The Four Seasons of Montana: environment, art, music, poetry

In late October 2022, I completed a series of four large canvases called: The Four Seasons of Montana: From the River Bottom to the Clouds Above. This project was funded by a grant from the Montana Arts Council, through the American Rescue Plan Act and the NEA. You can see more about the project and my process here: Four Seasons of Montana

My interpretation of the Montana landscape is paired with the four seasons moving through the time of day; spring is dawn, summer: midday, fall: late afternoon, and winter: dusk. Also depicted are flora and fauna typical of the region and season. For the past year, I have been implementing copper, silver, or gold leaf in my paintings as an underlayment for oil paint. Much of Montana’s history is based on the discovery of these precious metals. Hence, the state nickname, “The Treasure State.” Mining in Montana

I live in the heart of this mining terrain, and in spite of my despair over the ecological devastation that can occur as a by-product of mining, the act of adding this material to my paintings grounds them to the landscape’s ecologic and economic history.

These paintings have copper and silver leaf underneath the oil paint on the bottom fifth of the canvas. Observed best in person, hints of metal shimmer through the oil paint, like a hidden treasure.

Throughout my painting process, I listened to numerous interpretations of Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. I was surprised to learn that there are sonnets to accompany the music. Each of the four sonnets is manifested in a concerto, which is then divided into three sections, reflected in the three movements (fast-slow-fast) of each concerto. Vivaldi also included dynamic instructions to the musicians within the score; in ‘Spring’ he asks the solo violin to play like “il capraro che dorme” (the sleeping goatherd). He described landscapes, weather, animal and human behavior with music, without setting the music to specific words. His implementation to join text and music were considered radical at the time. Antonio Vivaldi lived from 1678-1741.

His method sounds just like making a painting to me. I put paint on a surface to describe landscapes, animals and nature without specific words. The words are present inside of me and the viewer. Music is unspoken words and emotions. Certainly, pairing my paintings with music only make them more evocative. I think Antonio and I would have been great friends.

Here are a few translated sonnet excerpts for the first movements for each concerto:

Spring:

Springtime is upon us.
The birds celebrate her return with festive song, and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes.

Summer:

Beneath the blazing sun's relentless heat men and flocks are sweltering,…

Fall:

The peasant celebrates with song and dance the harvest safely gathered in.
The cup of Bacchus flows freely, and many find their relief in deep slumber.

(Now that fall is upon us, I must again listen to the Four Seasons, sonnets in one hand and a glass of wine in the other!)

Winter:

Shivering, frozen mid the frosty snow in biting, stinging winds;
running to and fro to stamp one's icy feet, teeth chattering in the bitter chill.

La Fortuna must be smiling upon me, as when I was nearly finished with my paintings, I was contacted by Carrie Krause, artistic director of Baroque Music Montana and concertmaster for the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra. She inquired as to whether I would be interested in a concert of music by Corelli to be held in my atelier in July 2023. And, did I have room for a violin, cello, and harpsichord? (Sure, I get asked that everyday!) Of course the answer was a resounding YES. That conversation led to me expressing my enthusiasm for the Four Seasons and she asked if I would be interested in exhibiting my “Four Seasons” at a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the BaMM and “outstanding high school students” on April 16th at Montana State University. A second yes! Baroque Music Montana

This grant project culminated with my heart’s constant desire to fuse art and music into a unique sensory experience. It is my hope I can keep sharing this experience with a larger community. In the meantime, come visit me in Twin Bridges. I’ll get you a chair and turn up the music, and if you are so inclined, a “cup of Bacchus.”

The Four Seasons of Montana