Meet the Authors: visual album review of Lee DeWyze's new album "Frames"

 

Hey there everyone, Thank you for being patient! The “Frames” post should be up by tonight. There was a family issue that needed attention first.

This will be a short and sweet post….

 

In the meantime, would you like to meet the Authors behind the thoughts?

 

(from Left to right)

I’m Jenn , I am the artist sharing my interpretation of the music I love

 

Mare is the “writer” She is using her amazing way with words to share with you how The art and music make her feel individually and also when associated together.

 

And then there is my sister Danielle. She is sharing her point of view looking at the art only. Although sisters, we are complete opposites, so she is not familiar with the music (she actually does not hear the song or see the lyrics until AFTER the posts are published) She is strictly looking at a picture and telling you what she thinks.

Nice to meet you!!! 

A visual album review of Lee DeWyze "Frames" : Track #4 "Frames"

*this painting is rather large & wide...making it hard to take a great picture! But you get the idea 😉 

Frames, the title track (#4) is not only my favorite song on this album, but quite possibly of all Lee DeWyze songs. Instead of searching for the perfect words to describe the melody, lyrics and his voice… I’m going to describe it as this….everything about this song puts you under this mesmerized spell with its beauty. Or I can go the route we all describe it as: Hauntingly Beautiful!  Without being dramatic about it, I listen to this particular song about 20-30 times a day. I love it THAT much.

I’m excited to talk about this one because if there was ANY one thing that can show you just how in tuned I am to this man’s music… it’s this one, even though the art itself looks so simple and minimal.

 

The obvious choice for the visual here are picture frames…no shocker there, but this thought process has an interesting story.  I was actually thinking of another painting that I was working on while I was at work. (shhh..multi-tasker…my creative mind never shuts up) well literally out of nowhere this image just randomly popped in my head. I was so excited that I got out a piece of paper and started writing down the colors I wanted, the textures…. Everything about it. I actually put my other one on hold to start this. Out of all the inspired paintings I have done, this one hit me like a Mack truck. I had this painting done in about 2 days. This was the same week that the album was released. *fun fact: did you notice that the only frame that has a picture in it was one of my original Lee-inspired paintings? It’s for “Dreaming Alone” off of one of Lee’s Pre-Idol albums* see?:

 

  I was telling Mare about how strongly I felt about this idea and how it just came out of no where… Then something freaky happened…. Lol…. Ready?

 

So the day the album was released, a lot of us fans had already pre-ordered it. So we were all excited to go home and see if the album was delivered, like a little child wating to open their Christmas presents. I’m sitting at work and I get a text from Mare to the effect of “Do you want me to show you something, or do you want to be surprised?” well. Um…. Now you have to show me. Lol. Can’t do that to someone…

So she sends me a picture of the CD art… and it was eerily similar to my painting! The colors, the textures… everything…  How weirdly awesome is that? A few things that made it so freaky were that 1) the image came into my head so fast when I wasn’t even listening or thinking about that song at that moment. It was like it pushed its way in there  and 2) since the Album was already being delivered they had to have already been at the printers before I even started my painting. Obviously I have always felt a strong connection between my art and the music but damn, this was just too much. You can see the side by side images here. I am also including one of “The Ride” which is track 8, however we already wrote about that in a previous post. When I got home, I noticed that another pic in the CD art had a similar vibe to the Ride painting. Mare saw this also but was waiting for me to see if for myself… what do you think? Also, I wanna know what Lee thought when he saw the painting, haha… since obviously the art was already on it’s way to being printed.  :

 

Here is Mare’s point of view, as a fan of the art and the music:

 

I will start off by saying this is one of my favorite songs on the album and one of my favorite pieces of art. Trying to break down and edit everything I feel, hear and see is extremely difficult. Isn’t that what truly makes it all “art” though? Something that makes you feel SO much, that it’s hard to put into words.... It goes to my soul. I feel this song. Literally. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, notes, lyrics, tone... they vibrate within your body in an un-namable place...

 

When I hear this song, I actually imagine a spectrum of feelings pounding within a heart. If feelings of sorrow, desolation, hollowness, hurt, disillusionment, reminiscence, reflection, haunted, aching, anger, hope, regret, loneliness, defeat and acceptance could be visually seen marching through someones heart and soul... well that’s what I “see”. I live those feelings every time I listen to it. In the background of this song, there is a specific beat... a slow one, that gradually picks up speed, before slowing again. It’s those feelings taking place within the song...and the heart. The guitar, the tone of his voice... that’s what makes the story within the soul wrenching lyrics resonate. 

