But let’s get that straight

From Paul Simon’s landmark album Graceland, “That Was Your Mother” is quintessential Simon. It’s whimsical, rhythmically infectious, poetic and conversational, all before it expands into a whole other realm.  That was Your Mother is my favourite tune from the album!

"I sure do love you,  let's get that straight.. Well, I'm standing on the corner of Lafayette Across the street from The Public Heading down to the Lone Star Cafe Maybe get a little conversation Drink a little red wine Standing in the shadow of Clifton Chenier Dancing the night away..." That's where the title to this painting comes from

As Simon says ‘as a lyricist, my job is to find out what it is that I’m thinking. Even if it’s something that I don’t want to be thinking.

I was trying to learn how to be able to write vernacular speech and then intersperse it with enriched language, and then go back to vernacular. So the thing would go along smoothly, then some image would come out that was interesting, then it would go back to this very smooth conversational thing. That was a technique that I was learning. 

It didn’t have anything to do with logic or anything; I don’t know where it came from.”

I feel much the same about working with the language of abstract art!  I don’t know where it comes from, but I love to combine colours, shapes, textures and unique compositions to create ‘songs’ that appear as interesting imagery.

Paul Simon, Graceland, That Was Your Mother, abstract painting,