There's Music in the Air

[Marvin Mattelson]

I have recently added a new piece of equipment to my studio which has made my time at the easel exponentially more pleasurable.

To me, one of the best parts of painting is the fact I can listen to great music all day long. I get lost in my tunes and enter the zone while my brush dances along the canvas to the rhythm of the music.

When the music stops or is interrupted, the ensuing silence creates a jarring jolt that extricates me from the flow. I have a six CD changer which requires getting up and investing time and effort, further removing myself from the groove. I can just keep repeating the order but that becomes monotonous. If I listen to my favorite public radio, which plays incredible music, it's still punctuated by banter, news and station promotions. I go in and out.

Now I am in ecstasy for I am in total control of my music. I bought an iPod and a little device called an iTrip. The iTrip allows me to transmit music from my iPod to any empty station on the FM radio receiver on my stereo.

I have so far loaded 50 CD's onto my iPod so far and there is room for approximately a couple hundred more. So now I could just play my music for about thirty uninterrupted hours if I so choose. I can play it in order or I can allow the iPod to randomly shuffle the music according to songs or albums. best of all I can create different playlists that can be played in order or randomly. I can create playlists of happy music, serene music, peppy music (to motivate faster painting!?!) or any type of music that reflects my mood or whim.

I also bring it to painting class with me and play it through the boombox in class. I don't have to lug my case of Cd's to school and once the music starts, I am free to teach with no CD maintenance interruptions or deafening periods of silence.

It's totally awesome and truly brilliant.

Easel-shmeasel! Palette-schmalette!

I love my iPod.