 

Visually, I imagine a person sitting in a dark, empty hallway, on a dusty floor with only their memories surrounding them. Filling in these empty frames with the images behind their eyes. The art is the visual view inside the imagination of the writer as he writes. The wall is old, weathered, textured, stained and cracked.... so are memories and imaginings. It’s how we can sometimes feel if we go down that dark hallway of thoughts in our minds. The frames are antiqued, without a pattern up on the wall... a few are missing and leave only a reminder that they were once there, and one..... one has an image peeking out. A torn, hazy picture... but it is still hanging on. This wall, and these frames have been through hell, and yet as a whole, they are painfully, achingly beautiful. 

 

“What could have been... What would have been.... What was..... What if, what if, what if.... Just make it stop....”.... Echo's that we all hear at some point in our lives.... I know I have.

 

 

Here is Danielle’s point of view, looking at the Art alone:

Frames.... this is such an awesome painting. The first thing that pops in my head is forgotten memories, lost friends, dreams abandoned by the wayside. Although in another perspective perhaps the empty frames represent an inner cleansing in order to rid ourselves of negative and replace our old frame with  positive. There are so many ways this painting can be interpreted whether it represents positive or negative emotions would depend on what mood I'm in when look at. Either  way I can take away the notion that we as individuals are free to fill our frames with anything we wish...and only we have the power  to empty them when those things no longer full fill our needs. 

 

 Listen to "Frames" here: 

 http://youtu.be/oKKXrQr9vGs this awesome video was taken by Kelly ( @LeesBiggestFan) thank you!!!!! 

Frames lyrics:

 

My heart is getting heavier, heavier than I ever thought it could

And for awhile I believed that I was Superman but I misunderstood

And you could chase me down, 'cause you know how, I wanna feel like what we had was good

Now my heart is getting heavier, heavier than I ever thought it should

With this empty space I can't replace the overwhelming memory of your face

And in this hall of empty picture frames I wish I never even knew

These halls of empty picture frames who knew the heartache they could do

Halls of empty picture frames I wish I never even knew your name

Sleepless nights I'm terrified I wonder if I'll ever leave this space

But I'll lay here and wait my dear in case you ever need a place to stay

Well I know that this is just a song but maybe it will reach your ears someday

We both know I fucked it up now suck it up, and live and learn to love another way

Oh, easier is said than done my heart is growing heavy anyway

Well it's better to have loved and lost at least that's what the lonely people say

Well, I feel alone, I told you so, and time and time again I let it go

But if you've never had a broken heart then there's no way in hell you'll ever know

Oh my heart is getting heavier, heavier than I ever thought it could

My heart is getting heavier, heavier than I ever thought it should

Now my heart is getting heavier, now heavier than I ever thought it could

Well my heart is growing heavier, well, than I ever thought it should, ever thought it should

Now my heart is getting heavier, heavier than I ever thought it could

And for awhile I believed that I was Superman but I misunderstood

Well you chase me down, 'cause you know how, I wanna feel like what we had was good

But now my heart is getting heavier, heavier than I ever thought it should, ever thought it should

I feel alone, I told you so, and time and time again I let it go

But if you've never had a broken heart than there's no way in hell you'll ever know

 *********************************

I'll be away for the weekend, so we will continue the posts on Monday!!!!!

Have a nice weekend!!!!! 

 

A Visual album review of Lee DeWyze "Frames" - track #3 Silver Lining

 

This painting is my interpretation of Track # 3- Silver Lining. Not gonna lie, this one is going to be hard to describe. Ever have thoughts that make so much sense in your head, then when you have to say them out loud people are like, “huh?” – That is this one.

