First I hit play on my phone and I couldn’t see well enough, so I was thinking that I should go to my computer. Then the music "seeped in" and I LOVE THAT PIECE so much. I started walking back and forth, having forgotten that I was about to go back to my computer, muttering to myself. "G Damn it, I LOVE this." HAhhaa
I had to stop and laugh at myself, suddenly I felt like I needed to do 100 things at the same time. I can’t really describe that.
Now I am at my computer and about to hit play on it again.
So, seeing your amazing art with that music adds a whole new layer to it. If I were in a live room with this I would be crying and laughing and grabbing onto people.
I am so happy to know such a fantastic artist.
I am honored to read about your work and your life.
This compilation already feels like this: “Okay, we are going to look at a long line in time of a great and soulful, living artist. We will be listening to some of the most MAGNIFICENT music you have ever heard. Prepare yourselves.
Begin……….”
Okay, now I will watch the last half.
Okay, I started over and watched the opening a few times. That was interesting. The image of you and then the fade to the image of the city right with the music, WHAMMO.
Your eyes in that painting….under your hat….
The room with the light, man on the floor, woman on the bed, I love that painting so much. Every little thing has been addressed with regard to that light. And the light represents their souls connecting. To me, there is no "source" of light there other than the beings in the room. Even the far away frames have their little hint. Watching you break it all down like that piece by piece, the magnificent and difficult figure drawing of the woman kicking off her shoes and then the focus on the shoes was fantastic. IS fantastic. Yeesh.
There is a drawing of a figure leaning away from a wall and away from where the light hits the wall (exists on the wall?) The way the light hits that figure is interesting to me, I had to think about it. Also, the forward arm is slightly see through.
I was interested in the man with the forward hand and how you placed him in shadow WITH a shadow. THAT is an amazing concept in and of itself to me.
Then I watched the hand move around and his face became real. Wow.
You have very interesting and realistic approaches to these things.
Okay, now we are moving onto people with light coming from their hands, one has light coming out from between her legs somewhere as she is crouched. Now we’re talking. The light exists, it does not just come from an external source. You have been depicting light within light and shadows within shadow.
There’s one of you, or a man in half shadow, gazing curiously and serenely at the light coming from his hands; beautiful.
Then, toward the end, there is an image of a serene man with light coming from him , moving into him, or both. It is DIVINE.
I love your work so much. Thank you. This was a nice lesson for me as well. What a beautiful work of art you are and then you make all these amazing works of art and here it is in another work of art (the video) In which we may enjoy it all. SO much time and effort and love and living went into this.
*passes out from laughing maniacally (my reaction to overwhelm and artful success in relaying spirit)
Amy, for a few years I left this video on “private” and didn’t share it, i don’t know what I was thinking. Your response alone would make it worthwhile to create it if it didn’t exist. Heartfelt thank you.
Wow, well I could go on for days. That was cursory compared to what is in my mind. It is glowing there. If I ever have a chance to share it with anyone, I shall. I am just honored to even speak with you at this point. I mean, you are a great artist. As in GREAT, not trying to puff you up, I am just recognizing pure fact and making a personal observation. It’s like the music I love. What would I give to sit and talk with them? And here I am talking to YOU in “real-fake time.” And here you are appreciating it and engaging with me. THIS, alone, is reason enough for substack to exist. That or the fact that you took your video off private!
Thank goodness you shared it. I would pin it to my home page if I were you.
Also, if I were you I would LAUGH AND LAUGH AND LAUGH at all that I had created. (because I am a lil’ crazy.) HAHhaa.
Usually, after I play some monster-beast of a beautiful song on the piano, I kind of choke cry, and then laugh at the end. (only in private). It’s tremendous. Your work is tremendous.
I took your advice and pinned it to my homepage just now. I am not supposed to say this, and many think I should not even think it, (hubris) but I feel the way you describe my work. It is like feeling love all the time…still I have to be careful because it is circular, creating the work, then loving the work as if someone else made it. It is so much better to share and reach people who are intensely moved by it—that has a profound sense of truth, that I can’t get through self-reflection. So thank you from my heart.
You are reaching into something to make all of this. The care that you put into seeing the being there while you mark each spot, is something more than just being a great artist. I feel like you are also reaching into something or drawing it around you. I don't know how to say what I mean. When I am working on a drawing or painting, There's a lot going on in the air around me. Maybe there is less of a separation between me and the environment and the thing I am drawing into being. I feel like I am working "with." I just feel like, if I had managed to paint and stand before what you have painted and stood before, I would have a certain feeling from them as beings or as a part of my being. So, if I decided that I wanted to revel in their beauty and be a great fan of theirs, that would be the most sane thing in the world.
Your beings are compelling. I am feeling love all the time lately too, and I have various means of expressing that. I look forward to turning my focus to painting again this year and I am excited to see you standing there :) You are beautiful and so are your beings.
Your work is so awe inspiring, I love this video, set to beautiful music. Your portraits are astonishing (it all is, really) but you really capture the people’s essence in their portraits. I love the drawings and seeing your pieces come together. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Wow. Your art, and the video itself are beautiful. Congrats
Thank you very much Rolando!
Beautiful…but then I would have expected nothing less, Michael 💙💫
Thanks Joyce, I think that is my first time hearing “I would have expected nothing less.” Kind of cool in the sense sharing a consistent level.
Well, you do share a consistent high level of art, so anything below that level would have surprised me.
You are a superb portrait artist and light. Loved the video and music. Do you use a photo for some because the pose obviously cant be maintained?
Thank you, I saw the chair, I see the connection thank for sharing it!
