Matti Paints - Subject Tenille

Please note that this is not the Captain and Tenille, Tenille. But that was the name of her old dog.

Tenille was stunning. From the first time we met I knew I had to paint her. Mainly because she showed up and my house after a month of exchanging potential painting dates, but it was nice to finally settle down with her and add her to my canvas collection.

 Her colour choices were so far up my alley I couldn't have asked for a better palate. That combined with a random yet fun playlist made the experience seem almost too good to be true.

During the canvas session, our talks went from fanciful and hopes and dreams to heavier talks of life and death. There was a beautiful yet simple dynamic at work. A pushing and pulling of the heart strings that was something I've only got to experience a few times during this project before. 
I really think that in the end we ended up with something very unique and fitting for her. She's so far the only person I've allowed to go back and reshoot her final shot. (I made the mistake of shooting her with her hair up which made the pictures too soft on the focus and didn't do the makeup full justice)
So in the end I ended up with something quite beautiful and I'm happy to say that I got to finally paint her.
So, here she is in all her glory! 

Matti Paints - Subject Alex

This is Alex.

We met at the coffee shop and in the short time I've got to know him, I have to say there is something very special about him.
He's very talkative, so one of the things I found so odd about this experience was he was quiet. Silent. Songs would pass and we wouldn't say a word. This was something that I was initially confused by, but the more time passed the more I hoped he was simply absorbing the experience. He's a very hard one to read, but I like to think that he enjoyed the experience. I hope he did. I don't know.

Many of Alex's songs were songs of longing or thankfulness. It was a very heavy playlist so I'm wondering if that played a part in it.
The strange thing was his colour choices were so vibrant and bold that the somberness almost flies in the face of them. It's a case of DESPITE the colours and the actions, the piece somehow still carries a feeling of sadness to it.

Or maybe the feeling is hope. Hope for what exactly I'm not sure, but there is a strange optimism to it as well.

Pictured: Moroseness

Funny how on this piece I'm really focusing on the outcome. The journey itself was a good one, and the end result was fun, but it's just a strange thought to think of how different the outcome was compared to what I was expecting.
To find out how to become a part of this project please contact me: HERE

CD Review: Maria Mena "Viktoria"

If there is one artist who I hold in higher reverence than Marit Larsen, it would be Maria Mena. Though I have not been with her through her entire career, I have to say that my time with her had greatly impacted my life and that her music has helped me through some of the hardest days I've had thus far. Her voice is equal parts haunting and evoking and whenever she sings, it resonates on the deepest levels of my soul. 

(On a personal note, Maria responded to one of my tweets when my dog was put down so she will always hold a special place in my heart. I wont let that effect my judgement of her cd, but I felt it was worth mentioning) 

"Viktoria" as a whole is a strong album. Her voice is as haunting as ever and her songs carry all the emotional punch of her previous albums. In the grand scheme of things it is not as strong as "Apparently Unaffected", but on the positive side of things she seems to have worked out a lot of her issues that have accompanied her previous albums, and made a lot of her last album, "Cause and Effect" hard to listen to. 

The standout tracks on the album are the first two tracks; the title track "Viktoria", and the amazing "Homeless". Both let Maria do what she does best. Sing emotional songs that pack a punch in a way that only her unique vibrato can. The songs are reminiscent of some of her most brilliant work to date and are certainly the most commercial sounding on the album. 

 

One thing that always seems to be the case with Maria is that her albums tend to feature a couple stand out songs that everyone can appreciate and a few deeper songs that require a careful ear and an appreciation of subtle changes in music. In this album this appears to be the case once again as most of her songs on the album are not easy listens, and will often require a bit of time to really get into. On this album songs like "My Heart Still Beats", "Takes One to Know One", "Secrets" and "This Too Shall Pass" often take too long to get to the payout and rely too much on the lyrics. This is not a bad thing, but often they feel underwhelming and often end up being the ones most likely to be skipped on the album. That being said "This Too Shall Pass" also features some of the best lyrics and one of the most encouraging lyrics on the entire album, which keeps it from being monotonous. 

