Silent in the Morning

This painting was inspired by the music and art from Phish’s 1993 album, Rift. I’ve been relistening to this album in it’s entirety as of late and it took me down an emotional rabbit hole. When Rift first came out (on CD for me), I was fascinated with every aspect of what I had in my hands. The music and the liner art told a winding story that really left a mark on me. The liner art was created by artist David Welker and it includes references to all but one song from the album. (“The Horse”) Rift is a concept album that tells the story of a man dreaming about the rift between him and his girlfriend. All of these elements combined form a burrito of awesomeness that has stayed with me for over thirty years.

Night is blue. Sleep is blue. Dreams are blue. Whether I’m dreaming or asleep, the space of night is blue. It’s airy, vast, empty and yet somehow crowded at the same time. Time slows down and waves of thoughts wash up on shore. It’s a special time and my brain has spent a good deal of time there lately. So, I painted the space.

#phish #rift #art #painting