Do you listen/talk while you paint? - Page 2

Denise Hall · 07-13-2002, 09:59 PM

Listening to music helps me paint better - I am convinced!

I listen to NPR classical when they are playing chamber music (no big orchestration numbers because they make me paint too fast) and tapes I have made of a local NPR Sunday night Jazz show (Tom the Jazz Man) as well as Thistle and Shamrock.

I have to have something playing, mostly jazz. Miles Davis is great to listen to while you paint; also Anuna, the Riverdance famed singing minstrels. All great to paint with! I listen to many other jazz vocalists, mostly women like Sarah Vaughn or Nora Jones.

I do not listen to any sort of rock (which I love) or talk shows; for the same reason Michelle mentioned; takes too much concentration away from my painting (which needs all it can get!)

If someone comes in, I have to stop painting or make big mistakes!

Chris Saper · 07-13-2002, 10:23 PM

When I paint in open studio, from life, I LOVE to have artist banter. By this, I mean chit-chat, not substantive discussion. When I am alone in my own studio, I want QUIET. People ask me if I play music when I paint, and my respose is "Why bother?" Any sound I generally disregard after about five minutes or so, which is about how long it takes me to devolve, as it were, into the "zone."

The only exception to this is a "thunderstorm" CD I occasionally listen to, (mainly in the summer), where I darken my studio, and pretend that the hellacious, relentless, and dreadfully dry summer heat does not exist. (For those of you who have never spent a summer in Phoenix, we live without Daylight Savings time. The sun begins to rise about 4:30 AM, and at that time the temperature is often already 90 degrees. By 4:00 PM it's generally about 109 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. At midnight, we have relief, down to about 90 degrees.)

Quiet is definitely my preferred way of life.

Stanka Kordic · 07-14-2002, 05:42 PM

I have a hard time holding a conversation with real humans, but have no trouble interacting with whatever discussion is going on NPR (to myself, out loud; I talk to myself a lot.) Other than that, Yo-Yo Ma, Grateful Dead, Andrea Bocelli, books on tape, or just the sound of the fountains outside my studio. I could NEVER work at home. Bless you guys that have in-home studio with kids. My little guy never stops chattering...the worst part is that he needs answers to his questions. Saying "uh-huh" doesn't work with Luke!

Lon Haverly · 07-15-2002, 01:30 AM

I usually paint at my mall studio, but I always like interruptions, actually, as it gives me a rest from the concentraton. An interruption generally means a ten minute sketch, or a customer question. The music there is a mix of oldies and conmtempory Muzak.

Anyone ever listen to WRI (World Radio Network)? It is an interesting network of European stations featuring stories of the news of that country and some local color. I love to hear about other cultures and lifestyles. Amazing what I have learned by listening in to WRI.

Morris Darby · 07-15-2002, 02:10 PM

Mike,

I give piano lessons while I paint. (grin)

Chris,

The "Thunderstorm CD"...what an anomaly. If you don't get a storm for a while, get the CD! I have several rain-type CD's (like I need them in Florida) and listen to them rather than music. The best for me is "Atlantic Suite". It has all the sounds of the Atlantic coast from ocean to wildlife. I can only pay attention to one thing at a time, so less music is better.

Lon,

I've kept some of your posts regarding your mall biz and have seen your setup. I plan to do that on weekends in the fall of this year to sharpen my skills and query the market in my area.

Regards all,
Morris

Kent Curole · 07-19-2002, 12:02 PM

I always listen to music. Marvin, I noticed you listen to fingerstyle guitar. I too love to listen to fingerstyle guitar (lots) - contemporary as well as classical guitar. Sometimes I attempt to play it, but not at the same time I'm painting. I also listen to contemporary Christian music, jazz guitar, classical music and some rock every now and then.

I am only part-time at the moment so my painting time is limited, but sometimes my wife will come in and talk to me which doesn't seem to bother me at all. Also, I paint in a small bedroom (which I have totally dedicated to a studio) and most of the time I have my 3 year old son Casey wanting to paint with me. Good thing his paints are washable. Though he has never messed with my paintings, the floor does get its fair share of painting.

Kent

Alicia Kornick · 07-24-2002, 06:02 PM

I usually listen to CDs. Some favorites are Andrea Bocelli, Chant (chants by Franciscan monks)- mostly classical things. I sometimes listen to the Beatles and Santana. I get tired of changing the CDs and usually, after a while, I don't hear it anyway. The other day, after a couple of hours, I realized the same CD was playing over and over. It was Medieval music: very nice, but I had probably tuned it out.

I can't paint when another human is there, but the dog doesn't seem to mind.

Rochelle Brown · 07-26-2002, 02:57 PM

I like listening when I paint. Often it has an effect on what I am doing. I try to make sure that I listen to the appropriate subject matter so that my painting won't send mixed messages. If I attempt to listen and do reading or bill paying than I find that I've missed or blocked out what was being played or broadcasted. Having the TV on is a time waster as I can't seem to pull my eyes away from it and concentrate on the work.

Alicia Kornick · 07-26-2002, 04:33 PM

I also find the TV to be a huge "sucker of time". If I don't watch it, several hours have passed by and I realize I have to get to work. It is better for me to just turn it off.

Leslie Ficcaglia · 08-20-2002, 11:56 PM

I have no problem talking with visitors to my studio once I have the work blocked in; that's what's hardest and takes the most concentration. The rest is just fun. My grown daughter sometimes wanders in to chat when she's visiting, and my grown son sometimes brings a girlfriend in to see what's going on and to watch. My five-year-old granddaughter has developed enough concentration that she can work at her easel long enough to make it worth my while to start to paint while she's there. (I do have an old plastic shower curtain under her easel to protect the floor from her spatters, though. Less for me to worry about.)

For Mother's Day I asked for a player that could handle multiple CDs and had autoreverse for tapes. That seems to be a confusing concept and I got continuous play instead, which isn't the same thing at all. So we went back to Best Buy and did find what I wanted. The contraption plays three CDs in sequence and I can set it to replay them all; the tape player will loop indefinitely as well. That way I don't have to keep putting down my brushes and deciding what next to hear. Somehow I don't like the radio as much; there's too much on there that I don't care for, and I prefer soft rock and other vocals to classical music when I paint. I do get into a zone but not to the extent that I don't hear the music, and it helps relax me and let me focus on my work. I could never watch television while I painted, or engage in a complex philosophical discussion, either, but I can listen and add the odd comment.