In 2018 before and throughout the pandemic period, I commenced a series of paintings that pays homage to the guitar and accessories used in rock music. During a time when I personally felt constrained due to health problems and then as part of the community because of the stifling effect of pandemic lockdowns and mask-wearing, I turned to the noise of an electric guitar as a vehicle to be heard. I guess the electric guitar became a beacon of communication to me like the pot and pan-clanging percussion sessions in the cities across Italy during their pandemic lockdowns.
To me, the image of the guitar and its image as a liberating pop icon became a great distraction from the continual periods of lockdown experienced in Melbourne, Australia.
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Circulation Of Sound
Acrylic on card, 2019-2020
I used the electric guitar and accessories as subject matter to express frustration, emotion, excitement, dreams, and freedom. The electric guitar shape and its accessories have an aura that is attractive because of the rebellious lifestyle and glamour that is associated with it. In one painting called 'Satellite of Sound' the guitar vibrates sending a signal throughout the airwaves to call all young people and charm them out of their suburban homes back into a social gathering. I also feel the sound of electric guitar riffs first heard on the radio or aural media transforms receptive children into teenagers. It awakens and excites the artistic, curious section of the brain. The guitar acts as a vehicle for emotional change in people who play and for those who listen to its aural message. During the painting of this series, I was inspired by the lyrics written by Bon Scott:
' There was fifteen million fingers
Learnin' how to play
And you could hear the fingers pickin'
And this is what they had to say'.
Strung Out - Vibrating D String
Acrylic on canvas paper, commenced 2019-2020
Activate The Fuzz Pedal
Acrylic on paper, commenced 2018
You can check out more of my quirky, expressionist, contemporary imagery at the Gallery247 website, on Instagram, and at Xristo Artworks gallery online.
From Above And Below. Hear It Coming
Acrylic on fiber paper, 2020
Satellite Of Sound. Transforming Kids From Nappies To Teenagers
Acrylic on canvas paper, 2018-2020
On The High Wire (Down At St Kilda, Melbourne)
Acrylic on canvas paper, 2021
Shaking The Field
Acrylic on fiber paper, 2021 - 22
The Guitar Gently Weeps With A Soft Hand
Acrylic on fiber paper, 2020
Possession No 1
Acrylic on fiber paper, 2019 - 2020
Sono Circumiecto (Zuma, Surround Me)
Pencil sketch, 2020
