Jazz Commission

About |

This piece was commissioned as a Christmas present for a Jazz-lover. The client requested that the piece represent jazz music and the use of blue, green, and brown, but the rest was left to my own creative interpretation.

I began by studying jazz music itself, researching the instruments used and the type of sounds created. Using the energy and upbeat tempos, as well as the typical instruments like the saxophone and piano, I created an abstract representation of the music. To stray from the daunting blank canvas, I first painted a background of organic lines, which allowed the rest of the composition to take place. I incorporated the shapes of the musical instruments next, as they were the more literal elements. Once those shapes were set in place, I used more abstract versions of the music to fill the space.

Details |

As shown in detail images one and two, I used linework to represent the vibrational energy of jazz music. The repetition of lines created an appearance of vibrations, just as the sound of the instruments. Most of the blank space was filled by lines, allowing the flow of music to spread throughout the entire background. Detail image three showcases the scribble technique, also used to create a sense of movement. Detail image four contains one example of more literal elements being brought in, such as the music notes and sheets.