Mirror for the Blind

​Mixing music and painting is not at all uncommon. I have been to several events where an artist paints while a musical act performs. My friend Olivia Brownlee blends her talents of drawing and music (and even poetry) into a unique concept of collaboration and art. It has never felt like a straightforward venture to combine all my talents into one artsy direction, but now that I am stepping back a bit from music and stepping into my visual art, I will explore this idea. That's not to say it will ever be "my thing", but I will not dismiss it out of hand. 

My first dabble in this blending was when I live-painted the phoenix through Meghanne Storey and my husband Raymond Hayden's debut performance as their new duo, Wicked Paradox. 

When Ray had a concept in mind for his next solo endeavor, I had the idea of a piece of artwork for the cover art. His project (which at this moment I don't know if it's going to be a single or a collection of songs like an EP) is called "Mirror for the Blind". My mind immediately started coming up with ideas for the visuals - a play on mirrors with pianos. 

After a few thumbnail sketches, I settled on this version. In the reflection, someone is playing the piano, but in the real world, there is no one there. 

Painting reflections is tough. How the looking glass behaves from different angles is almost impossible to depict without seeing it in real life (or in a picture). It seems different to me than for instance a reflection in a lake. There are angles to consider, as well as how to show the shiny surface of the mirror look realistic. I took many pictures and played around with the placement of mirrors to get closer to the idea I had in mind. Piano keys are also a difficult thing to depict. You may think they are black and white, but in reality, they are anything but. Blues, grays, yellows, and purples all in different hues with reflections and sheens in a dance over the keys. 

This was also my first attempt at painting hands and skin tone in a while. I wanted the whole thing to show movement and energy. Nothing stops in music; everything flows and moves.

My interpretation:
We often live vivacious inner lives, while our reality is stagnant. Like an iceberg, what you see on the surface is only a fraction of, and sometimes contradictory to, the spirited activity on the inside. When you create music or indeed any art, half the work is done in thought and dreams, before becoming a creation in the outside world. The painting can also show a creative soul trapped in a prosaic life where circumstances don't allow for the true expression of one's hopes and creative dreams.

I will share with you once the music to match the visual has been released. Perhaps you will share with me your interpretation of this combined work of art.