One of the best gigs I have ever painted, great band, great crowd, great venue!

Hey.  I’m writing this from the plane on the way back from NYC.  Had  a cool couple of days actually.  I dig new york, I really dig new york.  I haven’t been there for so long, like 3 years and as I walked around I was trying to think why it is I haven’t been back in so long.  And I couldn’t think of a good reason, so I am going to spend more time there.

I went to New York to deliver a painting and I also sketched with a very bloody cool band.  So I jumped off the plane, after a very nice and relaxing flight.  Yeah I’m gonna plug virgin atlantic because they look after my paintings so well, they actually care about them.  so jumped into a cab  from JFK and then went straight to the studio to deliver the painting, managed to get out of the taxi one street away from the delivery addresss.  That, was a pain in the ass…as you have seen each painting gets a custom made flight case, now these cases are very very cool, you could probably throw them out of the plane and they would be unscathed.  Now the problem with that is when you are on your own with a suitcase and manbag on tow, this additional case is a bit difficult to carry.  So to cut a long story short after a load of calls to alison (in London) we managed to figure out where I was and I delivered the painting.  

Then, zapped down to the hotel.  Got changed and legged it to a building just down the road from the empire state building to guerilla sketch….guerilla sketching is a term I have given to the situation that I am not on stage with band and just turn up and get amongst it in the crowd. I love doing this, just get in there and give it some.  Anyway, I didn’t have chance to hear any of their songs before the gig, but alison arranged it with her friend who knows the band – so they were always going to be cool.  but, these boys were fucking brilliant.  There were three guitars and it seemed as if they took it in turns to be fab, and they were…I sketched about 5 songs from the set. check them out on myspace - the alternate routes www.myspace.com/alternateroutes Saw a couple of the guys after, I really want to paint these dudes so I I’ll be back soon I hope, and I want to paint in that location – check the photo out on facebook with me there in front of the empire state building.  Then I went out with a couple of guys I met at the gig – had a right laugh with them and ended up going into some club, after being abruptly told to fuck off from the first one I tried to get into.

So the second day, woke up with  a hang over and went and found somewhere for breakfast, I hate eating in hotels so went for a wander and founds a gorgeous diner place called bubbys http://bubbys.com/index.php/Tribeca/  

So I had a bit of a wander after breakfast and went up to west village to have a lunch with the owner of the painting, most enjoyable lunch and a gorgeous setting. Love the red bricks and trees around that neighborhood.  So I had lunch and then on recommendation I went to check out an exhibition of Dash Snow.  He died recently and this was a retrospective of his live, which was very short at just 27.  The recommendation was a great one, the exhinition was very powerful, very sad but at the same time a profound celebration of his life.  Check it out, its moving http://www.deitch.com/projects/index.php

Again I had more of a wander, grabbed some food, went back to the hotel which was really quiet and carried on writing.  So anyway at 11ish I heard some cool music so went to investigate and the lobby was rammed.  I went outside for a cigarette and ended up chatting to some people who kindly invited me to join them.  I accepted their kind offer but excused myself briefly to pop upstairs to take a call, before I knew it I had fallen asleep and woke up at 5am.  so, if you’re reading this guys,  I wasn’t being a rude bitch…I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but I was more tired than I realised.

Anyway, the next day was all about MoMa and Pollock, I couldn’t leave new york without seeing Number One 1948 by Jackson Pollock again.  It is one of two paintings in the world that I have seen (other than my own of course) that make me truly tingle.  It moves me.  So I did the whole of MomA and took pictures of all the things that for me were top of the art pops.  I’m gonna post them on Facebook once they are organized.  I definitely want a picture in there and I am definitely going to have to do a painting the size of Number One, which is 269.5 x 530.8, its just a matter of choosing the song.  Am thinking Lost by coldplay or maybe I will put Halo onto this size, or get your rocks off by primal scream…yeah that would be cool.

Alright, fingers are sore and I need a fag.  One thing for sure, I’ll be back in NYC very very soon.

One love

kx

check out some pics here on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/themusicpainter

Yo, hi guys.

