His Velvet Badness
4/21/2018
Sometimes it Snows in April. Prince recorded that song on this date in 1985. On this date in 2016 he passed away at Paisley Park. Two years later I finished this painting incorporating the sacred waters of Lake Minnetonka and actual April snow.
5/13/2018
On this date in 1983 I saw Prince for the first time, performing Little Red Corvette on Solid Gold. I was 8 years old and had a very limited understanding of what he was singing about but I was immediately transfixed and obsessed. This image is a composite of photos from that performance.
6/7/18
On this date 60 years ago, Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, MN. On this date 40 years ago he released his first single Soft And Wet b/w So Blue. And on this date 25 years ago, amidst a dispute with Warner Brothers, he announced he was changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol.
6/25/18
On this date in 1977, Prince, age 18, signed his first record contract with Warner Bros.
Also on this date, in 1984, with his band The Revolution, he released Purple Rain.
Painted on purple velvet.
7/15/18
On this date in 1984 Prince recorded the original demo for
Nothing Compares 2 U and in 1986 the title cut for Sign O’ The Times.
7/29/18
On this date in 1981 The Time released their eponymous debut album, believed to be almost entirely the work of Prince, with lead vocals by Morris Day. The band he assembled to play the songs live, nevertheless became legendary in their own right.
8/11/18
On this date in 1982 Vanity 6 released their eponymous debut (and only) album, again, largely the work of Prince, with contributions from Dez Dickerson and members of the Time, with vocals by the ladies themselves.
8/30/18
On this date in 2004 I saw Prince in concert for the first, last, and only time. It was the Musicology tour, the tickets a gift from my parents, intended as a form of apology for the years I was (technically) not allowed to listen to his music.
9/19/18
On this date in 1985, Tipper Gore and her associates in the PMRC initiated the US Senate hearings into “porn rock” that eventually led to the creation of the Parental Advisory warning labels. They also released a list of the “Filthy Fifteen “ songs they found most objectionable. Darling Nikki was awarded the top spot and two others in the top 5 were written by or associated with Prince. I saw my mother reading an article in the Seattle Times accompanied by a picture of my favourite musician. I eagerly asked what the article was about and she explained to me that I would need to reconsider my Christmas list.
10/08/18
On this date in 1980, Prince
released his third album,
and his first truly great one,
Dirty Mind.
10/27/18
On this date in 1982, Prince released his fifth album, and my personal favourite of all time, 1999.
12/08/18
This date, in 1987, was the planned release for the Funk Bible aka the Black Album.
2/04/19
On this date in 2007, Prince performed at the
Superbowl halftime show.
4/07/19
On this day in 1977, Prince released his first album
For You.
From a very young age, I have been obsessed with the music and persona of Prince Rogers Nelson. This project aims to memorialize the great epochs of his career and explore their connections to my own memories. On a visit to Chanhassen, MN, on the 1st Anniversary of His death, I acquired some of the Sacred Waters of Lake Minnetonka, which I have mixed into the base paints for all of these pieces. The dates indicate when the painting was completed, usually in reference to earlier dates of historical significance to the Artist.