If you follow my work at Stardust Acrylic Art you will know that I take a lot of my inspiration for my pieces from music and songs. I find nothing better than listening to a song and its lyrics and melodies and then pulling out the emotions and images that it generates allowing me to create it in visual form on canvas or paper, it's such a great feeling.
A lot of my artwork is created from the music of some of my favourite musicians but sometimes I may just hear a song, either on the radio or at a live gig and connect with it straight away, when this happens I will make notes, dig deep into the lyrics and source images to represent the words and sentiments of the song in question.
images from Pinterest
When we hear music it triggers the release of dopamine in the brain, this is associated with pleasure and produces a feeling of joy and pleasure. Music evokes emotions in people and certain songs in particular can move us and stay with us, we can form a bond with a song and become emotionally attached, this may be why we all have favourite songs that we like to listen to over and over again. It may be the lyrics that attract us whether they are uplifting and make us happy, or, perhaps they are more negative words that may make us think of past memories or events making us feel nostalgic or even sad.
Music certainly is a powerful tool!
How can we connect music to art?
Music has inspired so many painters throughout the years, think of Kandinsky who had the amazing gift of synesthesia, where he was able to explore the relationship between sounds, colours and shapes and translate music to his abstract paintings.
Kandinsky described music as 'The Ultimate Teacher'.
Image from Pinterest
Or Jackson Pollock who was a huge jazz fan and listened to the tempo of jazz music while painting. His abstract expressionism captured the energy of the music as he splashed paint on canvas using not only brushes, but sticks , trowels, knives or other unusual tools, following the melodic rhythm of the music as he created.
Image from Pinterest
Listening to music while you paint can enhance your creative flow, it can influence the way that you put down the paint, your brushstrokes, it can effect the colours that you choose and the overall composition of a piece. Layer by layer with emotion and passion music can bring an artwork to life.
So now it's over to you... let's stimulate those endorphins...
Activity:
Think about a song or songs that you like and can connect to.
In a quiet place, play the chosen song.
How does the song make you feel, joyous, relaxed, anxious, scared, happy, sad, ecstatic...or something else??
What memories does it evoke?
What emotions do you feel? Has your mood changed?
What resonates with you? Can you hear a beat or melody ?
What do you visualise? images, shapes, colours?
Then, take all of these findings and try and incorporate them into a unique artwork, let the music guide you ...it's such a great experience I promise you.
Let me know how you get on!
Have Fun!
If you want to find out more about Stardust Acrylic Art you can find me at
Email: info@stardustacrylicart.com
Comments