What I will take with me

The last day of this class was really nostalgic, the feeling that there is no more Thursday night of songs and paintings was a bit blue! Cold and Blue!

The window of my memories

The last midnight special in my life passed through my eyes, far in the distance of the window in the dark blend of a valley, supported by Alborz mountains, north of Iran about 24 years ago. I was 5 and excited to see the passenger train goes by, roaring like a beast, lighting up the tracks with the faded yellow light. This image, along with many songs stayed in my mind, deep down and far beyond the life's piled up layers. But it all came to the surface when I first listened to the "Midnight Special", when I let it to shed light on me! This memory is like an image that I was able to hold in my hand, look at it and see the journey of my life. Also I could put myself in the place of Lead Belly and see in his eyes. I will repaint this image, I would like to have it framed, like its memory that is framed!

Jazz

The Rabid Dog

The idea of a class about songs and images made me think of the dancing flame that is a result of my imagination, the melody and lyrics. I thought for a class like this I should that should be capture that flame, paint it in different colors and bring it to the class. And if someone asks about it, I can just say this is how I feel about this song!
I always wanted to make movies. The idea of motion pictures with floating images and meaningful line of story was always fascinating to me. I watched music videos for hours and was amazed that how can someone create images like them by referring to a specific music! Music video was an undiscovered realm and I was a stranger to that realm. Taking this class, I did not know what to expect! At the beginning I thought maybe I should only be critical towards the meaning of the song, and from there create an image of criticism. Eventually I learned that each song has a story that goes beyond what is readable and what I can hear from it! By flowing each story I discovered the world of words, images and places. I found the the root of imagination within myself, and now I can control it!
I was listening to this song over and over in past couple of weeks and suddenly I realized that I have floating images in my mind that can be depicted! I can create a story, a narrative of the song! Folks in the class that came to the concert I had organized probably heard this song:
Shahin Najafi, Sag Haar (Rabid Dog)

Now I am making a video clip of this song! My very first video and I think.. no, I am sure that this class has taught me how to think, how to see and how to imagine! Thank you Tony!

The Rambling Fire Train

This image is a 3 ring binder I found online!

"Guthrie's early family life was affected by several fires, including one that caused the loss of his family's home in Okemah. His sister Clara later died in a coal-oil fire when Guthrie was seven, and Guthrie's father was severely burned in a subsequent coal-oil fire".
Woody Guthrie's name unconsciously brings an image a train to my mind! Listening to his songs tho, moves that train in my mind!
Its is ironic how coal has effected Guthrie's life in two ways, one bitter and negative, one sweet and positive. This paradox is clearly seen in his works and this is what moves me to pain! Showing the bitterness in contrast with sweets of his songs!

Sight

"I can see", its taken as granted by most of humans. Viewing the world through pair of eyes is very different that observing the world by ears! It is not possible for me to imagine a world with no color, perhaps black, or maybe event vacant!
But I am convinced that Rev. Gray Davis could see the colorful world through his music. He was able to see more colors than most of us, otherwise such colorful songs would not have been sang by him.
This piece for me is the expression of observing color through something but eyes; touching the frets of the guitar, or clavier of the piano. Each note has a different tone, and different color. And I -the listener- am able to see those colors only through listening to the majestic creation of artists such as Rev. Gray Davis.

Mississippi John Hurt

The story of John Hurt's life and his choice of life style, whether intentionally chosen or dramatically applied is fascinating.
I can imagine him being in his mid twenty's and working in a farm, sharecropping and murmuring songs all day along!  Being exited and motivated by the hope to finish the work, and have a pleasant time, maybe alone by a creek or at his cabin porch with his companion, playing his guitar and singing along!

I have the experience of working in a farm when I was 10 years old, I spend the summer in a village close to home worked with local villagers on the harvest season! Despite the use of modern day machinery, the work was back-breaking. But the excitement of walking back home, barefoot in the river to cool of my worn off legs was so motivating I could not let it pass!

When something so simple as a short pleasure in the cool water can be so motivating for me, I can not imagine how John Hurt's day would pass!

Appalachia

Mississippi Juhn Hurt

I was almost done with this week's image! Just some minor effects in the face and would be what I wanted! An authentic poster of a country blues singer I saw in a bar inspired me to do this poster. But as I was browsing the web this morning, I came across the word "sharecropping".

I looked the word up and realized its a tradition in Midwest among farmers and land owners.
I started to imagine John Hurt cropping cotton and singing along since he also was a farmer. Golden land of harvest season and farmers under the sun. This image is so powerful in my mind that I actually would like to paint and bring it to the class today!

The Banks of the Ohio

Singing about a murder and the graphic description of it is not what I am generally used to. I grew up with ballads of a crazy love, or an old wine. They would sometime bring tears, but the tears of joy, tears of sympathy.
Banks of the Ohio was an earthquake to my solid heartland. The way the ballad starts to explore the fantasy of marriage is fascinating, but the murder ballad is far away from my known society.
I started looking at the other songs of Appalachia, more ballads and I realized what a great culture and history is behind this type of expression. I have learned that New World ballads were typically written to reflect news events of the day. Now this start to make more sense, but still way from my realm of music.

The way I started to paint this week is directly related to that, partly the emotions I've received, partly the realistic factors involved.  The spiral, and the musicians are the two sides of extreme for me in one painting.

Swing low sweet chariot

Oh Marry don't you weep

You are my sunshine

S-P-1 Some songs are not only sounds that are floating words, not only the instruments creating musical waves, there are songs that are narratives, stories of love, lost and nostalgia. Regardless of the language, there are songs that convey the burdens of life on their lean shoulders. There are songs that carry someones life, or its message along without any intention. Without the musician being aware of it, or the singer knowing the message. Sari Galin, or the "Golden Girl" carries my story, as far back as I remember this songs was the murmur in my mind, long before I hear it, and the first time the words of this song touched my ear I could sing along. I knew the rhyme, I felt I could understand Armenian. The golden girl, or as I like to translate it "Daughter of Sun" is love song of a lost. Its the story of a wine butler that is leaving her partner with coquetry. In fact its the partner who is telling us this lost.