Scarred Landscape takes its premise from the “carved paintings” of Richard Armendariz. Armendariz creates these works on plywood in two layers: The first layer is abstract and atmospheric, painted on with a brush. Next, the second layer is carved into the surface of the painting with a blade, resulting in two superimposed images of differing textures existing on the same plane. I tried to recreate this relationship musically; the viola is the cloudy bottom layer, the cello the jagged upper layer. These initial roles are developed throughout the piece, giving each instrument an opportunity to explore multiple characters.