Take Two

This past week I hit critical mass; there were too many ideas rolling around in my head and I had to get rid of them. I broke out a giant 36" X 36" canvas and painted another song. Yeah, I'm still doing that whole music thing.... 

This is the second time I've tried to paint the song 'Positronic'. The first time wasn't terrible (I'd forgotten I called it 'R.Painting,' an homage to my favourite science-fiction author Issac Asimov who coined the word positronic... pretty clever!), but I've always felt it was a bit forced: 

I still kind of like this painting, but its too obvious. I don't feel like it reflects the song... it doesn't seem sophisticated enough, if that makes sense.  

The second painting is much larger and started off strangely with a yellow ochre and white under painting. I don't know what possessed me to do an off-white under painting; it was a rookie decision that I completely regretted later as I was labouring to make the dark tones have any depth at all... ugh. Anyway after a few hours (possibly six or so...?) I ended up with this:   

There is a lot going on in this painting and once again I'm vaguely surprised by the surrealism that emerged. I never plan it, though there was a ballpoint pen sketch of the top of a screw that proceeded this painting:

The colour is also unusual; I NEVER use yellow ochre.  Its so unusual that I even remember when I purchased that tube of paint- it was 2003 when I took a painting course at school and it was on the supply list - but there I was, reaching for the yellow ochre. The usually bland colour actually worked pretty well in this painting. 
 
At some point while I was working I decided this was going to be called 'Machine'. Not as original as 'R.Painting' but apt. 

Update: 08/15 I found out that the muse for all of this art will be playing at a festival in Ontario this fall. Its in Vankleek, Ontario. According to Google that is 4 hours and 57 minutes east of here..... Its a heck of a drive to see what's likely to be a 25 minute set. 

Of course I'll go, I have to go, otherwise, what will I paint? 

Update: 09/15 Did you know its really difficult to sit in a car for 4 hours with a broken collarbone? Yeah, so that's a thing that happened to me while mountain biking in Algonquin Park. No ballet, no painting, no trip to Vankleek, only this ridiculous figure 8 brace that makes me look like I'm wearing a backpack all the time. Ugh.