Anomalous Divergence

Anomalous Divergence

Ray Legnini was nice enough to share with me his song Zabazaar, for which my newest Lyrical Visions stems from. Ray is a self professed "crazy drummer/songwriter - who dabbles with the bazaar - concentrating on diversity and alternative ways to make sound/songs--getting political sometimes, hard and crazy sometimes, or soothing and relaxed sometimes."

Listen to the song that inspired the artwork HERE, and be sure to check out the rest of his amazing songs.

Work In Progress

A little behind the scenes action of me working on my artwork.

Wasted Rose

Wasted Rose

I recently met Sharif while visiting a local pub in Old Town Alexandria. We spoke of music and art, we exchanged business cards and talked of collaborating. It was a very good day.

I listened to the song, Another Wasted Rose, he sent to me, and fell in love with it. The mood and emotion I got from it immediately struck several creative ideas for me.

Sharif is a talented musician and has had his music licensed and featured in several notable spots.

Music Connection magazine named Sharif one of the top unsigned artists of 2009, while Kisses and Lies landed on many year-end best-of lists of 2010. Also, “Another Wasted Rose” received an honorable mention in the 2008 Billboard World Song Contest and “Dark Side of the Dawn” charted on the FMQB charts in 2010. Sharif has also worked with legendary songsmith Desmond Child, landed endorsement deals with 10 major companies (including Gibson Guitars, Taylor Guitars, D'Addario Strings, and Red Bull), and garnered press accolades such as Vintage Guitar magazine calling his last release "an often moving, overwhelmingly pleasing, well-constructed album."

Be sure to check out his website http://www.sharifmusic.com
And Like him on FB https://www.facebook.com/sharifmusic

Below is the video for the song, which I just recently found as I wrapped up the finishing touches on the piece.

Emanating Exaltation

Emanating Exaltation

Dena Monticone talked to me at the gallery for show for Lyrical Visions back in March, and asked if I would listen to her music. I have to tell you I was excited to work on this piece, as her style of music is truly unique.

Her band, Aura Superb, sent me their song for Identity Crisis, which is the basis for this recent piece. There are elements of the lyrics in the piece, but the overall flow is more from what I felt listening to the song.

Visit the Aura Superb FB site and listen to their other songs! www.facebook.com/groknrock
Identity Crisis song http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_16584486

UPDATE! You can view the YouTube video of the demo for the song below.

Crucial Fulmination

Crucial Fulmination

The renowned lyrical improvisational MC Flex Matthews was gracious enough to send me his track "I Are". Flex has been blowing it up, with his rhythm and rhymes performing with Lupe Fiasco, The Roots, and Big Daddy Kane, just to name a few.

His song moved me, not so much with the lyrics, but with the delivery. He has a force about him, and it is powerful and explosive. I wanted to exemplify that energy with this piece.

Be sure to check out his music page and listen to his great flow and lyrical delivery.

Spectrum

Spectrum

I have known the guitarist Angel Gutarra for several years. We were once in a short lived band called Above the Edge. He has since gone on to become a phenomenal musician and with several others formed the band Radio Feedbak. They recently sent me a song of theirs for my "Lyrical Visions" album artwork series.

The song "Colors" was recorded live with their new vocalist, and I loved the visuals this song brought to my mind's eye.

Radio Feedbak consider themselves an indie/experimental rock band in Northern Virginia. They have been sharing the stage with countless bands since their formation and are garnering a great following. Make sure to check out their FaceBook page and keep up with their live shows.

You can listen to the song on their page, and read the lyrics below.

Rise Above

Rise Above

Continuing my Lyrical Visions series, the band Backyard Fence sent me their song Holes to create from. The bassist for the band, Andy Curry is a DC-area photographer, expressed an interest in me utilizing his photography for the piece, and after viewing his portfolio I had several images I thought I could use in creating my vision of the song.

This was a great collaboration, as I normally use my own photographs to create my work, but Andy's photos  have a unique mood to them that fit the song perfectly.

The last few lines of the song is what I focused on.
Pop your head out of the clouds it's a false shroud of living and identity.... 
and out of the hole you'll rise, with big wings that will 
touch the sky and fly amongst the rest in bliss.


