About our name...
We all enter this life with hearts wide open, innocent and vulnerable, seeing wonder and beauty everywhere but blind to the perils such beauty inevitably conceals. Sooner or later the double-edged character of this world tempers our enthusiasm with caution; we begin to look before we leap. Our hearts grow slowly closed; guarded from pain to whatever extent we are able, and sadly, too-often guarded from joy as well.
The walls around our hearts work both ways; they keep as much in as they keep out. It is dangerous to reveal one's heart: once the walls come down to let something out, other things can get in. To share what lies within our hearts without being wounded is a challenge to us all. To succeed we ritualize our self expression in a variety of ways, art being among them. With art we cloak our hearts in symbol, symbol that conveys deeper meaning than common speech. Art is an acceptable venue for expression because it gives our emotions a substance of their own and allows them to stand in our stead. The greatest art remains standing long after its maker is gone.
Art in every form -- music, dance, poetry, sculpture -- is the language of the heart, the writing on its walls. We paint portraits on and of our hearts and present them to the world, hoping our message will reach the hearts of others. We all possess a painted heart, a heart that rather than reveal itself directly, projects itself onto all other aspects of our lives, making us each a living work of art, an expression of something too intimate to be shared directly. It is our art -- our lives -- that best allows us to share who we really are. Without our own individual art, the "artifice" we use to both protect our selves and convey our emotions, we would all have perished long ago. The heart whose song has never been heard, whose painting has never been seen, whose dance has never been shared, has never truly been alive....
We hope you enjoy the painting on our hearts, and encourage everyone to share the painting on theirs....
About Paul Hosford...
Paul Hosford and his wife, Lori, own and operate their own record label, Painted Heart Music, LLC, which has released 10 full-length CDs and one CD single (as of March 2003). The Hosfords have operated a small recording studio (in which Emergence was recorded) for 16 years, utilizing vacuum tube equipment designed and built by Paul. Hosford plays a number of instruments besides those featured on Emergence, and has composed over 50 musical works. In addition to operating their studio, Hosford performs, teaches guitar, demonstrates stringed instruments in area schools, and tunes pianos.
Hosford's primary musical influence has been his father, jazz pianist and composer Frank Hosford, but he has also been influenced by guitarists such as Joe Pass, Barney Kessel, and Rich Hughes. His main focus has long been on composing and recording his own music (he made his first multi-instrumental recording at age 12), but he has performed in a number of settings, even including an impromptu performance on jazz-legend Ray Brown's string bass at Rick's Cafe' in Chicago when he was 19.
The Hosfords have chosen to reside in Hosford's home town of Albion, Nebraska, in order to raise their family in the nurturing environment this area affords. They have been utilizing the advantages of the Internet for some time now to pursue their musical endeavors from this non-traditional location.
Angela Hosford's Slide Show
Contact Information
Painted Heart Music, LLC
PO Box 83
Albion, NE 68620
paul@paintedheartmusic.com
Privacy Policy
Painted Heart Music, LLC will not disclose any customer information to any outside parties.
Return Policy
All items may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of purchase.
