In my world, poetry too often compares to the practice of speaking in tongues. An interpreter and translation is necessary for practical application of the channeled message to a congregation. While meaning may be clear to the author of the poem, I’m more often than not left scratching my head and frustrated from the effort to understand. I want to comprehend not only the words and meaning, I need, need, need to feel the intention of the author resonate in my soul. Therapists have asked to use my poetry with their clients and I’ve shared the work with friends. By sending my poems out into the universe, I hope the simple words I’ve chosen will clearly speak from my heart to yours. My intention is to offer my words to those who need a voice and, for whatever reason, can’t find their own at this moment in time.
I’ve packed
memories away
again.
Carefully washed and folded clothes
once molded
to plump, warm bodies.
Now,
nothing more
than limp polyester and cotton,
layer
upon
layer
in apple boxes
in the corner of the closet.
If I save clothes
and toys
little white shoes with pink rosebuds,
pictures stubbed out
in finger paint,
broken necklace charms
old hair bows,
I’m saving them.
No.
I’m saving me
for them.
Palette
Today was a bust in the studio as far as painting. The extra piles of gray on the far right are the residue from a scraped canvas. I decided to prep the palette as Daniel Greene encourages and it was enough of a success for today.
Sun
Great day of drawing in the chilly sunshine. The tree looks like a haughty turn of the twentieth century old lady with a wasp waste and lavishly feathered hat. I think if the sun’s going to shine the light should come with an automatic seventy degrees attached, however, as they say - we’ll take what we can get.
Encaustic Experiment
Encaustic, 8”x8”, 2011Douglas Colyer
After three aborted drawings made the trash bin today, I had a creative breakdown and went to pick up some of the basics for encaustic. If any of the beeswax pros look too closely they’ll see a myriad of technical errors, however, I had a blast and after the frustrating studio day it was either this or chocolate.
The piece comes close to what I envisioned. Intuition said stop one layer earlier yet this version is still satisfying for a first timer. I enjoy the result of pushing the hot wax to create texture on the surface.
Day One - again.
Colored pencil on BFK, 6.5” x 7.5”, 2011Candied Apples with color…
After adding color this morning, I’m reminded of a statement issued by a gentleman who painted our house years ago: “It ain’t the Mona Lisa ya know.”
The black pencil seemed to contaminate the layered colors, especially in the sticks of the apples. I was getting impatient and ready to work bigger before the sketch was finished.
Candied Apples grisaille…
Black Polychromos pencil on BFK paper. I enjoy the way the support and medium interact. We’ll see how it goes adding color.
Removing the image one step from precious by posting the drawing allows me to immediately see where revisions are needed. Interesting.
I completed the grisaille “watching” a movie with my husband, who generously encourages my creative efforts.
Corvidae
Oil on primed archival paper, 18 x 24”, 2010Today was intended to be an exploration of the much maligned black, however, I’m so conditioned by the traditional sanction of black I don’t even own a black oil paint. So, went to Payne’s Gray, technically a blue.