Blast from the Past

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Blast from the Past

Blue Plate Special

5'x4' oil on canvas
framed in luan

I was recently asked where the title Make It Sing! came from. It was actually the title for my senior thesis exhibit. I created seven paintings and two stone carvings based on the sound and theory of Jazz music. My goal was education. People seem to at least appreciate jazz for the most part, but abstract art still has certain phobias attached to it. People feel like they need to "get it" to appreciate it. If they don't, they typically are unable to enjoy it. So I thought if I could use Jazz to explain abstract art then why not! Their principles of structure and variance truly are the foundation for both mediums. It was a great success. We had live jazz music behind a gauze screen in a small studio giving a background to the work. It created an atmosphere where people were comfortable with the work rather than intimidated by it. Nearly all our attendees remained for a full two hours. That was when I found I want to make all my work sing. I want to give it a quality that you want to be around. You want to give a chance. That you want to listen to. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past.