I joined the Milford Arts Council this year, and submitted two pieces to the Firehouse Gallery Exhibit  this month. The theme: Visual Music. As I had made nothing with that theme in mind, I decided to take another look and found two projects that could fit, especially if I named them something musical. The name adds a new dimension to the way I look at them.

Midsummer Medley

I was under the influence of Matisse when I started out on this one. It didn’t come out as easily as some of the previous pieces. I had to leave it out on my living room floor for days as I kept working on it, wondering where it was going. Of all my work, I think it most fits the theme of the show. After giving it a name, I started liking it more.

Seaside Rhapsody

This is my favorite piece, so it’s not for sale. I need to get a better photo of it to post. It came together in just a few hours. I had the idea from a wall of photos I had seen at a friend’s house (below). I liked the overall shape and wanted to use it for my colored paper squares.  Suddenly it became floating houses in the clouds. It reminds me of apartments by the sea in Portugal, or somewhere on the Mediterranean, or my own tiny apartment next to Seaside Park on the Sound.

My starting inspiration

As I’m getting back into making art, I’m learning many new things. I’ve always been a creator, not much concerned with the details of framing, printing, promoting, etc. Naming and framing the piece, dragging it to a show, figuring out what it’s about so I can answer the inevitable questions, and putting a price tag on it – there’s a lot of new stuff to think about. But the first step is to ditch all those reflections!