Category: final thoughts

S_V_H Vivaldi 4 season image 2

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
The completed music for this artwork project spread out on the floor with the artwork’s canvases leaning up against previous projects.

This project began on January 11th. It is now nearing the end of February, and I am only at the point of completing the artwork’s music for each of the four seasons. With that part completed I can now turn my attention to the electronics for this artwork. This challenge is that when a visitor presses the green button, the Spring canvas will light up and play its part. When finished, the artwork will then, in series, light up the next three seasons, playing that music, ending in less than 90 seconds.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H The Artist’s dealing with a positive rejection.

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
An image showing the progress on Antonio’s 4 Seasons artwork after five weeks. The studio looks becomes this when creating four different artworks simultaneously, all of which must fit together as one work. I hope and need to complete this project soon.

The ARC gallery in Chicago turned down my application in an email without actually telling me (see below PDFs Winners & my Submission). This was a surprised thinking their lack of acknowledgment unusual. The point of this rejection is to say that although I am disappointed in not even making the first cut on the ARC Gallery exhibition, I kinda saw this coming from checking multiple times my YouTube link to an audio file I listed in the application. What I found in my YouTube statistics is that there had been only one unique (me) visitor to this post. If you wish to double the views, be my guest supporter of this blog post.

Art show rejections for this art are common and expected. But for some unknown reason, I thought I might have a slight chance. I like the ARC Gallery which is run by women, who I came over time to feel are genuine about their support for the visual arts. Their exhibition entry application is very detailed and demands a lot of effort to complete. I completed this application several times. Each version required me to spend many hours writing, rewriting, and then rewriting over months’ updated answers to all their application questions. I believe their demands are the most I have ever come across in a submission. But every question that I answered, and re-answered, gave me a better understanding of the artist and what this art truly means. Difficult as their application is, it is well worth a look at. Therefore, I hold nothing but the feeling of another disappointment that falls in place in a very long line of rejections I have received over the years. So, it goes.

For the twenty-five bucks it cost me to apply, I come away with the positive I have given to a good gallery that just might someday change its mind and actually listen to my music. It’s completing that first step, being recognized, that is always the hardest.

Submission Conformation email
Exhibtion Winner email

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Your Song final follow up

Published on by Scott Von Holzen
Your song with the music in place.

The following video I had to do in two parts. While filming, I carelessly removed the music from the background. This resulted in a magnet falling and damaging the sound board part of the stereo system. The sound board holds the music file and enables me to connect a switch that, when pressed, plays the music. That accident required the soldering and putting together of a replacement sound board that was then rewired to the amplifier, which was not damaged.

The Peter Principal states that “what can go wrong, will go wrong,” What makes that logic even more obvious and true was that I knew well that easy access and a low profile made the stereo components vulnerable to accidents. For now, until I can come up with a better design, I added a simple cover of light bubble wrap over the entire stereo system to deflect and absorb contacting.

Here is a picture of the stereo system used for the music box of Your Song.

This artwork project could be a sign that I may revisit the use of stretched canvases. I like their strong support structure for the music, along with their ease of handling and cost savings. I also have a lot of canvas stock from previous purchases that I do not want to waste.

My custom combination of metal framing and free flowing canvases cut to size eliminated a frustration of the limited sizes of stretched canvas that comes with the benefit of cost, and time savings. over making my own frames and stretching the canvas. That means I will continue to use and take advantage of the freedom of this technique, to breakup, and counter the boxy closed look of traditional stretched canvas.

Scott Von Holzen