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How My Painting Is Inspired by MusicAt the Dimming of the Day a painting Inspired by Bonnie Raitt's SongAs you can see in my last few paintings, my painting style is loosening up a little. I want to paint more than 'pretty paintings.' I have been listening to Eva Cassidy on You Tube a lot lately, and her wonderful voice and the kind of music she sings seems to release something in me. "Fields of Gold" was the first musically inspired painting this past week.
 Fields of Gold by Joan A Hamilton July 2010
"Love the color of the sky.... I listened as Eva sung... I think you caught the music in your painting..." a comment from a faithful follower!
This one was posted on my website last night as Marsh in the Evening Light, but it needed something more to make the connection stronger. This is today's result.  At The Dimmimg of the Day
by Joan A Hamilton July 7, 2010
I painted this yesterday and it is inspired by E McLeod on Flickr visually, but the colour and the feeling come from Bonnie Raitt's song "At The Dimming of the Day." A song I listen to frequently. It used to make me cry when my husband and I lived in different cities during the work week. For all the parted lovers in the world, this painting is for you. It expresses the bleak loneliness you feel when once again you've gotten through the day and now that the day is waning, you turn to your lover to share something ... and they aren't there! I added one lonely little duck to the painting today to accentuate that story.
The marsh scene must have been in the back of my mind because I often had to drive past marshy areas in Kingston, Ontario. It was often literally at the dimming time of the day when I would be driving home from work that this feeling was evoked. So the place and the feeling made a connection in my mind. They potentiated each other, making the music seemed more beautiful connected to that imagery, and the painting expressed more feeling when connected to that music.
Music has always been an essential thing in my life. I am old enough to remember seeing the Beatles on Ed Sullivan (then sing "I love you, ya, ya, ya!" with brooms for guitars with my younger siblings :), so you'll know what important musical eras have taken place in my lifetime.
I have always been drawn to female vocalists with strong voices (not to be confused with strident!) on the bluesy folk music side, rather than country singers, although there are a few I like. I usually have some kind of mental image that the lyrics invoke or the feeling of the song gives me is connected to a place in some way. When I am looking for photo references I notice I react strongly to certain kinds of scenes or parts of scenes. I have noticed my best paintings come from ones with a strong emotional attachment, or ones that tell the story I want to tell.
I want to evoke an emotional reaction in the viewer even if it only momentary.
Update: This painting is posted on Fine Art America.
Here is the link My fine Art America Gallery
The song "You Take My Breath Away"makes me think of the people I love and how the power of that love can be so strong. It also conjures images of beautiful scenes that take my breath away...like the moonlight sparkling across the bay and the pink sky fallen into the water. Trees and branches against the sky in any way, shape and form are frequently parts of my visions (No, not that kind, don't worry!)
Take My Breath Away by Joan A Hamilton July 6, 2010
Not suprising, because I spent a good portion of my childhood outdoors and my world seemed ringed by trees in all directions. I used to have a recurrent dream as child that I could fly, but not too high and only at twilight. I can still remember what the ground below looked like as I flew over our backyard! It was connected to that glorious feeling (belief) that your new red running shoes could make you run so fast that you flew! Since I was a notorious tree climber and could often get quite high because of my small stature, I had a pretty good idea of what the tree top views would be like. They made my flying dream all the more memorable and realistic!
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