While listening to Krista Tippett’s interview of Yo-Yo Ma, two ideas stood out amidst a discussion of beauty: that of being a “Citizen Artist” and of being a welcoming host to your audience. Now I am certainly not a world-class virtuoso like Yo-Yo Ma. And music is very different than painting in a many ways. Kandinsky considered music the highest form of art because, having no physical form, it is maximally abstract. Music is often created with, and performed for, others. I paint in solitude. Their commonalities are beauty, inspiration, and improvisation, and if created from a deep place, an interior exploration of the Big Questions one is holding. The work is an offering. |
Yo-Yo Ma said that when he's giving a performance you are his guests. Being your host as a performer before a live audience is quite different than "hosting" you from the solitude of my studio. I rarely see you, and never while I’m “playing.” But I welcome you to listen deeply to my paintings and enter into your own awareness of wonder through them. I hope they open you to something you might otherwise not have experienced.
You can listen to the interview at https://onbeing.org/programs/yo-yo-ma-music-happens-between-the-notes-jul2018