Artist Notes on “I Slept, but My Heart was Awake”
At the time I painted this, I was working on a dance theater work (“Song of Songs”) by Pam Tanowitz, inspired by the Song of Solomon. The original music for the work was by David Lang and the show premiered at the Bard College and had subsequent productions in London and New York.
The title of the painting is a quote from the Song of Solomon, 5:2: “I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.” (English Standard Version).
I often paint abstract works when working on new productions, especially those with music. I find that this process (of listening to music and painting without a conscious agenda) opens my mind to new possibilities, colors, and forms that can have meaning both as a painting and in subsequent design work. I think of them as dream paintings, and they are both without programmatic meaning, and also full of emotion, music, and light. This verse from the Psalm sings of anticipation. I marvel at our heart’s ability to stay awake and listen for love even when our mind is weary.