How to Paint a Portrait of Jazz Musician John Coltrane

Video Transcript

"we're continuing with the portraits I do of jazz and blues musicians. One I am currently holding up is one that is in its very early stages. It's the portrait of John Coltraine. the great tenor man. This was taken from a photograph from probably his first or second most famous album called Blue Train. Almost all the music on it was composed and written by John Coltraine himself. He was not only a great musician but he was a good composer as well. The photograph as got kind of a blue tint to it. Here again its from a CD cover. It's just a photograph I really like. It shows the contemplative Coltraine. He was a very brilliant person and he was a very deep thinker. And, it shows him as such and I want to give the painting a blue caste. I want to kind of put that image on in color. So I am still experimenting as I block it out to see if I can get the feel that I want. My wife and I had the good fortune two years ago of being able to go to Yoshi's jazz club in Oakland and listen to McCoy Tyner on piano. And McCoy Tyner was John Coltraine's young pianist in the early sixties when Coltraine had his group. And, it was an incredible group and McCoy Tyner has Ravi Coltraine, John's son, playing with him on tenor. So, it's come full circuit. It was quite an experience to witness this. I am going to probably be a while on this one because his eyes have to be just right and the color has the be just right and it can't be like some of the other paintings where there's a little bit of leeway for color and for expression. On this one, it has to be a certain way."