The “Electric Paintings” series was originally as a response to the theme of last May’s Electric edition of the Art Car Boot Fair. A series of fast paintings, interpretations of very electric albums painted in time it takes to listen to that album just once. It is strictly just once, put the album on, play it loud, fill the room with it and just paint, when the album ends that is it, no refining, no going again, raw painting, as raw as the music. I am being very (very) picky about the albums selected, it is very much about the electricity, some of my favourite albums just don’t fit the brief, that electricity is needed, it can’t really be explained but it must be there. The first thirteen pieces were painted ahead of the Art Car Boot Fair, there are limited edition prints of those first thirteen available, the eighteenth and nineteenth and in the very much ongoing series were painted at the end of last week, I see no reason for the series to end…  

the eighteenth and nineteenth and in the very much ongoing series were painted at the end of last week, an interpretation of the 1978 Yes album Tormato, a rather precise rather lean (41 minute album) by their standards, and as much as it isn’t the most interest album cover to paint, the Flipper album really had to be part of the series, the 1982 debut album from the San Francisco post punk band Flipper, loved this album from the very first note of the very first play when a re-issued version of the album that was sent in to Organ back in the 90’s, not sure how I had missed out on it when it originally came out. 

The Roxy Music album is very obviously alive with electricity, it was painted on the day that marked 50 years since the release of the debut self-titled Roxy Music album. I do believe Bowie released Ziggy Stardust on the same day..The Roxy album needed to be dug out on the day, there’s something very magical about it, something they never quite repeated . Not sure if the painting worked, but that is what this series of paintings is about, fast interpretations of the cover painted during the time it takes to play the album just once. Roxy Music’s first album was genuinely electric, the first I heard Ladytron was magical, it wasn’t 50 years ago for me but Virginia Plain was one of the very first singles I ever bought and the album does stand up as one of the greatest ever made. The Kraftwerk album really does explain itself doesn’t it?

I am debating with myself (and others via social media) about the next album that needs painting, I am still being very very picky, it isn’t about painting my favourite albums or classic albums, it has to be about that electricity, that certain something that crackles there in the sound, the energy, the magic of it all.

The whole series can be viewed here, the prints are here in the Cultivate shop