Critique the Collection vol. 1: Rebecca Goldstein

Experiencing another Canadian’s homage to a Japanese work, created using a Chinese art tradition

I take in the view like I’m watching a cloud - seeing shapes appear in the wispy billows of sea foam. The atmosphere transforms and I feel a balmy breeze, spiky grass beneath me, and watery, exotic music floats in.

As the First Wave hits, my love of nature piques, as both violence and stillness demand equal attention.

With the Second Wave, I look deeper, and sip a dirty martini. The wave is saltier now, yet still refreshing - water touching skin.

For the Third Wave I trace my fingers through the wooden trails like a child who has all the time and curiosity in the world to wander. Depth is added by texture, and texture can be an underestimated delight.

The Fourth Wave is less expected - a story restrained by space and time. We see what we have been taught to see, and so I try to look beyond.

Rebecca Goldstein, BMT, MTA, FAMI, is an aspiring author who currently works as a music therapist and music instructor.  Rebecca has partnered with the Windsor Symphony Orchestra to conduct research in music therapy, and also had one of her musical compositions performed in a series of concerts by the WSO across Southern Ontario. She has had the opportunity to perform music for national and foreign dignitaries such as the Governor General, Prime Minister, Queen of England and the Emperor of Japan while serving in the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist. 

As a travel enthusiast and nature-lover, Rebecca hopes to capture wonder and a sense of adventure in her writing, combining craft with the ability to transport the reader to a fantastical experience. As an amateur artist and aesthete, Rebecca is thrilled to be a part of the Art Gallery of Windsor's Art Critic initiative and is proud that the Windsor-Essex community has a thriving gallery that is creating such vibrant ways of connecting with the community.