Category: contemporary music

S_V_H New music Project “Flowers”

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

It happened again. I have missed another even more important exhibition than the Hopkins International: the MMoCA Triennial, the deadline of October 24, 2024. Of course like the Hopkins Center for the Arts, this is a major disappointment, taking away my positive attitude for the day. Yes, I mentioned this and got advice, but what I did was to add my email to their newsletter. That means in fall 2027, once again I will apply for the MMoCA 2028 Triennial. I had also found that I had submitted to the triennial back in 2019. The image I submitted surprised me and changed my thinking about missing this show.

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art is exactly what its name applies. Here is a peak at their current exhibition schedule. My initial thought was that my art style back in 2019 was very differed then to now, with the addition of playable music and lighting, thinking this would improve my chances. Then I looked at the artwork I submitted. This surprised me. I had sent them a stunning, five-foot-long piece, Giant Steps, by the legendary jazz artist John Coltrane. They turn this work down. That tells me the MMoCA is probably not where this art belongs. Their Contemporary art scene is probably also not my scene. Obviously, I see this art as ahead of its time, ahead of what is the current MMoCA Contemporary Art. Even more so now than it was back in 2019. So it goes. So do I. The MMoCA and I may never cross paths, may not be in the cards, may not have a ghost of a chance. And yet 2028 is not that far away. Considering how fast time passes, and the average lifespan in American is 79 years and I am currently 76. I probably take that one more last shot.

Another missed opportunity
“Giant Steps” ≈ H30xL63.25xD2+- inches
This is the amazing story behind a outstanding, stand-alone Jazz Standard John Coltrane’s Giant Steps of which became the artwork.

Today, I have moved on from yesterday’s words stated above. I am back to focusing on applying to the ARC gallery that is located somewhere in or around Chicago. Women run this gallery, and while it welcomes all artists and skill sets, I still wonder if it prioritizes women artists over older white men like me. I could be entirely wrong once I learn more, but this feeling altered my approach to this application. My plan is to submit only artworks performed by women.

I have painted artworks sung by women. But surprisingly, not as many as I should have, considering how many female artists there are on my Spotify Like list (a quick third on my first 300 songs). But it was my early musical comfort, influence and direction that came from growing up with The Beatles that set my course. Back then, I liked boy music, and boys singing about girls. Unexpectantly, and good timing, I completed four projects featuring women artists: Tylor Swifts All too Well, Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, Dance Monkey my Tones and I, Cheap Thrills by Sia, but only one song from 2023, What’s Up by 4 Non Blondes. I feel, to add more credibility, to this good start I moved to seek a couple of other songs made popular by women. I came with a short list of songs.

The two songs I thought of were Adele’s version of the classic Dylan piece, Make you feel my love, and the other is Love Me Like You Do sung by Ellie Goulding (two songs on my Spotfiy Like List). The Dylan song that was a simple choice, but I hesitated on Love Me Like you Do. I have always liked this song, but the lyrics I could not find a connection. I then looked at Myley Cyrus, finding this instrumental of her song Flowers, preform by Brooklyn Duo. This cover would help in creating my cover, so I went for it. And yet, after putting together my first draft of this music, I felt disappointed. This music reminded me of much of today’s pop hits: they all sound the same. That got me wondering if I was compromising my standards for this art.

The answer is probably yes, but this has been rare, mostly past commissioned art, and a Marvin Gaye song Ecology I did specifically for an exhibition, that rejected it. I vow never again to do that. But here I am and time is on the move and I need to push out this art. The application deadline is January 4th. Therefore, this decision is about gaining some recognition of this art after 18 plus years. If this popular hit would help that cause, why not? Besides, what surprised me following up on this choice was that Miley Cyrus’s song “Flowers” currently has 2,328,701,301 Spotify plays, 922,520,240 YouTube views, and spent 8-weeks at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100. To quote the Wikipedia article, this 2023 hit was “a massive commercial success.” Oh, I see. Okay, this song is a worthy challenge to my cover music skills.

