India Arie- "Strength, Courage and Wisdom" »
India Arie- Strength, Courage and Wisdom from ikeepmoving.com on Vimeo.
A beautiful woman that let her presence known in 2001 was armed with a voice and a guitar. I’m attracted by artist that are multi-faceted. The song that I chose helps me reflect on my own hardships and rising above. The first time I saw her in concert was when she opened up for Sade. That was a sight to behold. Her stage presence stood above her studio recordings. I’m please to have Ms. Arie as part of the After Midnight series.
Aretha Franklin "One Step Ahead" (EZ remix) »
Aretha Franklin- One Step Ahead (EZ Remix) from ikeepmoving.com on Vimeo.
I can not ignore the voice and sheer talent that Aretha Franklin has showcased. Let it be known that she is the quintessential Queen of Soul. I’ve always enjoyed her popular songs such as, “Respect”, “Think”, and “A Natural Woman”. Such hits were created when she signed on to Atlantic. Her albums, “Lady Soul” and “Soul 69” show how deep the woman can go.
When I got older I started looking back at her years when she was with Columbia Records. I was taken back to hear a different sound than what I was used to. I heard a strong jazz influence. I loved it! Songs like, “Nobody Like You” and “Skylark” are some of her best songs from Columbia. A deeper appreciation for her music came from my soul searching of Aretha. It was her Columbia years that I chose the song for this episode.
I was happy to have on board Dj Drez remixing her song, “One Step Ahead”. He gave it a little update that I find enjoyable and fitting to my style of painting. Drez has been a strong pillar in LA’s Hip Hop culture and continues to push the sound to new levels. Having him on the After Midnight series is a blessing and a new direction.
Dj Drez album cover »
If you guys haven’t heard of this guys music, you need to check it out here on itunes. The link will take you to his album that is setting a new sound of hip hop and indian music. The image that I produced above is for his second Volume of Jahta beats. In order for me to paint his cover he hit me off with a copy of the music and let me tell you… it is off the hook. I’m really excited that I was able to do this cover. I hope you guys like it and please support Dj Drez… aka Doctor EZ… click here for a bigger look at it.
The finish line is near »
The details are starting to fall into place. My students are feeling really comfortable with themselves and the group. They are working at such a fast pace that I sometimes have to think of new ways to keep them busy. My students are the cats pajama’s! As you look at the pictures below, you can see the finish product peaking out from the scaffolding. the orange group had the challenge of making that rainbow as clean as possible.
My red group started to understand the importance of tones as they had to readjust the shades of the tree and snake. I mentioned to them that all the forms needed to be distinct from one another so that wouldn’t guessing as to what the viewer was seeing.
The blue and purple group were chugging right along with minor changes. I told them that this was it. This is where the idea was coming to life…so no messing around!
