The music is classical with
jazz improvisations, and also some pure jazz. To this auditory structure
have added what I feel are the comparative qualities in painting-
texture, balance, tone, time rhythm, intensity and mood. All these
qualities intermingle in the music to create overall sound. So too
in the painting they create the finished picture. Techniques such
as Glazing, hard-edge, blending and light-transparent overlay merge
to give what I hope is the overall feel of music. The paintings
are executed on triangular and diamond shaped boards, which, in
my opinion, helps the eye to travel. Other more conventional forms
such as squares and rectangles are too static. I feel the boards
used will disassociate our usual ways of seeing and in themselves
will create a volatile state which will add in forming rhythm. Furthermore,
the use of chip boards has other advantages with texture, absorbency
and of course price!
The black retard corners provide
a certain softness that helps the boards blend into the black backgrounds.
This background also helps the brilliancy of the paint by its contrasts
and intensifies under the lighting. The luminance of acrylic paint
can hence be exaggerated.
I considered using a number
of mediums and decided on acrylic paint. Acrylic has a constant
purity of colour and is a strong paint, ideal for use with stencils.
Rowneys have also developed a new 'Flow Formula' paint that is ideal
for use through an air brush and gives a transparency of colour
that is hard to capture with any other medium.
A flow and interplay of many
different notes and rhythm of sound which blend to create the finished
product called 'music'. This same quality I have attempted to create
in paint. By thinly overlaying different tones of colour one sees
the gentle transparency that I feel is the essential quality of
music. Only an air brush can create such a translucency to give
this synthesis of mood, rhythm and colour.
The exhibition itself consists
of 21 paintings. Ten of these illustrate the first ten pieces of
music played on solo piano and the next eleven illustrate the music
played by the orchestra. The first part is executed on triangles,
the second on diamonds. Originally I wanted to light each one individually
as each prelude is played, but for practical reasons this was impossible.
However I have compensated for this problem by briefly projecting
a slide. This helps the audience see exactly where they are and
they can follow the paintings in synchronisation with the music.
The exhibition you will see
tonight is not the final word of ways to portray music in paint.
There are many more ideas I would like to have experimented with:
stroboscopic lights, animation etc. However we must content ourselves
with trying to perfect my ideas within the budget available to me.
My thanks to the curators of Southampton Art Gallery and to the
industries and philanthropists who have helped to bring you this
exhibition.