Morning Calligraphs

(March 12,2; March 12,1- Calligraphs by Kevin Macneil Brown, 2009)

I recently came across a few sheets of paper left over from a pad I'd found not to my liking for watercolor painting. Early one March morning, I used them to make a few simple calligraphs, taking an approach that falls somewhere between painting and printmaking.

I made six images very quickly-- including the two above-- using the papers, black paint and water, wadded newspaper, and a piece of cardboard. This way of working offers me a satisfying surrender to chance, hidden intent, and simple celebration of materials at hand.

(The inspiration for this comes to me from techniques used by Thomas Merton, as documented in Roger Lipsey's wonderful book ANGELIC MISTAKES: THE ART OF THOMAS MERTON (New Seeds, 2006))

First Light On Dark Waters

Winter Hymn number 1, Water and Sky,
painting by Kevin Macneil Brown, acrylic on canvas, 2009



I've been working for the past three months on a new project. It's a series of compositions for lap steel guitar in various altered tunings, mostly recorded in one take, with the ambient textures and spatial processing occurring in real time. As with much of my music, this work is intended to invoke and transfer moods and feelings at the confluence of inner and outer landscapes.