<center> ![ntopaz-image-0](https://artisteem.io/media/ff7629e4-c547-4444-889c-4405812448c8)

#### Finding inspiration to create through music - Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval

### My Thoughts Are Traveling Back To My Youth .. 
Traveling to a late 80’s time period when I was entering my teens with hormones and such taking hold and beginning to reshape my look on life. I began to notice the presence of the opposite sex and the power a girl, a woman, could have over my heart. I was young and alive. New to love and not really knowing what it was I was feeling, I would keep these thought to myself. Alone in my bedroom, I would spend countless hours emerging myself into music. I would study the lyrics and the album art which often came with the cassette tapes. Smartphones and pad’s did not exist yet for me to utilize Google. I studied the pictures, read the stories, formulated my own stories of who these artists were and what they meant to me. 

### It Was 1989 ..
I was fourteen and the world was changing around me. Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist working at CERN, invented something we call www (the world wide web), The Chinese Security Forces clash with Pro-Democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square, The reunification of East and West Germany with the collapse of the Berlin Wall, Ted Bundy is put to death if Florida, Exxon Valdez spills countless barrels of oil after running aground in Alaska, Ford buys Jaguar, and Toyota brings a new brand to the market called Lexus. I had little interest is some of these events and truefully, my mind was not ready to fully embrace how these current day events would be shaping the world I would come to play a larger part in. One thing was for certain, I was developing an appreciation for music, old and new. With this appreciation and hormonal rages, came my first crushes. 

### Hope Was In The Air ..
And in 1989 she made her entrance into my young, impressionable life. The rock band Opal was falling apart. David Rockback brought in the new and talented lead vocal, Hope Sandoval, to replace Kendra Smith after her exit from the band (Opal). Mazzy Star was born and so was one of my very first crushes. I totally developed my impressions of this young girl through the pictures and writings within the multi-layered folded info pack found inside the cassette tape holder. I don’t know what the true name of this was, but it contained a full playlist, lyrics, stories, credits, and my favorite.. Photos. So getting back to Hope and her influence on my youthful heart.. 

### Fade Into You ..
By Mazzy Star, was my absolute favorite track (a close second was Roseblood, third is Flowers In December). The music was deep, slow and should I say sad. I would listen to tit over and over with headphones on, lying on my bed and traveling away in my mind. I would on occasion catch a video on MTV of her and the band. Hope, in my opinion, came off as sort of a shy, quiet badass who most likely gathered some major influences from the 70’s. Her style of dress, long hair, body movements, facial expressions, and lack of smiling drew me in. I was hooked by the fact she seemed to be hiding something. She also had this unique way of singing without really touching the microphone. Her arms tucked behind her back, straight at her sides or twisting and tugging at her skirt as she was clearly into the lyrics and story. She was lost in her own world while singing the somber melodies. Her face would express the story so well that I would often not hear the lyrics. Transporting me to a place of peace, calm and subtle charm. I was young and experiencing my first taste of infatuation. 

### My Inspiration For This Piece ..
Is flowing from the influences created by Hope Sandoval .. Mazzy Star .. and her singing style; My reflection on my youthful past coupled with the impressions of music on my soul. I will grab a link to YouTube and post it below. You’ll get the idea and if your interested, you can take a deeper look into the band and their history. In the attempt to revive my memories (it’s been sometime since I have watched this video) I searched YouTube for Fade Into You by Mazzy Star. I came across the official video and a concert version. I think in order for you to gain the most incite into my work, this concert video will give the best representation of her cute, soft and somber style I was trying to capture. 

### Fade Into You, Concert Video ..
Not the best video. Feel free to look up the official video. There is a performance on Conan that isn't too bad either. This one, like I mentioned, gives the best impression of where I got my inspiration from. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FdP0eS47ts
[Video Credit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FdP0eS47ts)

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### Fade Into You ..
I am calling this piece, appropriately, ‘Fade Into You’. This makes #11 in my Sketchbook Series of drawings and paintings. I spent about 4 hours tinkering with it. I am not the best with faces, so whenever I feel inspired to work with a face, a challenge presents itself. I worked to the best of my ability and am satisfied with the results. I know I will improve.. Just give me some time and grant me some patience. I created the whole piece using the #2 pencil and an eraser. I wanted to capture, and I think I did, a moment when she gets lost in the music. Hope is at the microphone, hands gently at her side, eyes looking down, lost in the moment .. flashback to being fourteen again .. I am crushing and won’t know what True Love really is for another several years. But that’s okay, I’m only fourteen and lost in the moment. 

