Sarah Wetzel talks process as she finishes a commission

By Sarah Wetzel

One of the things I’m passionate about is creating art out of what you have. Your creativity shouldn’t be stifled by what kind of supplies you can afford. A lot of what my art comes from materials that come to me and one of those materials is sheet music.

A few years ago I was gifted a huge amount of sheet music. Whenever I hear of someone throwing sheet music away I almost feel like I have to rescue it. There’s a saying that paints are how you decorate a canvas and music is how you paint time. Maybe the fact that I’m an artist and I appreciate both types of painting makes me appreciate the aesthetic value of sheet music as well as its potential to create sound. Lyrics add an extra layer of expression and I have written my share of music and lyrics.

I wanted to do something artistic with the sheet music since honestly I’m not going to play all of it. The music was in varying stages of aging creating different shades. I had an idea to do a collage portrait using the aged paper. My husband was my subject because music is his life. It turned out so well that I continued the process and have done many more since then.

By experimentation I’ve created an efficient process using a high contrast black and white snapshot of the subject. I make a to-size sketch of the snapshot. Then I number the pieces from light to dark which translates to the darkness of the sheet music. For shades that aren’t available or for when custom music is required I use paint watered down to different degrees to create different shades. I cut the pieces out of the sketch on top of the music I want to use bit by bit and use the leftover paper to glue the pieces down in the right places.

Immigrants Void, Cusco, Quillabamba by Perla Segovia

Zach by Sarah Wetzel.

By Adair Karlin

The Southern Arizona Arts Guild’s newest exhibit at the Overlook Restaurant explores the spectrum from Abstract to Surreal, showcasing an awe-inspiring variety of artistic interpretations. The show is currently open and runs through April 8, but don’t wait too long—all paintings are for sale, and your favorite piece might be gone before you get there!

As part of this juried exhibition, all artworks were professionally judged. It was a tough decision for the judges, but here are the winners:

Honorable Mention

These Foolish Things by Adair Karlin

“As I walked around the exhibit, this piece just kept trying to grab my attention: it’s very intriguing. This is how I decide an abstract design is successful to me, you just keep on seeing new things.” - Judge

Rush by Howard Paley

“You don't have to be in Tucson for very long to see lightning.  This image captures powerful monsoon intensity. The portions create an abstract vision: Tucson at the very bottom is dwarfed in size creating a visual moment of nature's magic. Ah, the patience of a photographer who takes his time is evident in this triptych.” - Judge

Merit Awards

Construct XIII by Annie Leonard

“Is this an architectural image in expressionist colors? It's an intriguing picture. The colors push and pull, and the lines define. Or do they? Delightful painting filled with uplifting imagery.” - Judge

Ghost of Johns Island by Lisa Suarez

“This image is worth your time to see how masterfully Lisa got herself out of the way and into the flow of the image.  I don’t want to spoil it for you but stand in front of it and see all the people and animals coming to life.  Beautiful, channeled image.” - Judge 

Red Spray by Ingrid McCarthy

“The traditional definition of Abstract art is it uses shapes and colors to create an image left up to interpretation. In the image created by Ingrid, the red spray jumps forward, the yellow and white hold the field and the dark edge becomes the background.  This is a very beautiful image reminiscent of Mark Rothko and the spiritual nature of abstract expressionism.” - Judge

Best of Show

Love Offering by Monique Mynlieff

The juror gave Monique an additional monetary award from the Rose Petal Foundation for $100. Non-profit that was established to foster community, creativity and imagination.

“All of Monique's works on display feature dreamlike imagery: the one I’ve selected evokes where the boundaries between reality and fiction are blurred. Andy Warhol claimed we will all get 15 minutes of fame, but in art sometimes it’s a challenge to get 15 seconds.  I stood mesmerized by the symbols for well over 5 minutes.” - Judge