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Bright’s works were studies in the color of music. He began painting in the 1960s, when, as a jazz fl ute player, he would accompany his brother, a jazz pianist, to gigs at universities and art museums. After that, he began painting to live music — classical concert performances, ballets, church organists, bands, and even spoken word performances.
"Fertility Piece" is the product of a performance by Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers, created by Bright at the venue while the musicians were playing live.
"I go to the stage with a blank canvas, no pre-described idea or notion as to image or color, and I try to paint the color of the music, the energy of the sound and the feedback — the ebb and fl ow of the spectators."
- Alfred Bright
Bright said his experience as a musician helped guide his color choices: "Since I play music, I can actually feel the color of the music. In certain tonal ranges, my palette will shift." He said that, in this way, the whole act of painting became an out-of-body experience: "I’m not thinking, I’m not planning. It’s as though my hand is being driven by a muse that dictates the creative process."