A few years ago I had the opportunity to paint at Universal Citywalk at Universal Studio as part of their tourist attraction. Since Rock & Roll is my muse I wanted my paintings to reflect my passion (obsession) but I’m not fourteen years old and didn’t want to paint portraits of Paul MacCartney or Mick Jagger. What I wanted to paint was the music itself. I decided to illustrate song lyrics. I’ve quite a bit of experience illustrating song lyrics as PaperCuts, The Illustrated Lyrics Magazine, was created to illustrate my band’s songs and I’ve produced a few animated music videos which were designed to illustrate the words rather than a cartoon band performance.
The first painting I did was King Crimson’s In The Court Of The Crimson King, one of my all time favorite songs. This one was relatively easy as the lyrics describe the scene of a Medieval kingdom’s courtyard. Even the album’s subtitle; An Observation by King Crimson, describes its very visual aspect. But the next one took years to figure out how to paint.
The next painting I wanted to do was The Beatles’ Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds. One thing I required from my paintings of song lyrics was that the painting had to make sense as an image even if the viewer had no idea it was illustrating a song. The Court Of The Crimson King was easily identifiable as a fantasy kingdom with the inhabitants going about their day but Lucy is very surreal. Alan Aldridge had already done a great painting of Lucy In The Sky in his Illustrated Beatles book although it was a jumble of weird, disjointed images that didn’t make any sense out of the context of the song. How could I do a different, more literal version?
I used a technique I’ve used in the past. What I do when I have a creative problem is imagine that the work is already finished, that it exists already but in another dimension (of time). Therefore it is not a matter of having to think of how to do it but only to try and “remember” what it looks like. I used this technique to come up with a name for my illustrated lyrics magazine years earlier. Names like “Rocktoons” seemed the most logical choice but just didn’t seem like what the magazine was really called. Remember, I work on the presumption that the magazine already has a name and when I remember it there will be no question that is it’s name. when “Paper Cuts” jumped into my mind I instantly knew that was its name. Paper, since it’s printed and Cuts as in album cuts. All I needed to do is tell myself to “remember” how I painted Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and it will occur to me just like remembering where you left your car keys.
I hanged “The Court Of The Crimson King” in the living room for inspiration and every time I’d walk by I’d look at it and think to myself, “How am I going to paint Lucy”? And I’d hear a voice (my voice) answer me; “Disneyland”.
“Yes, the King Crimson painting was Disney-ish, but not exactly Disney-land,” I’d say back (yes, I talk to myself). But every time I’d see it I’d say to myself; “Disneyland”. “Okay, it’s a fantasy kingdom so I suppose that’s very Disneylandish but so what? I need to know how to paint Lucy!” “DISNEYLAND!” came the emphatic answer once again. Then it hit me. Of course, DISNEYLAND! Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds is a ride at Disneyland! No, wait.. not a ride, it is an amusement park!”
Indeed, what better way to arrive at an imaginative destination, than to go forward first, in order to arrive at the beginning last. And what better approach, than through the child-like experience Disneyland affords. Imagination surely outweighs knowledge in the artist's scale of inspiration, and what finer colors on the palette, than The Beatles ever-mixing kaleidoscope. Viva la Rocktasia! And bravo to its creator!
ReplyDeletep.m. meehan, drummer