Today I was listening to Radio 3 whilst driving to a meeting for an exhibition I’m taking part in next month (more about that in another blog).

I heard a classical piece called ‘In memorium’ which struck me in a way I assimilated to art. Many times I’ve heard a classical piece featuring a violin and other times a French horn, but this piece was an interplay between both instruments that are not usually played together

It made me think of the almost endless possiblities that can result from combining two elements not usually used together in presenting a creative work.

The example I’m using is about music but the application of this principle works in other art forms.

TRANSFERRING THIS TO ART

I thought about the violin and the French horn and how well the combination suited the piece of music. I saw the piece of music as a canvas and the individual instruments as the tools of art, whether they be brushes, knives, colour, medium etc.

Sometimes artists can get stuck in a rut of producing the same type of work because it’s safe and it’s what is expected. Hearing this piece of music today made me think about the risks of combining unexpected elements to produce a unique piece of work.

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES ABOUND

Experimenting, mixing & matching, pushing the boundaries, call it what you will, I like my work to do these things. I think it’s important for an artist to nudge their limits into unchartered waters. It yields surprising rewards and adds a further layer of experience to the never ending quest to reach the artistic apex.

So when I look at my canvas in future and start planning my work I’ll think of that violin and French horn, that unlikely pair, and I’ll remember that sometimes it’s the unexpected, the adventurous, that truly stands out and makes an impact on the viewer.

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