Artwork copyright Mel McCuddin. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Carmina, 1989
Mel McCuddin
American (born 1933, died 2022)
Location: Clark College, Vancouver
About the Artwork
Artist Mel McCuddin created the painting Carmina by layering pale blue paint over multiple warm colors like pink and orange. The title references a piece of music titled "Carmina Burana," written by German composer Carl Orff based on a collection of medieval poems from the 1100s. The painting is part of McCuddin's body of work made using a spontaneous process. He paints from intuition until an image begins to form. He notes that this painting "came into being, as all my paintings do, with no clear idea in mind. As I painted, I saw a suggestion of the image of a swan-like bird in the paint. I think began to relate that image to human experience of some sort. The image on the canvas seemed to relate to the grace of classical ballet and to classical music in general."
This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Clark College.
About the Artist
Spokane, Eastern Washington-based artist Mel McCuddin (1933-2022) created expressive, figurative paintings. In his own words: “I begin a painting with no idea in mind, and at a certain point in the process of putting paint on the canvas, an idea will suggest itself. Many of these ideas change and many are rejected until one seems strong enough to accept. My paintings are essentially a record of the evolution of an idea... What I’ve been after for a long time is something that you feel more than see, paintings with a strong presence.”McCuddin was born and raised on a dairy farm on Spokane’s North Side. He loved art as a child and made art all through high school. He worked as a truck driver for dairies, took art classes when he could, and painted at night until retirement allowed him to create art full time.
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