 |
Last weekend, I drove up to see my college daughter perform in her orchestra. Now for those of you who have negative flashbacks to elemetary school orchestra and band concerts where you couldn’t tell the difference between the music and the tuning… this was nothing of that sort. My daughter goes to a music conservatory where students are training to perform at the highest level.
Inspiration to my artistic soul
|
 |
| Since my daughter is a cellist, of course the series needed to include a cello painting. This mixed media artwork has already been sold, so you can’t buy the original. However, I am making prints available here. Click here to see the musical art series as I list them. |
 |
| My son is a clarinetist. He is not planning to pursue music at the conservatory level, but it is part of his heart and soul nonetheless. I love watching him play as he transforms from a badass wrestler into a boho street musician.
We did have a conversation about why my art is so “feminine.” I pointed out to him that Monet’s art is fairly feminine too with lots of pink. Not all the art in my series is quite as pink as this one. I actually did not have my son in mind when I created it but rather my daughter’s friend who is studying the clarinet at her music conservatory. Authenticity in ArtWe also talked about mixed media in general. he told me when he thinks of mixed media he thinks of “glitter.” which is interesting because although a lot of mixed media artists use glitter, the only glitter in my art in on my holiday ornaments. I told him about other artists I know whose art is more masculine, like Seth Apter. I also told him that if I purposefully tried to force my art to be more appealing to men– ie worry about commercialism- I may lose my authentic voice in my art. So yes, most of the time, my art has a lot of feminine attributes, like flowers and butterflies and pink. (see the emerging musical art series) Butterfly MusicI really liked the idea of butterflies and notes coming out of the clarinet. I also added grungy wording on top. The idea is that the music of an orchestra or jazz band is rich and creates a cacophony of sounds yet it calms the soul anyway. |
 |
| (the original art pictured above is sold…but fine art prints of instrument art are available) The third instrument is one that I played in high school. I had begged for lessons for years but I didn’t start playing until I was in the seventh grade and my family could finally afford a piano. We didn’t have a Steinway, but I decided to create that art anyway as it represents the luxury of pianos. Did you play piano too? You can see this art plus more of the musical series on my website. |
Other blog posts you might like
In Case We Haven’t Met Yet…
Hello! I’m Miriam Schulman and I create mixed media art to tell stories. I also teach other people how to craft their stories with art. I give them the techniques they need to get the results they desire which brings more joy to their lives.
My art has been published by Somerset Studio, Art of Man and the New York Times among others and collected by an international audience. When I’m not working on art in my studio, you’ll find me in a museum spending time with friends or family. Explore my art at SchulmanArt.com or join the fun at TheInspirationPlace.net
I do love all kinds of music. I was born in Northern Ireland and I loved the old Irish ballads. When I was older I loved to go for a weekend up to Donegal in the republic of Ireland. The routine was that if you were a player or a singer you would wander in to the pub where the musicians and singers came and it was a very relaxed affair. Someone would start up and play a turn maybe on the fiddle Banjo Guitar the penny whistle or the Bodhran (an Irish drum} and the other players would join in and if it were a song and you knew it you would be very welcome to join in to the singing. There was a lovely friendly atmosphere and we had some rare auld times. There were reels and ballads galore and if there was room there would be dancing as well. What fun! It was invigorating and I especially loved the old ballads which told of broken hearts and good stories of times long ago. Music can transport you to different times and can touch your soul. Ive been inspired to have a go at a couple of instruments penny whistle and the bodhran but whilst Im not great at playing it I appreciate the music very much and the stories the songs tell.It brings people together to connect with different people who see the world differently and to hear the stories is to understand