The definition of Silver Lining is a hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of difficulty. This is pretty much straight forward. As always, the lulling voice of Lee DeWyze is telling you a story… a story of two people being there for each other to turn things around just when they need it. He never disappoints…. I love this song. The amount of compassion in that man’s voice and lyrics never cease to amaze me. (insert dreamy sigh here) …but anyway…

To create a visual scene to get this point across the only way I can describe it is this….Imagine you had an awful day, or things just aren’t going the way you planned. But then you have this amazing conversation with someone that picks up on that and turns your whole mood around. They find the positive in that situation, or it could have just been their presence that turned that unhappy situation into a comforting and hopeful one. Does that make sense? I wanted to portray that feeling of having an amazing, insightful and calming conversation with someone that picks you up, rather then make it worse or also wallow in whatever funk you were in to begin with.

My original intent was to have a realistic painting; however one day I was sitting at my son’s BMX practice listening to “Silver Lining” and just started sketching. Well, more like doodling at this point…

Obviously the people on the bench came from the first line of the song, “Remember when I met you on the park bench”    And the clouds…. It’s about silver linings…duh… haha

Well, it started out as stick figures... then as I added more to bring it to life I decided that I LOVED that look… keeping it raw because lets face it, the best conversations are raw & compassionate. Right? I felt the “sketchy” look showed you that.

Why are there no faces you ask? (Sorry Claire J !) But there are 2 reasons there are no faces:

1. Not gonna lie... I am horrible at faces…
2. I love the idea of letting the gestures tell the story. If you get the gestures and body language down… who needs to see the facial expressions… the emotion is out there and in my opinion even more honest than a smile, etc.                            …That’s my story and I’m sticking to it….

 

 Here is Mare's point of view based on knowing the music: 

Silver Lining

Silver Lining is pretty straight forward to me... both the song and the art. As I mentioned in the previous post, I got to see this painting and hear Jenn’s thoughts from sketch to canvas (actually, it’s that way for the rest of the album). I’m eternally grateful for unlimited texting plans....

Jenn’s vision of this song is essentially the same as mine.... We shared a brain often during this whole process... I should apologize to her for the state of my mind sometimes (haha). 

Instead of re-stating everything Jenn said, I’ll tell you about my favorite part of this painting. She pointed out the lack of detail in the faces. To me, the lack of detail, the sketch format.... IS the detail. It could be anyone.... A shadow of a thought. A memory. Two friends, turned towards each other... The give and take of a conversation, a relationship. 

The music and lyrics create the story in Silver Lining, starting slow and melodic, building to a faster pace and stronger vocals... returning to slow and melodic... then faster and stronger again. That’s life isn’t it? The ups and downs...finding a person to show you the positive in those down times and lifting you up and reminding you there’s always a Silver Lining... to make you stronger again.....

Here is Danielle's view based on the art alone: 

Silver Linings....ok so this painting is right up there with Hummingbird for me. Silver Linings to me is about beginnings...maybe the beginning of love..maybe the beginning of friendship or just simply the beginning of finding yourself! When I look at this painting I see a confidence in the male by his body language the way he props his arm on the bench and how his legs face his lady friend! His posture screams relief like he has finally been able to breathe...like this woman gives him a chance to be himself.  

You can see & hear Lee DeWyze singing "Silver Lining" here: in studio video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgo145PHW0I

Lyrics for Silver Lining: 

Remember when, I met you on the park bench

And you smiled at me, and said that we should be friends

'Cause I was drowning there upon the dry land

You sat beside and put your hand in my hand

So you picked me up and you put me in a straight line

You looked at me, and said that it would be fine

If we take the time, to find, the silver lining

We can make these cryin' waters into wine

And We'll be alright

And we'll be alright

They, they don't know our hearts

They, won't break us apart

We, we don't have so much but

We, all we need is us

Remember when, I found you on the cold ground

You were looking up as the sky was looking down

And you said that you were jealous of the bright stars

I said darling you'll be brighter than they all are

And then I picked you up and I put you in a straight line

I looked at you, and said that it would be fine

If we take the time, to find, the silver lining

We can make these cryin' waters into wine

And We'll be alright

And we'll be alright

(1,2,3,4)

They, they don't know our hearts

They, won't break us apart

We, we don't have so much but

We, all we need is us

If we take the time, to find, the Silver Lining

 

A visual review of Lee DeWyze "Frames" track #2 : Fire Away"

 

Track 2 of this Album is contagious. You can feel the energy and it makes you want to sing along. To ME, this song seems to represent dealing with the backlash of fame. Sure, you get all these fans that love what you do… But no matter how good you are at something- there are going to be the doubters & the haters… To me this song is telling them to say whatever they want, but it's not going to affect you…. I think that is what Lee does. He knows the kind of musician he is and he fights for that… it's one of the things I admire most about him. He stays true to himself and I think that's rare when you are in the spot light…

 

This is another song that just makes you want to dance. (actually, I'm dancing right now…)

 

I thought about this song and I wanted to capture the image of "Fire Away" with bullets, but that's not really my style.

