Studies XII and XIII

Since returning from our trip to Spain a couple of months ago, I revisited the sunset and sunrise images, taking into consideration the color schemes in Goya's paintings that I viewed during our stay in Madrid (but I still haven't figured out how he successfully eliminated green from his landscapes). I've transferred the compositions to the large canvasses and I'll post pictures of works-in-progress soon. If you are visiting this blog for the first time, please visit the blog archive and the project overview.

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study XIII) / 2010 / gouache and gesso on paper / 5.75" x 7"

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study XII) / 2010 / gouache and gesso on paper / 5.75" x 7"

Background Studies VIII - XI

These are the final studies completed during our final week in Granada, Spain. I'm attempting to resolve the backgrounds in the daylight images. This week we're heading to Madrid and the Museo del Prado where I'll be looking at Goya's backgrounds in particular.

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study VIII) / 2010 / gouache and tinted gesso on paper / 4.5" x 6"

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study IX) / 2010 / gouache and tinted gesso on paper / 4.5" x 6"

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study X) / 2010 / gouache and tinted gesso on paper / 4.5" x 6"

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study XI) / 2010 / gouache and tinted gesso on paper / 4.5" x 6"

Study VII

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study VII) / 2010 / gouache and gesso on paper / 8.5" x 10"

Studies V and VI

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study V) / 2010 / gouache and gesso on paper / 5.5" x 7"

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study VI) / 2010 / gouache and gesso on paper / 5.5" x 7"

Studies III and IV

I became more comfortable using gouache on the fire paintings and began to enjoy the small scale. These are the third and fourth studies completed during my second week in Granada.

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study III) / 2010 / gouache and gesso on paper / 5.5" x 7"

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study IV) / 2010 / gouache and tinted gesso on paper / 5.5" x 7"

Studies I and II

These are the first two paintings I made in Granada, using gouache for the first time and trying to get used to a tiny, travel-friendly scale. Also experimenting with tinted gesso.

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study I) / 2010 / gouache and gesso on paper / 5.5" x 7"

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra (Study II) / 2010 / gouache and tinted gesso on paper / 5.5" x 7"

Granada, Spain

We've been in Granada, Spain for three weeks, with two weeks remaining. Having our camera stollen delayed the photo-posting, but it's been replaced now so I'll try to catch up. I try to get a bit of painting time in each morning, inspired by the view of the sunrise on the Alhambra from our terrace, and then resort inside to air conditioning in the afternoons.

The Video

The Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra video has been completed. Please view the video trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlJtEYbbqgA.

Video editor: Jennifer Longworth

Upcoming

From August 22^nd – October 27^th I will be traveling in Spain and France as part of my sabbatical from Prescott College. The first five weeks of the trip will be spent in Granada, Spain where I will be doing small preparatory paintings for Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra, followed by museum visits in Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona and Paris. I will post works in-progress in September, please check back soon for updates.

The Burn

From 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the pile was documented through video and still photography. At nightfall a single violin was ignited, and the pile was soon engulfed in flames. The phases of the violins’ destruction will serve as the reference imagery for a series of paintings and accompanying video. I plan to produce several large-scale oil paintings depicting the pile of violins in various stages: at dusk, the pile of intact violins illuminated by the setting sun; at nightfall, the pile of violins ablaze; and at dawn, the charred remains. The video documents the duration of the violins’ incineration from dusk to dawn, time-lapsed to one hour.

Photo credit: M. Jennifer Chandler, copyright Julie Comnick 2010

The Site

In mid-May, on one of the few spring days with calm winds before seasonal fire restrictions went into effect, I assembled the pile of worn instruments in a forest clearing near my home in Prescott, AZ. I chose the location because it had been the site of a prescribed burn in 2009, and the mountaintop clearing received direct sunlight at both sunset and sunrise.

The Instruments

Beginning in September 2009, I contacted violin shops nationwide soliciting damaged, incomplete, or irreparable violins. Over the next eight months I acquired instruments from thirteen states, totaling nearly one hundred violins.

Thank you to the following individuals and businesses for generously donating instruments to this project: The Fiddle Doctor, Prescott, AZ; John Kelly, Lexington, VA; Valley of the Suns Violins, Phoenix, AZ; Blackerby Violin Shop, Dallas, TX; Brook Mays Music/H&H Music, Dallas, TX; Lee Dale Nigh, Fulton, MO; J.R. Judd Violins, Williamsport, PA; Strings and Other Things, New York, NY; Bishofberger Violins Ltd., Seattle, WA; Claire Givens Violins, Minneapolis, MN; Ute Brinkmann, Wallingford, CT; Long Island Violin Shop, New York, NY; A Violin Maker’s Workshop, Cincinnati, OH.

Project Overview

Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra is a painting and video project which explores the gradual dissolution of culture in contemporary society through the symbolic ruin of a personal and cultural icon, the violin. Using the violin as a metaphor, I intend to raise questions about the relationship between increasing technology and diminishing cultural heritage. I invite the audience to consider what makes the instrument precious in his or her own experience, and the impact of its loss.

This project is currently in-progress, and this blog serves as a venue for project updates. For a detailed description of the project along with my personal goals and objectives, please read the statement of plans on the project page of my website: http://www.juliecomnick.com/arrangement_for_a_silent_orchestra.html.