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Art and Music - Music and Art - Music and Art Together

Developing-a-Rhythm - art prints from digital painting - 1999

This is another piece which doesn’t really look like much until viewed a bit larger. Like a lot of my abstract art - the piece is multi-layered without a great deal of form - but is left with the process exposed.

An early digital painting, it felt that I had reached the point I was getting the hang of the medium - developing a rhythm as it were.

It is also not a big stretch to view the artwork as being musical with a great deal of color - like the changes in music - and perhaps a way of representing rhythm itself.

See Also

• Developing-a-Rhythm
  Gallery page for above digital piece - can “enlarge” piece from here or view Art Print options by clicking “buy”
• BEAUTIFUL MUSICAL ARTWORK in Roanoke Virginia
  found a couple of nice pieces searching for musical artwork
• Woodstock Music and Art Festival - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Had know idea this would come up - what a web of cross referenced nostalgia - not that I was there - but I can hear music just looking at titles

Creating Art from Concept and Pleasing to Look At

About Time CD Cover - Fall 2005 - Hear Clips

So above is another example of art designed specifically for a musical CD.  This was for a production last fall. The title has multiple meanings, but was important to me to convey that the subject matter was indeed time itself.

The tree theme is also laden with references to family to time span to stretching in space; and the tree is one of the first images I ever drew or painted.

The sky reflects the seasons as well - going from the bleak gray pallor of Winter to the crisp blue color of Fall.

As I have previously discussed, creating art from a concept provides a wonderful guideline - a limit which in many instances is welcome. But it is every bit as important to me that in whatever concept or impression I try to convey it is also pleasing to look at.  That is always my hope and intent.

See Also

• Listen to Music at Outhouse Studios
  Info and excerpts from 3 musical Albums/CD’s
• The Genealogy Home Page
  Extensive resource for developing Family Tree
• IStockphoto.com: Seasonal Skies
  Many photographic examples of sky seasonality

Album Cover Art, Art for Music

Art for CD - original size Caribbean 2 - Digital Painting 2005

In addition to my own recent CD, I recently did artwork for another group. The cover and information about The Latin Quarter Jazz Collective can be found on their site.

Other CD Cover designs can be seen on this site - Caribbean 1, Caribbean 4, and the cover art Caribbean 3. In addition, you can see other CD Covers at the Outhouse Studios Music page.

So if there is a point to be made, I suppose it is that the merger of music and art is a particularly fun area for me.  I enjoyed the challenge of coming up with the appropriate work for the nature of the music - and have enjoyed the challenge of coming up with the appropriate artwork for the music I have recorded.

I have discussed art coming from a concept before - but pairing with music is more than just a concept - it must fit the music as well as the theme.

As it turns out the above artwork, though not chosen for the cover can be found on the actual CD - guess that even more literally fits the music.

See Also

• CD’s - Latin Quarter Jazz Collective
  Information about CD’s and view CD cover art
• Cin Weekly - Music Appreciation
  Article about album cover photography and music
• Sideman to musical ghosts - New York Times
  On the missing connection between art and music - amusing and curious

Tropical Vision, Latin Quarter Jazz Music Project

Caribbean 1 - Digital Painting - 2005 - made for New album: 

Tesoros del Corazon (Treasures of the Heart)
The Latin Quarter Jazz Collective

This piece was used underneath the credits for this new musical CD. In addition, to the link to my website outhousestudios.net, there were links to site of the person who titled the CD and is also a musician and songwriter - Joe Strouse at strousongs.com and also to Fred Lipsius at FredLipsius.com.

My understanding is that Bob (leader and saxophonist) was thanking Fred for his encouragement during the project. Fred is best known for the incredible arrangement he did years ago of "Spinning Wheel" for Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

As I mentioned before, this is a really fine album. Please check out the Latin quarter website for details.

As for the art, it is what I first thought of in terms of the Caribbean: hammocks, palms, tropical drinks, aqua blue water, etc. Then there is the clothing aspect - either one persons hot is another person’s cold or somebody got a sunburn. Beats me, I wasn’t there.

See Also

• CD’s at LatinQuarterJazz.com
  Info about new album
• FredLipsius.com
  His New Website
• The Unofficial Blood, Sweat, and Tears Homepage
  Has lots of info about band members and where they are at now

Music and Art Reflecting Each Other

Caribbean 4 - CD Cover option - the one that got away

I did a CD cover for a friend of mine’s new album. I gave him a few options. He used some of all the other artwork I sent him but not this particular piece.

His is a Latin jazz album - just being released but I will put the link to his site anyway - latinquarterjazz.com. I don’t know when info on the new album will hit his site, but I will show off the album artwork when that happens.*

So this colorful piece came from a song list of which I only knew some, the sound of some previously recorded music, and some instructions about the album being Caribbean and Romantic.

All I know is those would be mighty nice legs to be owning - particularly this time of year - certainly a place I would like to be.

* Apparently it has been updated since I last checked - CD art and album info now visible.

See Also

• CD Information at LatinQuarterJazz.com
  Info on new album - with Cover art by Dan Beck
• Red - Music Related Artwork
  Example of someone else doing artwork for CD’s

Group Sound, Word Puns, Dance to Music

Listen to Clip of The Rainbow Song

1danband is a name I came up with a number of years ago. Like on this CD, I had created a group sound by multitracking different instruments I had played all myself.

Obviously, I enjoy puns on words which is why my first musical release (on tape) many, many years ago had the pun of being produced by "outhouse studios" since it was a homemade production.

I don’t particularly mind the bathroom reference, because we have to be able to make fun of ourselves first and foremost - laughing at ourselves is healthy.

So with 1danband it is not so much making fun - but perhaps a more fun artist name than just my own - and it felt right with the title - oh yeah - guess that is a pun on words too.

The CD contains all new songs from 2005 which dan sings and also has enough of a beat and bass line (new for this album) to make you possibly feel like dancing. So many puns, so little time.

See Also

• Tweak’s Guide
  Apparently everything you need to know about home recording - and probably more than I care to know
• Humor and Laughter: Health Benefits and Online sources
  Laughter is good for us - count the ways
• Puns - The Lowest Form of Wit
  The simpleness and perhaps common denominator of puns
• Pun of the Day - Funny Puns, Jokes, and one-liners
  Today’s were cute - couldn’t hurt to(o much to) follow the link

New Song Writing, Adding Bass Guitar, Overall Sound

Cover of new music CD - Listen to clip from 1st track

Over the last year, I have been remarklably prolific as a song writer - well for me anyway - over 30 songs last year. Given that, I couldn’t resist recording some of the music that I have come up with.

I am mostly a guitar player - but have managed to develop enough technique with various drums and percussion to create a small band sound.

In this venture, I have added bass guitar, which on the surface seems like would be a simple adjustment from the bass strings of the guitar - since the notes are the same though the octaves different. However, it is another thing to think like a bass player or hear like one.

Finding the right bass line was a new kind of challenge and that is probably part of the freshness here though the songs are very positive as well. All in all, I am really pleased with the results and overall sound.

Though not available for purchase at this writing, I expect the cd to be available soon at outhousestudios.net/music. And I will be posting more clips.

See Also

• Bass Guitar Scale Page
  Looks interesting probably valuable - though nothing I used
• Songwriting Resources - A Reference guide for beginning songwriters
  Again - nothing I would use - but some articles seemed valuable
• Listening to Music at Outhouse Studios
  More info about Dan Beck’s music and recordings