 

One night, I actually stayed up tossing and turning an entire night because I could not stop thinking of all the ways I wanted to represent this song. Finally, I had the best idea. I painted the canvas to look like old and tattered wallpaper- with a retro girly feel (to counter balance the bullet holes of course) but in order to really show you the  "the bullet holes already in the wall".. That's what I did….I put bullet holes in the canvas….  No, I did not shoot my canvas,(although I did think about taking it to a shooting range, but quickly dismissed that idea, as it would have exploded the canvas. Haha, but I thought about it)  After the wall was painted, I actually took two bottle caps and pushed them through the fabric, then filled it with oil paint to be the “inside of the wall” after the bullet busted through… clever, right? I woke up that morning and started right away, before I finished my first cup of coffee, this painting was well on it's way….

 

**wanna know a secret? After that sleepless night of thinking…I not only created THIS  painting, but at the same time I started working on another painting that you will hear about later. ..I did two paintings at the same time… this is how jumbled my creative mind gets…

**Mare's point of view as a fan of the music:

 

This song lights a fire under my..... well.... it gets me going. In all seriousness, I play it EVERY morning. Jenn sent me her draft before I had given this post much thought. I wrote her back saying we had “same brain syndrome”.... meaning there isn’t much I could add that hadn’t already been said. It really is a circle. I had also seen this artwork in progress through many texts and phone calls and know the thought process behind each step, from sketch to canvas. 

For me, this song is about standing up to negativity and knowing yourself and believing in yourself enough to let the negative roll off of you... and not wasting your time getting caught up in it. People will always have negative things to say about something you’ve done, and when you’re in the spotlight.... multiply that by 1000. It takes a brave person, but also one who knows who they are to basically say.... go scratch, you have no power over me. 

Two quotes that I love: 

“The strong-minded rise to the challenge of their goals and dreams. The weak-minded become haters.” ~ Dr. Steve Marboli

“You’ve got enemies? Good. That means you actually stood up for something in your life.” ~ Eminem

Staying true to who he is and always has been.... Fire Away IS Lee Dewyze. Maybe that’s why I love this song so much? It’s either that, or.... His SICK amount of skills on the guitar in this one. 

The art, at first, looks simple.... pretty. Look closer. It’s rough, textured, almost scratched and imperfect. That wall has been around for awhile. Those bullet holes... the damage to the wall.... actually make the wall have a kind of depth. A perfect imperfection. And the wall still stands. It's a strong wall. Sound familiar? It does to me.....

 

** Danielle's point if view based on the art alone:

 

Fire away...when I look at this painting I'm overwhelmed with memories...I mean...hello forget me nots!! Its like the painting is telling me that even though life flies by and we get hazy....don't forget what got you where you are. The holes are like those times I question how I made it to where I am in life...with all that's thrown my way and how fast time has flown by....the painting says to me....Remember and within lies the answer

You can listen to "Fire Away" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyrEoWcMXGo&sns=em

* This video was taken by Kelly , @LeesBiggestFan (thank you Kelly! ) 

 

"Fire Away"

Fire Away, Fire Away, the bullet holes already in the wall

 

Fire Away, Fire Away, I'll do my very best to catch Em' all

 

And now there's holes up in the ceiling and I'm afraid that the ceilings gonna fall

 

One of us is walking out alive, and the others gonna crawl

 

Oh fire away, fire away

I'm saving all my fire for another day

So you go right ahead and fire away

 

Oh oh oh oh oh oh

 

Fire away, fire away

I'm saving all my fire for another day

So you go right ahead and fire away

 

Oh oh oh oh oh oh

 

Fire away fire away, I'm walking out the door if you'll allow

Fire away fire away, I'm still alive and breathing, don't stop now

But now there's holes up in the ceiling, and I'm afraid that the ceilings coming down

One of us is walking out alive, and the others in the ground

 

Oh fire away fire away

I'm saving all my fire for another day

So you go right ahead and fire away

 

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

 

Stay tuned... Next up will be "Silver Lining" ..... Soon ( wink) 

 

 

A Visual Album review: Lee DeWyze "Frames" track #1 - FIGHT

I triple dog dare you not to clap your hands and stop your feet when you listen to this song. It is Powerful and uplifting. This is the first track on “Frames” and actually one of the first songs from the album that us fans were introduced to at Lee’s shows.

