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| Excerpt from artHIVES Newsletter |
Monday 11 May 2015
All Fired Up!
Hot off the press! The monthly artHIVES newsletter gave me a feature slot for one of my paintings. See the artwork here: www.ariastone.com.au/reef
Wednesday 6 May 2015
Out Of Confusion Comes Order, Clarity And Knowledge
Sometimes when you start something new, the confusion can reek havoc with your poor little brain! It is at this moment you can turn and run like a coward or take a deep breath, slow down and dig in. The path to understanding is simple but not necessarily easy.
Last night I started digging in to the first exercise in the Melodic Structures Volume 1 by Jerry Bergonzi. Man...it took me a while to even understand what he was talking about and exactly what I needed to do for this first assignment. For some of you, breaking down the scales and chords into numbered steps is just baby stuff but coming from an intuitive self-taught by ear background, there was nothing but confusion in my head.
I felt desperate and contacted a friend with the hope he could shed some light on the matter and just explain what to do. Unfortunately he was not familiar with the book. That is when I remembered being told "after confusion comes order" so I dug my heels in and took it slowly. It didn't take long until I had figured out what I had to play. Eureka! Clarity took place and I had created new neural pathways in my brain. "Look Ma, I've made new brain cells!" I was on my way to working through the first exercise!
You know what Lao Tzu said... "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Slowly, slowly, slowly and patiently I'm going to nail this sucker within my seven day deadline!
Credit goes to saxophonist David Strong for recommending this book to me. I would not have taken a second look if I had not been inspired by Dave's funky playing on some Youtube videos I stumbled upon following a trail of funk bread crumbs. Check out some of Dave's funky licks on the videos below.
Now, you might be asking "what the heck does this have to do with visual art?" Well, for me it has everything to do with it. Quite often I begin a painting not knowing where it is going to end up. Improvisation and layering are my personal choices. The process starts off with some spontaneous mark making. After layering, then standing back and responding to what I feel the painting wants, the image can become really busy and confusing.
At this point, it is so easy to throw one's hands in the air and give up. By all means, I have a break and allow the mind to assimilate everything. Now is the time when persistence, and the knowledge that 'from confusion comes clarity', kicks in. Blind faith and courage are needed to just keep going. To quote from a favourite movie "everything works out in the end and if it hasn't worked out, then it is not the end." The painting tells you what it wants each step of the way. It will also tell you when it is time to stop. We just need to learn how to listen.
Here is an example of this process, 'Tracking Hope' from my Sound In The Landscape series.
Last night I started digging in to the first exercise in the Melodic Structures Volume 1 by Jerry Bergonzi. Man...it took me a while to even understand what he was talking about and exactly what I needed to do for this first assignment. For some of you, breaking down the scales and chords into numbered steps is just baby stuff but coming from an intuitive self-taught by ear background, there was nothing but confusion in my head.
I felt desperate and contacted a friend with the hope he could shed some light on the matter and just explain what to do. Unfortunately he was not familiar with the book. That is when I remembered being told "after confusion comes order" so I dug my heels in and took it slowly. It didn't take long until I had figured out what I had to play. Eureka! Clarity took place and I had created new neural pathways in my brain. "Look Ma, I've made new brain cells!" I was on my way to working through the first exercise!
You know what Lao Tzu said... "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". Slowly, slowly, slowly and patiently I'm going to nail this sucker within my seven day deadline!
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| www.jerrybergonzi.com/vol-1-melodic-structures |
Credit goes to saxophonist David Strong for recommending this book to me. I would not have taken a second look if I had not been inspired by Dave's funky playing on some Youtube videos I stumbled upon following a trail of funk bread crumbs. Check out some of Dave's funky licks on the videos below.
Now, you might be asking "what the heck does this have to do with visual art?" Well, for me it has everything to do with it. Quite often I begin a painting not knowing where it is going to end up. Improvisation and layering are my personal choices. The process starts off with some spontaneous mark making. After layering, then standing back and responding to what I feel the painting wants, the image can become really busy and confusing.
At this point, it is so easy to throw one's hands in the air and give up. By all means, I have a break and allow the mind to assimilate everything. Now is the time when persistence, and the knowledge that 'from confusion comes clarity', kicks in. Blind faith and courage are needed to just keep going. To quote from a favourite movie "everything works out in the end and if it hasn't worked out, then it is not the end." The painting tells you what it wants each step of the way. It will also tell you when it is time to stop. We just need to learn how to listen.
Here is an example of this process, 'Tracking Hope' from my Sound In The Landscape series.
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| Aria Stone, Tracking Hope, oil, acrylic, wax and pumice on canvas, 76.5 x 76.5 cm |
Tuesday 5 May 2015
Mark as Rhythm
Hypnotic rhythm meditation can be a great way to free up preconceived ideas and expected outcomes. Check out some of my rhythm drawings on my art website here: Aria Stone improvised rhythm drawings
Meanwhile I have been working on a smaller scale with artist's marker pens on bleed proof paper. This is a medium that is fairly new and lends itself to experimenting with slow marks. My intention is to distill ideas down to the most simple elements with repetition as a theme. Eventually I will use some of the motifs for prints. After that the plan is to do some studies on canvas and linen to see what happens when translating ideas using acrylics and oils.