The band describes itself as "a musical experimental gaining momentum influenced by: Rush, Nine Inch Nails, Motörhead, The Chemical Brothers, The Black Keys, Black Sabbath, Primus, The Doors, Nirvana, Weezer, etc." Be sure to check out their Facebook page to stay up to date with their shows.

Listen to the song here, and view the lyrics below that inspired this piece.

Filtered of the Earth

Filtered of the Earth

The latest in my Lyrical Visions series. The band Chute was kind enough to send me their song Filter to create this piece from.

Chute is an alternative rock band from Washington DC. Fusing together elements of classic rock, grunge, punk rock, and heavy metal, the band seamlessly blends pop sensibilities with crunchy riffs, powerful vocals, and hard driving rhythms.

I originally sketched out a different concept for this piece, but once I delved in and started working on this, a different scene began to take shape for me. I really like how this turned out and the feel I got from the song redirected the final outcome.

Be sure to check out Chute and purchase their music.

Light of Inspiration

Light of Inspiration

I was lucky enough to hear Justin Trawick's new song "Never Slow Down" which he recorded a demo of while sitting in the airport waiting on his flight.

The song was very inspiring to me, as I had a bit of a creative lull during the holidays. At this time the song is still unreleased from Justin, though he does play it live and I would recommend going out to one of his various shows and hear him.

This piece is part of my Lyrical Visions which I will be showcasing at my upcoming art show, which Justin will be performing at on March 8th.

Medicine / No More Bad Dreams

No More Bad Dreams

Good things come to those who wait! Man, I have been working on this piece since August, and I finally finished it. Whew, I impressed myself! I must give credit to two people for this piece though.

First is Sam Cooper for allowing me to create my vision of the song "Medicine" by his band Sam Cooper and the Sleepwalkers. This is the Fifth piece in the Lyrical Visions album artwork series, where I create a piece of work based off of a local DC/MD/VA musician or bands song they send to me.

I was captivated by the band's music, that my friend Michael Avolio turned me onto, so much so that I reached out to them and asked if they would like to participate in my little project.

Like the other musicians I worked with, they choose the song for me to interpret. And I was thoroughly impressed with the song, that I had multiple ideas going through my head in warp drive!

Which brings me to giving credit to another for this. My muse, Melissa de la Rosa helped me narrow down my ideas to something very similar to what the finished piece looks like. She also helped me look through the plethora of pictures in my database to find just the right image to use as a focal point. (I don't know what I would do without her!)

This song has a sway and swagger to it, that just resonates imagery. Take a listen for yourself, and purchase their EP New Typewriter Moon which contains the song "Medicine."

The Force Legacy

The Force Legacy

Use the Force! This piece was commissioned by a collector who enjoys pop culture. I enjoyed creating my own interpretation of such a unique icon. As a fan of Star Wars myself, I included Lots of hidden images throughout the piece.

This piece is an open commissioned, so if anyone else is interested in having a version of it hanging in your home or office, please let me know.

Dual Vistas

Dual Vistas

This piece was inspired by a poem from Robert Haydon Jones for the Spark website I collaborate on several times through the year. I struggled a little with this piece as I try not to do pieces that are religious, political, etc. Though the poem is not political necessarily, it still has a strong Americana stance to it. I'm not unpatriotic mind you, but the event that was the basis for this poem, has a different meaning for me than most people.

Read below to see the poem that inspired this piece.

New Art - Belleza Dentro

Belleza Dentro

I just wrapped up the finishing touches on this piece. I've been working on it for over a month, and like most of my works came from an idea I had in a dream. 

The scene I saw was very similar to what you see here, and when I was talking about this beautiful water scene inside of a cave, my girlfriend informed me that it sounded like a cenote (which are predominant in Mexico). 

I wanted this to serve as a compliment to my large Natural Beauty piece I did almost a year ago. The title of this piece also is complimentary to it. Since cenote's are found in Mexico, I opted for a Spanish title, Belleza Dentro translated into English is Beauty Within. 

I enjoyed hiding an assortment of things within this piece. I hope you enjoy trying to find them all!

Mutatis Mutandis - New Art

Mutatis Mutandis

The newest piece in the Lyrical Visions series has just been completed! This piece was inspired by local alternative metal band Above The Silence and their song Mutatis Mutandis.


