When I used to play bass guitar, having begun late and without the level of commitment I had for my painting and drawing, I was never really able to jam. You know, pick a key, start a beat and just let the music flow spontaneously. This was no surprise--I lacked a lot of music theory and the chops, to boot. What I played I played by ear, it sounded right so I played it. But I had to sit there working out my lines, and then put it to music. Towards the end there I was learning theory and the concepts that allow one to jam were becoming clear to me. But I never got to that point.
With painting, however, I am able to jam. I'm not the painting equivalent of a "guitar god" by any stretch, but I can hold my own, I guess. What I mean is that I can attack a canvas with very little pre-conceived structure and usually work my way through it to a satisfying end. usually. As an illustrator who often works rapid-fire either due to deadline or payment constraints, I've had to do my share of jamming. It's always a little scary to start a painting sometimes without even a color theme in mind. I'll decide something on the fly, lay it down and the rest of the painting must then be constructed in the key of, say, yellow. From there I usually attack it without much more thought, and my hands take over like a guitarist's must--my brain being taxed but not in a particularly deliberate way--sort of reacting and adjusting to the visual music happening spontaneously before me.
Some artists I know are excellent at jamming; in fact I'd say it's their forte. There are guys like my buddy Scott Fischer who kick ass. His ability to jam on a piece is incredible, as are his chops. Some guys like myself are more into constructing music, I mean, paintings. I listen to a lot of constructed music and not so much to jazz or jamming rock bands. If it were up to me I'd plan out and be very deliberate about each painting, trying to maximize what I'm trying to communicate by bending my skills towards a pre-determined end. I can jam some, and like it to an extent, but I identify better with more "constructing" artists like Michael Whelan or, classically, Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. of course I don't compare to either of them either.
Currently I am in jamming-mode, which is full of surprise on the one hand but full of anxiety on the other. Less anxiety than I used to have--that's the product of practice. But I'm 2/3 through a piece and I still have no idea how it'll turn out.
I make a lot of analogies in my mind between music and painting, so don't be surprised if you see that cropping up in these entries. These analogies helped me do what I was able to do when I did dabble in music, even if my education was lacking. I would "see" the music and mood I was trying to accomplish and would be fairly successful in squeezing it out of my amateur fingers. I believe this phenomenon is called synesthesia, and it's one that's interested me in general since then.
Some aspects that will never be analagous are the muli-million dollar rock star mansion and the ladies throwing themselves at me. That's a shame.
1 day ago