New Body Of Work Inspired By Live Music

ENERGY FROM THE CROWD

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND MY NEW PAINTINGS 

I crowd surfed my way through the stage, feeling the energy of the music pulsing through me. With each crunching guitar chord, I felt my worries melting away like after my first brush stroke hit a freshly primed canvas. It was cathartic to let go and give myself over to the chaos. 

I could still hear the complex songwriting describing a strange world that was separate from my own yet the same. In a world that often feels out of control, live music provides a much-needed release. I later caught myself attending several live shows after this for a way to escape. Just like facing the Jabberwocky through the looking glass! They say the world continues, with or without the Jabberwock, as it still exists. 

I realized that this strange world was actually just a parallel universe, and that I could step through the looking glass and back into my own painting studio whenever I wanted to. I decided to stay in that parallel universe for a while, and I had a blast attending many shows. For me, this also meant seeing the Dillinger Escape Plan several times in support of their final album, “Dissociation” The record is a dark and twisted take on the world we live in, and the live show was an assault on the senses and allowed me to let go of a painful and heavy heart during this time in my life. In 2017, they announced their breakup, but their music will continue to inspire me for years to come. So I stepped through the looking glass back into my own world. 

While pursuing my MFA, I became inspired by music and the community it creates. Its influence can also be seen in my illustrations of album artwork for sub-cultures in the underground music scene. I united song lyrics, and sound into my art practice directly influencing my subject matter while also allowing the music to direct the mood. I support live shows  The live show experience transports individuals into states of heightened energy, where ideas and emotions are felt more intensely. This appealed to me because these are the moments where new perspectives can be born. I want to explore how these effects manifest themselves artistically through painting by documenting my experiences at a live performance. I aim to create paintings that make viewers feel as if they are experiencing the live show, if not again- to capture the feeling of the music and energy of the crowd! 

During this time of a national pandemic, however, live music has been cancelled everywhere due to self-quarantine measures, throwing the future of art into uncertainty at one point. Yet despite these challenges, I believe that art will always prevail. The essence of art lies not in materials or mediums, but in people – their stories and experiences and dreams. And so long as we live on this earth, that essential connection between humans and art will continue to thrive. Thus, whatever challenges life may throw at us, I remain confident that with each passing day human creativity will continue to rise above it all and breathe new life into our world's beautiful artistic traditions and engagement between artists and their communities. Therefore, I challenge myself to keep going and to face the hard times, because it’s easy to forget about the real world when you can easily get lost just staring at a blank canvas. Painting is part of my life, and I hope you enjoy my new body of work that is inspired by music and the community it creates.  

If you are interested in seeing this new body of work, I have recently put up a blog link in the image below and store with my latest paintings. The title of this series is Energy From The Crowd and each painting is inspired by a particular live performance and the music behind it. I hope you enjoy them! Please check out my website or follow me on social media below for new paintings in the works.

Thank you for your support!

 

Photo credit of me in my studio by M. Myers Photo, Photo credit of me crowdsurfing: By C. Prejean Photo