Faces in a Song, Echoes in a Painting: Elvis Costello’s Life Between the Speakers and the Easel.

January 4th, 2025

Elvis Costello has long been celebrated for his ability to craft songs that resonate deeply, but his latest venture is painting—a surprising turn for a man who’s spent decades revolutionizing the music world. Now, as he prepares for his debut art exhibition, Costello opens up about his transition to visual art, his creative inspirations, and the unique relationship between his music and his paintings.

When asked how he continues to innovate across mediums, Costello modestly deflects: “Everyone is playing their part in this vale of tears. I work no harder than anyone else; I just have to shake the constant threat of indolence.”

Costello’s foray into visual art began as a stage experiment. “I started generating these images as part of our stage backdrop on video screens in about 2016,” he shares. “It required dozens and eventually hundreds of frames, some of them presented in montage or even animated.” This visual exploration eventually evolved into standalone works. “Seeing the illustrations rendered in different sizes and resolutions led to people enquiring if they might be available for purchase,” he explains. Encouraged by this interest, he returned to oils and acrylics last summer for the first time in four decades.

Reflecting on the process, Costello’s debut collection reveals a mix of personal history and creative whimsy. “They are a mixture of faces remembered from dreams, even the grotesques out of nightmares, scenes from a dancehall to which I went as a boy, along with transformations and subversions of record jackets, pulp novel covers, and movie posters,” he says. Many pieces include playful nods to his own music. “Some take the form of a visual joke or allusions to my songs.”

For Costello, painting has also been a source of comfort during difficult times. “When my mother was in a critical ward in 2018, I found solace in silent sketching with an electric pencil during visiting hours,” he reveals. “It allowed me to be present for hours at a time and prevented the anxiety from being overwhelming.”

As his journey into visual art progressed, the decision to showcase his work in South Florida felt natural. Costello’s first exhibition will be held at the Wentworth Gallery on January 10th and 11th, a location that holds special significance for him. “We opened the ‘7-O-7 Tour’ in Tallahassee in January 2024 and will return to the ‘Jackie Gleason’ for a performance this summer,” he says. Reflecting on the region, he adds, “I hear the further south one ventures, the deeper the night becomes. Not bad for a lad who started out trying to play rock and roll on the Jai Alai courts.”

Though Costello’s visual work is a departure from music, he sees parallels in the creative process. “‘Composition’ is key, whether in song, for scores, in stories, framed as photographs or sketches, and a painting,” he explains. Reflecting on collaborators like Paul McCartney and Burt Bacharach, he notes, “I learned a lot about line and proportion from both of those songwriters, but I am just as likely to forget their good example.”

Returning to his roots in music, Costello has revisited iconic album covers like This Year’s Model and Imperial Bedroom in his artwork. However, he emphasizes that his approach is not about nostalgia. “When being asked to conjure with the past, I often have to point out the difference between the way a song can evoke another time and ‘Nostalgia,’ which is a longing to go back there,” he clarifies. “As Maurice Chevalier once sang, ‘I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore.’”

This philosophy extends to his creative identity, as Costello often works under the pseudonym “Eamon Singer,” a choice that’s rooted in family tradition. “My father made recordings under a variety of assumed names, so it is second nature to me. ‘Eamon Singer’ seems like an ideal handle for a vocalist who dabbles in daubs,” he quips.

At 70, Costello continues to explore new creative territories with humility and humor. “One thing has generally led to another, but I’ve never had any ambitions in the conventional sense,” he says. Despite his modesty, fans can expect vibrant storytelling—both visual and verbal—in his art. “I’m always happy to satisfy people’s curiosity, but I actually look forward to asking viewers what they see before them.”

Costello sums up his artistic philosophy with characteristic wit: “I prefer to think of each new adventure as the last; you take more out of the moment that way.” Whether through song, memoir, or painting, Elvis Costello continues to captivate—always creating, always evolving.

IN GALLERY APPEARANCES BY ELVIS COSTELLO
(artist will be in attendance at all showings)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2025 @ 7-9 PM
Wentworth Gallery at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood
Address: 5804 Seminole Way  #103
954.314.7210

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11, 2025 @ 6-8 PM
Wentworth Gallery at Boca Raton Town Center Mall
Address:  6000 Glades Road  #1089
561.338.0804