Blog

October 2014

The mission of Denver Young Artists Orchestra (DYAO) is to expose young musicians and audiences to the joy and beauty of symphonic music.  They host Painted Violin Fundraisers, asking selected artists to paint violins.  A representative saw my artwork at the Summer Art Market, and asked me to participate, which I was happy to do!

They provided the violin, and I was free to paint it however I wished.  I wanted to paint both sides of the violin with related scenes.  My inspiration was the photo below, which I took along a drive to the top of Mt Evans.  The Mountain Goat seems to be contemplating the meaning of life, but it's more likely he was watching out for danger.  I could imagine a lovely violin solo to accompany their rough lives on the mountain.

I used another photo for the front.

And several more photos for the other goat, and the mountains in the background.

While we at the top of Mt Evans, I did a small painting.  It was difficult due to a very strong cold wind that almost blew me over.  I used the colors in this study for the violin:

I removed the strings, and then sanded the front and back so the paint would stick to the surface.

"Mt Evans Violin"

I wanted the violin to stand on its own rather than hang on the wall, so it could be turned to view both sides.  I got a scrap of granite from a counter manufacturer to echo the rocks that the goats were standing on. I had them distress the edges and drill a hole in the middle.  Then I placed a copper pipe in the stone, and up through the violin:

All of the violins for the 11th Annual Fundraiser: