Flying High

Oil painting on linen 40 x 30 

I have always loved the flute and wanted to play it as a child. Not to be, so I drew pictures instead. James Galway, Lark in the Clear Air, has been a favorite albumn.

Astral Rhythms

One of the early large paintings with many overlays of paint as I felt my way into the abstract to music idea. I was listening to Andrea Bocelli's Sacred Arias. Can you feel the infinite space?

Red and Green Vibrations

Energy. Red is my power color. If I feel down emotionally or physically, I put on a red shirt and instantly feel better. Color is a powerful influence in our lives.

Blue Flamenco

I have been captivated by the flamenco music since I was a child. When living in CT we went to a performence of dancers in NY city. It made a lasting impression. This is the second painting I have done to the music of Rodrigo and Gabriela. with about a month between these two attempts to show that action in paint.

Shaman

This is the first figure to appear, unplanned, I see a figure walking away, wrapped in a blanket and holding a walking stick. Others see a horse and rider -- I can't find that - but maybe you can. I enjoy the music of Carlos Nakai, who plays a Native American flute and chants. Several of his CDs combine his music with people from other cultures.

Pulse (Sold)

This is a small painting that reminds me of the hearbeat rhythm of sound found in so much music, a percussion beat of some kind, even clapping hands and stamping feet.

Forgotten Dreams

I was listening to Eric Clapton Unplugged, painting in a very quiet mood. As this guitar started to take shape, looking lonely, stuck in a corner, I thought of my son taking lessons when he was 12, learning on his Gibson acoustic. I wonder where it is now? Stuck in a corner of his closet? Does he bring it out to play for his children? Where is your guitar?

Electric Blue (sold)

Or should I call this Guitar Man. This is the second in a series of abstracted figures relating to lifestyle and culture. The music makers in all cultures have many roles - entertainment, self-expression, storytelling, rituals and celebrations. I was listening to various rock music for this painting, including Eric Clapton, Cream and Santana.

Divertimenti

This small canvas is part of a series from Mozart's music, ment as entertainment at a patron's home. I consider this the start of the guitar series. It looks like a fret and strings in motion.

Red Hot Rockin' Blues

RHRB was just finished in time for my October show at the Ft. Smith Art Center, October, 2008. The guitar images started emerging in the summer of '08 as I started listening to Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and Sting. This music demanded lots of red. The curved lines are like vibrating strings, even broken strings. Structure is implied, but the energy is obvious..

Amoroso (sold)

This painting is very intense, dark and brooding at the beginning, but as I worked on it the guitar image evolved. Mozart's Sonata in B Flat Major K281.

Power Chords

My first abstract to music, spring 2006. This small painting was my first attempt to use music as more then just background noise. This was Santana. I can only work for an hour or so at a time when the music is this intense.

World Rhythms

I love the fusion of music from the east and the west, like Yo Yo Ma's Silk Roads CD. There is a sense of friction and even impending collision in this painting. These shapes also imply percussion, reed and string instruments. The music was by Kitaro, a CD titled Asia.