Meet Our New Artist- Gunnar Baldwin

Waterfront, 30x40 oil on canvas, Gunnar Baldwin

My work aims to depict the way my mind’s eye visualizes music, as an additional dimension

associated with what I physically see. The subject matter to which I am drawn, upbeat activities taking place in a tropical or subtropical environment, serve as the foundation for interpretations of movement, shapes, and colors that result from the synthesis of music with raw visual content. Since the fusion of images and sound provide a rich source of inspiration and energy, I have an overwhelming desire to share these experiences through my art.

I have synesthesia, a condition in which activating one of the five senses stimulates experiences in other senses. Early in my life, I became aware that I “saw” the music I

listened to, melding optical perception with visualizations of notes, rhythms, and instrumental

qualities. I am fascinated with how a musical sequence can move in three dimensions, circling back on itself or suddenly traveling from an intimate setting to a vast space, seen as moving shapes and real-world images.

Depicting what the mind sees is a difficult and inexact science. My paintings reflect a journey towards continuously improving my visual vocabulary for integrating music with real-world subject matter. A limiting factor (and challenge) is that rendering this integration inherently involves creating a small frame from a longer sequence of experiences. Although everyone experiences sound and imagery differently, I hope that others will see something that resonates at some level in their consciousness and sparks recognition.

Waterfront, 30x40 oil on canvas, Gunnar Baldwin

Evening Groove, 36x36 oil on canvas, Gunnar Baldwin

Castaway, 36x48 oil on canvas, Gunnar Baldwin