Category: Classic Rock

S_V_H Just Breathe image 2

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
A recent image of Just Breathe

There are three parts to each new artwork project. There is near complete artwork. That is what you see in the image above. Next up is the music system in two parts. I have already mounted the speakers, but now I need to build the stereo system and connect the speakers. Then, once the stereo is ready, I will return to the computer to finish the cover music. This music will need to be refined to sound its best through the artwork’s 5×7 speakers. The last major step, and now my newly added third task, is to mount an LED light strip and connecting it to the stereo system.

Early version of Just Breathe along with Our House waiting its turn.
Here is a nice video of Willie Nelson with his son Lukas Nelson singing Just Breathe.
Christy Skuban one of the founders of EmptyWallsArt past away on February 5th 2024.

I remember the first time I saw Christy. I am thinking early 2017 when my son-in-law told me about a craft art show at an old converted tire factory. With snow and ice and few easy access parking, found a spot to park and soon made it into the large, very high ceiling entrance. Although busy, through the crowd I saw a woman standing behind in table dressed with dark-framed glasses, a violet hat and a coat to match. Behind her I saw hanging several abstract and colorful artworks. Definitely 3D. I remember saying to myself, “Who the hell is that?” But instead of walking over to her, I move on with my son-in-law, for there was a lot to see in several buildings. Much later we Christy and I became artist friend she told me this. Later the spring at the Spring Art show at the Heyde in Chippewa Falls she walked into a room and had her first encounter with three of my artworks. I believe she said something similar to “I wonder who that artist was.” This rest is a nice on and off contact and relationship with Christy. That is until she made possible and credible the foundation of EmptyWallsArt. She was the curator for our current 2024 Chippewa Valley Museum’s (CVM) Winter Art show. EmptyWallsArt will not be the same for a long while to come. But to honor Christy, her Art and her positive dedication to EmptyWalls this is an edited version of what I emailed to the group’s membership:

Our tribute to Christy should first start with a strong commitment by all the members to support and promote the organization she absolutely made possible. The group can then look to seek out one or two women to eventually and hopefully fill her position. The CVM 2025 Winter Art show would give us an excellent opportunity to pay tribute to Christy through EWA. We could ask those who own art by Christy to put their works on display as the centerpiece of the exhibition. Alongside her art I made the suggestion that each member of EWA also hang one piece of their art in the style of Christy. What a respectful way to honor her. Such an event would also be a call out to all those who cared for her and her art to come and be a part of that exhibition’s reception. I added that I felt that Christy, although a very outgoing artist, had her shy side. I could not help but feel such a tribute to her would be her preference.
Christy’s art will have its celebration. When it is this time, I will not pass her by. I will walk to her remembering one more time that long ago moment the girl in glasses and that large violet hat.

Scott Von Holzen

Our House 2nd images

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
This is the second image of the music box project, Our House.

The following is the background story of the song, Our House.

Wikipedia
Here is the YouTube video of Graham Nash’s story of “Our House“
Wikipedia image of the house shared by Graham Nash and Joni Mitchell from 2022

Since I was lucky to find an image of the original “Our House.” I wondered what it looked like on Google maps. I found a area timeline from 2023 and although it was not apparent at first, there it finally was. This newer image from Google Maps shows major changes to the house. The address 8217 is visible on the fence to the right. My curiosity about this music does not differ from all the other artworks I have painted. If I am to spend weeks on each project, my understanding is to go beyond the music.

Google Maps Image

How I choose the colors is a process that varies between artworks. If possible, I look for videos on YouTube of the music being preform by the original artist and important covers. This includes the original artist’s official video and any live performances of the music. I also do an internet search to learn the history of the song, and any helpful details of its story, which, for this music, included the design of the original album release.

Found this $10 1970 version on eBay.

I must say the official video of Our House surprised and disappointed me. It is only a couple of years old. The original release of Our House was on the album Déjà vu, 1970. But it gave me the colors seen in the 2nd image of Our House, and therefore another connection between the music and the artwork.

