Music Mosaic

"So Long, Lonesome" by Explosions in the Sky

     Explosions in the Sky is one of my favorite bands. My older brother Dan gave me their album All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone when I was in middle school. Unfortunately, my immature preteen self could not handle the epic awesomeness of the melodic soundscapes Explosions created. Finally, in high school, my underdeveloped mind had ripened to the point where I could bask in the glory of their music and understand the progression of each song. I chose "So Long, Lonesome" because it had the simplest story. When I listened to this track, I imagined "Lonesome" to be embodied by a a friendless boy who lives in a black in white world. He discovers a portal through which he travels to a different dimension where a sun burns orange, yellow, and gold. In awe of the new world around him, the boy explores and comes across a bunch of red balloons which take him to the skies. He soars to the moon and spots another portal through which he returns to his world. Elated by the journey he has taken, the boy shares his experience with his black and white Earth by spreading the colors he observed on his walk-about.

     I achieved this music mosaic using 5x7 canvases and oil paints. It was a very tedious process as I made various mistakes, smudging black over the white areas, the sun, and my face.  I wanted the boy's home to be made up of straight lines to show the unnaturalness of the landscape.  His world is void of color to reflect the lack of happiness he feels.  The boy takes a leap of courage and lands himself in a realm that is closely tied with nature. Note the absence of straight lines and scarcity of black-- I avoided these so as to make this new world feel organic and alive.  My paintings turned out basically how I wanted them to, except for the last one. I wish I had not painted the square sun on the canvas, but then again, the sun helps viewers orient themselves back into the boy's original world.

     "So Long, Lonesome" is but one of the many great songs from Explosions in the Sky. Their masterful orchestration of guitars, cymbals, drums, etc, tells a universal story of humanity that is relatable to all. Check out "The Birth and Death of the Day." You won't regret it.