Talking about this painting is easy. The entire concept was a no brainer.  I wanted to bring out the bold and fun beats of the song with a fun and colorful background. The background is actually my version on a picture that Lee posted on his instagram: Leedewyzeofficial , It was a picture he took in the studio while working on this album. It just felt like the perfect platform. I actually based my entire painting off of this pattern: (photo taken by Lee DeWyze)

 

My favorite thing about this song is that when you hear it… you KNOW it is Lee Dewyze. This is why I made it just him, his banjo and headphones. Instead of painting his likeness, I filled the entire outline with the lyrics. This makes sense to me. To me, Lee IS his lyrics… it is all you need to know the man behind the music. This one is THAT simple folks. As we go through the rest of the album, my stories behind why I painted what I did are more in depth. Like I said, this one is easy…..

 

You can listen to the in studio version of “FIGHT” here: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HFPIzdKq3go&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DHFPIzdKq3go

 

“Fight”

I wrote this song to make you feel alright today
I wrote it to make everything alright
And I would sing it every single day if you would say we’re fine

I can feel your heart is beating careful
‘Cus sometimes I pretend that I don’t care
I can’t believe I never let you know how much I need you here

‘Cus I will fight and I will beg
I just want to hear you say
That tonight will be alright and you will stay


It’s times I feel like you don’t know me anymore
And other times I think you know me best
I could love you better but I’d never wanna you less


So run away and I’ll be runnin next to you
I’d never let you run away alone
Before you run too far away I think that I should let you know

‘Cus I will fight and I will beg
I just want to hear you say
That tonight will be alright and you will stay

So put your hand in mine
We’ll be fine, I know
I know it, I
If you stay tonight
I promise I will show you

‘Cus I will fight and I will beg
I just want to hear you say
That tonight you will fight

‘Cus I will fight and I will beg
I just want to hear you say
That tonight will be alright and you will stay

So put your hand in mine
We’ll be fine, I know
I know it, I
If you stay tonight
I promise I will show you I will fight

 

 

Mare’s point of view as a fan of the music:

 

*A little music history*..... The Banjo was used originally in African folk music over 150 years ago, but has roots as far back as the late 1600’s! It was brought to the US during times of slavery where it eventually influenced blues and bluegrass music. It tends to be used for lively and upbeat music..... music that is needed to fight, find strength, give energy.... 

 

For me, when I hear this song, it’s about believing in someone, encouraging them, finding hope and following them through the dark. I think everyone has situations in life where you just get TIRED of whatever struggle, big or small, that you find yourself in. It could be a relationship, work, a health issue, or your own demons and life in general. Sometimes it’s watching someone you care about go through something. This song is like an interruption of the monotony of the daily fight. It tells me to REMEMBER. Remember there are people who care, that nothing is as bad as it seems, and no one is truly alone. Even on a bigger scale.... You may be sitting by yourself now, struggling with something.... BUT..... you aren’t the first person to feel or go through whatever it is... There’s an entire world out there, fighting with you. Take a step back and realize you ARE strong enough.... you just have to CHOOSE to be...and it’s ok to lean on others. Sometimes it takes more strength to lean on others than it does to face things alone.

 

What helps me to ‘Fight’ day in and day out, is music. I have very broad and dynamic tastes in music, however...... there is one voice, one artist, one song writer, one musician, that I typically immerse (literally) myself in when I NEED music. He’s here, in this painting, visually reminding me of the sound of his music by being made of lyrics I love....pouring out of him and into me...holding an instrument whose notes make my heart pound, reminding me I’m alive. The vintage shadow of the musician made of his lyrics. The same person and music I’ve always known...in a position I know well. The music lives inside of him.... and he is fighting HIS fight.... in the studio. It is MY reminder..... to FIGHT..... It’ll be ok.....I’m not alone. Thankfully, the music will always be there for me

 

And Danielle’s point of view looking at nothing but the painting:

 When I look at this piece it says to me, let your creativity flow. I feel like I should be filling the world with my thoughts, my ideas; like I want positive to fly out of me and engulf the world! This painting says come feel what I feel...like the melody he's playing is pollinating his surroundings with his own positive energy. 

