June 2022
I have always been interested in music. While attending the Kansa City Art Institute I was able to hear some of the greatest jazz musicians such as Charles Mingus. He was dressed in black and his presence evoked his power as a great artist. He played his instrument where a magical transformation could be heard.
This was one of the most profound musical moments I have had in experiencing sound through my senses. When I first encountered the Sun Ra Arkestra, all the musicians were playing their instruments at the same time that created this cacophony of sound, where I felt elated. It was as if I was always waiting for this moment. It was both familiar and strange.
I asked myself whether a painting through color could also raise the vibration for the viewer. How many people have had the experience of looking at works of art and not knowing what they mean? Does this distract you from looking and you just move on? I feel that those works that we find compelling is what we choose to stand before, trying to comprehend on some level through the sensations of the body. What I am describing is experiential seeing.