While the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart is known for his music, when he’s not onstage he loves making art. His latest collection, the Art of Mickey Hart, is going to be on display in June at two Wentworth Gallery locations, with Mickey set to make appearances at both of them.
Mickey tells ABC Audio that his first interest in art was “quite accidental,” explaining that years ago while out shopping for a birthday gift for his young daughter he picked up an art kit and decided to bring it home.
“She didn’t think much of it, but eventually I grabbed it and started using it,” he shares. “It was so sensuous; it was so attractive and it was so full of life that I just couldn’t put it down.”
Mickey says art is like “a mediation for him,” adding that it’s a “visual component” to his “sonic-driven world.”
“Life is full of beautiful colors,” he says. “These things just start to appear to me and they come out on, on the canvas or the wood or plastic” or whatever other medium he may be using.
Mickey says he feels great making his art, noting, “It’s uplifting, you know, it’s life giving.” He adds, “It’s all of those things that art does.”
Mickey is set to appear at the Wentworth Gallery at Tysons Galleria in McLean, Virginia, on Sunday, June 4, at 2 p.m., followed by an appearance at the Wentworth Gallery at Short Hills Mall in New Jersey on June 23 at 6:30 p.m. More info on Mickey’s appearances can be found at wentworthgallery.com.
Of course, he’s also currently on tour with Dead & Company. They play Bristow, Virginia, on June 3. A complete list of dates can be found at deadandcompany.com.
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