No. 170: Song For Devadip

A Song for Devadip, September 2012. Watercolor and acrylic. And automotive paint.

Carlos Santana was supposed to be a pencil drawing.
I had, however, a chunk of foam-backed poster board that wouldn't work for a sketch.  I'd have torn right into it with the pencil tip.
First I turned to a fine Sharpie marker, then to the paint kit.

Click on all photos to enlarge.

Mmmmm.  Chunky.

Turns out that chunk was also wrong for watercolor paint -- but that worked to my advantage. The colors beaded on the surface and created an interesting, rough texture. Also, those blobs of color, when dried and touched by another color, ran together just enough to create a blending effect. (But I will never use it again!)

Before the background.

Santana's music is a blending effect, too, running together rock, jazz, blues and latin music. I have always loved "classic" Santana, particularly the instrumentals -- and especially the ear-splitting guitar solos. I'm glad his new release, "Shape Shifter," is a return to the old school form. I want to check it out.

Santana vinyl includes the elusive 3-LP "Lotus" from Japan.

I chose to shift between natural and unnatural colors for Santana's hair, skin, clothing and instrument. He writes and speaks at length about light, so I tried to make him glow a bit.
The background was a real risk, and I could have ruined the whole thing had it gone wrong.
I cut out a template of the watercolor painting, and then spray painted extra-glossy black and blue around it.
With a few slight touch-ups, it worked.  (Whew.)

Dusk? Dawn?
The effect is to create light in the foreground.

Devadip means, "The lamp, light and eye of God." It's the name given to Santana in 1972 by his former guru Sri Chinmoy.  It was an experiment, like this painting. As Santana later remarked: "It was a good learning experience."

Follow other steps in the painting's development from ink to paint, below.

Inquiries at hankbonesman@embarqmail.com or willstom01@gmail.com.