Painting My Record Collection
The dawn of Covid-19 has changed life as we know it. We stay at home now, life has slowed down and everything has become much more internal. I have painted live at hundreds and hundreds of shows throughout the years and there is very special place in my heart for live music in a club packed full of dancing people. I miss it dearly and hope that musicians and the hearts and minds of men and women looking to shake it up on the dance floor can come together once again soon.
As a live painter by trade, my desire to paint to music, translating it in improvised, ever-changing paint doesn’t just go away simply because we all must stay at home.
A picture of most of my actual record collection——->
As I was setting up my new Portland studio at the end of March I found a large stack of 5x7” canvas boards I had been holding on to. Their original destiny had been previously thwarted by the virus when I had to cancel an artist retreat/bachelorette party my friends and I had planned earlier in March. I thought of missing my dear friends and how we didn’t know when the next time we all could link up like planned. I then started thinking about all of my friends throughout the country also dealing with these crazy uncertain and stressful times that have now become some new kind of horrible norm. I decided I could share a little joy with them, by making paintings on the 5x7” canvas boards inspired from albums in my record collection. I thought of my friends and what album they would especially enjoy listening to, then I put the record on and went to work. The painting was finished when the album was done. I then wrote a letter to my friend and included it with the painting for them. I just got the first wave of paintings mailed out and I will be posting them in the gallery here. I have a large record collection, so I decided to keep this project going for quite some time. Soon I will be live streaming Painting My Record Collection…I’ll keep you posted!