Do You See What I Hear? Valerie Savarie, Miki Harder, Penney Bidwell
Schedule
Wed Oct 02 2024 at 04:00 pm to 07:00 pm
UTC-06:00Location
445 S Saulsbury St, Lakewood, CO, United States, Colorado 80226 | Lakewood, CO
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Music plays a vital role in our lives—we use it to celebrate, grieve, meditate, and move our bodies in a way that we can not control. It stirs up memories from the past, moves us to tears, makes us want to jump for joy, and connects us to a greater consciousness.In “Do You See What I Hear?” Valerie Savarie, Miki Harder, and Penney Bidwell explore creating artwork based on twelve songs – each artist selecting four. How do these artists interpret the songs similarly, and how do they differ? Explore the culmination of seven months of experiences and pondering translated into clay, paper, and canvas.
Written words fuel my artistic visions, generally from the stories inside books. Lyrics are, in essence, poems put to music; however, not all music has lyrics. I decided I should push myself to select songs that speak to me on a different level – where I needed to get in touch with how the music made me feel and what images materialized from those feelings.
Taking this step into the unknown, I did my best to feel all the music selected before truly listening to (and reading) the lyrics (if the music had them). With this new approach to inspiration, I found myself connecting more to music that I did not choose.
“Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche painted such a profound image in my mind and heart. It encompasses life in waking and dreaming, living and dying, and connecting with our most authentic selves and those we hold dear. It allows us to experience our emotions while being held and protected by a proverbial mother of life.
- Valerie Savarie, altered book artist
Is it the lyrics or the tune? What moves you?” Thinking it was certainly one or the other, I continuously proved myself wrong. This was a deep exercise: designing and painting while listening to a playlist of 12 gorgeous songs (four for each participant) on Repeat.
This is an intense time in my life. I am physically and emotionally present with my Mom, who is stepping out with late-stage Alzheimer’s. Thus, many of my pieces come from a place of transition and transcendence….and others, I got lost in what I perceived was the sender’s message. That’s just it. Is the end product of the artist intended or perceived?
Both !! Right?
I was always enthralled by looking up lyrics and discovering new meanings in music I’d “heard” but not “heard.”
Initially researching Holst's “The Planets,” I leaned into a Neptune mythology interpretation, but then I just Listened… and it struck me as the soundtrack of a soul entering Valhalla!
Thus, inspired Going Home. - Miki Harder, painter
I used the song titles and lyrics as a starting point of my creative practice. These words, mixed with my life experiences, were used to create pieces that are both reflections and reactions to music.
While sculpting, I listened to the songs repeatedly, further influencing the pieces. “Mama Werewolf” by Brandi Carlile became a self-portrait, symbolic of my relationship with her daughter. "Learning to Fly" by Pink Floyd inspired a piece about the journey of self-discovery after my children left home. - Penney Bidwell, sculptor
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Where is it happening?
445 S Saulsbury St, Lakewood, CO, United States, Colorado 80226Event Location & Nearby Stays:
