I started painting music first by interpreting poerty. In 1982 I worked with Brian Clear using his simple yet image provoking poetry painting two large oils based upon two of his poems. From there the Convergence project was born and by the time the finished project was performed and displayed at the Music Gallery in Toronto Ontario in 1985 I had made the transition from interpreting words spoken to music played. The first composer I worked with was Gaza Farkus who was one of Convergance's 6 particapating artists and the driving force behind our finances including successfully winning a Canada Explorations Grant. In 1986 I started interpreting music as a past-time for my own pleasure. I was listening to Gershwin at the time so my first paintings were inspired from Appalachian Spring, Rhapsody in Blue and El Salon Mexico. Later I was commisssioned by a friend to interprate Pacabel's Canon and I painted 5 miniatures for the commisssion but continued to paint a series on the canon for my own pleasure on 22x30 sheets using watercolour and oil pastel. In 1989-90 I worked with Paul Samits, a composer living on the Queen Charlottes at the time, and two other visual artists to celebrate Cumshewa Head. The resulting music interpretation of Pauls' composition is an acrylic on stretched canvas folding screen,54"x72". I became facinated with Claude Bolling's Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano trio and painted the entire suite which became the exhibition, Baroque & Blue. Four of the movements were interpreted on a large scale, the first movement being painted on 9, 22x30 watercolour sheets making the painting 190"x30". Baroque & Blue was sponsored by the BC government with a travelling exhibition grant, touring 5 northern BC public galleries in 1995. Since then I have taught workshops on my method of interpreting music with paint to grade11 and12 art classes and children's art classes. My most recent collaboration with a composer was with jazz composer,piano and trumpet performer, Walter Martella, interpreting his jazz piano composition, Lullaby, for his son. I completed this 30"x54"mixed media on watercolour paper in 2002.

My Gershwin paintings were first displayed October 29, 2006 at a fund-raising concert produced by the Friends of the Historic Patricia Theatre, An Afternoon of Gershwin. These are the first paintings on this page.

 

 

Appalachian Spring #1, 22"x30" oil pastel and watercolor, $ 2600.00 CDN unframed

 

El Salon Mexico #1, 22"x30" oil pastel, $ 2600.00 CDN unframed

 

El Salon Mexico #2, 22"x30" watercolour and oil pastel, $ 2600.00 CDN unframed

 

Rhapsody in Blue #1, 22"x30" oil pastel, $2600.00 CDN unframed SOLD

 

Rhapsody in Blue #2, 22"x30" watercolour and oil pastel, $2600.00 CDN unframed

 

 

 

 

 

Baroque & Blue 1, 2&3, three panels 30"x22", total 30"x64"

 

 

 

 

Music Series #2, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

music 1, 30'x64"

 

 

Day Break, Introduction , 30"x22" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Day Break # 2, 30"x22" watercolour & oil pastel

 

Day Break #3 , 30"x22" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Day Break# 5, 30"x22" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Holst, The Planets #1, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Holst, The Planets # 2 , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Holst, The Planets #3 , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

music 9, 22"x60"

 

Jazz Series # 1, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Jazz Series # 2 , 22"x30" watercolour, pencil & oil pastel

 

 

 

Jazz Series # 3 , 22"x30" watercolour & pencil

 

 

Jazz Series # 4 , 22"x30" watercolour & pencil

 

 

Music Series, Night Sounds, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Music Series 1990, 22'x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Music Series Sunset Sounds , 22"x30" watercololur & oil pastel

 

 

Music Series #1 , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Music Serie s#3, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Music Series #4, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Hovaness, Mysterious Mountain, 22"x30" watercolour

 

 

Yo Yo Ma #1, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Music Series '91, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Pachabel Canon in D major #1 , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Pachelbel's canon in D major # 2, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Pachelbel's canon in D major #3, 22"x30" watercolour # oil pastel

 

 

Pachelbel's Canon in D major # 19 , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Sereine #2, Claud Bolling , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Beethoven, Sonata for piano and cello , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Jazz Music Series 1990, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Endings, Michael Jones , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Day Break # 6, Michael Jones , 30"x22" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Dancing Waters # 2, Michael Jones, 30"x22" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Pianoscape Endings, Michael Jones , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Tapastry, Michael Jones , 22"x30"

 

 

Judy's Dream, Michael Jones , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Dancing Waters, Michaal Jones , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Pianoscapes#1, Michael Jones, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Pianoscapes # 2, Micael Jones, 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Pianoscapes , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Cumshewa Head # 1 , 22"x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Cumshewa Head #5 , 22x30"

 

 

 

Cumshewa Head #4, 22x30"

 

 

Cumshewa Head #6 , 22x30"

 

 

 

Cumshewa Head # 2 , 22x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

Ocean Sounds#3, 22x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Cumshewa Head , 22x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Ocean Sounds #2 , 22x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Ocean Sounds #1, 22x30" watercolour & white oil pastel

 

 

Old MacDonald Had A Band (Raffie) , 22x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

Water Music #4, 22x30" watercolour

 

 

Water Music #2, 22x30" watercolour

 

 

Water Music #3 , 22x30" watercolour

 

 

 

Old MacDonald Had A Band (Raffie), 22x30" watercolour & oil pastel

 

 

 

 

 

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