Kerry Hirth Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Artist Commentary: Wild Rose of the Mountain commemorates the discovery of a new species of bat, Myotis nimbaensis, in 2020, in the Nimba Mountains of Guinea. This new bat species is known for its striking orange fur and black wings. The title of the painting compares the unique "ginger" fur of the bat to a red-headed girl. The colors of the painting contain the green and rose found in satellite images of the location of the discovery, indicating habitat loss due to mining. Text on the painting quotes Yeats' The Hosting of the Sidhe. THE HOSTING OF THE SIDHE by William Butler Yeats THE host is riding from Knocknarea And over the grave of Clooth-na-Bare; Caoilte tossing his burning hair, And Niamh calling Away, come away: Empty your heart of its mortal dream. The winds awaken, the leaves whirl round, Our cheeks are pale, our hair is unbound, Our breasts are heaving, our eyes are agleam, Our arms are waving, our lips are apart; And if any gaze on our rushing band, We come between him and the deed of his hand, We come between him and the hope of his heart. The host is rushing 'twixt night and day, And where is there hope or deed as fair? Caoilte tossing his burning hair, And Niamh calling Away, come away. Keywords: Abstract, Conceptual & Allegorical, Landscape & Nature, colorful, rainbow, grey, green, blue Artist Biography: Kerry Hirth was born in the Midwest and currently lives and works near Columbia, Missouri. Her work translates music to visual art. She uses her synesthetic experience of musical harmony as color to create drawings of music in vibrant linear patterns. Her work uses both color and text to capture the complexity and richness of music and explore the source of music in life experiences. She often collaborates with musicians, with some noteworthy past projects including: Live demonstration with an orchestra A curated program on the relationship between improvisational jazz and the visual arts Creating artwork for the first Mugellini Festival in Macerata, Italy Collaborating on the composition of new music Creating backgrounds for live performance Her approach to music and visual art has been shaped by her unique background. She received an MA in Philosophy with a minor in music performance. She has done archaeological illustrations of Mayan artifacts...

Artist Commentary: This drawing is based on the harmonic pattern of an Irish fiddle tune The Hare in the Corn. The vertical lines represent the guitar repetition of the single pitch D, and the stalks of corn in the field. The contour of the melody traces the irregular flight of bats through the stalks and ears on the night of a harvest moon. The text refers to a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks...

Artist Commentary: Bats have been sacred in Chinese culture for thousands of years. In particular, they represent good fortune and they are often found in artwork and decorations along with peach blossoms, possibly due to pollination of the flowers. This drawing honors the connection between bats, peaches, and the myths about immortality. The title is a reference to Keat's Ode to a Nightingale. The inspiration for this work was an ancient plate at the Art Institute of Chicago depicting bats and peaches. Keywords: Abstract, Conceptual & Allegorical, Landscape & Nature, colorful, rainbow, dark, red, orange, blue, green Artist Biography: Kerry Hirth was born in the Midwest and currently lives and works near Columbia, Missouri. Her work translates music to visual art. She uses her synesthetic experience of musical harmony as color to create drawings of music in vibrant linear patterns. Her work uses both color and text to capture the complexity and richness of music and explore the source of music in life experiences. She often collaborates with musicians, with some noteworthy past projects including: Live demonstration with an orchestra A curated program on the relationship between improvisational jazz and the visual arts Creating artwork for the first Mugellini Festival in Macerata, Italy Collaborating on the composition of new music Creating backgrounds for live performance Her approach to music and visual art has been shaped by her unique background. She received an MA in Philosophy with a minor in music performance. She has done archaeological illustrations of Mayan artifacts...

Artist Commentary: This work reflects a satellite image of the bush fires in Australia in 2020. Text on the work includes lines from the Australian poet Peter Porter about the early death of his wife and her cremation - The fire will come out of the sun and I shall look in the heart of it. Keywords: Abstract, Conceptual & Allegorical, Landscape & Nature, colorful, rainbow, dark, red, orange, blue, green Artist Biography: Kerry Hirth was born in the Midwest and currently lives and works near Columbia, Missouri. Her work translates music to visual art. She uses her synesthetic experience of musical harmony as color to create drawings of music in vibrant linear patterns. Her work uses both color and text to capture the complexity and richness of music and explore the source of music in life experiences. She often collaborates with musicians, with some noteworthy past projects including: Live demonstration with an orchestra A curated program on the relationship between improvisational jazz and the visual arts Creating artwork for the first Mugellini Festival in Macerata, Italy Collaborating on the composition of new music Creating backgrounds for live performance Her approach to music and visual art has been shaped by her unique background. She received an MA in Philosophy with a minor in music performance. She has done archaeological illustrations of Mayan artifacts...