Saturday, December 31, 2016

The Top 2000 Party Comes to a Close with Uptown Funk!

Hi friends!  I don't know about you, but this week has flown by for me!  We are at the last day of the Top 2000 Blog Party!  Today, we count down the songs from #258 all the way down to #1!

The song I chose comes in at #251 -

UPTOWN FUNK
Bruno Mars

Here's the video for the song - see if you can keep yourself from dancing!


Check out Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their favorite songs from day seven of the countdown!

Thanks so much for visiting!  I will be back soon with some pics of 2016's filled art journals, and my creative plans for 2017!

Friday, December 30, 2016

Day Six - Blowin' In The Wind...

Here we go with day six of the Top 2000 Countdown!  Today we are counting down from #557 to #259.

Today I pay tribute to a classic song that comes in at #417...

BLOWIN IN THE WIND
Bob Dylan


Here are Dylan's comments, that were published with the song in 1962...


"There ain’t too much I can say about this song except that the answer is blowing in the wind. It ain't in no book or movie or TV show or discussion group. Man, it's in the wind — and it’s blowing in the wind. Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is but oh I won't believe that. I still say it's in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper it's got to come down some ... But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down so not too many people get to see and know ... and then it flies away. I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those that turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong. I'm only 21 years old and I know that there's been too many ... You people over 21, you're older and smarter."

Here's a video of Mr. Dylan singing the song in 1963 - enjoy!

Check out Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their favorite songs from day six!

Thanks so much for visiting, and I will be back tomorrow with the last day of the countdown! See you then!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Day Five - Gorillaz...

It's already day five of the Top 2000 Countdown!  Today, we are counting down from #861 - #558 in the Top 2000 songs of all time.

My song choice for today comes in at #691 and it's by a virtual band...

CLINT EASTWOOD
Gorillaz

The whole concept of a virtual band is so creative, isn't it?  I not only love the song, but the animation is awesome.  I wasn't going to try to draw the band, so I used an image from the internet.  The tv is drawn with Permapaque and Tombow Markers.

Check out the official video - so fun!


Don't forget to check out Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their favorite songs from the list!

Thanks so much for visiting, and I will be back tomorrow with day six of the countdown!

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Back to the Top 2000 Countdown...

Hey friends!  I'm back with an update on the Top 2000 Countdown!  Today I've got two pages to share with you -  from days three and four.

On day three (yesterday), we went from #1493 to #1179; and my pick came in at #1388...

ROUND HERE
Counting Crows

I've always been so fascinated with the lyrics to this song; so I looked up the meaning, and this is what I found.  From Adam Duritz on storytellers...

"The song begins with a guy walking out the front door of his house, and leaving behind this woman. But the more he begins to leave people behind in his life, the more he feels like he's leaving himself behind as well. The less and less substantial he feels like he's becoming to himself. And that's sorta what the song's about because he feels that even as he disappears from the lives of people, he's disappearing more and more from his own life. The chorus is, he sorta keeps screaming out these idioms these lessons that your mother might say to you when you were a kid, sorta child lessons ya know, "round here we always stand up straight", "carving out our names". Things that you are told when you are a kid that you do these things that.. that when you're grown up it'll add up to something, you'll have a job, you'll have a life. I think for me and the character of the song they don't add up to anything, it's just a bunch of crap kinda. Your life comes to you or doesn't come to you, but those things don't really mean anything. By the end of the song he's so dismayed by this that he's kinda screaming out that he can stay up as long as he wants and that no one makes him wait...the sort of things that are important if you are a kid. You know that you don't have to go to bed, you don't have to do anything. The sort of things that don't make any difference at all when you're an adult, they're nothing. And uh and uh this is a song about, about me."

So cool.




and now, onto day four...

For day four, we countdown from 1178 to 862.  The song I picked comes in at #1051.  The lyrics to this song are much more straightforward, but still, so heartfelt and beautiful (in my opinion)...

WHEN I WAS YOUR MAN
Bruno Mars

enjoy the video...


Head on over to Marit's blog to see all of the artwork from artists around the world, honoring their picks from the list.  It's amazing!

Thanks so much for visiting!  I will see you tomorrow for day five of the countdown!

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Return to the Light...


Hi again friends!  I'm blogging about my December project over at Nat Kalbach's blog today! This month's theme is "Return to the Light." 

Come on over to the blog and see the tutorial for what I made with Nat's new stencil line!  Here's a sneak peek...


and while you're there, it would make me smile ear to ear if you leave me a comment!

Thanks!  Tomorrow I'll be back with more from the Top 2000 blog party!

Monday, December 26, 2016

Day Two of the Top 2000 - Into The Mystic...

Hey friends!  It's day two of the Top 2000 blog party! Today, we countdown from # 1807 - #1494, and the song I picked comes in at #1725 - it's a classic...

INTO THE MYSTIC
by Van Morrison


and here's the video - enjoy!

Sunday, December 25, 2016

It's Time for the Top 2000 Songs of All Time Countdown!

Hi friends!  I'm so excited!  It's finally time to start the Top 2000 Countdown Blog Party!!!

Every year, a radio station in the Netherlands (Radio 2), hosts an international vote to determine the Top 2000 songs of all time.  They publish the results mid-December, and then on Christmas Day they start playing all 2000 songs; in ascending order - ending with the #1 song of all time on New Year's Eve.

My friend Marit Barentsen, has been hosting a blog party to honor this tradition, for the past eight years!  Artists all over the world are invited to create art inspired by songs on the list, and submit them to her. She publishes them all week long on her blog - each one on the day that the song plays on the radio.  Every year there is more and more art - It's loads of fun!

I have been playing along since the very beginning, and I'm so excited to start the party again this year!  My goal is to publish one journal page each day for the next week; each one inspired by a song on that days portion of the Top 2000 list.


First, I wanted something to introduce the top 2000 pages in my journal, so I created this...




and now, on to the first day of the party!

Today we are counting down the best songs of all time, from #2000 to #1808.

I picked Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues, which comes in at #1812...

It's hard to tell in the photo, but this was done in a "junk journal," and the right side of the page is smaller than the left side.  That is why you see that white stripe and polkadot paper in the upper right corner.  It's the following page showing through.  Hope that makes sense?  I used alot of techniques that I learned in Roxanne Coble's "Lyrical" workshop. Check it out if you are looking for a fun, music-inspired class - I loved it!

Anyhoo,  here's Mr. Dylan in the classic video for Subterranean Home Sick Blues - enjoy!



I will be back tomorrow with day two of the countdown!  In the meantime, check out the official blog party going on at Marit's blog; and see all of the beautiful creations from artists around the world!