Peter Steele, the lead singer of one of my favorite bands, Type O Negative, died last week from heart failure.  I never met him, (although I have met the other members on some other memorable occasions,) but I am saddened by his passing.  He was an imposing man; a behemoth on stage.  I’ve seen him perform up-close a few times and was always impressed by him and the band as a whole.

Some, that know me, know that I paint with music on constantly.  Always loud and almost always hard rock… it’s just what I like.  It’s not uncommon for me to pick one song as the ‘theme song’ to my painting and listen to it over and over, in a seemingly endless loop, until my painting is finished.  I’m sure I’ve driven more than a couple people crazy with this compulsion of mine, but it works for me!  Peter’s voice and music has provided the ‘theme song’ to more of my work than any other music has.  I’m sad that it’s over.  I will continue to listen to the music that remains, but still…

As an artist, I feel I can relate to other artists; even those whose medium is different from my own.  That can be very comforting if not inspirational.  If I don’t particularly understand how they do what they do, I feel I can relate to the why and feeling one gets from creation.  I felt like I got it with Type O Negative.

About 10 years ago I painted a picture of Peter Steele.  I based it from the photo by John Wadsworth on the back cover of the Bloody Kisses album.  It’s kind of an iconic pose that just spoke to me.  I was trying some new techniques and media and it turned out better than I had hoped for.  It has a goth feel juxtaposed with a otherworldly theme.  It just seemed to work.  I never really gave it name; it was always for me and I never had any need to refer to it by a name - it was just ‘the Peter Steele’ painting.  A few years ago, I finally gave it a name, “Death Waits For No Man.”  Now, it seems all too appropriate for the times.

So, since his death last week, I felt the need to share these sentiments and the painting.  I hope it is a nice memorial to a man I never met, but that gave me a lot.

Death Waits For No Man, acrylic and charcoal on canvas, 18 x 24, circa 2000