Curt Siffert

Another Kasey Baker painting, in response to my piano musings.

Glass and Steel is about a particularly tragic automobile accident.

Glass and Steel

"There is a stillness after destruction that is peaceful and stunning."

Another Kasey Baker painting, in response to my piano musings.

Metal Knotted came from a discussion about the nature of anxiety and what it feels like when it dissipates. I didn't actually know that is what I was feeling when I improvised the piece, but Kasey captured it afterwards by coming up with this artwork in reaction.

Metal Knotted

"Start with a loose tangle. Find two ends, and start pulling them in opposite directions. Make them want different things. Force through the tangle, fight against it. Turn it into a knot, make it harder, as hard as metal. Then remember, how could metal ever become a knot? To untangle, remember where it started. With softness."

Another Kasey Baker painting, in response to my piano musings.

Dancing About Architecture corresponded to a time when Kasey and I were just getting to know each other - she told me she was an architect and I was challenged to come up with something that represented architecture in my mind - simple structures that vary with time and effort. I couldn't get as complicated as I wanted since I was making it up as I went along, but I felt that I got the idea down. Kasey then responded with this work.

Dancing About Architecture

"It's a strange structure, new. She moves around it tentatively, slowly assembling the pieces in her understanding and movements. It's a careful embrace, but ultimately whole and secure."

Another Kasey Baker painting, in response to my piano musings.

Busted Lemonade Stand came from a random memory of a friend telling me about her attempts to sell lemonade when she was a kid. Her and her friend didn't tell their moms what they were doing, so they kind of improvised.

Busted Lemonade Stand

"Lemonade stands always sound like such a good idea. Although sometimes there's splinters in the plywood, or the ice melts too fast, or you realize you don't have enough dixie cups, so you start reusing them. And the day stretches on."

Another Kasey Baker painting, in response to my piano musings.

Strumming Lost Threads is one of my earlier improvs, and basically illustrates what it feels like to come up with one of these improvs. There's a peculiar mix of care and blitheness that goes into these pieces.

Strumming Lost Threads

"That occasional state of mind of when you're trying to remember an old memory but don't really mind when you can't. Maybe because you're drunk on a porch swing."

Another Kasey Baker painting, in response to my piano musings.

A Young Church is again part of the small town theme I've been drawn to. There's a lot of hope and potential and idealism and goodness in new churches - as much as there can be weight and corruption in stale churches. It's a hint of what to avoid in the journey.

A Young Church

"It starts with a gathering. Healthy ideals. A gentle church is formed, and it grows - hopefully not too quickly."

Another painting by Kasey Baker, in response to my piano musings.

Drunk On A Porch Swing was one of my first improvs where I felt like I really stumbled onto a distinct concept. I have a porch swing of my own and I've never really enjoyed it to its full potential, but this piece is about a porch swing properly used. Kasey really captured the sense of it.

Drunk On A Porch Swing

"Sitting on a porch swing, swinging back and forth, looking at a sun-drenched field with dandelions and breezes, except your lemonade is spiked and you're completely soused."

Another of Kasey Baker's paintings, in response to my piano musings.

Slow Rain made me think of a pen pal romance I had with a woman in Indonesia. We would exchange sweet and verbose letters, and pictures of our vacations. She sent a picture of herself floating up the Mekong river in Van Vieng during the rainy season.

Slow Rain

"It's gentler than a drizzle, but more than a mist... is it rain if the droplets feel like they are floating?"

Another of Kasey Baker's paintings, in response to my piano musings.

Secret Treehouse Gang reminded me of some innocents thinking they're sneakier and tougher than they really are. Cute. Kasey had fun with this one. She informed me that there was a secret message on the piece of paper, but that she wouldn't tell me what it was. I guess I'm not part of her gang.

Secret Treehouse Gang

"The meetings are planned by writing messages inside of paper throwing stars. No girls allowed."

Another painting by Kasey Baker, done in response to my piano musings.

Empty Circus Fields just mystifies me. There's this sense of loss but it isn't about grief, because there's that foundation that just silently is - what remains beyond what is transitory. This is part of the small town theme that keeps reappearing in these works. Press the play button to hear it:

Empty Circus Fields

"Small town circuses set up in big fields... when they leave, they take everything with them, but the fields remain."