Speaking Of Soundtracks

I saw a bit of Batman directed by Tim Burton yesterday and it reminded me how much I love soundtracks. I even took a class in soundtracks at UCLA that looked in depth at Pulp Fiction's collection of songs with dialog interspersed. Such great music! Over the years I've ended up buying some soundtracks that I love listening to even without the movie:

Passion: The Last Temptation of Christ by Peter Gabriel
Get Shorty by Booker T. (among others)
The Fugitive by James Newton Howard
Slaughterhouse Five performed by Glenn Gould
Jurassic Park by John Williams
Romeo is Bleeding by Mark Isham
Dick Tracy by Danny Elfman
Twin Peaks Fire Walk With Me by Angelo Badalamenti
Elf

Had to get one great collection of Christmas songs in there! Those certainly are some powerhouse contemporary soundtrack composers. Good movies too. In any event, just another sampling of what has sunk into my pop culture subconscious for you.

I think I'm rounding the curve before the home stretch as far as setting up all my online accounts and profiles having done LinkedIn, Bestuff, and Flickr. I'll get there. I'd love to know how I'm doing, so if you haven't, please:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and also leave me comments here! I'll respond, I promise.

12 Movies I'd Watch Anytime

Timeless, eh? Not many like Audrey Hepburn. I felt like painting movie stars who sang a little on soundtracks to films in which they starred was worth trying. Next, I'd like to do one of Marilyn on "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is just such a classic though. Again in my comfortable lounging position, when cable brought the world of movies into my living room, I indulged. Most were forgettable, but a few were those unbelievable pieces of art. Auteur directors giving iconic actors the opportunity to become part of our pop culture. Here're a few that I can watch over and over:

Philadelphia Story
The Big Lebowski
Casablanca
I Heart Huckabees
Halloween
His Girl Friday
Joe Vs. The Volcano
Fight Club
The Jerk
M*A*S*H
The Princess Bride
Feris Bueller's Day Off

Yeah, that's actually the list. Surprised me too! There are so many films that I think are amazing, but wouldn't watch over and over. Blockbusters, cult classics, screwball comedies, indie dramas, and animated masterpieces among them, I'll come back to movies I've loved for sure. This diverse group, however, are the ones that have become part of my pop culture sub-conscious and who I am. That's why I'm writing this blog after all, to tell you who I am, to get you interested enough in me to:

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What movies would you say are part of who you are?

Whew! PayPal Can Be Nerveracking!

I did get it to work though. Now in my website's online gallery page at www.vinylart.info/why.htm, there are a few paintings that I still have on hand which are available to purchase directly through PayPal using your account there or a credit card. I just pay a minimal fee for the transaction and it allows me to accept credit cards! Pretty sweet.

The rest of the paintings in the gallery are either sold or consigned to a gallery. I do work largely on commission however, so if there is one you are interested in me painting again or a different one, please let me know! I require payment upfront for commissions, but the time I need to get it to you is only around a month currently.

I'll be adding others I still have available to the gallery soon as well. You never know, I might've already painted the musician in whom you are interested! Just ask! But you won't know unless you:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and, please, give me feedback either by E-Mail or comment here!

Top 11 Voices - A Nice Unround Number

Billie Holiday, just one of those voices that hit you right in your soul. Voice in music has been very important to me over the years. I'm quite picky - too whiny, too jangly, too something. But then there are those voices that knock me out of my comfortable lounging position. This, then, is a list of those voices or groups of voices that struck me as most stunnning, unique and wonderful:

Kelly Jones
Peter Gabriel
Jefferson Airplane
The Beatles
Janis Joplin
Nina Simone
Jeff Buckley
Kurt Cobain
Richard Ashcroft
Kate Bush
Otis Redding

I know this is an odd group, musical styles ranging from prog rock to the blues, but it does relate to the types of music I listen to the most. This blog is as much about self-discovery as it is communicating to you all about me and my art, so it was interesting to look through my CD collection to compile this list. My wife has always told me I listen to some weird music! I'll get into the extent of that weirdness in later posts, but suffice it to say I've got Nina Simone's raw blues next to Tangerine Dream's ethereal electronica.

Who are your favorite singers? Please leave me feedback about what you think of my choices and, of course, to see other singers I've painted:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: http://www.vinylart.info/

Don't be a stranger!

eBay And Feedback!

I've gotten my first comment! Woohoo! And from another artist too. How exciting. I hope more will follow.

I also have a couple pieces available on eBay for a couple more days. I thought I'd mention them here since they haven't really caught any attention there yet. I've got Buy It Now prices on them at the price that they are mostly selling for in galleries. I know 2 days notice is short, but I'm trying to make the most of my 7 bucks for posting them:

Santana - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170142992944
Jim Morrison of The Doors - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170142994102

So, take a look and see what you think! Indeed, these two are also shown in my gallery that you can see if you:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

Come one, come all!