Now hurry up & get ready to watch Hart of Dixie in the CW at 8:00pm!!! Listen for "Fight"!!!!!!!! You might have just enough time to get a snack... 👏👏👏 

 

 

A VISUAL album review of Lee DeWyze's "Frames", track by track ....

 

What is a visual album review you ask?

 

“Art is love made visual” this is my favorite quote and I am taking it literally. I am taking the music I love and making it visual for the world to see ”

 

As many of you already know, my name is Jenn Harding and I am an artist. All of my work is inspired by the music & lyrics of Lee DeWyze. I started out just doing a song here, a song there… Every time I hear his voice it inspired me, but I usually just choose my favorite songs.

 

Ever Since “Frames” was released on August 20, 2013 under Vanguard Records, I have a painting for just about every track. I have listened to nothing but this album and my mind is just flooded with visuals.  There are a few paintings not yet started, however I at least have an idea and sketch for it.

There have been some amazing write ups for this album- fantastic reviews from talented writers. I mean, how can they not be fantastic? It is 43.48 minutes of pure perfection. 

 

The goal of the next 13 posts is to take you on a journey through my mind, sharing with what I see and think as I listen to these tracks….

There is a special place in my heart for ALL of Lee’s music, but the songs on “Frames”, they are extra special. He put so much of himself into these songs; you can’t help but be enthralled with every single song. He is taking you into the inner workings of his mind and heart. Not only are these songs coming from a place that is so personal to him… they are relatable! So much in fact, that it almost makes me feel like you are a part of them, like he was reading your mind when he wrote them. Do you know of any other song writer that can give you that experience every-single-time? (I bet you do not…)

The lyrics are hauntingly beautiful and alluring. His voice is (as always) this modulated smokey gruff , yet comforting all at the same time.

 

Each song takes me to a totally different place in which I’ll be sharing with you.

The format of each one will be the same and will be in the order the songs appear on the album.  You’ll be able to view the painting inspired by that particular song, hear the song, and read the lyrics. I’ll then explain to you how that song makes me feel and how I came to paint what I did. Not only will you be reading about my inspiration, you will also me getting the viewpoint from a fellow Lee fan who knows the music & lyrics, @marekatslp. She will be able to tell you how the painting affects her since she knows the music and can appreciate where I’m coming from.

I am fully aware that I am limiting myself as an artist to only painting Lee DeWyze music, but that is what I feel and painting what you feel is the whole purpose of creating art, correct? In order show you that these paintings can be appreciated by more than Just Lee DeWyze fans, I’ll also be posting the view point of my sister, Danielle Mazzo. She will be writing about the painting just as she sees it… not know the lyrics, not knowing the song, etc….

 

So are you ready? Please stayed tuned for my visual review of the first Track of the album, “Fight” – Which will be featured in Tonight’s Season Premier of “Heart of Dixie” on the CW at 8:00 PM.  Make sure you tune in!

 

While you are at it, please check out what Lee DeWyze is up to as well!http://leedewyzeofficial.com/

 

……..And so it begins……….

 

 

 

"Muse"

This painting is called “Muse”. It was not based on a song; I just wanted to capture the amazing picture that was taken by one of my awesome Twitter friends, a fabulous Lee Fan, @yoyosassy. (Thank you Yolanda for letting me use your photo!)

**this one is not yet finished. I had too many other ideas that I had to put this one on hold. But just to give you a visual, I have a special wooden frame idea in mind for this one. I’m going to paint each side of the frame with the designs from Lee’s guitar straps. As you can imagine, this will take some time… bare with me. It will be awesome though**

Since this painting was not inspired by a specific song, I had to think of a title for it. Right off the bat, no question about it… I thought “Muse” was the perfect Title. It’s the first thing that popped in my head the first time I even saw the picture.