Above the Silence began its journey in 2009, when Chris Rasley and Chris Scott united with the vision to introduce a new sound to metal genre. The band began taking shape when Christopher Inlow joined on vocals.The band came across Amit Muntasir and Benjie Rivera, and only a few jams were enough for all to understand that the band was now complete.

Today Above the Silence, in its full form is playing live shows and writing new music, and has released their first EP online. Find out why critics are raving about the EP at http://abovethesilence.bandcamp.com/

I took the vision for this song from the thought provoking lyrics. There is a constant battle in this day in age, where the greed of building more structures and cities is encroaching on preserving the beauty of nature.

Read the lyrics below, and listen to the song that inspired this piece HERE.

Sanguine

Sanguine

I finished up my third piece for the Lyrical Visions series, where I create a piece of art based on a local DC/MD/VA musicians song. This piece is inspired by Mariner Project's song "Red" which will be released soon.

Mariner Project is experimental electronic music performed by the duo of Evan Ignatz on keyboards and Mark Pry on drums. I love how their music flows through you and takes you on a journey.

Check out Mariner Project on Facebook
And listen to several of their songs on their band page

No Radio

No Radio

Over the weekend I finished up another piece for my Album Artwork series. I am working with local DC/Maryland/Virginia musicians and creating an album cover for a song they send to me.

"No Radio" is for the DC artist Lega-C based on the song of the same name. You can visit his website here and listen to his music.

Vigorous Verve

Vigorous Verve

This is my latest commissioned piece. It was originally commissioned by the girlfriend of the recipient as a birthday present. So the first designs had numerous hidden images of the two throughout the piece. I incorporated several elements the recipient had noted he likes in several of my other pieces. BUT THEN, the girlfriend and the recipient broke up. Well instead of just trashing the entire design, I removed many of the elements from the piece that reflected the two when they were together and instead replaced them with brand new images to reflect the recipients new outlook - which is where the title comes from. I have contacted the recipient to see if he is still interested in the piece, and he is! So it's a good thing I didn't scrap the idea!

Unthought Known Exclusive

Unthought Known

16" x 20" Canvas $250.00 USD 16" x 20" Poster $75.00 USD 12" x 14" Poster $50.00 USD

I have always been a huge fan of Pearl Jam. They have many songs that reach out and invoke many great images, this song in particular I could not stop listening to. I have captured many phrases that appear in the song into the overall composition of the piece. From the path cut by the moon, to the waves and distant shores. This piece can be viewed in three different aspects. First the overall composition that you see when first looking at it, then if you step back you can see the Eddie Vedder's, the lead singer, face. The contour's of his face is enhanced by the shadow shapes surrounding the piece, his eyes are just above the clouds, and his mouth is between the tree and the mountain's. Now look closer at his mouth, that is actually the band performing the song, live in concert. There are other elements hidden throughout the piece that are associated with the band and the song.

Canvas Edition with Black Edge
16" w X 20" h X 1.5" d

Museum Quality Canvas Wrap

$250.00

You can view the video for the song, and read the lyrics below.

Lost Innocence

Lost Innocence

I just finished the 2nd piece for the upcoming ArtLibs show in Fort Washington, MD. This piece is based on a noun. This piece actually harkens back to my first drawing I remember ever making. My older brother was sitting across from me at the dining room table and he had to draw a picture of where he lived. Well we lived in a two story right next to a bridge and my brother drew this very simple childlike drawing of our house and the bridge and a car driving over it. I wanted to draw something too, but couldn't come up with anything so I drew what my brother was working on. As he worked directly across from me, my picture ended up being a mirror image of his down to the smallest details. My parents were amazed at my prowess and from then on encouraged my artistic abilities. Reflecting back on that picture, I took a warped outlook on trying to recreate that image with this piece. I hope you enjoy it.

This piece and the other DownsideUp will be on display at the Arts/Harmony Hall Regional Center from June 18th to August 10th. I can't wait to see the other finished "words"!

DownsideUp

DownsideUp

Just finished my newest piece. This is one of two pieces for the upcoming Art Libs show in Fort Washington, MD. I was asked to create an image based on an adverb. Since I loved doing Mad Libs when I was young, I would always choose the most random words that would make the story more humorous to me. So in keeping with that I chose the word upside-down. I can't wait to see how my "word" plays out in the overall story!