Category: 2017

S_V_H The Water is Wide image Final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

I have cross over to the other side,  by finishing The Water is Wide. This little acrylic painting consists of two canvases, aluminum and wood, and is about 38 inches in length by 17 inches.  Musically this is a simple song. I can confirm its simplicity for I practice it on the piano, violin, guitar, and saxophone.  That is what is deceiving about this music. It is so easy to play, anyone can do it, which is strangely deceiving.  Anyone playing or listening to The Water is Wide will be surprisingly rewarded by the melody.   This is a piano version by Michael Logozar:

With the lyrics,  the exceptionalism of this music is complete.  Here is a live version with Jewel, the Indigo girls and Sarah Mclachlan:

Because of the style of the music I thought a small painting, with a limited color pallet would work best. I kept my blues to two colors for the background. From the lyrics I choose white,  and a mixed brown to represent the colors of the music and the row-boat.

This  artwork has turned out to be a nice surprise, that reconfirmed that these paintings……bla..bla…..bla… music.  I do not know how to end that sentence.  After 10 years of painting music I still don’t have the answer that best describes this art and its relationship to a lot of pretty darn good music.  I still working on the enlightenment phase.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Concerto for 2 Cellos in G minor, RV 531, Allegro, Final Image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

This Vivaldi artwork is finished.  Like each of the Vivaldi Four Seasons series of thirteen painting, this Vivaldi also took considerable amount of time, almost two months, to complete.  The length of the artwork, over eight feet,  and the complications in the building the music that flowed all over the edges, slowed the entire process.  My thinking for the next painting is to choose a subject that will be a quicker to complete. Of course, that plan is practical only up to the point of starting.

I do not plan on selling this work, although two-thousand would tempt me.  One reason not to sell is that this Vivaldi is already hanging in our living room. My practical reason to keep it apart of my collection,  is that it would be extremely expensive and complicated to package up and ground ship,  such a delicate eight foot artwork.  Finally, my personnel and best reasoning for not wanting to sell this artwork,  is that it represents my emotional attachment to the music of Antonio Vivaldi.

I believe this Vivaldi is a leap forward for this art. I am not sure how I will reproduce this look, but I do know all the following artworks for this year will display its influence.

 

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H When Doves Cry Final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
When Doves Cry 2017, acrylic paint, three canvas panels with wood and aluminum added, 52.5 inches in length by 25.75 in height.

When  Doves Cry is finished and is my second artwork dedicated to Prince.  I decided to do another Purple painting, because reluctantly, I sold the first. This artwork than shares style and the basic color themes from the painting Purple Rain, while expanding the colors and not using Purple Rain’s rounded flat disks for the purple rain.  Instead, for When Doves Cry, I poured the paint to create a better looking and rounder purple rain.  The big difference between these two works is the use of aluminum strips to connect canvases.  This new connection method used by When Doves Cry, for first time,  separates the music from the canvas.  This artwork is the result of an evolution in style that started with my first use of wood with Sweet little angel.

The first Prince painting, Purple Rain, represented a style pushed to its limits. This second Prince artwork, breaks with the past, by opening the door for other style possibilities.  When Doves Cry is a unique tribute to the originality that was Prince and his music.

Scott Von Holzen