Oscar Peterson - Night Train - Bailey Copithorne

Bailey's project could not have come at a better time. Waking up this morning to a winter wonderland and heading down to Market Collective, with the snow dusting my black winter coat and lacing the branches of trees (forget about the dirty brown slush) certainly put me in the Christmas mood. The day could only get better if I were to cuddle up close to a log fire, sip hot chocolate, and listen to jazz for hours (but alas it is December and projects consume me). Bailey shares these sentiments in her contribution to Art 4 Art, a project that brings much needed colour to this grey and white snow globe we find ourselves shaken up in. Here's Bailey and her project inspired by Oscar Peterson's "Night Train".

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Oscar Peterson's "Night Train":

I listened to Oscar Peterson's "Night Train". Listening to jazz music in general always reminds me of snow and Christmas time. Oscar Peterson specifically holds an impact on my creativity as I have been listening to him for years and never get tired of every hit on those piano key. Every time I listen, I hear something new, and it creates a refreshed image in my mind of space, time and feelings associated with a moment. 

When I listen to "Night Train", I imagine myself lost in the snow, and in oblivion. It is not a macabre feeling however, because sometimes the unknown can be just as exciting as what is planned. I imagine myself, somewhere. I let the weather and instinct take me, and I give in to whiteness. There are pops of colour, though, so I stay sane in what I cannot understand, but the feeling is amazing. I will only feel this way in December. 

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Bailey's project "Night Train" is a mixed media piece, combining pencil, ink brush, acrylic and digital.

Bailey Copithorne is an image maker out of Calgary, Alberta. She is currently in her fourth year at the Alberta College of Art + Design, and will soon receive her Bachelor of Visual Communications Design, majoring in illustration. In her "spare" time, you may find her in the comic store or scoping the vintage shops around Calgary. She is obsessed with tin robots. You can follow Bailey's blog on tumblr. For more on Bailey and A4A's other contributors, take a look at the contributor's page.

Oscar Peterson passed away in 2007, but remains one of the most well known and influential jazz musicians and composers to come out of Canada. I encourage you to listen to more of his work which you can find on his website.