What exactly is a Muse? The muse is something or someone that has the ability to excite our creative passion and call forth our creative spirit to create. It is an interesting character. At one level it is a figment of our imagination and doesn’t exist. At another level it is very real and vital to our creative endeavor and without them we are robbed of our creative power (this definition was taken from this site, which has all the different kinds of muse definitions-http://ryuc.info/common/creation_process/muse.htm )– My muse is the later part of this definition. My muse is very real and vital to my creative endeavor. You hear that lee DeWyze? If you ever stopped making music, I’d be robbed of my creative power…haha, so…keep doing your thang….I can not create unless you create (no pressure or anything)

It’s hard to explain exactly how I feel when I paint these, even to other Lee fans because there just aren’t words. The best way to describe it really is this strong, overwhelming unconscious burst of creativity every time I hear his voice. Sounds a bit dramatic, I know…but that is what it is. Having something affect you this strongly is rare. For some reason, I just connect with everything about this music, his voice, the lyrics… something is driving me to paint… so why would I ever want to stop that? Why not roll with it, ya know? Again, I do not expect people to understand it because I still don’t; I just create when my heart tells me to.

I have to admit something though, sometimes it is frustrating because painting these songs truly make me happy… it’s what I want to do….but it’s not like I can paint Lee art as a career. So then I think, what am I doing this for? (The answer is that it’s my outlet, but I mean on a broader spectrum) Haha. People at work ask me all the time “why are you here?” “Why don’t you get a job doing art?” Like I said before… I’m not happy doing art just because I am good at it. I have to FEEL it and right now… this is all I feel and this is what I want to do. It makes me happy, even if it’s a path that leads nowhere. End of story. I hope that at least makes a little bit of sense…

Now… here are the perspectives of my sister as someone just view the art as is and Mare, as a Lee DeWyze fan…(passes the torch…)

 

My sister, Danielle Mazzo:

Muse.....this painting explains my sister and her journey into her own mind. The birds flying from the feather to me is my sisters creativity flying into action...taking off from her once....I wanna paint but...into her OMG I have to paint!!! My sister has always been a great artist to me...because well she'd kick my butt if I didn't say that...jk but since she found her ”muse" she has grown into a phenomenal artist. This muse has given her art structure...heart....feeling!! Muse is not just a painting of a musician's ink....its art taking flight from the perspective of artists both in lyric and on canvas!! Many years my sister and I didn't really know each other as we are two very different people...but since her Muse came along I can finally catch a glimpse into my sister's heart mind and soul. So I guess thanks Lee DeWyze is in order. The more you inspire her the closer we get. Who would've thought a musician could do so much without even knowing it. 

And Mare :

 

 Inspiration..... we all need it. With it comes joy, clarity, creativity..... It comes in many forms for each of us. But for each one of us.... inspiration breathes LIFE into our days. It influences our emotions, our thoughts and our actions....and sometimes it can bring people together. When the sole, original inspiration is so influential, that it creates a circle of creativity... what comes out of that can be amazing. 

Music. It speaks to all of us. It’s a form of communication... and often times, it takes the place of words. With the “right” music.... it speaks to those dusty corners of our soul. It creates stories, pictures, new ways of thinking.... an outlet for the words we can’t find ourselves. Sometimes those notes and words create a visual, a vibe, a feeling, a snapshot of your own world. When you connect to music, it becomes YOUR story.  

During the day, I am a pediatric speech pathologist. I LOVE what I do. I think communication is important. It’s how we connect as human beings. Communication isn’t always speech. It’s a touch, a look, an expression, a feeling, a posture, a drawing, a picture, a painting.......music. Music and writing are a large part of my life. It’s how I express what speech can’t. Words and notes inspire me..... they breathe life into what gets trapped by “thought”. Add to that, someone who can take a feeling of mine, an intangible “thing”... and allow me to see what it looks like.

I’m an extremely hard person to get to know and understand. I have definite walls....Writing for the music and art makes me REALLY look inside myself. I have to be able to let myself FEEL.... dig into my own heart.... and then let people have a glimpse of that. My thoughts, my heart.... It makes my walls come down when I write. Being inspired enough to trust and let go..... I’d say a “muse”  is a very important part of life....

 

 

Hope you enjoyed this one, it started out close to my heart already ... But adding Danielle's & Mare's points of view just set it off.

 Coming up will be my picture book album review of Lee's new album "Frames" I'll be posting the paintings for the each song in the order they appear on the album... Stay tuned! Excited!!!!! 

-Jenn