Its been a bit of a fab week. Where to start.  Firstly, announcement of a new competition.  Now this may sound shit, and also it may be a bit weird that I’m getting excited about it, but I fucking am! there is something very cool about people getting free stuff man, yeah okay it doesn’t pay the chocolate bill but it does excite me.  This one is especially exciting because it’s a realy cool one.  In summary, I have chosen 12 things from the studio, all original, all one offs.  So each one of those gets listed in an envelope.  For every 1000 fans that join facebook one person  will win the opportunity to choose one envelope, and they will win what ever is written in that envelope.  I’ve chosen some wicked things!! like the jeans I wore for the baaba maal gig, gloves from the paul weller live painting gig, a fucking gorgeous framed original sketch of a velvet underground song…there are a couple of less fab things (albeit still one off’s) such as an empty paint pot :o)  anyway, the star of the show is that one envelope will say “congrats you lucky fucker, you have won a commissioned single painting of a song of your choice”….that I am excited about!  so all you have to do to be in the running is post any music painter sketches or paintings to your facebook wall and tel us via The Music Painter facebook wall.

www.facebook.com/themusicpainter

Anyway the deal is that when we hit 1000 facebook fans, the competition starts… so get your fab butts over to facebook and get amongst it….and suggest to your fab mates and tell them to get their asses over there too.  and hurry up coz I need my hit of FreeHab (the condition I have invented to describe the need to give free shit away).

Number 2: dazed digital story.

http://dazeddigital.com/article/4163/1/KilfordMakingArtFromMusic

I like these guys, so I was pleased we have a story in there.  It was pretty short but the painting looked fucking cool.  anyway, for me the really interesting thing is the involvement of fans in the comments.  I was well pleased to see some of the fans from here and facebook getting involved with the comments and fighting my corner….its like I have a load of art angels out there…I love it.  I actually left a comment myself, which is the first time I have ever left a comment on one of my own articles…the reason I did it is basically some doctor said I was a lying bitch…so a facebook fan clocked it and told the other guys on my page, so then the other guys went and kicked the docs ass.  i read them all, and they were warming and hilarious at the same time – I mean some of you lot must be comedians! Anyway I felt like the doc was taking a bit of a kicking, but primarily I was well chuffed to see the fan reactions.  The thing is with painting, is that you create something and you put it out there, if everyone loved your shit it would be a fucking boring world right….so you gotta expect negative people and their comments.  After all without darkness there would be no light, without death there would be no life….but all that to the side, you lot that commented fucking rock! And I fucking love ya!

Okay what next, erm….ah of course.  The photo shoot yesterday, I love photoshoots.  I had Guy Levy in the studio, who is the dood that took those amazing pictures of me during the baaba maal gig.  So he came in to take some photos of the paintings I am going to use as screen prints when the shop goes online.  Anyway after we shot 5 or 6 pictures I asked him if he wanted to stay on a bit and take some shots of me and the painting inspired by rock n roll star.   He agreed and so I explained what I wanted which is a photo I have had in my mind for 2yrs..its the resurrection of paint pictures – of which I have had a shit version done before but Guy has literally taken it to a new and fucking amazing creative and profound level.  We were shooting for about 3 hrs….it was great because we were both really into it and could see what it was we were trying to achieve with this particular photo…in fact we both felt like we were at wembley giving it some.  During the shoot we only listend to three songs…I am the resurrection by the stone roses, then halo by beyonce and finished of with the one and only rock n roll star by oasis.  I’m sure you can tell that I am so fucking excited about seeing these photos it is untrue....i mean two years I have been seeing this picture in my mind and now the top quality photo taken by a top photographer is going to be with me soon…I wil be splashing it around to you guys as soon as I get it.  I’ve put a couple of the pictures from the shoot (not the actual pictures we were shooting) they up of facebook…go and check it out.  Oh plus you will see one of me covered in paint. yes it hurts like hell taking the paint off….its times like this that I am pleased I don’t have an Austin powers esq hairy chest.

Check out the pictures here… www.facebook.com/themusicpainter

What else…yeah I’m getting live sketch fever …am going to hit a couple of festivals in the next couple of weeks and dish out the one loves….love it.

on that note, I’m going to do the off…

one love you lot.

Kx

p.s. if you are on facebook too, come on over and join the party – I like having a laugh over there.