Sigur Ros - Takk

Album number two for studio listening has to be “Takk” by Sigur Ros. What a marvelous piece of work this is. From start to finish, a complete masterpiece of sonic pleasure. It has it all, from mellow intros to heart thumping crescendos and everything in between. If this doesn’t get me in an inspirational mood, nothing will.

Sigur Ros have always been one of the most influential bands in my musical collection, but, “Takk” has to be their most dynamic accomplishment to date. I recommend sitting down with a nice hot cup of tea, put the lights down, get comfy on the couch, close your eyes and play this CD full blast.

Get more information and sound clips from this amazing album directly from Sigur Ros.

Gleaming Without Lights by Bill Nelson

Winter is still with us, unfortunately. However, there is a faint whiff of spring in the air and the snow will melt and give way to warmer temperatures and access will be regained to my art studio.In preparation for my return to the studio I’m gearing up some CD’s that I want to play in the first few days when the creative juices start flowing again. This was, at first just a mental note, a list of maybe a dozen albums that get me in the mood. Well, I’ve started placing the CD’s in an actual pile, ready for the big day. First on the list has to be “Gleaming Without Lights” by Bill Nelson.

Bill’s music has inspired many paintings, sketches and drawings of mine for over two decades now. “Gleaming” is one his most recent offerings and brings back some of the musical qualities that I loved so much during his solo career in the late eighties and early nineties, namely, atmospheric, melodic and tasteful instrumentalism. It’s a soft and mellow collection of works, one of the tracks being almost 38 minutes long. A beautiful collection of pieces that seem almost made for painting and enjoying the springtime.

To hear some sound bites of this brilliant piece of work check Bill Nelson’s site.

Latest work “Radiance”

Introducing “Radiance”, pastel/graphite on panel - 36″ x 24″

More information at: pauldaviesart.com

Egon Scheile

The work of Egon Scheile has been a powerful force in my own creativity for as long as I can remember. His erotic and contorted human forms have a twisted, yet graceful quality that is unmatched by any other artist.

Inspiration from his work comes to me from many different aspects of the work. Bold and deliberate line work, subtle skin tones, minimal but demonstrative sketching with exaggerated forms all fascinate me to no end.

Each figure is more than just a study of the human form, it’s a study of the human being.

I had all but retired from life drawing for many years as a result of a bad relationship with a model that I painted. I vowed to never draw or paint another figurative work again. I kept this promise for several years until one day I started thumbing through my personal collection of art books. I remember getting excited with anticipation when I eyed one of the several Egon Scheile book spines on the shelf. Needless to say, after many hours of revisiting the wonderful work of Mr. Scheile I fell in love with the human figure all over again.

For the most part, I’m primarily a figurative painter again and enjoying every minute of it!

The Paul Davies Art Blog is born.

I’ve finally put together my first blog. If all goes well, I’ll be updating frequently giving information on my upcoming exhibitions, how my work is developing and using this blog as a kind of diary of sorts.

Hopefully there will be some interaction from others which would make this all worth it.

If anything, this may be the place to find out what’s going on in the twisted and tortured mind of Paul Davies.