Tag: Music

S_V_H You Raise Me Up image1

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

raisemeup1b

You raise me up, laying all over the floor. This is the part where I fit the music to the canvas.

raisemeup1

You Raise Me is six panels, and 99 inches in length, by a max height of 30 inches.  This is a requested Christmas song that I received from a prominent, and important person, that has been apart of my life for many, many years.

I think it is a great choice and brings me back to my roots of this art, with my first Christmas painting which was Joy to the World, by Three Dog Night.  You see, back then, the original idea was to produce of Christmas artwork, that celebrated the joys of this time of the year.  At that time I thought Joy to the World fit that idea, perfect.  Things changed after that first year, and I started to products artworks of real Christmas music, like Sleigh Ride, and Winter Wonderland. This years suggestion caught my totally be surprise, and as I said brought me back to my real goal, which is to produce an uplifting artwork to fit the season.  I think this choice does that well.

Here are three versions of this music. In iTunes these artists have the most popular versions, along with a group called Selah. Their best performance video, I felt was an over the top sentimental cover, that belong in a save the species  info-commercial. So, it has been left out.  I can see where this music can go in many emotional directions, and I can understand its appeal to God being the one the artist is singing to.  I see this music, and artwork not as a Jesus thing, but as song that speaks to real people making real differences in other lives. To me this music is about the meaning of friendship. 

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Vivaldi’s Autumn allegro 3rd mvt. image2

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

4SeasonsAutumnAllegro3rdmvt2

Vivaldi’s Autumn Third Movement. This painting for the Four Seasons Series falls into the timeline of late fall. I do this with each Vivaldi work in that I start trying to portray the feel of the season with the music. You will notice when looking at the larger image a lot of natural fall colors, but then again you will see colors that do not seem to fit the season. That is where the ‘I start out trying’ changes to what colors I think will work with what I have so far. What you have is my fall look, for this is a musical work not a landscape, which gives me a lot of color room.

The most difficult panel in this group of panels, so far, has been the small canvas attach on the end.  My artworks read from left to right.  I keep applying colors with my home-made squeegee, and that panel, just got uglier and messier.  Finally, I scrapped off some of the layers and rubbed in some color, and called it good.  The next day I was looking out the window on the woods floor, now clearly visible,  and what I saw is what I painted on the far left panel. The end of fall just gets strained of most of its color,  and in my Vivaldi world that color it is a deep ugly.

For now that work on this artwork will have to wait. I have moved this Vivaldi off of the main easels to make room for the start of this years Christmas painting, which will be You Raise Me Up sung my Josh Groban.

Scott Von Holzen

S_V_H Up On the Roof image4

Published on by Scott Von Holzen

upOnTheRoof4

Up On The Roof is a Classic Pop song written by Carole Kin, and first recorded by the Drifters in 1963. Years later it made it back to the charts with a recording by James Taylor in 1979.  I picked this song to paint, for some reason, somewhere, at some time,  I had good feelings towards this music. That feelings is constituent even today, every time I hear it.  I am not sure whose version I first heard, and fell for,  or when it made such a lasting impression on me.  Maybe, It is the lyrics or the way the words connect,  that puts it in my iTunes three stars plus list,  that now numbers 291 songs out of 20,000.

“When I come home feelin’ tired and beat
I go up where the air is fresh and sweet
Up on the roof
I get away from the hustling crowd
And all that rat race noise down in the street
Up on the roof”

For this artwork it was the next lines of this music that are the inspiration:

“On the roof, the only place I know
Where you just have to wish to make it so
Let’s go up on the roof
Up on the roof”

Of course this  music may have stuck in my head, because it is a rare pop song that has nothing to do with wanting, having, losing, or not getting it on with someone.  It is only about finding peace and maybe sharing it with another.

“And if this world starts getting you down
There’s room enough for two, up on the roof
Up on the roof”

Scott Von Holzen