Interview
Arlene Ivette
If you are a TOR, Canada or Nashville, TN native involved in the indie music scene, you are likely to have heard Arlene Ivette’s name buzzing around. Arlene is a self-taught surrealist and expressionist artist, with musical synesthesia, who is often found painting at Live Music Venues and Festivals.
Marching to the beat of her inspired paintbrush, Arlene is vivacious and charismatic, with an intriguing perspective on the world of creativity. Here are her thoughts on her personal artistic journey and what inspires her creations.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“One of my earliest childhood memories is of my uncle’s murals at my grandparent's house in Puerto Rico. My favorite was a landscape he painted in their garage, of the island. I would observe the different shades of color, their shapes and their accuracy of reality. That was amazing to me.
My second strongest childhood memory, that revolves around painting, is of falling asleep to music played at family gatherings. During these times, I would close my eyes and see images and colors dancing across my closed eyelids. It was beautiful and I thought this was everyone’s normal.
The depth of my artist journey began in March of 2013, when I moved to Nashville, TN, where music is lived and breathed. There, I started talking to people about my synesthesia. I quickly discovered that this was not, indeed, everyone’s normal, so I decided to paint what I saw. This led to me painting at music rehearsals and house parties. It was wonderful. My painting remained as private sessions and art therapy through 2018, when I finally began showing my work at local exhibits.
In 2019 I was advised to create an Instagram account for my art. At the time I was quite fond of showing my artwork the ‘old school way’, which meant pulling out my phone and showing pictures. When people asked to see my art in person, I’d invite them to my home studio. It was definitely time to include social media into my process.
In 2020, the US started embracing the COVID-19 quarantine and for the 2 years that followed I painted sporadically and mostly expressionism.
When travel bans started lifting around the world in 2021, I was at a new chapter in my life. Traveling outside of the country had become accessible to me for the first time in 20 years. I found myself connecting with other artists and musicians around the world. I’ve been traveling and painting to live music ever since; with periodic breaks for writing and processing my thoughts through expressionism.”
What inspires you?
“I’m inspired by music, lyrics, written words, and human nature. My synesthesia isn’t limited to sounds. If I connect to a poem or a book I’m reading, for example, I get distinct images that will then show up in my work. If a life event stirs a feeling deep in my heart, it can create imagery in my mind, which I will express through canvas or my own writing.
Truthfully, I don’t always paint what I see through music. Not all images are healthy, because emotions are fluid and each emotion can be felt quite deeply. This means that sometimes the image inspired by a song or full set can be toxic and I’ll choose not to paint it. For me, music is essentially energy transferred to canvas, which is based on the emotions a musician may have been feeling while they were writing their lyrics. I think this is what makes music so impactful and I'm very careful about what music I choose to paint.
Inspiration can be found just about anywhere. Sometimes it’s the energy or general essence of a person. I can often be found seeking out these inspirations at live music venues, taking notes and sketching. I’m happy to travel with my easel anywhere music inspires.”
“Inspiration can be found just about anywhere. Sometimes it’s the energy or general essence of a person.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
"When I’m painting, I paint the truth of that specific song and/or moment. The energy of a room can change very fluidly, depending on the core emotion of the environment. This is also true at a personal level, with the musician performing. I suppose the theme is the heart’s passion, since that’s essentially what I capture.”
How would you describe your work?
“If I had to put words to it, I would say my work is impactful, thought provoking, and stirring. You can have a conversation with the canvas because you might intuitively know where it’s coming from.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Frida, Pollock and O’Keefe have had an influence on my work. Pollock is dark and full of shadows, and when you hear his story it makes sense. Pollock’s paintings scream out their emotions and beckon us to search ourselves deep within. No imagery, just passionate splats of paint. That’s the best example of energy working through art that I’ve ever seen.
Frida is the surreal feeling of the complexities in life. Her paintings are legitimately beautiful in their acceptance of all the light and shadowy parts of her life experiences. There’s blood, veins, anatomical hearts, and body parts. There’s tears, rage, joy, love and sorrow. There is beauty in all of it.
O’Keefe is the beauty of nature, growth, flowers, color. To look at her paintings is to breathe in the spring air and understand mother nature, which is so refreshing when we’re going through personal dark times. Stepping in front of her beautiful spring gives hope and beauty.”
What is your creative process like?
“I connect at a soul-deep level when I’m painting to music, which requires me to be emotionally aware and grounded. Tapping into the energy of the music can be physically and emotionally draining. I listen to the words and as they come out, I connect. I get very focused and experience everything the song has to say through the lyrics and instrumentals.
It’s not necessarily one specific song, but rather the essence of multiple songs that create an image. Every once in a blue moon, there’s a musician that will inspire an image for every song that they write, but that is a rare find. Most often it’s a collage of multiple images or a general feeling that I experience throughout a musician’s set from different songs.
For music festivals, I travel with my easel in a wagon, which also carries multiple blank canvases. I paint the colors of the band, write the band’s name on the back of the canvas, sketch out the image I plan on painting on top of the colors once I’m in my studio, and push my wagon to the next stage/band. Once I’m at my studio, I play the artist’s music in the background while I paint the imagery I sketched out, or anything new that comes to mind.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“An artist’s role is to be a mirror or window into the pockets of life that not everyone sees or experiences. To give dimension and help us all acknowledge that one side of the box is not the entirety of the box.
It’s important that as artists, we express what is inspired within us when we see the world around us. Through this, we help people see what they may not fully understand about the world around them, which is sometimes better explained through image than words.
Art is continually evolving towards more and more acceptance of the rainbow that is humanity, not just in color, but in personal truths, experiences, languages, styles and expressions. We’re no longer accepting the fake, little boxed-up lives that were once presented to us as the main goal. We are, most of us, moving towards honesty and rejoicing in our differences. There is more expressed joy to cheer for each other, because each day we understand more and more that we are all connected.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“In 2018 I was honored to be 1 of 7 local Nashville artists to have their artwork exhibited at Conexion Americas’ Nolensville Pike Community Art Exhibition.
In 2019 I had the opportunity to paint to Live music and display my work at Naville’s City Winery, for the RAW Showcase.That same year I also had some of my pieces exhibited at Nashville’s Plaza Mariachi, at their ¡Viva Frida! Festival and Art Showcase. I also created a 30x60 Panel Representation for the Hispanic Family Foundation in Nashville, to be showcased at the Gordon JCC Art Exhibit: Under One Roof
Currently, my focus is on music and personal writing. I have 3 separate projects of work that I want to finish before I start exhibiting my art again. Until then, my artwork can be observed and purchased on my personal website: www.EuphonicArt.com”
Website: www.euphonicart.com
Instagram: @Arlene.Ivette
