Title: Zither I
Year: 2012
Description:  Signed Archival Print on Fine Arts Paper; Double Matted
 
This piece is part of a musical series.  I enjoyed creating the keyboard piece so much, I decided to start a series with musical instruments. In my search, I came across the zither, a stringed folk instrument to be played on the musician's lap or on the table top. This instrument dates back to 600 BC China. It is linked to Ancient Greece, as well. The zither is most commonly found in European countries, including Germany, Hungary, Austria & others. In modern history, zithers appeared during the 1700s,1800s & early 1900's, here in America. The zither was mostly made by European Americans including the German and Austrian Americans. It's compact size made it easy for salesmen to carry the instrument door to door. Each image of zithers I came across had it's own unique design. I designed the image so that it would touch the edges of the canvas and appear as if it could sit upon a table. The strings are scattered across the painting to look as if just plucked. There's a glossy varnish to imitate varnished wood.