While recurring themes and motifs are ever present in both my print work and painting, they are central to the series block prints completed over the last several years. The poet, Wallace Stevens, has been a consistent source of inspiration, but in 2006 the music of Moussorgsky became my muse. The following statement and accompanying images are from this most current series.

Pictures at an Exhibition: the print series

Pictures at an Exhibition. . . the title says it all. . . and disregarding that, even the most casual exposure to the music of Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition can evoke an assortment of moods and images. For years I assumed that somewhere there existed the definitive collection of artwork that was Moussorgsky’s inspiration. In reality, only six pieces of Victor Hartmann’s work, consisting of architectural drawing and costume design and sketches and watercolors from his travels, can be positively identified. I found the subject matter intriguing, and just a bit odd. This series began as a way for me to visualize and interpret Moussorgsky’s music through Hartmann’s subject matter, but became an homage to the story itself: the musician and the artist and the artwork that lives on only in the music it inspired.