Miley Cyrus “Flowers” (Official Video)

So it goes,

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H 1st image All too Well

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
YouTube Video Taylor Swift – All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)(Lyric Video)
This is a working draft of the music. I can then create the artwork’s music feature. I am also assured that the cover music length will be close to the 1:30 maximum I set for larger or more important projects.

I am a Taylor Swift fan. How do I know for sure? I found that answer in the number of her songs that are in my Spotify Liked Songs list that reaches to 2,472. A surprising 29 songs on this list are by Taylor Swift. In contrast, I have 44 songs by Bruce Springsteen. That makes sense. I grew up hearing his music on the radio. Billie Holiday, another long-time favorite, and a close woman second to Taylor at 25. I have 9 Mozart songs and 10 Beethoven songs in my Like Songs. My classical favorite since the beginning of this art, Antonio Vivaldi, has 28 songs in my Like Songs.

All too Well 40Hx30WxD6.75 inches

I know it is hard to grasp, but this first image colors for All Too Well all came from the video. To explain, watching the video, I saw the colors in the changing seasons. That gave me my color direction. This project will comprise different shades of blue, green, brown, and white. This video, like many I have used in the past, is helpful in giving me direction and, at times, insight into the artist’s thinking and their taste for colors.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H The Scientist 2nd image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
The Scientist. The main canvas is 36 by 24 inches.

I have finished the artwork, and the image above shows the music’s up and down flow for the lyrics: “Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be this hard.” My impression, compared to the previous project, is this artwork’s style is simpler, with a cleaner, less congested look. That happened for I found a method, different from using U-shaped aluminum, to ensure that the support boards holding the music hold their shape. One other difference is I am experimenting with using a shorter three foot metal bar that matches the main canvases length. This metal type has a better magnetic hold when attaching the music.

Building the speaker boxes and working on placement of the stereo system

This art rests on a song’s melody. All projects begin when a music’s melody catches my attention. Contemporary music, and certainly rap, places a greater emphasis on the beat, with the melody often taking a supporting role or used only to elevate the song. However, I do fine exceptional music to paint regardless of the decade. Melody alone may not be enough to be my next project. Frequently, I opt for a song because of its lyrics and how they align with my mood, even if the melody is not exceptional.

I recently read that there are 120,000 songs uploaded to streaming services every day. Also, online art sites like Saatchi Art for example, have over 1 million pieces of art on display for sale. I thought the internet allowed a person not in a major art center to get connected to the wider art market. Yes, I am connected, connected with a million others trying to get connected. And that is my current art path: an unending merry-go-around that keeps bringing me back to where I started. Once again, here I am, back at another crossroads.

It appears my social art group, EmptyWallsArt, is no longer. I am still working with four remaining members to do a local show in a wine bar, but that is it. I am taking part in this show even though I know this art does not have a ghost-of-a-chance* to sell, or even get a mentioned. Bars and restaurants that hang art, hang Decorative Art, and this art lacks the market appeal.

* “Like a million little doorways
All the choices we made
All the stages we passed through
All the roles we played” – Rush – Ghost of a Chance ( C grade for lacking melody and yet many comments on how much they love this song and this live performance)

I first heard this interesting comment when picking up a Mozart artwork at the Trout Museum in 2019. A woman said how the children enjoyed playing the music. Since then, other comments from a show have been about the music. I do not recall any comments other than the music. Even beyond art shows, I do not recall any memorable comments directed to my artworks over the last 18 years beyond a work’s color choices. Maybe there were comments long ago when I sold on Etsy, but I don’t recall. And if I missed something said about an artwork, it surely would have been a brief comment, and rarely a question.

Those times that someone has commented have always surprised me. Of course, having my moment, my reaction would be to over explain and detail the artwork to them. And yet consistently silence, or a nod, always followed my response. Recently I began wondering if maybe this art is difficult to understand. Commenting on the music is easy, compared to an artwork that is not a figurative portrait, a landscape, a still life, or an abstraction. Therefore, the casual viewer, and the juror, passes by, having nothing to compare it to. I believe my decision years ago that in order for me to take up painting; I had to find a style that was all my own. I certainly accomplished that.

Scott Von Holzen