Inspired By Music

I thought up this cartoon while at a fundraising concert to benefit Artists For World Peace, a charity I’m involved with. If you want to see your charitable dollars at work, this is the charity for you. I know where the money goes and it goes to good people in need all over the world and here at home.

The music by jazz vibes playerJay Hoggard and multi-instrumentalist Bob Nasta was heavenly and perfect for any time of year, but it resonated especially strong for me in this Christmas season. The moment when the cartoon began to form in the art department of my brain took me to Cartoondancemusic, a trio I belonged to featuring composer Neely Bruce and dancer Brad Roth. It was Neely’s idea to put together three different art forms to improvise off each other and see what we came up with.

I drew cartoons on an overhead projector inspired by Brad’s dancing who was inspired by Neely’s piano music who was inspired by my cartoons, and then we’d mix it all up, reverse it, combine it; a swirl of ideas taking form. We put on several performances over a period of three years, or so, but eventually the band broke up and we’ve each gone on to solo projects.

I don’t generally listen to music when I work, but I’m in a period of great change; the end of one thing and the beginning of another. It’s frightening and exhilarating at the same time. The music, as all music does, makes me remember.