First I hit play on my phone and I couldn’t see well enough, so I was thinking that I should go to my computer. Then the music "seeped in" and I LOVE THAT PIECE so much. I started walking back and forth, having forgotten that I was about to go back to my computer, muttering to myself. "G Damn it, I LOVE this." HAhhaa
I had to stop and laugh at myself, suddenly I felt like I needed to do 100 things at the same time. I can’t really describe that.
Now I am at my computer and about to hit play on it again.
So, seeing your amazing art with that music adds a whole new layer to it. If I were in a live room with this I would be crying and laughing and grabbing onto people.
I am so happy to know such a fantastic artist.
I am honored to read about your work and your life.
This compilation already feels like this: “Okay, we are going to look at a long line in time of a great and soulful, living artist. We will be listening to some of the most MAGNIFICENT music you have ever heard. Prepare yourselves.
Begin……….”
Okay, now I will watch the last half.
Okay, I started over and watched the opening a few times. That was interesting. The image of you and then the fade to the image of the city right with the music, WHAMMO.
Your eyes in that painting….under your hat….
The room with the light, man on the floor, woman on the bed, I love that painting so much. Every little thing has been addressed with regard to that light. And the light represents their souls connecting. To me, there is no "source" of light there other than the beings in the room. Even the far away frames have their little hint. Watching you break it all down like that piece by piece, the magnificent and difficult figure drawing of the woman kicking off her shoes and then the focus on the shoes was fantastic. IS fantastic. Yeesh.
There is a drawing of a figure leaning away from a wall and away from where the light hits the wall (exists on the wall?) The way the light hits that figure is interesting to me, I had to think about it. Also, the forward arm is slightly see through.
I was interested in the man with the forward hand and how you placed him in shadow WITH a shadow. THAT is an amazing concept in and of itself to me.
Then I watched the hand move around and his face became real. Wow.
You have very interesting and realistic approaches to these things.
Okay, now we are moving onto people with light coming from their hands, one has light coming out from between her legs somewhere as she is crouched. Now we’re talking. The light exists, it does not just come from an external source. You have been depicting light within light and shadows within shadow.
There’s one of you, or a man in half shadow, gazing curiously and serenely at the light coming from his hands; beautiful.
Then, toward the end, there is an image of a serene man with light coming from him , moving into him, or both. It is DIVINE.
I love your work so much. Thank you. This was a nice lesson for me as well. What a beautiful work of art you are and then you make all these amazing works of art and here it is in another work of art (the video) In which we may enjoy it all. SO much time and effort and love and living went into this.
*passes out from laughing maniacally (my reaction to overwhelm and artful success in relaying spirit)
Amy, for a few years I left this video on “private” and didn’t share it, i don’t know what I was thinking. Your response alone would make it worthwhile to create it if it didn’t exist. Heartfelt thank you.
Wow, well I could go on for days. That was cursory compared to what is in my mind. It is glowing there. If I ever have a chance to share it with anyone, I shall. I am just honored to even speak with you at this point. I mean, you are a great artist. As in GREAT, not trying to puff you up, I am just recognizing pure fact and making a personal observation. It’s like the music I love. What would I give to sit and talk with them? And here I am talking to YOU in “real-fake time.” And here you are appreciating it and engaging with me. THIS, alone, is reason enough for substack to exist. That or the fact that you took your video off private!
Thank goodness you shared it. I would pin it to my home page if I were you.
Also, if I were you I would LAUGH AND LAUGH AND LAUGH at all that I had created. (because I am a lil’ crazy.) HAHhaa.
Usually, after I play some monster-beast of a beautiful song on the piano, I kind of choke cry, and then laugh at the end. (only in private). It’s tremendous. Your work is tremendous.
I took your advice and pinned it to my homepage just now. I am not supposed to say this, and many think I should not even think it, (hubris) but I feel the way you describe my work. It is like feeling love all the time…still I have to be careful because it is circular, creating the work, then loving the work as if someone else made it. It is so much better to share and reach people who are intensely moved by it—that has a profound sense of truth, that I can’t get through self-reflection. So thank you from my heart.
You are reaching into something to make all of this. The care that you put into seeing the being there while you mark each spot, is something more than just being a great artist. I feel like you are also reaching into something or drawing it around you. I don't know how to say what I mean. When I am working on a drawing or painting, There's a lot going on in the air around me. Maybe there is less of a separation between me and the environment and the thing I am drawing into being. I feel like I am working "with." I just feel like, if I had managed to paint and stand before what you have painted and stood before, I would have a certain feeling from them as beings or as a part of my being. So, if I decided that I wanted to revel in their beauty and be a great fan of theirs, that would be the most sane thing in the world.
Your beings are compelling. I am feeling love all the time lately too, and I have various means of expressing that. I look forward to turning my focus to painting again this year and I am excited to see you standing there :) You are beautiful and so are your beings.
Thank you.
Your work is so awe inspiring, I love this video, set to beautiful music. Your portraits are astonishing (it all is, really) but you really capture the people’s essence in their portraits. I love the drawings and seeing your pieces come together. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Speechless 😶 I'm awestruck by your talent Michael. Loved seeing your work to this music ✨
I just took huge inhale of fresh mountain air, and let the compliment wash over me. Thank you @Deborah T. Hewitt !
Ahhh. I feel it. Your work is gorgeous, intimate, rich in depth, and those portraits, stunning ✨
Have a great weekend in that mountain air Michael 😘
NOW THAT is magical art at it’s finest! Wow you Michael, excellent! Bravo! 👏♥️👏
Love that Charlotte, thank you! <3
My pleasure @Michael Newberry of course!