Sometimes it’s only after I finish a piece that I understand what it’s about. That’s the case this month.
Tornado
For some time I had an image of swirling bits of paper in my mind, in the style of drawings I did with markers back in 2019 and 2020. Those works pulled the eye to the center, creating a sense of motion and depth.
I wasn’t sure I could recreate the effect with acrylic and collage on wood panel, but decided it was time to try.
Over several days I prepared a 30”x40” wood panel and began marking lines. The resulting piece was time-consuming to complete, but I love the effect of bright color against black.
Tornado, 30 in x 40 in collage and acrylic on wood panel, 2025
What’s it about?
I think it’s a way of finding understanding in our disorienting era. Everyone I know is traumatized, even those who might have wanted significant change. The unpredictability of things that had been taken for granted our whole lives, and even our parents´ and grandparents´ lives, is unsettling.
The piece is called Tornado. It’s a reflection of the moment. And it’s also just a very pretty and, I hope, very striking piece of art that I like a lot.
The truth is, I may or may not have a sense of “meaning” when I create a piece. More often than not, I’m just working through a combination of conscious intent and unconscious direction.
The unconscious direction usually wins.
But art is interactive, and the viewer or the purchaser may see something entirely different and equally valid and valuable.
That’s true with more traditional, representational art as well as the abstract art that I tend to create.
When I wrote music, it was interesting how performers brought their own understanding of my music to the rehearsals and performances. I was never one to think there could or should be a “perfect’ performance of my live music. Quite the contrary: every performance was its own unique experience.
I was perhaps the architect, but the musicians were the builders. If I limited their ability to interpret, to create performances based on their own inspiration and understanding, I limited the power and resonance of the piece.
Art is the same. Art unseen is a little like the tree falling in the forest with no one to hear it. It cries silently and means nothing.
You, the viewer, give the most meaning to my art. Thank you for looking at it and allowing yourself to have a reaction to it. I’m grateful.
The Assault
Most of you know I was drugged, then physically and sexually assaulted, in January 2023. My assailant was arrested in May 2023 and remains incarcerated awaiting trial for assaults on seven victims. The assaults all occurred in and around Palm Springs, CA.
This week there was yet another court appearance, and it appears my assailant has refused a plea offer and wants to have a trial, which is his right.
I expect the trial to take place in the next few weeks or months. It will be a huge relief for me and the other victims, including those not part of the current prosecution, when the trial is completed and a verdict rendered. The events this week were destabilizing, for all of us; but I am grateful for the support of friends, family and fellow victims as we approach the final part of this journey.
Travel
I spent several days in San Juan, Puerto Rico with Juan Natal, my friend (and trainer) based in Washington DC. I’m grateful for the chance to see San Juan through his eyes, to enjoy the tourist highlights but also to get a feel for real Puerto Rican life. The people are kind, the food spectacular (I put on a few pounds) and of course the music and culture are a huge influence on the mainland too. It was a cool few days.
I will be in Peru in May, and am looking forward to immersion in yet another Latino culture and Spanish dialect. As I await a final decision from the FAA on a flight medical, I’m throwing myself into languages, travel and of course art.
I’m very fortunate, in many ways.
See you next month.