This is a still image from the official video I used to pick out the colors for this project, Our House.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H The Beatles Triptych 4 image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
All three triptych artworks waiting for the music to be installed before being signed and dated.

After completing the three artworks for this triptych I have spent the last few days assembling the cover music for the music box for each artwork. Each draft-length audio file turns out to be under one minute and fifteen seconds. I now think that this cover length will be my new audio limit. Previously, it was one minute thirty. That was the length of my patience and attention. Obviously, I am concerned with keeping viewers’ attention.

From 2006 on for many years, there was no audio option for any of my musical artworks. It wasn’t until I researched inexpensive sound systems that I found options and began experimenting with incorporating sound into projects. The first major artwork that I added sound to was The Turkish March in June 2018. I do not see any comments in that blog post about adding sound, which surprises me. I am guessing my general take on adding audio would have been to give the viewer a better understanding and a stronger connection with the artwork. No matter the why of adding audio, that artwork began my relational debate between the visual and the performance value of an artwork. That debate ended when I decided that my audio and visual production was of equal value. I believed I was creating two separate artworks: one that was visual, and another that was performance art. It was while working on this triptych that I changed my mind. I am returning to my original thinking that the performance art that is the audio is there as the hook to capture a minute and more of the viewer’s attention.

Ever since I started using sheet music and copyrighted material, I have felt insecure about that action. That is why, from the start of this art, I aimed to diminish the connection between what I was painting and its comparison to sheet music. I started with eliminating sheet music fundamentals: the staff, and any reference to the key, timing, or tempo. I believe that removing these references, and later eliminating other features, would make the artwork’s notation unplayable while keeping the up and down flow of the artwork’s notation.

Over time adding words from music lyrics added to the complications of copyright. Then, with the use of audio spreading from public domain music to copyright material, I realized I needed a solution to my use of what belongs to others. That is when I started purchasing cover licenses for audio by defining my artworks as music boxes. Each cover license is good for up to 25 music boxes. I only use one license for each song. To make this change official, I then simplified the description of this art genre from Interactive Constructive Sculpture to Music Box.

At this art start its fundamental foundational idea was to create a unique connection between a piece of music and an artwork. I wanted an artwork’s connection to a piece of music, to be more than just a title, colors, or style I found in previous artists’ musical compositions. Consider, one of many examples, the abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky. His art and philosophy contain many musical references with no connection to any single piece of music. The purpose and existence of this art is to take musical representation a step further by connecting the artworks’ notational up and down flow to a particular piece of music. I define this art as a portrait of a song.

The other significant change to this art was the development of a unique notation style. My current style of notation originated to fix a visual issue between a long narrow artwork and the up and down flow of the notation. I used this with the 2017 artwork, So What, but not again until the 2019 project Giant Steps. That is when I realized I had created a different type of notation. I now feel this eliminates any problems with sheet music copyright. My concerns then soon moved from the visual to the audio performance aspects of this artwork.

As for using audio I resolved this issue with the purchase of cover licenses. If there is no big money involved, I doubt anyone in the music industry would have had any major concerns about this art. In my eyes, though, it was about this art’s legitimacy and my use of other people’s art. The only contact I had over the years with the music industry where two minor word use issues on Etsy years ago. I have only a minor thought about my cover music in that to keep it music box short requires a lot of editing of the original music.

Bottom line, I am pushing ahead, following the wisdom of Alfred E. Neuman’s “What, me worry?” In some timeline this art will become well known. When it does, it will probably be up to unknown others to work out the details of its success. Until then, I see myself in my videos as the “unknown unknown artist.” This art for now is also that. Until it becomes well known, or sells at a level that becomes known to the public, I am going along for the ride. I know what helps to keep me moving ahead is another fundamental foundation of this art: it has never been about the money.

The following audio tracks are all in their draft stage. I built the audio for Golden and Carry using notation software. The audio for The End required a complicated drum track that I first attempted in the notation software but needed to move to my DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software. StudioOne is where I finish my audio. It offers a wide range of production options and includes the add on software EZ drummer.

Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End

Scott Von Holzen