Feedburner Activated - Television Gathering Dust

My first post that'll be sent through Feedburner! Don't know if anyone'll get it, but it's there! RSS/Atom subscriptions are kinda like TV, I guess. Or maybe Tivo. Anyway, it's like push *and* pull content combined. I like it. I was at UCLA in the late '90s when the Internet and World Wide Web were just getting public interest. I got so interested in the underlying technology and software that I changed majors to the computer science-based Cybernetics.

Way off topic, sorry. Won't get into THAT too much. Suffice it to say that television took up much less of my time. Yet, TV was and is an important influence on me. It's helped develop my visual aesthetic, my sense of humor, and my ability to sit comfortably without moving for hours. Great pop culture skills. There were many shows that have become embedded in my media-saturated brain, but here're the ones that stand out:

The Simpsons

Get Smart

Looney Toons

High-class humor, huh? But so creative and, really, kind of revolutionary for their time. They each had their impact on our culture and on me. At the very least, I really really REALLY wanted a shoe-phone. And now, amazingly, my phone *could* fit in my shoe under my foot if I wanted a smelly phone. And you could get my post on your phone! What a world. Well, it'll all help to spread my idea if you:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

and tell your friends!

Blues Roots

John Lee Hooker is among the blues legends that influenced most of the musicians that I listen to regularly, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The White Stripes, The Black Crowes, and the Rolling Stones to name a few. So this is my painting from yesterday. Whad'ya think?

I also wanted to share some more important influences on me. Since I'm already talking music, let's talk music. It is my main passion other than my wife, so I have a lot to say about it. To start, though, I wanted to list the albums that had the biggest initial impact on my outlook towards music. In no real order:

"Revolver" by The Beatles

"After Bathing At Baxter's" by Jefferson Airplane

"Foxtrot" by Genesis

These albums formed the beginnings, the roots of my deep interest in music. My passion can be traced back to these albums and their creators. This isn't to say that all that I listen to relates to these in particular, but they are why I love music as much as I do. In future posts I will explore where my musical interests have meandered, but for now this is a start. If you haven't yet, you can see my painting of Peter Gabriel from his early solo career after leaving Genesis if you:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

And please leave me comments! I thrive on feedback.

The Clothes Make The Man

I needed to inspire myself this morning, so I started thinking about what has influenced me. My culture has been formed by music, art, books, movies, television, clothes, and other creative media. In one of my favorite movies, Joe Vs. The Volcano, Ossie Davis tells Tom Hanks that to ask someone what kind of clothes they should wear is like asking them to tell you who you are. I'll get to other movies in later posts, but today I want to address my dress.

It is fitting that my style has been primarily influenced by 3 musicians in bands that my wife and I are crazy about. They are the most passionate and seemingly pure creative people I've seen perform in a long time. In no particular order, they are Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes, Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon, and Jack White of the White Stripes. Their attitudes toward life and music are so inspirational and contemporary. It's great to see individuals contributing positively to popular culture by just being who they are and doing what they do. And of course, they look so cool doing it!

I don't want to over-analyze these influences, so I'll list'em and keep the rambling to a minimum. I just want to share with you who and what has made me what I am today. I hope you'll be interested enough to see what it all has led to and:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

Wearing a black cowboy shirt with white piping, a black necklace, and narrow black-striped slacks, I wish you a good day!

Best 3 Things About Austin, TX

1. My brother-in-law Jason lives near there.

2. http://www.keepaustinweird.com/

3. Wild About Music, the first gallery to show my work, has sold yet another Led Zeppelin! They took a chance on me and sold a Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and a bunch of Zeppelins. So if you're in the Austin area checking out 6th Street, drop in and say hello!

And, if you want to see more examples of pieces like Page and Plant:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT WWW.VINYLART.INFO

Now I can buy more records and frames!

Comedians Too?

"But, Daniel, comedians aren't musicians," you might say. True usually, but, they are part of our pop culture. An important part, I think. So I've painted George Carlin, Robin Williams, Steve Martin, and Bill Cosby to start. The owner of the Tempe Improv is going to take a look at them this weekend hopefully! Leave me a comment if you want me to paint another comedian on commission for you! All they have to have is an album out on vinyl.

Also, if you don't have a clue about what these are, don't worry, just:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT http://www.vinylart.info/

and also, please let me know how you found me! Thanks!

Howlin' At The Trees

Here's a pic of the piece I painted yesterday. I also updated a whole bunch of images on my secondary site which I'll be using to sell through PayPal. They're in the "For Sale" section. Check 'em out and let me know what you think!

I also did another portrait of Johnny Cash flipping everyone off for Gasoline Gallery, which has sold several of those. I have a pic of another Johnny Cash I did on my MySpace profile page.

Here's a random piece of advice I picked up today: don't trim up evergreen trees like pine trees in the heat of the Arizona summer. Apparently it puts them into shock.

Just thought I'd share that with you as I try to get a large branch that broke off cleaned up and to get you to:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

I'll post more pics here too, if you want to see more.

