Lyre

"Lyre", believe it or not, did not start out as a piece intended to represent a musical instrument, or indeed music in any sense. It began with a simple sketched circle, around which I kept adding shapes that I found compositionally pleasing. Perhaps this is the subconscious influence of my musician brother and many musical friends. Most people immediately see it as an instrument of some nature, but I will never forget the baffled look of an elderly couple who were studying it in a group exhibition. The gentleman turned to his wife and said, "Martha, what in the begeezus do you think this is?", to which she replied, "My goodness, John -- I haven't the slightest idea."