Believing I had supernatural powers…

Paul Simon’s  album Graceland has been on my playlist for 35 years.  His music and lyrics have always inspired me. I was challenged to create a series of paintings by a musical muse, through the Art Academy I belong to. What better album to use to inspire a group of abstract paintings that capture the feel and energy of Simon’s creative tunes and visually rich lyrics.

 Graceland features an eclectic mixture of genres, including pop, rock, acappella, zydeco, isicathamiya and mbaqanga. Simon wrote songs inspired by the recordings made in Johannesburg, collaborating with African and American artists. He received criticism for breaking the cultural boycott of South Africa because of its policy of apartheid. Following its completion, Simon toured alongside South African musicians, performing their music and songs from Graceland.

Graceland became Simon's most successful studio album and his highest-charting album in over a decade; it is estimated to have sold more than 16 million copies worldwide. It was lauded by critics, won the 1987 Grammy for Album of the Year, and is frequently cited as one of the best albums of all time. In 2006, it was added to the United States' National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically important".