normal time for completion, because of  my obsession with the Music Theory class I am taking, and the fact that on Monday is the Midterm exam.  Although, I like the class, and like atmosphere of learning from a good Teacher, and the other students, it is taking its toll on me.   I did not realize that I would being taking this course so seriously.  After some deliberation I realized that I have no other choice  but to see it through to December 20th.  I have taken my passion for this Art and put it to good use in my studies, for now.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – allegro image4

Published on by Scott Von Holzen3 Comments

Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons – Autumn – Allegro. This is my first attempt at Photo merge using Photoshop, and there is room for improvement, but not for today.

I mentioned in the video that I am taking a Music Theory class at the local campus of the University of Wisconsin.  It is challenging,  that consumes an enormous amount of my free time, and the free time that I have left to work on this painting has been drastically cut.  It is worth it.  This class only lasts through December, so I will be back deep into the Art soon after,  with a greater depth of understanding of the structure, and the harmony that is music.

Listening to Dave Brubeck – Take Five

Until that time, lets move on and talk about the music of this great composer.  The more I listen to classical music the more Vivaldi’s music rises in importance and meaning to me.  I still have Mozart and Chopin, along with Bach and Beethoven, but ….aaaaaaaaaaaa….Viavldi your music reaches deep inside.

As far as my progress on this work, the beams,  which are discussed in the video, have greatly improved the emotional impact of this work.   To not make the disruption of the beams too predictable there is a change with the last set.  I pulled them back  away from the increasing breaking apart that is occurring as you follow the music.  By painting this last set of beams, not so much as flying apart, but as cracked pieces, they have halted their destruction. This than lets these 6 seconds of music to end, and the flow to continue  into the next measures.

Listening to Vivaldi’s Great Concerto for two Cellos in G minor, RV531.  When it comes to Classical Music it does not get any better than this,  with only Mozart at times its equal.

Aimee Mann’s – Little Tornado

Next up, is finishing the cracking beams, painting in the words, which will be interesting because they, at times will move over the beams, and work on those violet note heads, giving them more depth, character and speed.

Listening to Jack Johnson – Upside Down.

Scott Von Holzen

Scott Von Holzen