Visual artist Brenda Salamone

"My work strives to express the inward significance of our true selves. Human beings are visual creatures, and it is in our nature to make judgements based on outward appearances. The matrix of stone on the outside of a geode may be drab and uninteresting, just a rock that looks like thousands of others around it, but when the treasure inside is exposed and polished, the dazzling results are breathtaking and priceless. The dull exterior of a geode rock had become a metaphor for my life and art. By breaking free and escaping the matrix, my true colors and artistry are able to shine." - Brenda Salamone

Artwork description: Love can make you "Kind of Blue." This work was inspired by smooth agate and the one who introduced me to smooth jazz. The contrast of smooth, polished agate against the sparkling crystals of a druzy pocket describe the chaotic and sometimes painful results of falling in love with the wrong one.