This post contains submissions for the Finding Your Inner MozArt contest – Fine Art (in alphabetical order by artist name). This is Page 2. Page 1 is here. Digital Art is here. Artists were asked to create art work with the themes of music and/or synesthesia. See What is Synesthesia? This art contest is sponsored by the Mainly Mozart nonprofit. The winning art will be auctioned at the Mozart & The Mind gala at Oceanside Museum April 11, 2020. Read the submission guidelines here. The judge for this contest is Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego Director Emeritus Hugh Davies.
Thank you for all the great art that was submitted.
Madison Cahill
Collectively, these pieces of artwork recognize Madison’s synesthesia and her ability to connect people with music, colors and people in her mind. Madison almost exclusively creates people in various colors and she always creates artwork to a variety of music. Although it is sometimes difficult to follow, she relates music and musicians (people) with colors. Elton John is blue and white. Madison’s father, John is specifically dark red. Her mother, Krissy, is blue. Madison also assigns colors to her other family members when she draws or paints them. This seems to be an extension of her relating people with animals or mechanical, robot-like beings from her childhood. As a young child she drew her entire extended family as specific animals and robots, with specific colors, as she saw them. It seems to have been a way to recall who they were and remain familiar with them, in a setting where their names were difficult for her to recall. Madison almost always creates artwork with music playing in headphones or earpods.
Maranda Russell
There is a reason the word feel is italicized in the title. To some of us, music can affect us on a guttural level. It can make us feel euphoric to the point we dissociate and feel like we are floating. It can make us feel physically ill. It can make us feel physical pleasure like a good massage or a comfy blanket. It can make us nervous and shaky. Through dance and movement, it can help us feel connected to our bodies when that is sometimes a struggle for us.
Music isn’t always clear and beautiful, it can be murky, stormy, messy, and mixed up just like life. For me personally, I like music that reflects that reality and imperfection, especially when I am feeling less than perfect myself.
When creating this piece, I had in mind how to some who experience synesthesia, a few music notes moving up and down can manifest in a rainbow of colors and create cool patterns. I experience this ability to some extent, but have read about others who experience music movements even more visually than I do and I imagine how cool that must be.
Matthew Danner
Mongolian Melody is how Matthew sees a soft, calming piece of music. It is pastel and soothing like a piano piece.
The Color of Sound shows what the sounds look like to Matthew. These bright images are what he says the music he hears looks like.
Michael Sardoni
Music always makes me happy. With some songs I tend to imagine scenes set to the music playing in my head. For example, at Disney World there is an attraction called Splash Mountain. When I listen to the music, I imagine scenes from the ride – with forest animals making music and having a good time. That is what inspired this painting.
Mickayala Oswald
“Like a Rainbow,” from a Rolling Stones song is a self-portrait. The circle is a representation of how I see time, the year as a colorful circle (time synesthesia). The patterns inside the circle are colors I associate with my favorite music.
“Lyrics” was originally made for a friend. The lyrics are from a Foo Fighters song (their favorite band), with the border and background illustrating images that came to mind while I listened to it.
Nathan Schwabenland
Nathan created his two pieces for this contest “for his sister” and “Dylan in color” because his love for music. He used all permanent marker on white/wood board.
Nicole Corrado
I created this piece because there was a novel written by a neurotypical author years ago that likened an autistic meltdown to “being in a room with a piano that only had black keys, and you can not play anything anyone would want to hear on that”. That was absurd, because a pentatonic scale can play anything from spirituals to blues to all sorts of music from many cultures. The colours represent a spectrum. The blue at the bottom was from the shadow of the paintbrushes.
Noah Schneider
My painting is an acrylic called “Fiddler.” I was inspired to paint this after seeing the play “Fiddler on the Roof” two times and watching the movie many more times. My grandparents were Jewish immigrants who fled Poland during the War. Music is an important part of the Jewish tradition. Music takes your mind off troubling thoughts and allows you to soar.
Pamela Urfer
This was inspired by a magnificent organ I saw many years ago on which was being played a Bach mass. I love making architectural line drawings because they make me feel safe and in control. Every drawing I make comes out the way I want it to, not as a literal reproduction. In this rendering of a great organ, I love the long, straight lines of the pipes pointing to heaven, and the exaggerated curves entice me to run my hands along the blond maple carvings, dancing with the music. The carved angels with their instruments in hand help me imagine the tremendous sounds that pour from the throats of this magnificent organ, sounds akin to the voices of angels.
Parker C. Franco
At the end of Fantasia 2000, Parker’s favorite movie, the score plays the Firebird Suite. It is about re-birth. Good is better than evil.
This about Spring. Mozart wrote Mozart’s Spring. A Gentle Waterfall is a reminder of Spring with trees in bloom.
This is how Mozart would surf in Oceanside in the Summer. Mozart would want some music on his board and his name on it so no one would take it.
Pascal-Olivier Miclette
Music from animated movies is THE thing which allows me to find my inner MozArt the best! Whenever I listen to it, I automaticaly get transported in the world of emotions, colours and wild actions. My teacher and I made a list of all the emotions I can feel by listening to movie music and I named different situations, ideas or realities which bring me everyone of those particular emotions. And then I drew my ideas all together on one big watercolor sheet.
So… you can see me, sitting at my computer, listening to my animated movies’ music and then you start travelling with me: into the sadness of being left all alone, the excitement of going on a roller coaster ride, the fright from meeting a T-Rex or a dangerous wolf, the freedom of reading a great book sitting directly on an airplane’s wing, the anger I can evacuate when I brake woodsticks with my bare hands, the pride of doing the splits on top of two big rocks, the joy of juggling freely and the happiness that waterfall and water in general never cease to bring to me. There you go, these are all the emotions which I experience whenever I listen to my favourite music! This is my very personal form of inner MozArt!
Rachel Goodpasture
Rachel loves all animals! But…. MUSIC has always spoken to her. She loves to communicate through art and chose this piece to demonstrate this year’s theme of music and synesthesthia. Oh, to see the colors of music!
Sonja Handysides
Sydney Edmond
“My paintings
Like my poetry
Pour
Out
Like a prison escape.
What you see
Exclamations of great joy!
I paint
And my soul colors the canvas.
A wave of happiness washes over me
And I hope
Those who view my work”
I created this watercolor painting after watching a lovely movie about Queen Victoria. In one scene she danced with Prince Albert and I eagerly saw the colors of the music they danced to. The colors swirled around them and it was so beautiful I just had to capture it in a painting. It was precious to me.
Taso-Lin Louise Tan
Louise’s artworks have his own striking style. He was struggling with the idea to adopt various painting styles in order to become a “successful” painter. He was frustrated until he decided to just create whatever inspired him. Just paint with his heart and his soul, the way he wants to paint. He said he does not care if he cannot sale a painting. It is fine if people accept him. It is also fine if people don’t accept him. Just like Mozart of the Enlightenment time period, who revolutionized music by moving away from traditional religious themes, and created concertos and symphonies based on his experiences and stories. Growing up with autism, Louise life has been chaotic and full of challenges. Nowadays Louise Tan finds peace and harmony through his works. He will continue composing his life’s symphony one note at a time with pride and confidence.
Tinamarie Nelmes
This drawing represents how I hear music as it enters my ear. It translates into my mind as colors, movements of animals, the beauty of nature and humor. I have never heard music without seeing pictures. When I see pictures, I hear music.