Week 12

Howlin' Wolf - How Many More Years

"What is the blues? When you ain't got no money, you got the blues. When you ain't got no money to pay your house with, you still got the blues... If you ain't got no money you got the blues, cause you thinkin' evil. Every time you thinkin' evil you got the blues."

Lyrics:

How many more years?
Have I got to let you dog me around
How many more years?
Oh, I got to let you dog me around
I'd soon rather be dead
Sleeping six feet in the ground

I'm gonna fall on my knees
I'm gonna raise up my right hand
I'm gonna fall on my knees
I'm gonna raise up my right hand
Say, I'd feel much better, darlin'
If you'd just only understand

I'm goin' upstairs
I'm gonna bring back down my clothes
I'm goin' upstairs
I'm gonna bring back down my clothes, do them all
If anybody ask about me
Just tell 'em I walked out on


Since we are exploring the blues this week, I wanted to explore the color. 

Project 7: Louis Collins

Lyrics:

Mrs. Collins weeped, Mrs. Collins moaned,
To see her son Louis leavin' home
The angels laid him away
The angels laid him away,
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away

Mrs. Collins weeped, Mrs. Collins moaned,
To see her son Louis leavin' home
The angels laid him away
Oh, Bob shot once and Louis shot too,
Shot poor Collins, shot him through and through
The angels laid him away

Oh, kind friends, oh, ain't it hard?
To see poor Louis in a new graveyard
The angels laid him away
The angels laid him away,
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away

Oh, when they heard that Louis was dead
All the people they dressed in red
The angels laid him away
The angels laid him away,
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away

Mrs. Collins weeped, Mrs. Collins moaned,
To see her son Louis leavin' home
The angels laid him away
The angels laid him away,
They laid him six feet under the clay
The angels laid him away

This song is very interesting -- I enjoyed the lyrics. Mrs. Collins stood by idly, weeping and moaning, as her own son was leavin' home when the angels laid him away. There was nothing she could do but watch. The way the song is sung and the fact that the angels "laid him away," as opposed to buried him or took him, emphasizes a slow progression of events. It sounds peaceful because no one really protests the facts; things just happen and people can't fight it.
I kind of see myself as Mrs. Collins, in some strange way. I used my art this week as a sort of release for my frustrations and I am happy with what came out of it. Not sure if I completely love the text, so I left it in a temporary manner.

I quite enjoyed Jas Olbrecht's biography on Mississippi John Hurt. It painted him in a very bright light -- he came from humble beginnings, working on the farm and helping his mother in a small town of under 100 people. He worked very hard on his own family farm, and also offered his services on neighboring farms. I had just learned about the WPA in another class, so it is interesting to see the overlap between that class and this class. It was interesting that Jas mentioned that Hurt's music is a souvenir of his childhood. It is an interesting idea -- that we never forget our childhood; in those formative years, we learn so much about ourselves and the people around us shape who we become. John Hurt grew up in a rural area, helping people, starting from the ground up and earning his way to the top. He was also described as "perfect" and "Christ-like"; somehow I believe that is related to his childhood experiences, helping others and perfecting his craft when he had time.

Project 3: My Desire

Lyrics:

It's my desire to do some good thing every day.
It's my desire to help the fallen by the way.
Oh, it's my desire to bring back those who've gone astray.
It's my desire, oh, to be like the Lord.

It's my desire to bring someone drunk to the fold.
It's my desire to shelter someone from the cold.
It's my desire to do thy will, Lord, as I am told.
It's my desire, oh, Lord, to be like my Lord.

Yes, It's my desire, to see His face when life is done.
It's my desire to meet the Father, yes and the Son.
It's my desire to hear Him say, "My Child, well done."
It's my desire, oh, Hallelujah, to be like the Lord.

I chose the song "My Desire" by Delois Barrett Campbell, and upon hearing it, I imagined the performer standing in front of a stained glass window. For this project, I decided to expand my color palette and to see if I could still create a unified piece by using virtually every color of the rainbow. Still using a 6x8" canvas board, I wanted to try to illustrate something that was much bigger than its physical size. 

I contemplated filling in the two large circles outlined in green with either more colors or perhaps a human portrait or figure (perhaps Paul Walker or my mother, people I look up to who have embodied the seemingly perfect "good" that I want to be). In the end, I decided against it because I felt that would go with the lyrics more -- no matter how many good deeds you perform, there's always a desire to do something greater. At whatever stage, there are still so many pieces of one's life that haven't been filled in yet. There's always something more that can be done, to make your or perhaps someone else's life more colorful. 

Project 1: Down in the Valley

Lyrics:

Down in the valley, the valley so low
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow
Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow

Write me a letter, send it by mail
Send it in care of Birmingham jail...
Birmingham jail, love, Birmingham jail
Send it in care of Birmingham jail

If you don't love me, love whom you please
Throw your arms 'round me, give my heart ease....
Give my heart ease, love, give my heart ease
Throw your arms 'round me, give my heart ease.

Build me a castle, 40 foot high
So I can see you, as you go by
As you go by love, as you go by
So I can see you, as you go by

I chose to create a work that had both personal meaning and also possibly meaning to the viewer as well. The valley that most naturally came to mind was Castro Valley, where I was born; as a result, I decided to use the city's outline as the starting point of the piece. Having not grown up in Castro Valley, I did not have any particular idea as to which direction to take -- so I googled "Castro Valley 1994," the year I was born. Article after article highlighted a tragic story of a young girl. I thought candles would be suitable, to serve as a sort of vigil for the young girl.

Giving the symbol some more thought, I realized candles could also represent a birthday. Blown out candles ("Hear the wind blow") could hold even more meaning: the passage of time, death, or the loss of something that used to burn bright. This would give it the personal meaning that I wanted to convey through the piece -- "Down in the Valley" is the only song I remember how to play on the piano, an instrument that I abandoned just as I approached my teen years. Looking back, I regret not continuing with lessons, but somehow I always go back to it leisurely every now and then, sitting down to play for a couple minutes. Just as candles may not last forever, but the smoke lingers there, if not forever, then at least for a little while.