Art and poetry seem to go hand in hand. At least they do for me.
We are so much more intuitive than we give ourselves credit. When it comes to creating art...there is no doubt that I let the intuitive nature take over. Many times a song or poem "pops" into my head turning the art in a very specific direction.
Emily Dickenson was a talented poet, and her "Hope" is the Thing With Feathers resonates with me.
Twice in the last two years a single poem has encouraged me to take action. When is the last time you heard that "little voice in your head" urging you to do something? Did you act on it or chose to ignore it??? I have learned to act on it!
The first occurrence was during what we central Texans refer to as the Snowpocalypse of 2021 (go ahead and make fun -- the entire place from Dallas to San Antonio and beyond completely shut down....we are just not equipped for actual winter storms down here). I sat in front of my window and painted until it got too dark to see .... then I would do it again every day until the storm passed and we were forced to rejoin society. Using the intuitive painting style inspired by artist Flora Bowley, I began creating my little masterpiece.
The poem continued to form this painting as the figures became more and more defined. The final product is "Emily's Hope".
Most recently, I had the opportunity to bring Emily's poetry to life again. This time in a sculpture. I recreated an old favorite pottery technique of mine -- poetry vessels. I hand-stamp every single letter to a poem onto the walls of a vessel that is extruded from my "grown up PlayDoh machine". This is truly a labor of love and extremely time consuming. To say that I have to stay focused is an understatement. But the outcome is entirely worth it! These vessels are organic, tactile, and energetic with their words literally embedded in the surface. I love making them! Here is "Hope is the Thing With Feathers" Poetry Vessel.
I am often asked if I will take custom requests for individual vessels. The answer is yes! Leave me a message, and we can create your own vessel from poems, songs, verses, family trees....the options are endless. (Disclaimer: it takes about 4 - 6 weeks from a lump of wet clay to a finished form.)
In honor of Emily Dickenson and her beautiful poetry, may I present to you... "Hope" is the Thing With Feathers....
Stay tuned for more background stories that shape and form my paintings and sculptures...
