Evocative and inspiring. Made me look up Pissarro - the godfather of Impressionism. Thanks for the history lesson too.👍

@fingerstyle_guitar: Thank you, we are taking a wonderful journey through history.

So good! Glad I didn't miss this one totally....Better late than never... :)

Great video! Thanks for putting the wonderful lyrics in track info. :)

Island of Light
https://youtu.be/Qxs0MkHWNfk

This is the story of Camille Pissarro on the island of St. Thomas.  Pissarro's paintings of the island of light have influenced the history of art, bringing his impressions to France and there contributing to the new movement of impressionism. The changing light of the tropical seas around the birthplace of Camille has played a lasting role in masterpieces such as "Railway Bridge at Pontoise” and "Hay harvest at Eragny-sur-Epte".  

The music for this song has gone through some incarnations before we nailed it with these lyrics. At first we were working on a song about the mythical Irish sailor saint Brendan the navigator. But the musical flow directed us more into tropical Caribbean atmospheres.
We were lucky to have Kellie Rowley sing in the chorus.  Dan played his new Pedal Steel guitar on this, enhancing the Caribbean feel.

Dick Vestdijk:  song, vocals, violin,
Dan Lockhart:  pedal steel
Kellie Rowley:  vocals
Lyrics in collaboration

Picture shown here is the Antillian Landscape Saint Thomas, 1856 - from http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/list.php?m=a&s=tu&aid=444

If you like to learn more about Pissarro we can recommend these websites:
http://www.camille-pissarro.org/

http://theculturetrip.com/caribbean/us-virgin-islands/articles/camille-pissarro-and-carribean-light/

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-pissarro-camille.htm

A review of a recent novel about the family of Pissarro: 
http://www.biography.com/news/marriage-of-opposites-rachel-pissarro



You can find the music of my colleagues at these sites:

https://soundcloud.com/dan-lockhart

https://soundcloud.com/kellie-rowley

You can find our other "Songs of the Sea" featuring also Mark J. Bennett here:
https://soundcloud.com/oorlab/sets/songs-of-the-sea

Lyrics : 


Painted the harbour
of st Thomas
catching the light
that moves on the sea

from the colour of the dawn
you can tell 
if rain will come.

I'm drawn to set up
cloth & brushes,
Speaking with my
paint

Island of light
Island of light


When I was 11
my father sent me
to Paris
To learn, 
learn from the world
paying his dues
but painting my blues

When I was 16
Came back to St. Thomas
To work in my father's firm
As I was roaming
on the island shore
I took another turn
To Venezuela

island of light
island of light

How to catch
the light I see 
reflected on the waves

from these waters
where colours 
giving us sight right through time

Island of light
(painting the waves)
Island of light
(lifting the hue)
Island of light
(looking through mist)

Island of light (with Kellie Rowley and Dan Lockhart)

Comments & ideas for collaborations appreciated. 
Instruments: violin, mandoline, acoustic, bass and electric guitars, harmonica, tin whistle, darbuka, sansula, roland synthesizers. 
Recording with Cubase Elements 11 

Recommending these inspiring musicians: 

https://soundcloud.com/the-plugs ;  https://soundcloud.com/pleudoniem ;  https://soundcloud.com/markjbennett ; 
https://soundcloud.com/dan-lockhart ; 
https://soundcloud.com/julsy ; 
https://soundcloud.com/houckjt ; 
https://soundcloud.com/tante-meli .

Comments

Richsoundz

Jennie Tidwell

Kellie Rowley

NFGF OlderMusic

AndAWan

AndAWan

Oorlab

Siren's Sky

MarkFields PacNW

Dan Lockhart