Dolce String Quartet

Description

This was a commission piece for long time friends and patrons. They are depicted performing with their Dolce String Quartet in the Uvalde Opera House in Uvalde, Texas. One of their group, is the Uvalde City Manager. He personally had a horrific year due to the sadness and challenges surrounding the Uvalde events. The concert, from which the reference images I used was taken, featured a specific piece dedicated to all those lost on that horrible day. The piece was the Barber Adagio. Artistically, the challenge for me was how to differentiate between the curtain, clothes, and music stands since they are all basically black, and how to inject my characteristic color sensibilities, yet still maintain the integrity of the scene. As one observes a scene, the characteristics of like colors vary depending on the light and the proximity to other colors. A color's hue, temperature, and contrast can also vary from one plane of depth to another. I chose to emphasize and even exaggerate these changes to achieve my result. I used transparency in my drawing to break up some forms into smaller more interesting spaces in which I could change color and value to make it more interesting. I also portrayed them as very focused to show the seriousness and passion they apply to their preparation and performance.