No Strings Attached

A well-crafted instrument is a work of art. Shaped from metal or wood, a musical instrument involves a symphony of intricate design.

Violins represent the pinnacle of this craftsmanship. Families of luthiers (violin-makers) such as Stainer, Amati, Guarneri and Stradivari have become synonymous with violins that not only fill the greatest symphony halls but also line the walls of the greatest art museums across the world.

The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast is no stranger to the enchanting allure of the violin. Founded by Toby Perlman and featuring an artistic faculty led by world-renowned violinst Itzhak Perlman, the program nurtures and educates young string players. With its various annual musical residencies, classes and performances, the Perlman Music Program flourishes at displaying the beauty of the violin’s sound.
But this year, it will show the instrument’s beauty in a visual way, with its The Art of the Violin program.

The Perlman Music Program gave 20 local and international artists a violin. The artists then designed and embellished the unorthodox canvases with whatever their imaginations created. This laissez-faire policy allowed each violin to reflect the personality of its artist. Everything from an allusion to Ernest Hemingway to mermaids and roosters adorn this eclectic assembly of violin art.

“We wanted to do something different this year,” says Linda Driggs, the project’s organizer and board of trustee member of The Perlman Music Program/Suncoast. “We first selected several artists right away whom we admire who have been generous to the program before, and then asked who they wanted or would like to participate in the project.”

Each of the artistically personalized violins will be on display now through December at six galleries: Art to Walk On, Art Uptown, Dabbert Gallery, Galleria Silecchia, Joan Hodgell Gallery and State of the Arts Gallery. Then, on Feb. 19, all 20 violins will be auctioned off at a reception in a yet-to-be-named private residence on Longboat Key. All of the funds raised from the silent auction will go toward the education programs of the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast.

ART OF THE INSTRUMENT

The open assignment of a blank slate, or, in this case, a blank violin, was an intriguing challenge for the artists involved.

One of the first understandable barriers was the mental apprehension of “ruining” a beautiful violin.
“I used to play the violin, so the first difficult part was actually painting it and violating the purity of the instrument,” says James Griffin, a local participating artist.

Griffin put off starting the project out of this sacred reverence for the instrument. Each violin represents each artist’s decision on this compromise: How much of the violin do you incorporate into the piece, and how much of it do you remove?

“I tried to paint on it as is, and it was a little bit awkward and slippery, so I took sand paper and sanded it down,” says Larry Forgard, another participating local artist. “But once I had that base coat down on there, I used the violin’s flow and curvature as an intuitive starting point for the rest of the piece.”

Diverse materials and approaches such as oil, acrylic, sculpture, airbrush, wood, graphite, ink, tile, beads, paper mosaic, resin, clay and other mixed materials were used throughout the project and reflect each violin’s unique artistic statement.

“I was expecting a lot of variety,” says Forgard. “The violin is one of the greatest instruments and shapes that we can work with as an artist in Sarasota, and this project is representative of the great music and art we offer here.”

The Art of the Violin is not just a fundraiser but is a public-art combination that fuses two rich Sarasota artistic heritages: music and visual art.

“Art is all about breaking the rules and making leaps into new territory,” says Griffin.