| This
painting was, if I remember, the second watercolor painting in the
series, just after Midnight Magic.
The name comes from Metallica's magnificent 1996 album; essentially
the Physical Graffiti of our generation.
One
reason that I wanted to paint was to express, visually, the images
in my head when I think of great music. I'm usually remembering
albums by color and texture for some reason (another reason why
I never needed to take drugs, Starbucks nonwithstanding). I've always
envisioned Load as a crash-course of colors, so that's what I tried
to paint.
I
can't say if this is how I would paint Load today; probably
not. This is very much a reflection of my abilities at the time,
and I was basically just screwing around. Painting was a labor of
love, with things like exhibitions and websites and sales was something
far off. Which is probably the best mindset to have when creating.
Metallica's
Load album is what, back in the '70s, they called a "rock
album." It ran the spectrum: pop, metal, blues, country. That
it was reviled for not being a speed metal rehash of Kill Em
All demonstrates the cultural impoverishment and lack of diversity
in our music. Everything is so micro-marketed towards 13-year-olds,
we've lost touch with the essential truth: rock-n-roll is so perfectly
American because it is a melting pot. |