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| Aria Stone, Meditation #3, pastel and charcoal on paper, 76 x 56 cm |
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| Aria Stone, Meditation #2, pastel and charcoal on paper, 76 x 56 cm |
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| Aria Stone, Meditation #1, pastel and charcoal on paper, 76 x 56 cm |
Meanwhile I have been working on a smaller scale with artist's marker pens on bleed proof paper. This is a medium that is fairly new and lends itself to experimenting with slow marks. My intention is to distill ideas down to the most simple elements with repetition as a theme. Eventually I will use some of the motifs for prints. After that the plan is to do some studies on canvas and linen to see what happens when translating ideas using acrylics and oils.
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| Aria Stone, Rhythms, artist's marker on bleed proof paper |
Saturday 2 May 2015
How To Manage Multiple Disciplines
If you have multiple interests and commitments you probably have experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed. This can be very debilitating and some days you might end up accomplishing very little. The key is to plan your day the night before and set times for your projects.
I find that it works best for me to get up at 6am and do some sax practice without disruptions that can occur later in the day. It is a heavy lifting task so if I get it done first, I am less likely to not practice at night because of feeling tired. Mind you, it does not always pan out to get the saxophone playing done in the morning. It is an ongoing project for me to embed the habit of regular practice into my routine. I still test different ways of incorporating it into my day, depending on my energy levels..and sometimes...well it just doesn't happen and I have a rest!
My inspiration comes from a number of players that are absolutely awesome mentors and educators. Greg Fishman is one such saxophonist. He keeps writing and producing some of the best tuitional books available. Check out his collection here: www.gregfishmanjazzstudios.com I highly recommend his books and iPad / iPhone apps.
As an example of his Hip Licks collection, Greg demonstrates taking Lick #53 through twelve keys on the video below. He has a private Facebook page where students upload videos of the weekly riff. It is amazing how much talent is in Greg's Facebook group. This is definitely a constant inspiration for me to keep working toward the level that, at times, seems out of reach.
Ok...So back to the subject of managing multiple disciplines. Well, it really boils down to committing specific amounts of time to each project in order to move forward with all disciplines. One thing that has absolutely helped me is an inspirational video from a young multi-millionaire, Matt Clark. He talks about how he manages to run several successful business projects at once and goes through his daily schedule.
Additionally, I was prompted by Matt's business partner, Jason Katzenback, to get a monthly desk calendar which lives on my lovingly refurbished white pine desk. Each Sunday evening I sit down and decide what goals I want to accomplish for the coming week. I break it down into tasks and keep checking the list during the week to make sure I stay on track. Again, this is a fairly new system for me and I am still integrating it into my life so that it becomes a positive habit.
One favourable aspect of having multiple interests is that they can feed each other in some way or another. Listening to 'Birdland' by Weather Report prompted me to create the painting below which was aptly titled 'Birdland'. Sometimes when I improvise on my sax I see visual arrangements and layers in the music. I really enjoy exploring the relationship between painting and music. View this painting on my art website here: Birdland
Onward and upward!
I find that it works best for me to get up at 6am and do some sax practice without disruptions that can occur later in the day. It is a heavy lifting task so if I get it done first, I am less likely to not practice at night because of feeling tired. Mind you, it does not always pan out to get the saxophone playing done in the morning. It is an ongoing project for me to embed the habit of regular practice into my routine. I still test different ways of incorporating it into my day, depending on my energy levels..and sometimes...well it just doesn't happen and I have a rest!
My inspiration comes from a number of players that are absolutely awesome mentors and educators. Greg Fishman is one such saxophonist. He keeps writing and producing some of the best tuitional books available. Check out his collection here: www.gregfishmanjazzstudios.com I highly recommend his books and iPad / iPhone apps.
As an example of his Hip Licks collection, Greg demonstrates taking Lick #53 through twelve keys on the video below. He has a private Facebook page where students upload videos of the weekly riff. It is amazing how much talent is in Greg's Facebook group. This is definitely a constant inspiration for me to keep working toward the level that, at times, seems out of reach.
Ok...So back to the subject of managing multiple disciplines. Well, it really boils down to committing specific amounts of time to each project in order to move forward with all disciplines. One thing that has absolutely helped me is an inspirational video from a young multi-millionaire, Matt Clark. He talks about how he manages to run several successful business projects at once and goes through his daily schedule.
Additionally, I was prompted by Matt's business partner, Jason Katzenback, to get a monthly desk calendar which lives on my lovingly refurbished white pine desk. Each Sunday evening I sit down and decide what goals I want to accomplish for the coming week. I break it down into tasks and keep checking the list during the week to make sure I stay on track. Again, this is a fairly new system for me and I am still integrating it into my life so that it becomes a positive habit.
One favourable aspect of having multiple interests is that they can feed each other in some way or another. Listening to 'Birdland' by Weather Report prompted me to create the painting below which was aptly titled 'Birdland'. Sometimes when I improvise on my sax I see visual arrangements and layers in the music. I really enjoy exploring the relationship between painting and music. View this painting on my art website here: Birdland
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| Aria Stone, Birdland, oil and pigment on canvas, 153 x 122 cm |
Onward and upward!
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