The first of the three songs written for this project is called “Paint The Sky Tonight” and was inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s 1889 work “The Starry Night” At the time of the painting being created van Gogh was living in an asylum close to Arles in the south of France. The painting was done at night-time, and depicts a wonderful panorama of stars, the moon and clouds above a peaceful village, blissfully unaware of the activity above in the sky.
The song’s lyrics come for the perspective of someone watching van Gogh at work on the painting. Despite van Gogh’s unstable mental state, he was able to come up with something wonderful – however, he spurned the artwork after finishing it. This may seem strange – especially given the painting’s elevated status within the art world today.
I first saw this painting when I was 12 and the detailing of the painting impressed me particularly. The painting is a classic example of the impressionist style that made van Gogh so well-known alongside other impressionists such as Claude Monet and Edgar Degas.
You can hear the song here at: http://twelvestringsthreepaintings.bandcamp.com/track/paint-the-sky-tonight
Twelve Strings, Three Paintings 