music | Hunter Art

The Brain Series

March 5, 2012 mhunterart Leave a comment

A series illustrating how various parts of our brain impact our behavior and vice versa

This post will be updated with new work. Stay tuned or chose to be notified via email by completing this brief form: http://eepurl.com/OUkJ

Click on the blog links below the images to read more about the work.

All rights reserved (c) Michelle Hunter

Creative commons license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Yet to be Seen (c) 2012 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/04/new-painting-on-brain-and-visual-cortex.html

It Begins: The Brain and Secondhand Smoke Part 2 (c) 2012 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/03/new-painting-brain-and-smoking-part-2.html#

Brain and Smoking – Part 1 (c) 2012 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2012/02/new-painting-brain-and-smoking-part-1.html


Brain Rhythm (c) 2011 Michelle Hunter http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-brain-painting-brain-rhythm-24×24.html

Zzzzzzz (Sleep) (c) 2011 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-painting-nap-time.html

First Aid (c) 2011 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-painting-first-aid.html

Don’t You Remember? (c) 2010 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-painting-dont-you-remember.html

Caffeine Headache (c) 2010 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/10/caffeine-headache.html

Past, Present, Future or Dreaming (c) 2010 Michelle Hunter
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-painting-which-image-matches-your.html

Categories: abstract, acrylic, alcohol, artwork, bar, bed, brain, caffeine, coffee, conceptual, headaches, memory, music, rubix cube, sleep, smoking, speakers, wire

New Brain Painting: Brain Rhythm | 24"x24" | Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

October 4, 2011 mhunterart Leave a comment

It’s DONE!!! Finally!!!!

I’m very happy to introduce you to the 6th painting in my Brain Series.

Brain Rhythm

24″x24″

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

This painting came a long way. Things were smooth sailing until I hit the part with the grill. Did not anticipate having to make soooooooo many circles and how long that process was going to take. Let me first take a couple of steps back.

In the Beginning….

The concept, in general, was to paint what parts of the brain are most active when it comes to music. While doing further research, I learned that different parts of the brain become active when doing different musical activities: listening, playing (instrument) and reading.

An object that brought those components together for me was the speaker. What’s music without being able to hear it? Also sheet music is the way to capture the details of a piece so it’s able to be recreated. A speaker and sheet music, along with the brain, were the pieces I wanted to put together in a way that felt right. Given how a speaker is made of layers, having the brain at the center surrounded by wavy sheet music underneath a grill/mesh became the composition.

Brain Rhythm [Detail]

The Brain and Music

The concept in general was to paint what parts of the brain are most active when it comes to music.There are areas both in the outer cortex and inner brain that are connected to our experience of music. For this painting, I focused on the outer area:

Prefrontal Cortex (yellow): When you are listening to music, ever have an experience where something didn’t “sound right”? Perhaps you feel that a beat was missed.

After a few bars of music, you begin expecting a certain pattern to repeat correct? Thank your prefrontal cortex’s ability to sense when something is off.

Motor Cortex (green): Here controls when you are tapping your foot and bopping your head. It’s an especially important area of the brain if you are a musician as you need the ability to control time movements.

Sensory Cortex (purple): Which string to strum on a guitar, keys on a piano, maneuvering a violin etc requires an acute sense of touch.

Auditory Cortex (blue): This area of the brain becomes alive when we hear music. It holds information pertaining to pitch and tones.

Visual Cortex (pink): Involving sight when reading music and watching performers. If you are like me and are not a musician but catch yourself imagining yourself on stage, the visual cortex helps get your imagination flowing.

Tell me what you think…don’t be shy 🙂

Michelle Hunter
info@hunterart.com
http://www.facebook.com/hunterart
Hunterart Line: 646-504-5034
Twitter: Artcoholic

Brain series (so far):
Painting 1: Past, Present, Future or Dreaming
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-painting-which-image-matches-your.html

Painting 2: Caffeine Headache
http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/10/caffeine-headache.html

Painting 3: Don’t You Remember?

http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-painting-dont-you-remember.html

Painting 4: First Aid

http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-painting-first-aid.html

Painting 5: Zzzzzzz (Sleep)

http://hunterart.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-painting-nap-time.html

Categories: acrylic, auditory, brain, conceptual, cortex, motor, music, musician, painting, pattern, pitch, prefrontal cortex, rhythm, sensory, series, sheet music, speaker, tones, visual

Work in Progress Shots: Brain and Music, 24" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas

August 16, 2011 mhunterart Leave a comment

Hello everyone,

It’s been some time since the last painting update but I haven’t been idle. Below I would like you to see progress pics of my upcoming painting on the Brain and Music.

The composition is a speaker where within it is the brain and sheet music.

Within the brain will be sections that are most active when either listening or playing music. Those sections will be highlighted with different colors and explained in the next blog post when the painting is completed.

Around the brain will be sheet music. The notes themselves are pretty random and aren’t from any particular song. The sheet music is wavy which is meant to show the flow of music and help draw the viewer into the painting.

On top of all the elements within the speaker will be the mesh/grill. It’ll cover the entire painting. Lots and lots and lots of little circles.

Because of all those circles, completing the painting has taken longer than expected. But I think it’ll be pretty damn cool once it’s done. Stay tuned!