OPERA SETS

Large personalities and human circumstances go better with cued music — even better, with synced costumes, rife lighting, and intriguing backgrounds. From all-out-love-at-first-sight and sound with the Queen of the Night at age 8 — I have re-designed aspects of many performances seen — and just as often have created 'from scratch' the look and feel of favorite Operas. Murals can be attention grabbers with a 'story', so it is natural for murals and studio painting to transition into set design.  

In paintings created for the museum show A DATE WITH THE DEVIL*, a visual response to Igor Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale” of 1918, rather than grace the unfortunate predilection for greed and shallow materialistic choices of the soldier "hero" — my diptych portrays the freshness of heart, selflessness and genuine sweetness I imagine for the Peasant fiancée's character, and the wisdom and beneficent authority, the mature moral outlook turned toward the welfare of her subjects and her province, which I imagine as the Princess' character.

*Napa Valley Museum, 2013 with Guest curator Jennifer Garden.

Painting Details