When Words Fail is built upon the enlarged silhouette of a guitar pick, creating an immediate connection between the physical form of the work and its musical subject. At its center, an abstract guitar emerges through sweeping bands of red, yellow, blue, green, and violet, while curved metallic lines define its movement and structure.
The surface is densely covered with individually placed glass beads, punctuated by reflective crystals and dimensional accents. Color moves through the guitar like sound through an instrument, while variations in texture and light allow different details to emerge as the viewer changes position.
A smaller guitar pick placed near the center bears the words, “When words fail, music speaks.” The phrase provides the conceptual heart of the work, expressing music as a language capable of carrying emotion when spoken words are no longer enough.
Size: 14 × 12.5 in.
