Day 6. Eyes Closed. Mirror Self Portrait?
Day 6. In yesterday's portrait session, I mentioned exploring more of the non-physical aspects of this process. I first stared into the mirror until the physical world began to shift. I have bumped into 'mirror scrying' before, but it's not something I've explored properly. The first two are with my eyes closed after looking, and the last I maintained my blurring focus and did my best to draw the experience. This has been a very different experience to the others so far.
Day 5. Lay Down Double Look. Mirror Self Portrait
Day 5. I think I was a little harsh on these in retrospect, but I think expressing my immediate response is good. I didn't feel fulfilled from my first, so I decided to do another to see if that time of looking at myself would affect the second. I don't feel it did. I felt a lack of focus on the physical and non-physical. Lead me to the idea of testing doing these with my eyes closed.
Day 4. The Stand Still. Mirror Self Portrait
Day 4. I somehow once again made this an exercise in physical endurance. From that morning's breathing session, I became aware that my physical being is more than just my head.
Day 8. A Candle Lit Mirror Self-Portrait
Day 8. After yesterday's exploration of not being concerned with the 'physical reality' or the aesthetic outcome, today I went back to my approach of the earlier ones. This time by candle light. I think letting the previous portrait influence the next has so far been a good method of gaining something from these.
Day 7. Exploring Loss of Focus With Candle Light and Mirror. Mirror Self Portrait
Day 7. This turned into a very strange experience. I stared into one eye in the mirror and watched myself and the world shift and move. I aimed to capture these movements without 'drawing' accuracy getting in the way. The result was a portrait that I do not aesthetically like, but the experience was a freeing one that later impacted the following portraits.
Day 3. Watermelon Pain. Mirror Self Portrait
Day 3. I originally intended to just use this watermelon as a prop. The previous night I had seen a portrait of someone eating. I think those two ideas collided in my brain. It made a portrait of physical endurance.
Day 2. The Portrait Side Eye. Mirror Self Portrait
Day 2. I wanted to explore a different position in this one. You can hear my thoughts immediately after completing the portrait. This felt similar to yesterday’s as I start to understand how to work within these.
Day 1. Mirror Self Portrait
Day 1. The full sped up one hour process and my thoughts on the first of these mirror self-portraits.
It’s Time To Stare At My Face Once Again. Mirror Self Portrait
I’ve reached the 100 paintings of my dreams! I’m not planning on stopping painting them. I am going to explore some more self portraits. The 2 mirror self portraits I have completed so far have been enlightening processes. There’s a whole area in between the portraits and the dream paintings to explore. Here’s my thinking before I begin this journey of seeking more of myself.
I'm recording the process as a diary, documenting my thoughts immediately after completing each. The emphasis of this series is on the discovery, I have no idea which direction these will go. I will do my best to engage with the process unbounded.
Lessons from my Second Mirror Self Portrait
This was a little different from the last one.
On a mission to see myself but it feels like I fell into the trap of using my eyes. This time it didn't feel as awakening as the first time. Maybe because it wasn't completely new ground, it was involving and enjoyable again, I think the intensity of the process plays into this.
Monumental Cemetery of Milan, Sculptural Tombs & Monuments
I'd put this one the must see list. It has a stunning entrance building that is impressive in itself that fences off the city, a gateway to this time-blurred cemetery.
It’s a charged place but it doesn’t feel heavy with death. In some sections, I had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t a sculpture park. The mourning comes from the side of love. There are a few memorials around that depict a similar story, a father/mother with their child holding the other dying parent.
One of the Coolest Collections of Things I’ve Ever Seen. Museo Poldi Pezzoli - Milan, Italy
Museo Poldi Pezzoli is one of the coolest collections of things I've ever seen. There are a few factors. The building itself is part of the experience. Mural-painted ceilings, ornate fireplaces and the most beautiful extravagant door hinges I've ever seen attached to carved solid wood doors.
My First Mirror Self-Portrait Painting
I wrote this within an hour of finishing (mostly) this. I wanted to capture my intitial thoughts and response and as a consequense reads like a journal entry.
We just finished watching the 3 part Frida Kahlo documentary on BBC last night. Not that it inspired me, but it was in my mind while starting. I'm somewhat used to having my photo taken wearing our garments. 'Dressing up'. How do I want to present these shirts? What do they pair with? Etc. Like the Kahlo self-portraits. How do I want to present myself? There's the possibility to present whatever / however / whoever I want. I suppose even with a straight deadpan expressionless face I'm still choosing to present something to the world. This is me. Unavoidable.
How To Make A Multiple Velocity Drum Kit in Ableton - Stock Plugins Only
After making a few of these style kits, I thought I'd share how I put them together. They take a little time to set up but are great to play. You can go as far as you want, as many samples, as many microphones. There are already some fantastic sample libraries that do this with real drum kits, like the EZ drummer from toontrack, so I like to create kits that are a little more weird, maybe a little more lofi.
What is a ‘good’ mixdown?
How Long Should I Sit on Music For?
This is the first time I've sat on an album for this long, maybe around 5 months. The music has been finished all this time, I have been working on the album movie, which now feels of equal weight as the music. What are my thoughts about waiting to release on reflection?
I’ve Got My Brother to Thank for the Amount of Stan Getz We’ve Listened to
Harrison bought an alto sax at the start of the year and began his journey of learning how to play. He’s been listening to a few select albums from start to finish, so of course, so have I. It seems like samba is never too far from anywhere.
You’ll hear Harrison on some of the tracks on the album.
From Ableton Live to Push 2 Guitar Performance
It began with breaking down the studio version and removing as many tracks as possible whilst still maintaining the core vibe. Then understanding how I was going to structure this version, knowing it would have to ‘grow’ as I built upon the previous sound/riff.
'Sunrise' Live Acoustic Guitar Ableton Push 2 Performance
Ableton Live Push 2 and Acoustic Guitar looping performance of one of my latest singles, 'Sunrise'.
Most of the original elements were recorded this way for the studio version, albeit with much more processing, so I knew it would be possible to play. Understanding the structure and flow took the most work in translating it to this version. When multiple elements enter at the same time, how would I do that? It had to take on a growing aesthetic. How much could I strip away from the original and keep the same flavour? The studio version has many percussion layers that I boiled down to a few in here.
‘Sunrise’ Played On Amazing Radio & A Few Thoughts on Creating With Originality
Thanks to Mark for the great words on my latest single, ‘Sunrise’. It’s always great to hear what Mark has to say about my music. Here’s the album that Mark references from Circus Company