Category: Music

S_V_H Vivaldi’s Winter Allegro Non Molto Final image

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

vivaldiWinterAllegroFinal

 

Vivaldi’s Winter Allegro Non Molto.  This was a forever painting. Forever to finish that is.  Soon after I took this photograph, with Barbara’s help, we placed it in front of a large stack of canvases.  Because it is over seventeen feet in length I could not hang this artwork.  I am not sure if I will ever see this work on any wall. That is the way it is. This large artwork is a part of the lengthy Vivaldi Four Seasons art series.  Now, there are only two more paintings that I need to create.

I am looking forward to Spring’s first movement. I am seeing bright flashy colors of shades and tints of violet,  rose, and purple, bouncing around in my head. When completed you will know it. There will be no questions which season this painting is about.  I have looked at a lot of lilac bushes and flowering crabs, that are now all faded away, and that is about it. This means I am behind schedule.  Once I start and then finish  Spring what is left is the third movement of Summer. it will probably be late, late summer, before that work is near completion.

The walk-through for the 11 painting in the Four Seasons series.

 

 

Scott Von Holzen

 

 

S_V_H Love is All Around image4

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

loveAllAround4

I have made slow progress on the artwork Love is All Around because of the coming of summer and the need to finish a Winter Vivaldi that I started January 5th 2014.  I have finished the Vivaldi. I think this seventeen footer and I both agreed that it was time to move on.

The big issue with Love is all Around is the struggled I have had with the staffs of this music. Usually, I spread light colors over a dark background and quickly finish the staffs.  That idea, although, did not seem to me to fit this work.  In the past I have used little boxes of contrasting colors for my staffs.  You can see a lot of this technique on the great painting Autumn Allegro 3rd movement Vivaldi.  I also used this same style for the ending notes of the Take Five artwork.  I am guessing I carried over that influence to this work.  My problem became my color choices.  This lead me to repaint the strips several times, which has slowed the progress over this last week and more. I am not sure if this will be the final changes to the staff colors, but for now I am moving on.

I believe I am correct that the client mentioned to me to not use any pink in the painting.  Well, in reality pink is a tint of magenta with added white to lighten.  In this work I could not resist using magenta. This is a love song, and too me magenta and love go together nicely. What I have done is use the solid color of magenta to stay as far as possible away from any perception of the ‘pink color.’

When I was discussing this painting with the client she mention these words “You gave your promise to me, and I gave mine to you.” which I can see how this could be a favorite part of the music. They speak to love between two people. I looked at these measures, but I could not find enough interest to work with.  I did find another section, near the end, which I made the choice for this artwork. Here you find the words, ” So if you really love me come on and let it show.”  This is a strong voice of expression, and the need for and to love.  At this climatic point in the song the music also showed a lot of interest. The choice then was easy:  words with meaning, and artistic potential.

I have a way to go.  I am not certain that I have a total understanding of what this artwork is trying to say or want from me. That means there is still a lot of work to do.

Scott Von Holzen

 

S_V_H Vivaldi’s Winter Allegro Non Molto image 4

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

 

vivaldiWinterAllegro4

This Vivaldi has taken forever. And the enlarged image does little to portray the power and chill that this work sends through the viewer. You will have to see it up close to know its cold feel. But few of you will, and for now,  that is just the way it is.  I can say if you check out the other 10 Vivaldi’s at my Vivaldi page that this is one unique artwork.  It was better when I worked on this painting in mid February, but lucky for me now, the ‘chill’ is already in this work.  For It was in February that I switch my efforts to complete three commission works. Now, I am somewhat back, for I am also working on another client artwork, that has no hard timeline. I will have enough hours for this Four Seasons piece over the next couple of weeks, to finish it before June.  I need to finish for standing in line are the last two Vivaldi’s: the first movement of Spring, and the Storm that is Summer.  The timing for starting the Spring Vivaldi is already past, but in reality spring around here was nothing. It was bland, boring, and dull. For the most part the feeling of Spring was nonexistent, with most days being a back-en-forth between late Winter and early summer. What this means is that I will have accumulated little inspiration for my Vivaldi Spring based on the weather. Of course, that is not true with this Winter Vivaldi. It was a long, cold, bitter, uncomfortable winter, and it clearly shows in this work. If you are ever lucky enough to view this seventeen foot work in person, you will know and feel winter.

Scott Von Holzen