cobalt/cerulean/crossings (soundscape composition)

crossing 2- painting and scanograph by Kevin Macneil Brown, 2016.

Crossing the broad waters of Lake Champlain, or even the deep contemplation of such a crossing, can be a transformative experience. My intent in making this long-form soundscape composition was to transfer the energies and possibilities of a journey on the lake in ways that might resonate with outer and inner thoughts and sensations.

In the outward experiencing of the water, sky, shifting light and shorelines, something also happens inside the self.

The piece is made up of the following layers:

-          Recordings made by the composer at the Burlington, Vermont waterfront on Lake Champlain. These include the sounds of waves, boat motors, ferry horns, birds, and random voices, including a pre-recorded sight-seeing description broadcast from a tour boat on the water.

-          Transformations of those on-site recordings, made by processing pitch, duration, harmony, timbre, and spatial relationships. (This layer is actually made up of 3 layers.)

-         A guitar improvisation made with a scale derived by ear from the previous layer.  (This section is also presented  alone  with the title “Cobalt and Cerulean.”)

-         A spoken text taken from the appendix of TWO CENTURIES OF FERRY BOATING ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN by Ralph Nading Hill.

 Using the proportion of 5:3 as a guide to structure and arrangement, these layers were assembled in the multi-track and mixed.

The piece can be listened to from beginning to end as a journey, or can simply play as background and be dipped in and out of at random or as desired.  One might also let the soundscape lead to sleep. My experience so far is that it reveals new details and sounds very different with each listening—and with each way of listening.

  -KMB, September 2016.

Book Trailer for THE ISLAND OF ANCIENT LIGHT

Book Trailer: The Island of Ancient Light, a Liam Dutra New England Mystery by Kevin Macneil Brown from Kevin Macneil Brown on Vimeo.

THE ISLAND OF ANCIENT LIGHT will be released on September 7, 2016

August Light in Motion

In August the light and sky and water are in constant motion. The lake responds, reflects. Painting is a welcome challenge, a chance to engage the senses-- and whatever skills I might have-- toward the end of making images that come from not just what I see, but also what I feel in deeper layers. These three watercolors were made from inside the changing light, sky, and water of a single day in early August at Burlington Bay -KMB

summer lake

The first day of summer was breezy and hot. It was strange to have 90 degree weather with so much breeze, so much motion on the lake surface. A good day for painting at the Burlington waterfront, although the wind made it a bit of a challenge, especially in the morning.

Perkins Pier, Breezy Morning

Oakledge, First Day of Summer

Paintings by Kevin Macneil Brown, watercolor and graphite on paper, 6/20/16)

__________________

In honor of the lake and the longest days of summer, I offer this video combining poetry, music, and waterfront footage:

        june peregrine from Kevin Macneil Brown on Vimeo.

Spring Light

A clear April day brought a range of blues, of changing light and shadow, with the lake surface as still and calm as ever I have seen it. A perfect time to celebrate spring with a day of painting outdoors.

Paintings by Kevin Macneil Brown, watercolor, graphite, and marker on paper, April 2016.