Artist David Gray ~~> My Inspiration For A Blind Contour Drawing
The year.. 1993 and I was only just graduating high school (for cryin out loud, I was still so young and so foolish (tear in my eye)) when David Gray released his first album, 'A Century Ends'. I wouldn't realize the true beauty of his music or the sheer talent he possessed until roughly six years later when he released his chart topper album 'White Ladder'. By the way, my favorite songs of his are on this album. David self financed and recorded this album in his London apartment. Soon after he hooked up with Dave Mathews and went on tour with him. Dave Mathews released White Ladder in the US under his own label ATO. So glad he did. Dave is a genius and won't get into that here..another time.
Some of my fave's on this album are:
"This Year's Love"
"Sail Away"
"Say Hello Wave Goodbye" ~(A cover song originally by Soft Cell)
I listen to his songs when I'm just chillin, trying to get to sleep, and absolutely when I am feeling creative and ready to paint. I covered this drawing some time ago, but feel that it needs reintroduced with a little more backbone. I thought It was truly befitting that His album cover (the one I used for my Blind Contour) be titled ‘Draw The Line’. That’s what I did .. I drew the line. One continuous line.
I don’t look at the drawing until I’m finished.. or at least when I think I'm finished. After I’m done I shade areas using charcoal, pastels, paint, or some other thing that suits my fancy. It's usually very interesting on how these turn out. It’s also a very good technique for improving your eye to hand coordination. Almost always, unless your 'Mr. Perfect', they are embellished with a slightly grotesque look. This I find very appealing, although I can imagine some people just will not get it. That's okay. It's part of being an artist. Not everyone is going to like your pieces.
So I am going to assume that you figured out that my inspiration here was David Gray and his Awesome music. I have painted lots of pieces while listening to his tracks. Come to think of it..alot of things have been done while listening to his songs. Come on people! Get your minds out of the gutter. hehe .. cough cough. I could tell you all about the rasp in his voice, the tremendously brilliant guitar playing, the incredible talent he surrounds himself with, yada yada .. but I think the music speaks for it's self ... Check It Out. My all time favorite performance by David Gray (So wish I was there for this set..Uggggg.)
So this story of David Gray, my blind contour drawing, and the inspiration behind wanting to create it, now comes to an end. Thank you so much for taking a minute or two of your time to learn a bit about what drives me as an artist. Hope you found a new appreciation for Blind Contour Drawing and the artist David Gray as well!
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