### Progress Photos ..
These shots show a pretty good progression of the piece. In the very end.. Before upload and after watching the video above again, I made one simple yet powerful change. I took the eye(s) from open to closed. I felt like this was important, because when Hopes eyes are closed, I feel like that’s when she is fading into her thoughts and emotions. Powerful and personal emotion only her, the artist, can know. Let me know which speaks to you. :-)
![Progression Photos Fade Into You 2.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUfZhWptvDf3mLszJxN15q26wJUJ5ZPZiDdabuC2Jok72/Progression%20Photos%20Fade%20Into%20You%202.jpg)

### ‘Fade Into You’ ~ By BDMiller ~ Sketchbook Series #11 ..
![Fade Into You - Final.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmdHz38Z3XE9EVGcUdVvH5BaQnng22Z3Gbpd9rLsTwAN4C/Fade%20Into%20You%20-%20Final.jpg)

### Eyes Open vs Shut ..
Side by side of the change made at the end to place the eye in the shut position. You can decide which you like best. That is the nice part about digital.. You can easily make a change and really end up with two seperate works in the end. 
![FadeIntoYou - Eyes Open Shut.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUkv3zi2JGY3HzLcdWVsWFAfpBFJCsJZcQG2G7UoUnD1q/FadeIntoYou%20-%20Eyes%20Open%20Shut.jpg)

### Photos Of Hope Sandoval ..
![MazzyStarimage2.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQC9Nf4uTgM2eBuvW1vhHL6qSh6NkETrQsR6gohK27Yqz/MazzyStarimage2.jpg)![MazzyStarPic.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmNuQgQqWH7x2BGH13TemWh7MPwRAtpjJuRyzwfbGP8asH/MazzyStarPic.jpg)
Photo Credits - [Hope Sandoval Official Website](http://www.hopesandoval.com/music/mazzystar.shtml)

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## If Your Interested In Purchasing Any Of My Work:
They can be found for sale in

My [Facebook Shop](https://www.facebook.com/pg/BDMillerGallery/shop)

OR

My [Etsy Store](https://www.etsy.com/shop/BDMillerGallery?ref=seller-platform-mcnav)

If you don't see the piece in either shop, It may still be drying. Let me know and I can upload it as soon as possible to be available. Or you can always make me an offer (in SBD or STEEM) in the comments section of this post. If we agree on a price, I will then ship the painting to you. (shipping costs will be determined by your location).


## Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!

![Untitled.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbNVYVU9mGNnBJtukhupdBooJZP4he7vy1ZjA1DbbARWr/Untitled.jpg)

### All words, pictures and art pieces are the sole property of B D Miller Gallery, unless otherwise noted and credited, and are not to be reproduced or copied without the prior written consent of B D Miller Gallery.
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## About Me ~ The Artist

My art work incorporates a wide variety of subject matter, including landscape, seascape, cityscape, and still life images. My works are the product of a continuing process of exploration through which I seek to portray personal and visionary interpretations of my surroundings. My paintings are impressions of places and events from everyday life, an interpretation of my imagination, and personal responses to what I see and feel on a daily basis. More recently I have invested generous amounts of time into my landscape painting. I am surrounded by natural and man made beauty, which inherently presents itself in the tri-state area, and almost demands that I paint it.

Not everything is art. Art is not everything, but it comes close. Art is everywhere and all the time. Art makes you experience the beauty of the world, the people in it, and the places we call home. Art itself is so influential that it can tell stories, show feelings, and express passion or fury. Art exists in addition to language; expression of sensations and thoughts, revealing a way of thinking too subtle and delicate for words.

For me art requires love, honesty and perseverance. In return, it reveals some personal, non-analyzable, and creative untamed passion. For the public, art with its magnificent beauty, improves mood and health and builds better human beings and communities. It engages the intellect, softens the heart, strengthens the soul and frees the spirit. </center>