Since then I have had the desire to create an instrument that would allow me to
play color in time. I reason that color in its pure form played in a sequence
will vibrate in the human psyche in the same way that pure tones do. This idea
is certainly not new to me. For a very comprehensive list of investigators in
this field please go to Fred Colopy's web site: www. RythmicLight.com.
It is clear from his long list of artists that the desire to create such an
instrument is buried deeply in the human psyche. It also seems clear that no
one has been able to find a way to do this that is simple enough to be widely used.
To me the key to this instrument is to 'tune' the color through several spectra
creating a smooth transition from light to dark and that the color itself will
create the 'music' over time- not the shapes of the color, or the way the color
moves - although those elements are dynamics that will help to enhance the color
interactions.
Although programming software that would enable me to do this would be ideal I
am unable to do this as my mind simply turns to jelly when confronted with more
than a few numbers. Being more stubborn than clever I decided to see what would
happened if I 'translated' music to color progressions in two dimensions.
Again I came up against my limitations, as I could not stand the tediousness of
continually keeping the color tuned in paint and the necessity to follow my own
rules in order to translate the music as it took many weeks to even begin to see
what the result would be. So I decided to use what I had learned about color interaction from the 'music'
paintings to create my own instruments with fabric. For instance satin with its
rich glow is the ideal instrument for light colors and velvet with its thick nap
is excellent for deep colors. I have always been drawn to the texture and patterning in FABRIC
and enjoy seeing it ordered and composed.
While working with the various textures and patterns of fabric I became fascinated
by the way pattern can be combined to make new forms. This led me to construct
the STAMP COLLAGES. Using the beautiful lithography of stamps along with their
cancellation marks I am able to create new forms.
Recently as computer technology has improved I have returned to creating
'translations' of music as I can keep the color tuned on my MAC. This has
resulted in the DIGITAL PRINTS of eight measures of music. I continue this
work because I find these pieces quite beautiful and in affect the composers
have created them. I have compiled these prints in the book IF C IS RED which
includes an explanation of my method of translation. I look forward to discovering
new things about color and music as I compare one piece to another and the sound to the color.
I have not given up my dream of creating a color instrument and experiment
with off the shelf software
(BissPaint) in order to find out how the color looks best as it moves in
and out of itself in time.
In recent months I have been using FLASH to
create work that actually could be 'played' in real time if the colors were
attached to keys on a musical key board. The videos on my list starting with
Pachelbel's Canon are examples of this work.
Because I spend so much time on the computer seeing light that is shining
through color I feel a need to balance my seeing with the way light is absorbed
by surfaces and to use my hands on some completely natural materials. And
so I have begun working with felt. I like the way with this work nothing
mechanical comes between me and the natural colors of the wool or the wool
dyed with natural dyes. FELT