A friend proposed an idea couple of years ago to have himself, me, and a few others all create artwork for an album’s numerous songs. Having a variety of visual artists all working from the same source material would be an interesting project. We all adore the album, so we have our particular interpretation of each track that would surely be worth exploring.

As the months drew on, the idea of everyone endeavoring to create a few dozen paintings each grounded the idea before it took off. Having enjoyed this album so much over the years, I could not let the possibility of this project slip away. I decided to move forward and prepared nearly 70 five-and-half inch squares of poplar. I wrote the title of each track on the reverse of the boards and arranged them along a couple of shelves, labeling each space for easy access.

I decided to revisit the entire album and give each song a detailed listen. I started at the beginning of the album, sketchbook open, and listened and took notes by responding to motifs, language, and the general feel of each song. Some tracks planted an idea in a flash, while others inspired patterns indicative of the rhythm and tones. Occasionally, doodling led me through a few possibilities. Honestly, some left me with a blank space. I’ll get back to those. I’ve got time.

Working through motifs, patterns, layers, varied marks, and color schemes has been a tour through my knowledge of mark-making. The process is definitely the aspect of this project that is the most fun to me. And I believe that is always the case with me: the process is the reward. And I have some parameters that help reign in the process:

• The number of pieces is established by an external influence

• An external deadline limits the time allotted to each piece

• These are my impressions

I am almost a third of the way through the songs. Stay tuned for the release date in early September!