The Wild Frontier

by Lisa-Marie Sanders

I love the topic of this year’s group challenge: Integration. It is so broad and so deep; I could literally create anything I want. That, however, also has a downside: how to choose. Here are some of my meanderings as I consider my personal interpretation of our theme.

When Viewpoints started, our first challenge was to design a quilt based on a snippet of Vivaldi’s music. I was a little surprised that music came to mind again as I was thinking about integration. Back in 2012, I interpreted the music as the subject. This time, music made me think of layers, harmony, tempo, volume. Any of which could apply as topic or technique. To me, music sounds better when I listen with my eyes closed. Does the brain synthesize the sound differently when sight isn’t engaged? Could I visually render that phenomenon?

Water is usually the first thing that comes to mind because it’s my favorite subject. I love the beach, rivers, lakes, even rain! I also love the color blue. Surprisingly, this time when I thought of water, I thought of chemistry: H2o. Two Hydrogen molecules and one Oxygen combine to make water. Two completely different elements creating a unique third…visually this made me think of overlap and optical illusions. That could be fun!

To me, memories are the quintessential example of integration. Sight + sound + smell = emotion. It is a tenet of teaching that the more senses you can involve in learning, the more likely the student is to retain the lesson. How could I represent the integration of sensory input?

These are some of my thoughts which may or may not end up in the art I create for this series.

Welcome to the wild frontier of my creative brainstorming. It’s fun to let my mind wander and dream of artistic challenges that might be beyond my reach but inspire me nonetheless.