Heart of the Matter – Music Inspired Abstract Art
A Visual Meditation Inspired by R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton and Will Clipman
Heart of the Matter is the fifth artwork in my ongoing homage to the music of R. Carlos Nakai, the virtuoso Native American flute player, and his longtime collaborators William Eaton and percussionist Will Clipman.
This work emerged from listening to Heart of the Matter, the eighth track on their album Spiral Rendezvous, a continuation of a musical partnership spanning three decades.
My creative process is the same as all the others, it begins with listening, contemplation and meditation.
I allow the music to settle, setting aside rational thought and trusting intuition to guide the movement of colour, texture and gesture.
Contemplation, Symbols and the Language of Abstraction
An Expansive Space for Reflection
The upper portion of Heart of the Matter continues my exploration of contemplation and meditation. A delicate interplay of pale turquoise, blush pink, muted yellow and soft, weathered textures creates an atmosphere of stillness.
Subtle marks and organic forms emerge from the layered surface, inviting the eye to wander without a fixed destination. A secret journey, maybe?
I want this space to offer room for reflection, where meaning can unfold slowly rather than be immediately defined.
Introducing a New Visual Language
For the first time in this series, I have introduced symbols into the lower portion of the artwork. A vivid horizontal band of electric blue, violet, orange and yellow contrasts with the softer, more subdued world above.
Repeated curved marks, geometric diamond forms and intricate stippled patterns bring a different rhythm and a new visual energy to the composition.
This element represents a departure in my approach to the series. The symbols introduce a sense of pattern, structure and mystery, creating a visual counterpoint to the open, contemplative space above.
I leave their meaning unresolved, allowing them to exist as marks that may suggest something beyond language while remaining open to individual interpretation.
Where Stillness Meets Rhythm
The meeting of these two distinct areas is central to Heart of the Matter, as they did with all of the works in this series, beginning first with Silence and Space, then Elemental Fusion, closely followed by Inward Journey and finally with Eternal Question.
With all the main top/open area of the surface my aim is to encourage quiet observations as opposed to below, where colour, repetition and pattern create a more insistent pulse.
Their relationship echoes my experience of music, where silence and sound, restraint and movement, can coexist and give one another meaning.
Inspired by the music of Nakai, Eaton and Clipman, this work continues my exploration of the space between listening and seeing, conscious thought and intuition.
It is not an attempt to translate music into images, but an invitation to experience its emotional and visual possibilities.
Heart of the Matter is ultimately about allowing an artwork to reveal itself through the process of making, without deciding in advance what it must become.
Like the music that inspired it, the work leaves space for discovery, contemplation and personal connection.
The introduction of symbols in this work has opened a new direction in my practice, one I am keen to explore further.
As I continue this series, I may investigate the visual language of Native American symbols and markings found in ancient cave dwellings, taking the time to research their histories, cultural significance and meanings.
For now, these first marks represent the beginning of an inquiry, an intuitive step into unfamiliar territory where music, contemplation and the mysterious language of symbols may find new ways to intersect.
Listen to the Music Behind the Artwork
Discover Spiral Rendezvous, the album by R. Carlos Nakai, William Eaton and Will Clipman that inspired this work.
Released August 19, 2022
R. CARLOS NAKAI - Native American flutes, vocal, eagle bone whistle
WILLIAM EATON - Harp guitars, spiral clef, 26 sting guitar, lyre
WILL CLIPMAN - Udu, cajon, to’ere, djembe, bodhran, caxixis, ipu heke, Taos drums, tar, tingsha, cymbals, claves, triangle
