It started with a whim.
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The Beatles came up in something I read and I decided to play their songs while I painted. The tunes got me into a groove and Kaleidoscope began to bubble out of me.
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So many songs are familiar: “Hey Jude,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “All You Need is Love.” They’re the backdrop to memories that weave one generation to the next.Â
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The 1967 song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” caught my ear. It was less familiar. I honed in on the lyrics: tangerine trees, marmalade skies, and cellophane flowers.Â
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The line “a girl with kaleidoscope eyes” stuck with me. As I mixed paint, I thought of myself as this girl. Out of the studio, I daydreamed about colors swirling together like a woman possessed.
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I laughed to myself because surely the song is about psychedelic drugs. If you know me, you’ll know that’s pretty off-brand.Â
A quick Google search later, I discovered my first impression is a common interpretation. However, John Lennon wrote the song and was adamant its meaning had nothing to do with drugs.
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Lennon repeatedly said the song was inspired by a drawing his son made. The drawing was of his friend Lucy depicted on a sky filled with diamonds. Historians point out that Lennon wasn’t shy about sharing when songs were, in fact, drug-inspired, strengthening the argument that his explanation was truthful.
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The story behind the song made me love its connection to these paintings even more.
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The song means NOTHING. It’s a compilation of whimsical words and sounds that’s simply pleasing to the ear.
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Art is often expected to hold weighty meaning. While it can, this collection does not. It’s art for art’s sake. Just like “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is a myriad of trippy sounds and nonsense poetics that’s fun to listen to, Kaleidoscope is a collection of beautiful colors and compositions to please the eye.
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As you gaze upon these works, I hope you discover your inner “girl with kaleidoscope eyes” and find a piece (or a few) to add joy to your home. I dream these paintings become the backdrop to moments that knit your family together, just like those classic Beatles tunes connect us all.
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I'm thrilled to share that the collection will launch to the public on August 15th. Email subscribers will have access to the VIP Presale on August 14th.Â