Maria's real strength lies in her lyrics. Her lyrics carry a heavy weight to them that latches onto your heart and refuses to let go. This is especially apparent in her song "Habits" which features Mads Langer in a beautiful duet that really stands out. The lyrics convey a heavy emotional poetry that stands out, especially compared to the onslaught of simple pop songs that lack both weight and depth. The song itself almost serves as a counterpoint to the equally excellent "It Took Me By Surprise" which manages to avoid the monotony trap by building to a catchy and exciting chorus that takes you by surprise.

However there are a couple songs on the album that fail to live up to the others. From "Am I Supposed to Apologize?" and "Money" it quickly becomes clear that Maria Mena still has some issues that she needs to let out. On the bright side, it does appear that this is now the exception. My biggest complaint with her previous album "Cause and Effect" was the over abundance of her issues on the album. I think that airing out your issues with family and lovers can be great motivation for song writing, but when the venom is so blatantly obvious it can make the song uncomfortable to listen to. Now, thankfully, none of these songs really impact in the uncomfortable way that some of her previous work like "Dear _____" and especially "Power Trip Ballad", but there are still hints of them throughout the album. I look forward to the day when Maria can finally leave her past behind her and put her amazing talents to further use. 

Overall, Viktoria is a perfect next step for her. While it is unlikely to become a major hit on this side of the Atlantic, I do hope that it will net her quite a few new fans (or at least enough to get her over here for a spell. Am I right people?) I can't wait to see where she goes from here, but you can bet I'll be listening with whatever it is.

Matti Paints: Subject Wes

    Me and Wes have a very giving and loving friendship, so he was the obvious first choice for my art project.

This is Subject Wes: Note that it is Groundhog day again

    Right away, from the first stroke I knew that there was something very special about this experience. Painting on someones body has a magical quality about it that I’ve never felt before. There is a palpable amount of trust involved, and an unspoken yet understood agreement that in the end, they are giving you their vulnerability in exchange for a work of art.
    When I first set out on this project I wasn’t anticipating the sheer amount of feelings that go through you as you begin. We started out joking around about the coldness of the brush, but as the work began to take shape, there grew an almost serious quality to the painting.

After Song 2

After Song 4

Close to the end

    I think it started with his colour choices. What was so interesting about them was they were almost the exact colours I would choose. I’m a huge fan of red and blue contrast, and the fact that he chose them meant that it would create a palate I was familiar and eager to work with. Since it’s been so long since my last painting, I appreciated this. However, there is a significant emotional overtone to the colours he picked.

Note: Colours not colors.

Three warm colours: red, orange and pink; followed by two cold colours: blue and teal. The interesting fact was that orange and teal are about as removed as you can get from each other on the colour wheel, while blue, red and purple are all very complimentary. As a result I knew the green would be the odd colour out, and as a result I am left to wonder if Wes knew he was doing this intentionally, or if it was simply the luck of the draw. I wonder if he even realizes how significant that is. Without the green to contrast the other colours the piece would run the risk of being too boring. With it, Wes showed a dangerous, almost rebellious side that gave the piece a level of interest that would have otherwise been lacking.
    As the painting continued a few really interesting things happened. We became silent. I became obsessed with the painting and Wes became contemplative. I’m not sure if he was being quiet for any particular reason, but at a certain point he really did become a human canvas. The music choices also helped to ease and relax the two of us as I worked.  As the painting continued, the songs became more and more melancholic and I soon realized that it was having an effect on both of our moods and the painting itself. His character began to show through as reflective and pensive. It began to reflect, especially in the facial region.

This was his playlist. The last song to play was "How He Loves". Hard to get more deep than that.

    In the end his character was revealed as vibrant, strong and reflective. A man emboldened with wisdom and a history of pain, but with a resolve to move forward.
This is his portrait.

Wes Response:

"I am most grateful to have had this "conversation" with Matti and the results from the future "voices"and to see how their conversations turn to out... to see the resulting colourful conversation."

