Art, Piano, Blog
It has been a long time since my last post. I thought it would be fun to share what I’m working on this year. I am choosing famous artist’s paintings and riffing on them with my own interpretation. I am using colored pencils (not paint). These are not accurate representations, but my own version of the picture.
I decided to venture into digital art this year. Blessed with a very nice tablet and super-duper stylus pen for my birthday, I downloaded “IBIS Paint” and started playing with the app. It took some time to figure out how to use various tools, and I still haven’t plumbed the depths of all the possibilities, but I am getting the hang of things and having a lot of fun playing around. I approach this like a child, just using imagination and whimsy, trying all the different bells and whistles. Below are some of the images I’ve made in the past few months.
This piece is short (two minutes) and came to me within a few days. I love the emotion the strings option provides, even if it is electronically produced. The straight piano sound would not allow these notes to soar the same way.
Surrender
The first inspiration for this piece came to me last spring, but months went by without any ideas for how to finish it. In the past few weeks, a second wave of inspiration arose and I was able to complete the composition to my satisfaction. I hope you enjoy the melodic “ride.”
We each are given treasure But we must undertake the hunt There is no map to guide the way Scattered to the four winds I dug the deepest holes Fell into many pitfalls Followed dead-end roads Wandered in the desert for years But one day, the miracle arrived A priceless gift was found This treasure awaits us all In the Labyrinth of Life The moment we stumble upon the secret path Our soul, more precious than gold, Shining in all her glory Pure, radiant, innocent, and free
You will not find it Out There Look all you want Strive if you must Nothing Out There Will quench your thirst Don’t go off somewhere else Seeking what only lies within Cling to your sole lifeline Plunge the depths of you Everything In There Will feed your hunger Don’t go looking somewhere else You are the only safe place to be
I peer through the window
Infinite glittering sparkles
Pierce the dark night
The full moon radiates
Her gaze upon my face
Illuminating a faded memory
We have met before
Soft, gentle light beams
Shoot arrows through my heart
A vital message she wants to impart
I see you
Her cheeky wink and gleeful grin
Urge me to forget the eons that have passed
To remember instead
Together, at last
Prompted by a writing exercise this morning using 3 key words: underneath, current, and burning. The prompt was to begin: "I Speak for...." THE DEEP I speak for What dwells underneath Surface waves of chatter Yearning, burning To dive below the noise And swim the current of stillness To merge with the waters of mercy and love Forever coursing through our veins I speak for Those whose words are lost Voices silenced long ago I speak, I shriek Guide us back To the womb of The Deep
Cracks in the concrete Refuse to be hidden from the Light What is tamped down Cannot forever be suppressed Open, open, open to the Light And blossom As the beautiful flower you are Cracks in the pavement Are a doorway to beauty And Light will find you always, Wherever you are Hard slabs of pavement Oppress the Earth But She will not be silenced She will break through the darkness Into the Light Where She rightfully belongs Arms reach out In thanks Glorifying Her Maker She seeks only the Sun And knows she is One With all that is Even the mightiest stones Striving to quell her radiance Will not prevail against the Light
Dangling mid-air Tenaciously clinging to a fraying lifeline Helplessly watching Each strand slowly give way It won’t be long now The rope is going to snap I know this Yet, I clutch all the tighter Denying the inevitable Nightmares engulf me Fear strangles my breath It’s coming, that terrifying plummet Into a fathomless abyss. It’s happening…. Startled, I land softly On firm ground rising to greet me Mere inches from my swinging feet Perplexed, I wonder Why was I so afraid?
Jill Broscious 