Monk Milky Way

Acrylic and Mixed Media on canvas 

48in x 48in x 1.5in 

2023

Thelonius Monk’s unique style plays right into my ideas about how abstract art can embody that same sense of on beat/ off beat, on key/ off key sensibility. In the Clint Eastwood documentary about Thelonius Monk, Monk has moments where he’s standing on stage, by his piano, and starts walking in a circular motion, looking up at the ceiling. When asked why he does that on stage and backstage Monk replied “I’m moving with the motion of the Milky Way Galaxy.”. I was already a big fan of Monk’s work, but when I heard that statement it made me an even bigger fan!