12 August 2008, #6. "Night Burn" - 8m05s

I thought longer than usual about how to render this painting, "Night Burn" by Sidney Goodman. I decided after much contemplation to imagine this act, frozen in time in the painting, in an unusual way. Instead of the tragedy of a man burning, I wanted to focus on the spectacle of the flame. I imagined the man as a work of art himself, comprised of deeds and experiences, and tried to capture the solemn beauty of the destruction of such a piece of art. Like the best funerals, it became a celebration of life.

I noticed that this piece shares a lot with the last two minutes of "Nighthawks." I was still quite enamored with the tonalities I had discovered in that effort, and found the right opportunity to explore them further. (The similarity in titles is surely coincidence.)

"Night Burn" (1986-87) by Sidney Goodman
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Recorded on August 12th, 2008, at Magic Closet Studios, in Portland, OR.