Painted Violins Opus Two

The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has just delivered my violin.

They're not inviting me to play it (wisely), but they are asking me to paint it.  This is my second time to participate in the Fort Worth Symphony Painted Violins Project.  Several artists have been invited to decorate a bare wooden violin with artwork that is musically inspired.  The painted violins will be auctioned off on November 12 at Bass Performance Hall and proceeds will benefit the orchestra's education programs for children.  

Last time I was assigned a piece of music for inspiration -- Mozart's Concerto No. 4 for Horn.  The use of the horn in the last movement of this concerto invokes the feeling of the hunt in the open air, thus the blue sky with clouds on the front of the violin.

The back of the violin depicts one of the angels on Fort Worth's Bass Performance Hall.  Since my inspiration was a horn concerto, she has traded her trumpet for a French horn.

Here's a photo of the Bass Performance Hall angel, my model for the French horn player.

After the Painted Violins auction, I was invited to witness over 1,000 fourth-grade students as they played their recorders provided by the Symphony.  It was a heart-warming experience to watch and hear these children play along with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, knowing that the Painted Violins Projects was one event that helped fund this program.

"Adventures in Music"   8" x 10"   Watercolor

The violin is propped up in the corner of my studio, awaiting inspiration...