This past January, I spent a week as the artist in residence for Musaics winter educational and performance programing in the enchanting backdrop of the Bay Area. I held discussions on the creative process, created new sketches inspired by the beauty of Northern California, and collaborated with composers Nicholas Main, Skyler Baysa and Karna Mendonca as they created new works for violin and/or piano inspired by my paintings and working process.

The week began with an initial brainstorming session at Blue Willow Tea in downtown Berkeley to discuss the correlations between the visual arts and music. We explored the similarities not only in our approach to our respective crafts, but with the tools we use for expression.

{Shown here clockwise are Karna, Katie, founder of Musaics Audrey Vardanega, Nicholas and Skyler}

Throughout the week we created our compositional sketches, sharing our progress with each other and discussing our modes of expression. I found inspiration in the wondrous variety at the Botanical Gardens at UC Berkely and spent the days painting in watercolor and taking color notes of a variety of plants and flowers.

I found these leaves of a River Bushwillow tree absolutely fascinating. I was mesmerized by the variety of colors found not only within the individual leaves, but also the range found on the same branch. Truly fascinating!

I couldn’t resist setting up under the shade of a Camellia Tree to paint one of its first blooms. The Camellia was a new discovery for me, and I fell in love with the delicacy of this flower.

Along a sunny hillside, I drew notes of color to remember the beautiful varieties planted on this African inspired section of the garden.

Toward the end of the week, we gathered for rehearsal and an artists discussion on the creative process and the correlations between the arts and sciences. Hosted at the home of an astrophysicist and biologist, many exciting conversations went late into the evening. I was even treated to a few stories of those who were able to meet Feynman when he was at the California Institute of Technology. I couldn’t help but share one of my favorite clips of him speaking on the joy of discovery! Just a marvelous evening! I will now be following any updates regarding neutrino research . . . we truly live in a thrilling time!

Our week ended in Palo Alto with a formal presentation and concert debuting the new compositions by Nicholas Main, Skyler Baysa and Karna Mendonca for piano and violin.

I gave a presentation titled, ‘Adventures in Observation, The Thrill of Discovery . . . and the infinite realm’ that focused on my approach to painting and how my training as an engineer informs the way I work and think about the creative process. It was exciting to speak with an audience who’s life work is dedicated to the technological advancement of the sciences and explore modes of thinking that apply over a diverse range of the cross-disciplinary study. I only wished I could have asked more questions in reference to a fascinating venture I adore called Project Loon. Next time.

The concert that followed was one filled with intrigue, sensitivity, and pure delight. Audrey Vardanega, founder of Musaics, opened by playing Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 27 in d flat major. She explained, “I chose this piece specifically in reference to the way that Katie brought out the figure of the guitarist, and how she was talking about how she first captures the ‘energetic expressions’ of her model before pulling out the detail of the form. This is something that I think a lot about when I am interpreting music, especially in the music of Chopin. Similar to how Katie was explaining how her first strokes are the gestural strokes that capture the energetic movement of the figure which sets the foundation from which she can then layer recognizable form over, I often think of the gesture of sound in this way. For example, my left hand in this piece serves as the rhythmic or harmonic portion that creates the structural surroundings from which I then layer the form over. In other words, I imagine my left hand as the energetic brushwork that creates the atmosphere, whereas my right hand expresses the detail in form of the figure.”

First to present his composition was Skyler Baysa. He wrote a piece for solo piano titled “Et Dukkehjem: A Doll’s House” inspired by the layering process by which I employ in my work. Skyler’s piece includes a section called “Priming,” similar to how I prime the canvas before adding form. He stated, “For my piece I tried emulating Katie’s process when painting; that is, priming the canvas and pulling out forms through layering. The final product is made from various layers of material, with some of the base showing through and other parts totally obscured. The final ‘shape’, which came through this layering and wasn’t predetermined, is the ida of a woman who gazes out through the window of her home.”

I found Skyler’s piece precisely expressive of the way I paint. It begins slow and intentional . . . think of one brushstroke and one breath at at time. The complexity then builds and adds a delightful interplay of melody and mimics what I call the ‘dancing brush.’

RYAN MONTBLEAU oil on custom primed panel, 12” x 18” painted by Katie Swatland

The next performance was of Karna Mendonca’s composition. He wrote a musical sketch for violin and piano called “Rhapsodic Sketches.” He explained, “What fascinates me most about Katie’s paintings is the way characters and landscapes arise from washes of color. For me, these character studies evoke a combination of spontaneity and intimacy. In my piece, I try to convey these feelings by flowing freely between several moods, themes and key centers.” Audrey played piano and Nigel Armstrong played the violin.

Nicholas Main was the final composer to present. He wrote a musical sketch called “Schizzo Notturno Degli Angeli Saggi” inspired by the imagery of angels, owls and the women in my paintings, in particular, my painting, “Athena’s Owl.” The gestures in the violin part are supposed to represent the motions of the owl as suggested by the painting. He explained, “I am basing my piece on this relation of owl to angel that I perceive from Katie’s paintings. I’m creating musical textures to mirror both the motivic imagery and emotional landscapes of the paintings. I also like how the incorporation of the seashells in her angel painting give an earth aspect to what is otherwise a being we often think of as ‘not of this realm,’ there’s something in that which (for lack of a better word) feels crude or raw in an awesomely effective and expressive way.”

This piece was absolutely thrilling to hear. When the violin first came in, it felt like the owl flew in and entered the room!

ATHENA’S OWL oil on panel, 12” x 16” by Katie Swatland

Virtuoso violinist, Nigel Armstrong brought the concert to a close by treating us to impromptu improvisations based on 3 of my paintings.

The shells can be found articulating the upper right of her wing, as well as a few pieces on her lower left wing.

For an encore, Christos Vayenas, founder of The Autumn Salon and Director of Curation for Musaics graced us with a piano improvisation.

This residency week was filled with many inspiring and educational moments and left me feeling extremely grateful for the opportunity to explore these interdisciplinary pursuits. My gratitude goes out to Musaics for making this all possible. To learn more about Musaics and become a member, visit Musaics.org

You can support future Musaics programming with any purchase from my store by using code MUSAICS at checkout. Your purchase will support future Musaics of the Bay workshops, performances, and residencies for emerging and established artists in the Bay Area and beyond.