Weird things

So I realize there’s this one–OK not only one – weird thing I do when I paint lately.

I’m trying to get more into working in abstraction, and to “get in the mood“ for whatever try emotion I’m trying to conjure up, I have a playlist of songs. I’ve always listened to music while I paint, and I usually dance a little (much to the mortification of my kids).

Lately, however, I listen to Zepplin when I’m in one kind of mood, The Doors when I’m in another kind of mood, Beethoven for another mood. This week in Vermont, everything is about fall color. Two days of near frost temps have turbo, charged the colors, and I took a little detour from abstract backed who painting some of the countryside.

Cue a little Vivaldi. I hadn’t listened to it in a while, but Zubin Mata‘s performance with the Israeli Philharmonic is still astounding 29 years after it was released. The best part, when you’re painting, is that after every few interludes, Itzhak Perlman‘s violin is so fiery that the studio audience explodes with applause. And, you are really into your painting, at that point, you can almost kid yourself into thinking that the applause is for you. Almost.