"The time and space given for the process was quite meaningful in itself. I can't say I've ever been able to engage in a project as provoking with a friend before, however it is one that will be cherished"

Cd Review : Marit Larsen "Spark"

So I've always wanted to write cd reviews. I find the experience of listening to a cd both enchanting and incredibly rewarding. Being able to connect with the artist in such a delightful and beautiful way is almost always enchanting. Upon discovering Marit Larsen's new cd "Spark", I knew that this was the cd I wanted to start with. I hope you enjoy my first non-fiction piece here!

Marit Larsen's "Spark" - By Matti McLean

There are few artists I hold in such reverence as Marit Larsen. I have been a fan of her unique voice since she was one half of the musical duet M2M with Marion Ravn, but have also had the unique privlage of growing up alongside her music. From her early days as a pop star, to her excellent solo cds (Under the Surface – 2005 and The Chase – 2008 respectfully) I have grown alongside her and her unique portrayals of love, loss and life. All this leads up to her latest, and in my opinion, her finest cd to date, “Spark” which was released this November.

“Spark” is a much different cd than her previous two. Marit Larsen has always been defined in my mind by a subtle, beautiful voice that was as poignant as it was exciting. Her lyrics almost always played in sharp contrast to her light and joyous melodies. In opposition to her bright, playful melodies, she arms her poignant lyrics with a sense of impenetrable optimism that seeps through every fabric of her writing.

In “Spark”, we see a more mature outlook on life. Marit sings of harsher realities, more troublesome problems, and all things considered speaks in a much more mature voice on more mature problems. While issues of love and life have been discussed in her previous albums, in “Spark” they contain a much more potent and bittersweet message. The songs this time are gentler, and have a much harsher, lived in quality to them. For the first time, Marit seems to embrace her pain and the heart aches of growing up. Her songs have a new haunting quality to them that is both shocking and cathartic.

In typical Marit Larsen tradition, upon my first play through of her cd, I was almost disappointed. “Spark” initially lacked the quick and easy catchy tunes of “Under the Surface” and initially I thought it lacked the complexities of “The Chase”, but as time went on and I spent more time with the cd, I realized that “Spark” could be her finest and most complex cd yet. The messages of the cd and the songs run much deeper than I could have initially anticipated and as a result, Marit has crafted her finest cd she has yet created.

Some of her finest songs on the cd deal with issues of past relationships, which is an issue that I feel rings particularly close to my life right now. The songs “I can't love you anymore” and “Last night” could be among “To and end”, “Fuel”, “Walls” and “Solid Ground” as the best songs in her repertoire. Her voice echoes more true when she sings with an air of mellancholia, and it's a tone that seeps through her album from the bittersweet opening of “Keeper of the keys”, to the reminiscent ending of “That day”. Her lyrics are reminiscent of Jewel, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks and Sarah Mclachlan all rolled into an etherial voice that carries the songs with such emotion that they become richer with each subsequent listen.

The cd is not without it's faults. Her first single “Coming home” initially lacks the killer hooks of “Don't save me” and “Only a fool”, but despite this the melodies are undeniably catchy, and the lyrics surprisingly sweet providing a nice contrast to the heavier lyrics of other songs on the album. “Have you ever” is a strange offering, pairing an undeniably peppy tune with a somewhat depressing subject matter in a way that is shockingly similar to some of her earlier songs, and “Me and the highway” and “Don't move” seem to be almost out of place on this album. At the same time, their levity is almost needed as the album would be almost depressingly heavy without their infectious hooks.

Overall, “Spark” provides a unique experience that is the logical next step for Marit Larsen. The lyrics are bolder and more personal, the package is more polished and the overall effect of the album is one of heavy emotional turmoil, wrapped in a beautiful package of excitement and bittersweet memories. I have often found emotional catharsis in Larsen's music, and am pleased to find myself continually enrapt in the soulful emotional bliss of her growth in “Spark”. If you are a fan of folk or haunting female voices, I cannot recommend this cd enough.