I like to listen to Josh Groban, Carlos Nakai, Teddy Pendergast, Boys II Men,Classical, Jazz, Bob Marley, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night. As everyone has mentioned the music we play inspires us in different ways to create our art, depending on our mood, inspiration, or mental voice.

I use music for background sound to keep out other noises and distractions. It is easier to concentrate when everything else is eliminated.

Winona

I used Josh Groban to make this abstract when my mother passed away a few years ago. I call it Copper Heavenly Gates. I listened to his song To Where You Are.

Supeb topic!

I found out about using music from an I/V
(inter/view) with Barbara Hepworth and how
when she had to do "motherly" duties, she'd
stop the music and then came back and picked
up where she left off.

Music (like the ENV in general) is just another kind
of Fen Schwee ??sp??. We "step into" the studio,
but we also step into the things happening at
tha tparticular time...

I almost start out using one sort of music as a B/G
for the under-painting and then when i'm starting
on the main parts i use *specific* pieces on
INFINITE repeat - drives some people nuts when
working in a classroom W/S (work/shop) situation.

After the AbuGrad prision i did a mural about tortue,
and for the figurative part i used Frank Zappa's
"The Torture Never Stops" (on the Zoot Alures album).

A lot of times i use Philp Glass (Symhony #2 or #3).

When i'm doing my drip painting, i put the intro song
from Ed Harris' film "Pollock" -- really gets you going.
Sometimes i stand there for what seems like hours
listening to the same piece over and over and then
"it just happens". Of course about 1/4 the time the
work just doesn't "work". Very odd (i liked the
"metaphysical" reference above - i feel that as well
seems almost like an "out of body experience".

Other times, i put on a piece that reflects the
composer's own life and aspects of it that i'm focusing
on.

top 10 (in alphabetical order)

  Bach; "Jesu man's desiring" ??title??
  Beethoven's 7th, second movement
  Black Star (1st two tracks of their first album)
  Guitars Rule the World - esp anything by Sambora or Reb Beach
  Mingus
  Northern ExpOsure (the one with Ojibiwa Danse song as the 1st track)
  Philip Glass "Canyon"
  The Pollock Sound Track
  Steve Reich, John Cage, etc.
  Shostakovich Symphony #5 or the sonata for cello and piano
 
again i;ll put one particular track or two on infinite repeat
(esp when doing detail work or under-painting) and several
hours will go by and it's really a zen state of pure
creativity (well for me anyway).

-- Share and enjoy,

Frank. http://art-squeek.angelfire.com

to OkieArt- i have often been at a concert feeling the music go right through me trying to figure out how to paint it. i am going right to your site to check it out!  i have painted one abstract to music so far- the idea started when we saw grace potter & the nocturnals (and i still need to paint to her), but this piece came from listening to the kinks. i paint with a group on saturday mornings, the music was there and this appeared. i can't wait to do some more! btw, austin city limits is an awesome festival too-

i like all types of music, and have started paying more attention to using it to manage my mood. favorites are shawn mullins, warren zevon, tom petty and grace potter & the nocturnals..... this week anyway