Acrylic
an Interior Door
80” x 30”
Acrylic on a door
surreal: Surreal
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This painting is a surreal, abstract ode to music in motion. From far in the distance, the black and white piano keys emerge — each on its own winding path. They travel separately at first, weaving through a luminous, warm-toned space, like two melodies searching for each other.
Midway through their journey, they finally meet, merging into a ribbon of perfect harmony. But the harmony is brief — a beautiful, fleeting moment in the composition. The white keys surge forward, bumping the black keys away. As they scatter, the black keys transform, dissolving into radiant beams of light that stream off the right side of the canvas, as if ascending into pure energy.
The right side grows darker and moodier, where the white keys morph into bold, arching shapes reminiscent of a piano’s inner hammers. Painted in icy blues and whites that drip like melting sound, they stand against a backdrop of deep rusts, violets, and shadows.
Throughout, arrows, abstract sunrays and sweeping brushstrokes give the sensation of sound breaking free from form. Its music captured mid-flight — structured yet spontaneous, fragmented yet whole — like a jazz improvisation caught in paint.
Tags: Piano Keys, Music, Movement, Dance, Harmony,
I painted this piece live at The Knitting Factory on a night that was nothing short of electric. The idea of these piano keys had been living in my mind for years, waiting for the right moment to come alive. That night felt perfect — I was just beginning to emerge in Reno’s art and music scene, and the Knitting Factory was one of its most iconic stages.
The keys begin far in the distance, each on its own winding path, like two melodies searching for one another. They meet in perfect harmony — a fleeting, beautiful moment in the composition — before parting again, the black keys dissolving into radiant beams of light. The music flows across the canvas, morphing into the shapes and mechanics of sound itself. It’s music mid-flight — structured yet spontaneous, fragmented yet whole — like a jazz improvisation caught in paint.
Painted on an old door, the piece became more than a live performance. It was an opening — a threshold — and a statement of arrival. The first of many nights where my art and music would collide in ways that felt alive, unrepeatable, and unforgettable.
