CREATIVE

STATEMENT

“In 1990, I created my first interdisciplinary work The Colors of Music, for electronic music, paintings, and dancer.  It is series of seven paintings and seven musical movements, exploring ways how art and music (and also dance) could be combined to allow ideas to be both seen and heard. 

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For more than three decades, I've been creating works that give the audience the experience of connecting with music and art by both seeing and hearing it at the same time. Musicians enjoy the benefit of this through the opportunity to align their performance with another artform.

 

I've also incorporated poetry and dance with my music. While I frequently write stand-alone musical compositions and paint individual and series of paintings, for me the combination of these two disciplines creates a rich opportunity for expression of ideas that capture the imagination of a broad audience. Being able to both see and hear artistic affinities at the same time is a remarkable experience, confirming the integrity and wholeness of these artistic works.

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When composing music, I use orchestral instruments, electroacoustic media, the voice, and sounds found in nature that are sampled and manipulated.  When painting, I combine acrylic, pastel, charcoal, and sometimes watercolor on canvas and paper.  Painting in series lends itself well to connections with multi-movement musical compositions.   These works are rooted in the passing of time. Often, the paintings are abstract and reflect temporal scenarios, although figurative content and realistic content that imitates nature is sometimes seen.

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Can diverse arts disciplines truly be joined or are they merely experienced parallel to each other? If we experience the same phenomena –things perceivable and measurable– through different ways of observing, then 'Yes,' the arts can be joined. But they are joined through the elements and principles of the art forms, not the intentions or wishes of the artist. Through elements and principles, I establish a relationship between the painting and the music (and other art forms).  Without these connections, such work risks becoming fanciful caprices, where the connective experience is subjective on the part of the artist. 

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I believe that artwork, in any discipline, must project to the audience on its own merits, without interpretation or narrative by the often-absent creator.  The elements and principles of any artistic discipline can be articulated, and the connections between works can be considered and validated as part of the experience.  While the cultural and artistic context of a work is important to fully understanding the work, the core of understanding must come from experiencing the work itself.”

                                                            

-Jeffrey Hoover