Visual representations of jazz typically focus on the musicians and the instruments. David Liebman, prominent jazz saxophonist, noted: “The nature of music is an abstraction – something you can’t touch, you can’t see. There is something about the non-tangible aspect that raises it to the realm of imagination, creativity and spirituality. But the spirit is also an abstraction because it, too, is something you can neither see nor touch.”

The expressionists used colour and rapid brush strokes to depict emotion. I wanted to show a dynamic force that has expressive and generous qualities, so I used colour. All the colours! Rainbows symbolize inclusiveness, variety, beauty, and even reward via the myth of the pot of gold at end of rainbow. The expressionists would set colors against their opposites because red is always redder against green and blue more blue against orange. Like a good jam session, each colour has to combine with the others without losing itself and thereby make for a more vital whole. The swirls mimic and exaggerate the effect of light through smoke as one might see with stained glass and incense or even neon signage and cigarette smoke.

Acrylic on canvas, 24″ x 24″
Located at: Private Collection (SOLD)