Opening Myself Up - Success Online

Well. Days after creating this blog, things are already rolling. I don't know if that's directly related to this blog or not, but I'm inspired. Three people have contacted me interested in more information, having found me through my MySpace, searching for "vinyl art" on google, and seeing the piece I did for a local radio station to give away at a concert. Further, a gallery is very interested in showing my work of specifically blues musicians. I just painted one of Howlin' Wolf for them yesterday. I'll let you all know when they have it for sale on their website. So stay tuned!

In the meantime, if you don't know what Vinyl Art is about:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT http://www.vinylart.info/

Better pics with PayPal capability coming soon!

Top 3 Questions That Popped In My Head Last Night

First, how do I find other blogs that relate to mine substantively?

Second, is the highly ranked content really truly new content if it's typically a rehashing or simply reposting of current goings-on from elsewhere?

Third, why is one of my hips higher than the other? How about yours, are they uneven too?

I found a bunch of great suggestions at http://www.problogger.net/ that I hope if I follow effectively will lead people to:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

I want to know your answers, those weren't rhetorical!

Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants

Something I always like to do when I can. Hey, it's how we learn new stuff, right? So, my guess is that most of the people intially who'll find this blog will also be bloggers. Another newbie question for you: how do you go about bringing traffic to your blog? Then, shamelessly, what are some suggestions to ensure that once here, visitors will:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT: WWW.VINYLART.INFO

I can offer my assistance with javascript/html/css/graphic design in return.

Blogging Conventions

On Day 2 of the existence of my blog, I have a question. Why do the posts get displayed in reverse chronological order? I switched the order for the archive, but it appears that blogs in general are formatted that way. It seems weird to me because then any flow of the poster's thought is broken by reading down the page, unless each post is supposed to exist independently from the previous and subsequent ones. Or if there is a series of posts that need to be read sequentially, like my first four, one has to trace back to the first relevant post and then scroll back up to read them in order. So, I'm leaving my archive listed chronologically so one can click through each post in order of creation.

In any event, I already had one person arrive at my site from this very blog, even entering it and looking at several pages! I haven't a clue how they found this blog in the first place, but the important thing is that they did. And when you've found this blog, please:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT WWW.VINYLART.INFO

Also, leave a comment, or email me at vinylart@danieledlen.com, if you know the answer to my question.

So That's Where You Come In

Reaching out through my broadband connection to the world, I need individuals. I need your time and thought, your "hits" and "eyeball time", to reach my goal. Your gain? When you understand what my art can mean in small but multiplying ways, you'll get that you're celebrating and spreading culture. Yes, it is our popular culture to share and protect.

If you like what see, tell your "network" about it. Show your friends what you care about. What I care about is:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT WWW.VINYLART.INFO

I hope it can be something you care about too.

Zero Down

So with my budget of no money and some time, I need to get the biggest bang for, well, no bucks. Online promotion is definitely no longer an underground venture. Look at CNN with its YouTube debate. The difficulty is getting it all to catch on, "go viral" is it? That's where I'm treading water, yes keeping afloat, but not making much noticeable headway. My goal is lofty, I know, so headway might appear small, but I crave response. As humans we have passions that we want acknowledged. I get amazing and wonderful response from my wife, my family, and their unbelievable support which has helped me in no small way get my venture to where it is now. But I feel it's time for wider-scale feedback.

I made a start, giving away several of my works through local radio stations. They took my paintings and gave them to winners of contests associated with current concerts. Oh, if you don't get the association with current concerts:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT WWW.VINYLART.INFO

but the feedback from the public has not yet been forthcoming.

That Was Painless

And I'm off!

See, I've got to somehow get people to at least go to my website, well go INTO my website, and see what my work is all about. Truly, my goal isn't to make money, as money is a means. The end I've got in mind is getting my art and my idea into as many peoples' heads as possible, to contribute to pop culture at large. I feel strongly enough about it to try my dang-diddly-angest to get it to catch on. Hey, remind me to put "The Simpsons" somewhere in my "favorites" section of my profile.

I do ramble, which seems perfect for blogging, so bear with me if I go on too much for any reasonable person about anything. I do get to my point eventually, kind of like "Rashomon" or "I Heart Huckabees", and while my point might not be as profound, it's usually something at least I think is worth putting out there.

So, as I put myself out there in small bite-size time-stamped chunks, while you might role your eyes more than once, I hope you'll take the time to at least:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT WWW.VINYLART.INFO

Heehee, this is fun.

*Entering Room With Much Fanfare*

Well, a bit anyway. *Toot toot-toot TOOT*

There are so many different places online to go through the blasted "create your profile" process... MySpace, Friendster, Digg, YouTube and so on. So now's my time to start a blog as well. Heck, I've got stuff to say every day like everyone else. I've always been so careful to not be too intrusive, but now, with a something big to say, I have to say it everywhere all the time as loud as possible without spending any money. So:

CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT WWW.VINYLART.INFO

Loud enough?