This was the most compulsive piece that I have ever made, begun on the very first day of my retirement. In my impulse to create on the spot, I simply cut up three old pieces of silk clothing and sewed them together. I am the person on the right side, looking backwards toward the left, at my skills, passions and my undeveloped hopes and dreams.
Cotton, metallic thread and floss, cotton thread and floss
10.75”x13.5”
Inspiration: Flying Lotus. “Pet Monster Shotglass.” 2006. 1983. Plug Research. | Length: 6:40 minutes; Musical Genre: Wonky
I love the staticky crackle of the irregular/regular dub rhythm. The addition of space between the gamelan bell sound bumps, interrupts the static perfectly.
Inspiration: Yeasayer. “Wait for the Summer.” 2007. All Hour Cymbals. We Are Free. | Length: 4:53; Musical Genre: Psychedelic Indie Rock
The tribal vocalizations and rhythms of Yeasayer snake through my brain in sparkling iridescent patterns. The fact that I also see voices the same way as I see the timbres of musical instruments means I didn’t hear the words as words, or know what the words were saying until long after I had created this piece.
Translation: “Something always happens. You chose.” Although this piece is only two colors on the surface, any one of these boxes could be opened and might contain extraordinary colors, textures, and opportunities. In other words, attitude is everything.
Inspiration: Alexander Calder’s Circus
I have loved the work of Alexander Calder since I was ten years old. When I have seen films of him performing his circus, it has always elicited an almost-giddy response. This piece was originally created when I was thinking about the similar emotional reaction I have to being around my husband, of thirty plus years, Mark.
9.5”x14.75”
After caring for my 89 year old mother, who was beginning to develop dementia, I reflected on how all of us are finally left with just our bones among the bugs.
Inspiration: D.H. Lawrence. “Southern Night.” Birds, Beasts, and Flowers. 1920.
A reflection on the joys and poignancies of remembering old friends and lovers.
When I first drew this as a study, I had been reflecting on a lecture I had heard about Ganesha, the one who removes obstacles and the God of new beginnings. As one sometimes takes the bits and pieces of what’s in the refrigerator and makes soup, this was a reflection on the bits and pieces of a recent year, including having been mostly paralyzed, and having had cancer treatments. The center reflects the “dark night of the soul” from which I was recovering, while the gold is the healing process throughout and surrounding my life.
Inspiration: Ben Neill, Theo Metz, and David Rothenberg. Live Performance. June 6, 2013. Kingston, NY. | Musical Genre: Experimental Ambient
This was created as a result of my being an audience member experiencing musical performances by these three composer/musicians. Ben and Theo teach in the Ramapo College of New Jersey music department and David teaches philosophy and music at NJIT.
Inspiration: Ben Neill. “Dream Phase.” 1996. Triptycal. Verve Records. | Length: 6:14 minutes; Musical Genre: Experimental Ambient
Although this piece is named after a specific Ben Neill composition, it is a general gestalt of my several experiences with his live performances. His self-designed “Mutantrumpet with its electro acoustic computer system generates bright red and golden horizontal wiggly layers that echo, punctuated by surprising vertical interstitial skittery boxes and circles of rhythm.
Living Out Loud: The Art of Geri Hahn 