Artwork – The bow and the brush

SFHP (IV)
Acrylic on canvas, 2019

Libby Larsen composed a The Only Way Through is Slow, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting, premiered at Opera America’s National Opera Center in New York City on October 3rd, 2022.

Bruxelles, pluie sur la Grand-Place
Oil on canvas, 1928

Jose Gonzalez Granero composed Cadenza II, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting, premiered at Opera America’s National Opera Center in New York City on October 3rd, 2022.

The Persistence of Memory
Oil on canvas, 1931

Museum of Modern Art, New York

Riccardo Santoboni composed Sol-o, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting.

Gato
Acrylic and gouache on paper on canvas, 2019

Daniel Darmesin Flanagan composed LeGato au Chocolat, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting, premiered at Carnegie Hall on March 25th, 2024.

Forrest Interior
Oil on canvas, c.1898-1899

Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Allen Shearer composed Forrest Scene, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting. It was premiered at the Fallon Theater for Toiyabe Chamber Music Society in Fallon, NV, on July 18th, 2025.

Couple au lit
Oil on canvas

David Mecionis composed Couple au lit, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting, premiered at Opera America’s National Opera Center in New York City on October 3rd, 2022.

Bord d’étang
Pastel on paper

Michael Panther composed Pastel Lake, a solo violin piece inspired by this drawing, premiered at Stern Pissarro Gallery, London, on February 16th, 2023.

The Magpie
Oil on canvas, 1868-1869

Musée D’Orsay, Paris

Daniel Darmesin Flanagan composed The Magpie (String Quartet #1), inspired by this painting, premiered by the Cecilia Quartet at Sonic Harvest, Berkeley, on October 6th, 2024.

Ram’s Head, Blue Morning Glory
Oil on canvas, 1938

Georgia O’Keefe Museum, Santa Fe

Urusula Kwong-Brown composed Ram’s Head, Blue Morning Glory a violin/piano piece inspired by this painting. It was premiered at Sonic Harvest, Berkeley, on November 16th, 2025.

Miami Coke Table
Oil on canvas, 2015

Private collection

Matthew Evan Taylor composed pneuma iii, a violin/cello piece inspired by this painting. The solo violin version was premiered at Hertz Hall, Berkeley, on September 24th, 2025, and the violin/cello version was premiered with the Eco Ensemble for Cal Performances in Berkeley on February 7th, 2026.

AB White
Oil on canvas, 2010

Michael Panther composed Oil on Canvas, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting, premiered at Opera America’s National Opera Center in New York City on October 3rd, 2022.

La maison du garde- forêt Normande
Oil on board, circa 1970

Catherine Neville composed Idyll, a solo violin piece inspired by this painting, premiered at Stern Pissarro Gallery, London, on February 16th, 2023.

Grafica Primitiva
Mixed media collage on canvas, 2016

Emily Onderdonk composed Arredondo, a solo violin piece and a string trio inspired by this collage.  The solo piece was premiered at Opera America’s National Opera Center in New York City on October 3rd, 2022.

Monterey Sentinels
Oil on board, 2021

Daniel Darmesin Flanagan composed Monterey Sentinels, a solo violin piece, inspired by this painting, premiered at Opera America’s National Opera Center in New York City on October 3rd, 2022.

Seduced by Syncopation
Sculpture series made from metronomes, 2021

Daniel Darmesin Flanagan composed “Timeless,” Rhapsody in Discomfort #6, a solo violin piece inspired by these sculptures, premiered at Hertz Hall, Berkeley, on March 5th, 2023.

Assemblage Sculpture

Daniel Darmesin Flanagan composed “Le Petit,” Rhapsody in Discomfort #9, a solo violin piece inspired by this sculpture, premiered at the Rector’s Palace in Dubrovnik, Croatia, for Le Petit Festival on June 7, 2025.

Cattails on the Waterfront
Oil on canvas

Daniel Darmesin Flanagan composed Perlmutter, a solo violin piece, inspired by this painting, commissioned by Gold Coast Chamber Players and premiered at Perlmutter Gallery​ on December 4th, 2021

Synapsis
Acrylic on canvas

Etienne Rolin composed Synaptic Sonata, a solo violin piece inspired by his own acrylic painting. The first movement was premiered at L’Impromptu, Bordeaux, on March 30th, 2024 and the full piece was premiered at Hertz Hall, Berkeley, on September 24th, 2025.

PAUL GIBSON (AMERICAN, B. 1957)

Dan Flanagan #1
Charcoal on paper, 2019

Eric Schwartz composed placed into abyss, a multi-track solo violin piece inspired by this drawing. It was premiered with 4 acoustic violins at Oakland Sound on March 26, 2023, then premiered with solo violin and tape at Accademia Filarmonica Romana, Rome, on July 4th, 2024.

Danses
Lithograph on paper, 1898

Catherine Neville composed Danses, a solo violin piece inspired by this lithograph. Premiered in a live-streamed recital for the Modesto Symphony on August 26th, 2020. The in-person premiere was at a Berkeley Symphony Chamber Concert at Piedmont Center for the Arts on April 10th, 2022.

Inevitible Entails series
Mixed media (photo transfer and acrylic), 2019

Daniel Darmesin Flanagan composed Inevitable Entails, a violin/cello duet, inspired by these paintings, premiered at Herbst Theater for SF Music Day on March 20th, 2022.