Author: Scott Von Holzen

PreviewIn Sunshine you are seeing the same basic positioning that has been used for the last 3 paintings. It appears that a lot of voice in music is pretty centered.  These backgrounds always start this way:  strange, unconnected, with a lot of wandering colors. Maybe this is the landscape part of this art, and like any landscape there just is a lot of variety of colors and shapes spread randomly.   There is organization here, but at this stage of the artwork that is not significant: it will probably all be over painted tomorrow.   There is only so much of this look that can last and it will soon find itself hidden with only peeps  showing through to the top.   The reason for those changes is that this look does not hold the wall.  By burying it what remains for view will be enough to make a point. The point and purpose is to add depth to the work.

Scott Von Holzen

Things began to change with Naive Melody with the use of circles.   Using circles solved a major hang up with what to do with the 8th notes.  Now, Winter has taken that step much further with the evolution of the symbol of a musical note.  Over the years this art has gone from representing notation in it’s mostly low angle lean to almost a vertical stance. With Winter the shape of a musical note has gone from the oblong to the circle. At first there was a feeling that it made the canvases less professional looking.  That attitude changed quickly. It was obvious that the flow of the music was improved, because of the size  of these bubble notes.  This look fit the direction that the backgrounds and the other musical shapes, like the 8th notes,  were heading.  The circle is here to stay, but it’s evolution has only begun.

Scott Von Holzen

Winter is the title of this musical piece.   Not sure there is a lot of the winter look yet, but this is the results of the first few hours of painting, after completing Ev’ry Time.  Inconsideration of Ev’ry Time we say Goodbye, personal comments about the finish of the Cole Porter classic and a final image should appear on this blog sometime soon.  For now, here is the current thought which is it just felt like the time to do away with the Rothko rectangle.  These boxes stem from this art’s beginnings and where a source of  inspiration.  It was Rothko’s works and their color combos that helped to show a way to represent music.  Still in the past, there were some canvases that did away with the rectangle that symbolized a musical stave.   The song In This Life is an example.  But, looking at this painting that is hanging in the studio, different thoughts cross the mind that question a change in direction.  The now thought is that those  Rothko boxes missing from Life, and prominent in the Birthday painting, do add visual strength, interest, and variety to the work beyond their symbolism.  Looking at the above image the main rectangle is just barley visible so the look of this image, so far, is just one big and boring abstract painting.  That will not hold.   Look forward in the next image for the change of mind that came about in a couple of sentences.

Scott Von Holzen