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 Chopin Valse Op.64,No.2 image5

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

A Chopin Waltz 36 inches by 8 feet.  There was concerned that the flow of this notation would leave large areas of the canvas empty, which has not happen.  The most interesting part of this drawing is the upper lines of the musical tie although they are questionable today.  Also of concern is that the circles for the notes would have been a better balance if larger.

The musical tie took up much of the time last night because it is frustrating and demanding (expected ) to find ways to give a simple curve of a musical line personality.  The hope it is not been over done.  How the use of color is handled will decide if  this tie actually ties this work together.  There will be efforts focused on strengthening the notation heads with the use of color to compensate of their size.

There have been a number of personnel issues that have taken the attention away from the art.  Life has the option to interfere at will with the art, and lately it has.  This is part of the test of endurance and belief in oneself.  Still enduring and believing are not enough,  the talent and the vision must be there to have a chance.   More work needs to be done, and the chill of January and now February in Wisconsin is having its effect. Momentum lost will be found in the music.  Maybe not tonight, but it has been there in the past and there is no doubt that it is still there.  The art and the there…….. the quest … There is the Art.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Chopin Valse Op.62, No.2 image4

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

A Chopin Waltz.  Over the years the importance of  a strong and landscape type background has been developing. Lately the effort place on the background has increased to where it is now considered a major part of the music and not just there to add contrast, or interest to the notation.  The background has value that almost nears that of the notation.  Sure, this art is about the depiction of the flow of a particular piece of music, that is  enhanced to a far greater degree today by the active participation of the background.

Part of that particiation of the background is to facilitate  and enhance the positioning of the notation.  That is what is seen here, but what was discovered last night was that the spacing math was wrong from the start of this work.  That was corrected and the thought was to let the correction stand with the previous effort and not to paint over the mistake.  An error was made, and things have been now adjusted. This work is finally going to move forward tonight with a better balance, and strangely, a small added interest.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Chopin Valse Op.64, No.2 image3

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

A Valse background not completed.   Hopefully tonight this can be a finished enough to move to the notation.  What you see above is paint put on a canvas, which has been done for over 500 hundred years. You put it down with one of thousands of brushes and thousands of pallet knifes, or thousands of other tools that can hold paint, but in the end it is still the same result that has been performed by millions of artists before.  So, given that, how does one put down a different look?  The simple answer,  at this point in this artist career, is it has not happen, at less not yet.   The reason for that is that this art is not so much about the paint as it is about it’s subject mater, musical notation.  Looking at the image above there is seen little resemblance to that.  Which means that the goal of this art to  reproduce a unique look of the physical appearance of music, may just be happening.  It may just be paint on a canvas, but it is paint that portrays the subject of music like never before, hopefully.

The part holding back the move to the notation is the large red movement that represents the look of a staff.  Last night half a dozen different and repeated colors were tried: some stayed on and some where washed off.  In the large band of red you see the colors: Quinacridone Red-Orange, Naphthol Red Medium and Red Light. Cadmium Red Medium and Red Deep Hue, Pyrrole Red Dark, and Medium Magenta and Acra Crimson. That does not necessary make this work better, it just a visual show, in the paint, the struggle to get it right.

Check out Naive Melody now posted at the website scottvonholzen.

Scott

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