LORI DUNN SCRATCHBOARD ART
promoting conservation through artistic efforts
Music and Lyrics
16 x 20
SOLD
*Gold award winner Masters category
International Society of Scratchboard artists
annual exhibition 2021
Music has long been a big part of my life from the time I was about 7 years old when I begged my mom to buy me a Deep Purple record at K-Mart. I grew up on rock music but as my life evolved, so did my musical tastes, taking me into progressive rock, alternative rock and as the years went by just about every other genre of music graced my listening ears. I have special fondness for acoustic melodies and writing that is clever and poetic.
Many of you will recognize the lyrics on the page as those written by Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen. “Bird On The Wire”, a timeless song, has been covered by artists worldwide, in many forms. For me, the lyrics paint a picture of someone who, in trying to act naturally according to their character, can burn the bridges of relationships along the way. Ultimately, they are happy, as they are free from conforming to how others expect them to be, and save the best of themselves for truly worthy connections.
Artistically, this was a challenging piece in many ways. The piece of paper required three days of fine cross hatching alone to create and even paper-white tone. The writing on the page was carefully inked in over the cross hatched area. Tiny writing and numbers were scratched in. There are a few intentional nods to myself and Cohen involving the placement of the margin stops and touch tuning knob on this vintage typewriter from the 40’s that sits in my library. Cohen was born Sept 21/1932. I created this piece in 2021 and am 54 years old (hence the margins at 21 and 54 with the tuner at 32).
While a nod to songwriters, as well as how music has been the soundtrack of my life, the addition of the house wren in this piece was a no-brainer. Nature and wildlife are free from such internal struggles. A house wren’s song is as instinctive to it as eating and drinking. Without care, they sing away all day, gracing my ears with their own soundtrack, free to be just as they are.
*Winner of the GOLD award in the Masters division
of the International Society of Scratchboard Artists 10th annual exhibition*
