BlahBlahCafe - Jean-Michel Jarre forum

Apologies again if this isn't what you were expecting, or if you've already seen this on my Facebook page or the JMJ forum.
JMJ's sleeve notes to the Images album mentions about visualising images whilst listening to his music.

Below is a series of paintings I've created based on images in my mind inspired by Oxygene.

I've tried to be as convey the mood of each track using colours and visual ideas that the music represents in my mind.

All paintings are acrylics on canvas. All artwork copyright 2010 Darren Parrett.

OXYGENE (PART I)


OXYGENE (PART II)


OXYGENE (PART III)


OXYGENE (PART IV)


OXYGENE (PART V)



OXYGENE (PART VI)

Outstanding work, Darren.

Only critism, please don't take it personally, but Oxy 4 with the penguin. I don't find it original like the others. The penguin is stuck in the mind due to the late 80s re-release of the track with the penguin video.

Oxy 4, to me, takes me on a far out place. A dying landscape which starts to grow anew as Oxygene is fed into it's atmosphere.

Stunning artwork, Darren.

Mint them well done

Jon wrote:Outstanding work, Darren.

Only critism, please don't take it personally, but Oxy 4 with the penguin. I don't find it original like the others. The penguin is stuck in the mind due to the late 80s re-release of the track with the penguin video.

Oxy 4, to me, takes me on a far out place. A dying landscape which starts to grow anew as Oxygene is fed into it's atmosphere.

Thank you for your really kind feedback, really nice of you all.

The Oxygene 4 picture - I was happy with the background but really needed a feature in the foreground. I toiled with the idea of a silhoutte of a man again, but thought it worked best with Oxy 1 and Oxy 6. I've painted pictures of penguins before, so I thought it would make the picture "definitely" Oxygene 4 if I incorporated a penguin again! Funnily enough, it's probably the one picture I'm most happy with personally.

The Oxygene 5 picture - the Houston skyline was inspired by the Cities In Concert album and Houston video. From a personal point of view, it was also the first place I ever visited in the USA. I had also thought of a busy black and white square design to represent that piece too.

I think it's probably possible to represent each track with different images. I might revisit this project again in the future, or maybe Equinoxe beckons... lol

wow!

can i use Your artwork as a CD sleeve for my Oxygene replicas?

Simply fantastic artwork !

Congratulations!

Lemixus

Realy, realy, great works here Darren.

I thought ' yes - I can see the visual connections you have made.

I have to agree with Jon, the penguin is too explicit an image , but great nonetheless.

I was surprised at the bouncing boy for Oxygene 2. To me, again too descriptive and not abstract enough for my interpretation of the piece, but the energy and light in the painting is fantastic and it is wonderful in it's own right.

Only my personal opinions, but nevertheless, it goes without saying overall they are striking. Well done and be proud!

Thanks for your kind comments.

Matt, yes Oxygene 2 was possibly the most difficult one for me to interpret in my mind. I had thought of dolphins as some of the squeeky sounds remind me of dolphins, but I thought that was a bit obvious and contrived. So I tried a "falling through air" idea, which I'd also done with a couple of other older paintings before.

The paintings were done between March and May. If I was to repeat this exercise, the chances are I'd come up with several different pictures on different themes, particularly for Oxygene 5. However, I think I'd still use a warm orange minimalist picture for the first part, but perhaps more serene, and a busier picture for the second part.

Oxygene 2, I always see, as greens, yellow and blue with white. Different tunnels and lazers of intense coloured light firering from the pulsating blackness.

matt222 wrote:Oxygene 2, I always see, as greens, yellow and blue with white. Different tunnels and lazers of intense coloured light firering from the pulsating blackness.

The green and white I would certainly agree with and I regret not doing a more "landscape" picture for this. I may revisit this soon, and maybe also Oxygene 5. I guess JMJ's music can inspire images and thoughts in so many ways. And I don't think one picture will ever "sum up" a piece of music.

However, at the moment I'm working on a different project of some other, "not entirely unrelated" pictures

Oxygene 2 for me is more like evolution of the universe or evolution of life.

Anyway Jarre always throws that word around when speaking about O2.

I think you nailed O1, O6 could have been day or dusk...but wth, it's still great.