'Treats' Acrylic on wood assemblage ©robinrkent

Sunday, April 15, 2012

How Do They Do That?

One of my favorite musicians was Ali Farka Toure. His music, Mali music, sounds so sweet.
I remember asking my cousin, a jazz guitarist, how can it be so easy to recognize certain musicians when all play the same instruments, with the same strings, using the same notes? Even the same songs? How do they add their voice into a neutral setting to sound so recognizable?
'Outbuildings of Lightning Rod Farm' ©robin r kent

I have heard artist friends refer to certain colors as 'Robin colors.' I'm not sure about that, but I do know when a color fits my painting while another does not. (You could x-ray the layers of rejected colors under my work as proof.)

It occurred to me that artists, like musicians, can do the same thing: make art using their own 'voice'. Maybe that's what all artists try for most: to add their own personality to their own song; to be heard.

3 comments:

Carole Reid said...

Yes Robin, I think you're right. To be heard through someone else's eyes. It's an amazing thing really.
Your painting is such a pleasure to study. The outbuildings look strong enough to put a studio in!

Sand said...

Synesthesia
My daughter has it

Sand said...

Better explanation as it relates to your post on personal relationships with color

Grapheme → color synesthesia is a form of synesthesia in which an individual's perception of numbers and letters is associated with the experience of colors. Like all forms of synesthesia, grapheme → color synesthesia is involuntary, consistent, and memorable. Grapheme → color synesthesia is one of the most common forms of synesthesia, and because of the extensive knowledge of the visual system, one of the most studied.