Fellow Art Lovers:
My new rap video, “A Painter’s Prayer,” is important for me.
It expresses and demonstrates some ideas that I deeply believe and feel – not
only every time I pick up a brush and paint – but also during all my moments thinking
and reflecting and wondering about my art.
Those of you who have read my blog postings up until now,
I’m sure you’ve seen how I’m constantly looking for creativity and more freedom
in my painting. Frankly, I truly believe that all of us have the seeds of
creativity within us. We, as human beings, if we really want to, have the power
to create true works of art. Therefore, I believe that if I show and explain my
creative process in just one discipline, painting, just maybe, I might stimulate
others to have faith in their own creative power. And then, maybe, just a few
more people will follow through with their own works of art.
I want to talk to you about Denis Vaucelle, a friend who
lives in Normandy. He’s the French jazz pianist who’s the composer and
performer of the composition, “Flying Alone,” which he performs in solo piano
for “A Painter’s Prayer,” as well as the music for my earlier rap video “Six
Foot Tall.”
Here’s what Denis says about “A Painter’s Prayer”: “As soon
as I read Kosman’s text, I was touched by the truth of his message. I felt that
my music could take on a deeper meaning and a more significant reality with
Bill’s lyrics. I realized that rap is an extension of my music and is in line
with my way of composing. In musical composition, just like a painter in front
of his canvas, creativity is a strange process that can seem out of reach,
where you sometimes feel blocked. But when your creative spirit takes over,
you’re suddenly flooded with ideas.”
I want to talk about another person. She’s Anne Saint Peter,
a friend and a fellow artist in numerous disciplines; she’s a visual artist, a photographer,
and – as you see – a videographer. She’s the person who videotaped me in Philadelphia’s
Fairmount Park and took those creative shots of me, some of them truly in the cinéma
verité style.
By the way, I produced this rap video on my MacbookPro using
iMovie with Apple technical assistance.
-0-
Here are the lyrics:
A Painter’s Prayer ©
By William Kosman
Sometimes, the beauty of life touches me so deeply I could
cry,
The Normandy countryside with its fields and trees and tall
skies,
The city streets where people face tough lives but just
don’t give up,
The human face that expresses so much life, emotion and
soul,
But sometimes I fear I’ll never capture that beauty bold and
strong before I die.
How do I touch people’s hearts with paint from a tube
smeared on canvas?
How can I pull on their feelings with colors and images
molded by my mind’s eye?
How can I push back the troubling skies and dark clouds to
move toward my goal?
To create a thing of beauty in a single panel that brightens
the bleak spaces of life.
Oh, help me reach into my soul and bring out the best,
Give me the strength to work without rest,
Let me use the skills I sharpened over the years of my life,
And then and then, set my spirit free,
And with paint and brush let my hand fly,
I don’t know if it’ll ever work, but I gotta try.
I start with dabs of color, choosing the elements I need,
and marking their signs,
I take the plunge and let my palette and my brush and my arm
work their own designs.
I feel the strength of my strokes, the confidence in my gut,
and the heat of my emotions.
My brush moves across the surface, and the shapes and colors
create their own notions.
But when the dark clouds move closer, I try to push them
away,
The fog of self-doubt, the growing fatigue, the fear of
irrelevance,
To feel my vision slipping, forgetting my purpose and my
place in the universe,
I know the only way to break through is to keep hitting that
brick wall,
So I keep going, call it an adventure, convince myself I’m
creating a miracle for all.
Oh, help me reach into my soul and bring out the best,
Give me the strength to work without rest,
Let me use the skills I sharpened over the years of my
life,
And then and then, set my spirit free,
And with paint and brush let my hand fly,
I don’t know if it’ll ever work, but I gotta try.
I stop to judge my work, are these forms and colors bold and
strong?
No, no, I know now the canvas lacks one more bold
gesture,
I have to push myself a bit further, to make my work a bit
worthier,
Do I have the strength to risk a grave error for the reward
of new expression?
To move the canvas in front of me one more step toward
perfection.
Oh, help me reach into my soul and bring out the best,
Give me the strength to work without rest,
Let me use the skills I sharpened over the years of my
life,
And then and then, set my spirit free,
And with paint and brush let my hand fly,
And now I see and feel that this time at least it worked,
and I don’t know why.
“A Painter’s Prayer” © William Kosman. “A Painter’s Prayer” © is the property of William
Kosman and may not be reproduced without his written permission.
Again, thanks for your interest, thanks for listening, and
thanks for your support.
Best,
Bill
