I uploaded a new original song to youtube. You can find it here:
I wrote this song about someone special to me. As with a lot of my original songs I use my experiences. Sometimes I see a good movie and use the story line to compose the songs and sometimes I just try to find words that go together. I’m always amazed at how nerve wracking it is to share your deepest thoughts with whoever listens. It’s one thing to just sing but when you are singing about your emotions it’s a vulnerability you can’t hide from and yet, something people instantly connect and relate to.
I was able to complete a couple commissions this weekend. I had a collector see the smaller versions of my Floral’s and wanted larger scale paintings for specific rooms in her home. It always amazes me how much paint I use when I do larger paintings. I went through 1 and 1/2 large 200 ml tubes of impasto gel and 1 large 200 ml tube of red. I love red. Such a beautiful color.
The original painting was smaller and she wanted a larger scale for her entry way. The finished piece stands 20″ x 48″
I’m off to the park this afternoon to get some painting in. First I’ll stop by the store to get my needed supply of paper towel and Mountain Dew and then it’s off to enjoy the toasty 87 degrees. The kids are with their dad this weekend so some much needed down time is on the calendar today.
I’ve also got to get the strings replaced on Marty (my guitar) at some point today. What an awesome day!
Last night, I had a girls night out with my mom and sister. We attended a dance show called Dancing Under the Stars. It was fantastic. These dancers and singers were amazingly talented. Many of the dancers compete on the TV show, Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance. My parents are big West Coast Swing dancers and I’ve taken a couple workshops with them for fun but it just didn’t speak to me like it did to them. Last night, it was different. It was ballroom, hip hop, jazz, contemporary… it was so captivating watching these dancers. They make it look so effortless. I definitely caught the dancing bug for this type of dancing.
I’m excited to launch my brand new company called Painted Song. The idea came to me while I was trying to decide what avenue in my creativity to explore most. Music or Painting? I simply couldn’t choose. I’m what I like to call a bouncer or a jumper, which ever you prefer. I jump from creative lily pad to creative lily pad exploring all kinds of expressive creativity I can get my hands on. I love music. I’m fascinated by the idea that you can hear a song from 20 years ago and it takes you back to exactly the moments you heard them. You recall details, sounds, smells… it’s amazing. A few years ago I picked up a guitar and a couple easy chord books and taught myself how to play guitar. It’s nothing too fancy but when I get my guitar out and play… I lose all track of time. I jot down my experiences and emotions and started writing songs right away. I knew it was something that came easier to me than some because I could just “hear” the next sound I wanted as I played. I’m not some musical prodigy but thoroughly enjoy it to my core.
The only other place I lose all track of time is when I paint. A few years ago I moved to Arizona and after visiting the art mecca in Scottsdale, I came home and started painting. I’ve always loved art and painting but would struggle with re-visiting the paint strokes over and over again until I was left with a muddy canvas and zero connection to the work. One day after mixing colors on a palette I noticed the curvature in the paint and thought — I wonder what an entire canvas would look like covered in these globs of paint. So I just started sculpting the paint onto the canvas. When I snapped out of it, I looked at the clock and I’d been sucked into the zone for 5 hours. I posted my first palette knife painting on the web and when people started comparing it to Van Gogh I was hooked.
Fast forward a couple years. I’m enjoying making my own version of cover songs. I post videos on youtube showing my original songs and tweaked cover songs. I’m painting on the side and I just don’t have time to do both like I’d like.
After a meaty brainstorm session I came up with Painted Songs.
In a nut shell… I’m going to create paintings inspired from songs. I’m not sure what the first series will be but I’m excited to get started and will be having some contests for followers of my work to guess the song after I complete the painting. Stay Tuned!
