Painting a Song on Canvas

HOT AUGUST NIGHT II    acrylic on yupo paper   J.Plesh

I cannot sing or play a musical instrument; in fact, I cannot even read music. But music has been very inspiring to me through the years and has played a part in many of my paintings. Sometimes I prefer quiet solitude while creating; however, on those occasions when I paint with background music, I can feel the music’s influence and allow it to engulf me and likewise become part of the painting. Sometimes it’s like the brush or palette knife is the baton swinging in concert with the melody and momentum of the music. That’s the joy and beauty of expressionistic painting. Feeling and emotion come into play, generating creativity and encouraging spontaneity and the imagination to move in unison with the rhythm and beat of the music. Usually the music is an accompaniment to the creation of the painting. But sometimes the music itself is the reason for the painting. My painting, through its creation, represents the music. The song or music is the model, the image in my mind that I am intent on replicating. 

Years ago I attended a Neil Diamond concert with my family at the Providence (RI) Civic Center. It was a great show and we had a great time. Arriving home late in the evening after the concert, my wife and children went to bed. But I was way too pumped up and inspired to call it a night. Being in this creative zone, I chose instead to paint and did so for hours into the night. I painted with the image of the concert and the music playing in my mind. The result was a painting I titled “Hot August Night.” The movement, excitement and inspiration of that evening were all captured in the painting. It was purchased not too long after its creation by the Corning Glass Corporation for display in the lobby of their corporate medical division. The painting, like the music, lives on.