Patchwork: The City Swells

Patchwork: The City Swells

In this European capital invaded by lights/ Travelers who have taken flights to come and see the sights/ The crowd swells to dangerous heights/ In the distance street performer yells “That’s all for tonight.”/ Santa’s sleigh on display various nights/ Parents brave the cold with jackets and tights/ Earmuffed Munchkin children hold on tight/ This city’s alight

I walk gingerly/ On this history/ These streets a mystery/ What happened here and when?/ Centuries of women and men/ Holidays spent in different fashion Ramadan back then/ Then the Christian kings established the crown/ And the lights went up and never came down/ Today’s the same way a slightly changed town/ These streets fit for horses not porches you find now

So I live in this city that slowly becomes mine/ Discovering places I’m still waiting to find/ No distractions of home memory clouds the mind/ Watch friend’s successes look how far they climb!/ And in such a short time/ Congrats on the victories/ I know we’d rise to infamy/ In our prime/ And while I keep busy I find I miss you/ i hope you’re missing me/ Sometimes

P hit us with The City Swells back on December 5, 2011 in Callao, Madrid – an original, perceptive, and deep track, to say the least!! When I sat down to create my Patchwork piece, I aimed to capture and interpret what The City Swells really meant. I went through a process of deconstructing P’s written lyrics, his a Capella recording, and finally the full track that I re-posted at the top of this post. For a couple hours deep into the night, before I even got to working on my final piece, I listened and analyzed this track over and over, trying to re-create “the city,” thoughts, and feelings P expressed through his work. Through 3 initial studies on 18″x24″ newsprint where I just put down images, words, and gestures that I felt were central to P’s track, I gradually built up developed my ideas, and using india ink, oil pastel, and white watercolor paint, I created Patchwork: The City Swells.