Medium: Acrylic and Mixed Media (Textured Acrylic, Spray Paint, Foil, Redwood bark, Fixed Oil Pastel) on Canvas Board

12″ × 16″

Painting Description and Inspiration:

“This is another one of my music-inspired artworks done to the process of ‘letting go and letting it flow’.

I decided to explore the classical composer, Handel. Even though I did have a preconceived idea of doing a landscape, what emerged was extremely complicated but rather interesting. I used a lot of mixed-media, such as bits of the Giant Redwood bark that I had picked up in Tokai forest to metallic strips of foil that give this painting a unique ‘elemental’ feel.

I started off listening to his ‘Water Music Suite’ which I think lent to the overall ‘element’ theme. I saw all four elements immediately — when I stepped back from the painting — air, water, fire and earth.

The final touches of this painting were the cloud high-lights which gives a peaceful calmness to the painting. The hand in the clouds (can you Handel it? lol) was not intentional, it just kind of popped out as I was working on the sky."

— Cherie Roe Dirksen