The name is absent

67

In addition to considering the paintings, Larsen carefully studied the text that
O’Keeffe wrote to accompany the paintings in the Viking collection. O’Keeffe
summarizes her own relation to the written word at the beginning of the volume: “The
meaning of a word—to me—is not as exact as the meaning of a color.. .1 write this
because such odd things have been done about me with words.”³⁶ Indeed it is evident
from the informal and almost chatty nature of O’Keeffe’s text, that she is uncomfortable
with the notion of “explaining” her paintings and would not have put together this
volume had it not been for the urging of several friends.³⁷

Larsen goes one step further to connect the way O’Keeffe talked with the way she
painted: “I don’t think she probably crafted her words, but Γm guessing she painted also
the way she talked. Γm looking for lyricism, for her lyricism, and Γm thinking—
language.” ³⁸ Larsen’s interest in the connections between language and music originated
with her vocal music, but has since been incorporated into her instrumental music as well.
In Black Birds, Red Hills, she takes the words, melodic qualities, syntax, and rhythm of
O’Keeffe’s written language and builds her melodies and rhythmic motives around what
seems to flow naturally. Because this was originally a vocal piece, this layer is still
evident in the viola part of the revised instrumental version.

Larsen composed the work with all of the paintings arranged side by side on a
clipboard so that she could look at them both individually and as a group.³⁹ The order in
which she arranged the paintings has a great deal of significance, as they connect to one
another in terms of perspective and subject matter in a meaningful way. Although the
³⁶ O’Keeffe, preface.

³⁷ Ibid., acknowledgements.

38

Larsen, interview 8/2008.

39

Ibid.

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