Writing
There’s a deep connection between the visual arts, lyrical writing, storytelling, and poetry. The creative processes involved in art and poetry share many common threads to form a curious relationship.
As a multidisciplinary artist, my art and writing are forever linked.
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Reflecting On Written
and Visual Expression Through Poetry
As a multidisciplinary artist, writing and the visual arts are naturally intertwined; both are pathways to deeper explorations of self-discovery, creative expression, and mindful composition. One method of human expression easily leads to another. For that reason, I’m constantly reading, writing, or engaging with creative projects. Living and working in this way expands my understanding and strengthens my skills and abilities.
Ekphrastic Poem and Photo Series: “Peculiar Pastoral, 2020-2022”
Peculiar Pastoral
there’s so much to see
the lens strays ahead of time
to capture strange fragments
between loosely stitched frames
thin shards of light, embattled splendor,
some glimmering thing like a ghost,
like shapeless shadows in the deep—
even here in a meadow with the cows
an open range of thistle and clover
where the light bends just right
here in sunbeams I can see through
to the other side, another field
where warmer winds blow
and I wonder if the honeybees fly
back and forth through the veil
through some vague portal
where pollen is exchanged
so alien flowers can grow
Exploring the relationship between ekphrastic poetry and photography
ARTIST STATEMENT:
The photographs for “Peculiar Pastoral, 2020-2022” series were taken during the pandemic when many of us were connecting more with nature but felt out of sorts with the state of the world. These landscapes reflect the disjointed sense of time and existence during such a surreal interlude when things felt off-kilter.
I approached these rural landscapes with a poetic, abstract eye—I explored bucolic views of cows and fields and abandoned houses by distorting the shot with camera movement. The results are peculiar, fragmented impressions of the rural landscape. In this series, I contemplated motion and perception while embracing the unpredictable irregularities; I celebrated the glitches and strange artifacts in order to further examine the line between creation and destruction.
My accompanying ekphrastic poem, “Peculiar Pastoral,” reflects on the strange experiences of capturing these images.
Estuary
oh, to be here again alone with you
in a thick silence amongst the oaks and pines
paddling along through these deep waters
we listen once more for the call of the loon
only to find a ritual flight of dragonflies
beckoning us downriver—shall we follow?
they dart here and there then circle back again
we conjure gentle ripples in our wake
and glide above sleepy fish and ghost crabs
and we hear distant calls of seabirds from above
and there’s a comfort to their returning
and river otters watch us as we make our way
Location: Currituck Sound National Wildlife Refuge
Published in Parks & Points, April 2023
Flood Waters
My eyes open for a moment and the words come rushing up;
the groundwaters reach the surface, everything is saturated.
I don’t want to be awake right now,
all I want to do is sleep,
but if I don’t write this down
it will be lost to the shadows.
I adjust the brightness on my phone,
too much light for 4 a.m.
My bed looks like a hurricane swept through in the darkness,
five quilts twisted and tangled—a necessary churning.
I’m familiar with such chaos; there will be standing water
to deal with first thing in the morning.
Published in the Spring 2022 Edition of PoeticaReviewUK
Painting As Prayer
a giant canvas painted blue and yellow
like fields of wheat under clear skies
abstracted bursts, bold and gestural
a meditation in motion
if I were a believer
this would be my prayer
for children on trains, hands pressed against windows
tearful goodbyes met with questioning eyes
for mothers and fathers who carry on
step by step, breath after breath
for soldiers who face the unthinkable
on desolate streets filled with snow and ash and rubble
for citizens who stay and hold their ground
aching souls who carry on, as long as it takes
for survivors who sing as they sweep up debris
broken shards come like waves upon ravaged shores
for those who give bread and shelter and light
to the millions bound by blood and land and hope
Published in the 2022 War Edition of PoeticaReviewUK