Category: Modern

Body and Soul 3 panels 30 inches by 8 1/2 feet.  Some of the words where dropped from this image.  One reason was that the words included the title of this work, which reflected the music, but not this art. Understand, the purpose of this art is to use musical titles as the hook.  What may not be understood, even by this blog writer, is that the music is just the starting point for what appears on these canvases.  It is the music that is the excuse to paint.  Painting gives this artist, the reason to listen for hours to a great variety of music including Sweet Jane by the Cowboy Junkies and Barbara Ann  – The Beach Boys ‘ party. Painting  music is the expression of the deep feelings of the important place that music has in our lives.

Working the the Canon 7D this image was shot without a flash, which was causing reflections in the upper middle.  Not much work was needed in Photoshop to remove the adverse local lighting, which means this camera is doing a great job with white balance, along with some modest custom settings. The left side of the larger image, appears to be darker, so maybe better bounced cards would have helped.

Listening to Get Out Of My Life Woman – Mel Brown and the Homewreckers.

The Website has just been updated, with Thunder Road and a large 1500 pixel image.  This painting hangs on the opposite wall of the easels just above Hallelujah.  The thought is that those two will remain in the studio until they get pushed out.  So far, they are holding there own.

Listening to Anfew Bird – Fiery Crash

From here,  later on tonight, the work will be with the stems and the beams.  At this moment there are no ideas what colors and shapes will be used.  The thought is to continue with the success of Heart of the matter and let the style evolve.   Sooner or later an idea will pop into view and a original look  for this canvas, will hopefully, appear after rejecting everything else.

OK…, listening to Gretchen Wilson – California Girls

Finishing this blog with Ani DiFranco – 32 Flavors

Scott Von Holzen

Body and Soul 3 panels 30 inches by 104 inches.   These backgrounds, it would be nice to see them eventually evolve were they could stand on their own as contemporary art. The original, yes, from the beginning,  style of the backgrounds was inspired by the art Mark Rothko.  Take a look at the first painting, Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 at the website and it is obvious, that Rothko doing his part to make this art work.  Of course, over time the desire to find a more unique background style that would better root the music evolved, in a look that floated the music across the canvas.  View the yellow and orange painting, Hey Jude or the Yellow California Dreamin‘  from 2007,  for two good examples.

Listening to Godsmack – Awake

The problem with this style that became obvious was that the music appeared to be disconnected entirely from the background. Only the use of color was holding the canvas together.   The solution was to bring back bands of colors.  You can see an example of a return to a post Rothko look, with the music High Hopes, a favorite still. This updated technique brought back the idea to use a part of sheet music which is the Staff or Stave ( a grid made up of five horizontal bands). What results on those canvases are imaginative bands of narrow rectangle shapes of many different colors,  that have no other purpose then to push the music across the canvas, to create interest,  and to unite entire work.  Those bands of colors are what you see today in Body.  From that, and onward, there still is a hope to find, one day, a way to finish these backgrounds that lets them stand alone as original works of art.

Listening to Bread – Aubrey.  Maybe this is a corny song, but for some reason, it is liked, and it felt.  Who knows, maybe there was once an Aubrey or someone, one time a long time ago, that aroused a memory of that music.  The remembered long ago lost love?  Such as it is, it lives on forever, no matter how many facts are forgotten.

I love Joe Cocker – and his wonderful You Can Leave Your Hat on from the movie 91/2 Weeks.

Bottom line is this background was resembling Hallelujah’s and it needed something to break it away, which is where those two medium magenta lines come from. But, I have seen magenta lines, like this before, so what else, if anything can be done, to push this background to somewhere else?

Chopin Etude In E, Op.10 No.3  and artwork and a most wonderful piece of music.

Hours later we have Madonna singing Jump.

Above is the 2nd edition of the final background image before applying the music.  It is now time to move on, with other changes to this background occurring till after the music has been applied. Those differences from image two where necessary to separate this artwork form the larger and strong Hallelujah background. This canvas now has its own identity.  Every work strives for that. It is time to see if the music can actually be made to fit.

Listening to This is How A Heart Breaks – Rob Thomas

Listening to Marvin Gaye – Sexual Healing

Finishing this blog listening to Early Mornin’ Rain – Peter, Paul & Mary

Scott Von Holzen

Heart of the Matter, 3 panels totally 30inches by 8 1/2 feet.  There is only one image of a lone 8th  note in this work.  That in itself was a reason to use a different color pattern from the rest of the music.  On looking at it the next morning there was some surprise. There is a look of dissonance to this note, which may have some negative feedback from the viewer. It works for me, though.  That one note strands for a lot, including refusing to cooperate. I am at times as defiant and like minded.

Frank Sinatra – High Hopes, remember this song from when I was a kid.  It was a motivational song.

I would like to comment, once again on the photography.  The camera is a Canon 7D  with a Canon 580EXII flash, and a couple of bounce white cards.  The effort is to try and duplicate the actual live work. These images are close with the colors accurate, but no photo can compare to actually viewing. At times there is concern that the contrast may be too high in the photos.  This work sits on a easel which is one easel that is actually composed of  five other easels which gives it a length of about twelve feet. It is lit quite close from  above by nine 60 watt fluorescent 3500K  floods, my preferred color.  Maybe with this amount of light some of the the contrast is being washed out. Obviously the light environment can change colors, but since most of these works basically travel from the easel to storage its is impossible to come to any firm conclusions on the accuracy of what is viewed on these pages.

This latest image shows some of the needed work done to up the contrast of the background bringing it forward into the music. The note heads are now starting to move, but still they seem lacking. That very bottom violet edge needs to be pulled into the work. There is yet to be added the Tie, and a couple of  Rests. Finally, there is finishing to be done to give it that look.

Amiee Mann – Little Bombs “….Life just kind of empties out…”

This work is beginning to fall in place so it was today while walking, and listening to music, that two musical  ideas for the future came to mind. Not sure which one will go first.  One piece is a work by Vivaldi Concerto for Two Cellos, RV531 and the other is a country song,  Jesus take the Wheel,  made popular by Carrie Underwood.  I know, I have no idea either where that thought combo came from, but that is not unusual while out for a walk. What is unusual is having any kind of ideas about what is to be painted next.  Still, there are no certainties.  There are many, many musical pieces this artist would love to have the time to paint.  Most of the  time the decision on what is to be painted is an emotional  choice, with the only practical decision being to make sure that the music fits on the chosen canvas.

Listening to Concerto For Two Cellos – Vivaldi.

Carole King – You’ve got A Friend.  Finishing this blog entry with Beethoven’s sad Moonlight Sonata.  This is a must paint, but since it is so sad, I have yet, luckily, never found the mood.  And finally finishing this blog entry with Roy Oribison – Oh, Pretty Woman.

Scott Von Holzen