Apr 28 2011
Exceptional Artists and Writers Celebrate Poetry Month with New Works!
Forgive my delay today everyone. Mom was in a high demand all day long 
This week, professional, talented, phenomenal artists gathered together to celebrate National Poetry Month by creating new, simply unforgettable works that blended art and poetry. These pieces will make you stop, stare, read, listen and long to create poetry of your own. But don’t take my word for it….
Join me as we bask in some poetry and art together….
It Gives Me Great Pleasure to Introduce Our Artist/Writer of the Week, Felicia Kramer, creator of Another Bright Idea and More Bright Ideas.
Felicia Kramer. the artists extraordinaire behind Another Bright Idea and More bright Ideas, created this stunning enhanced photograph titled, Dad & Me.
“I can’t say that I had a great relationship with my Dad., ” Felicia began. “I think he was overwhelmed with supporting such a large family and there wasn’t much time left for personal interaction. This outing to a “ranch” is therefore a special memory, one of the few times I remember having Dad’s undivided attention for a while. He loved horses – he was part of a mounted division in the army and talked fondly of his horse Tony – and I loved horses as well. What little girl doesn’t??”
“I took this precious little black & white photograph and played with overlays and effects to incorporate some color and add a lovely glow to the sky behind. Besides, that’s probably how that little girl must have felt that day. It was a day full of color, not black and white.”
“Often when I think of my Dad now a certain poem comes to mind: “my father moved through dooms of love.” It’s by my favorite poet, e.e.cummings. I love the way cummings plays with words and how the words roll off your tongue as you read them. The poem is quite long; here’s three favorite stanzas that remind me of my Dad.”
my father moved through dooms of love
by e. e. cummings
my father moved through dooms of love
through sames of am through haves of give,
singing each morning out of each night
my father moved through depths of height
…
My father moved through theys of we,
singing each new leaf out of each tree
(and every child was sure that spring
danced when she heard my father sing)
…
and nothing quite so least as truth
–i say though hate were why men breathe–
because my Father lived his soul
love is the whole and more than all
www.etsy.com/shop/anotherbrightidea
www.etsy.com/shop/morebrightideas
www.feliciakramer.blogspot.com
Tracy Carlton, the super creative talent behind Expressive Souls, created this awesome piece titled, Letting Go.
“A few weeks ago my 6-year old son had a very scary dream about blue-faced zombies.,” said Tracy. “They have invaded his psyche, bedroom, and our house. They have become a common topic of discussion and as a result we have had many conversations about facing our fears, facing what scares us. My son is my best teacher.
So when choosing some words for an art journal exercise in 21 Secrets, the words Blue Faced Zombies jumped in quite readily, wanting to be included. So this spread is about shedding fear and moving forward with gusto.”
“This is an art journal spread with the poem I wrote for the exercise Three Little Words. I wasn’t sure what would come about. But here it is! The poem, in case you can’t read it on the journal page is:
Letting go of
Simply ”Not Enough”
Start looking into
Making the rules
Blue Faced Zombies
Get a Tattoo
So much better
Another blissful Sigh.”
http://expressive-souls.blogspot.com
Link to 21 Secrets: http://www.dirtyfootprintsworkshops.com/2008/09/21-secrets-art-journal-playground.html
Lisa Dieken, the incredibly talented writer and artist who created Wild Creative Heart, created this truly beautiful piece.
Lisa’s Poem
shimmering
fairy wings
in the moonlight
“I started with the word “shimmering” as I sat gazing at the light on a lake.,” said Lisa. “The short poem was written from there. It is so freeing to allow myself to write something so short. Then I was inspired to create a small watercolor painting with a bit of acrylic to go with the small poem. As I drew it, she ‘told’ me that she wanted to be wading in water. The smallness kept it manageable for me, not too overwhelming, yet a sense of accomplishment. I enjoyed using my watercolors again and creating the sense of ‘shimmering’.”
http://www.WildCreativeHeart.com
http://WildCreativeHeart.blogspot.com
Lis, the amazingly talented writer and artist behind Dandelion Seeds and Dreams, created this gorgeous work.
“My piece is a spread from my art journal.,”said Lis. “I poured through the poetry books I had on hand and nothing new was jumping out at me. I decided to stick with a line from the very first Mary Oliver poem I heard while in my yoga teacher training program. The poem is “When Death Comes” and it marks a huge shift in my life. These lines have stayed with me since that first reading and continue to inspire how I think about my life:
“When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.”
My journal page was inspired by an earlier line:
“and I think of each life as a flower, as common
as a field daisy, and as singular,”
http://dandelionseedsanddreams.blogspot.com/
Mel, the sensational writer, artist and vlogger behind Weaving the Moon, created this 8×10 mixed media on canvas titled, hasn’t got one really…’lost girl #4′ 
“Ah, poetry and art — my two favorite things…like peanut-butter and chocolate, it’s a match made in heaven!!” said Mel.
“Another of my ‘lost girls’…..words first? or the image? I can’t quite say…..as I’m drawing and coloring the girl, the words perhaps sneak in….or maybe the words are there and they dictate the image. It’s outta my hands, so it seems! Although, since this one is done on canvas as opposed to in my journal, I DID do the background first…just layers upon random, grungy layers.”
http://creativeclutter-mel.blogspot.com/
Maureen, the wonderfully talented writer and artist behind Aquamaureens, created this superb piece.
“This didn’t work out as I’d planned,” said Maureen. ” The haiku was about writing on ordinary blue-lined school notebook paper. So when I painted it, it didn’t really illustrate the poem. But ya know, I like it anyhoo.”
http://aquamaureens.blogspot.com
Trina, the uber talented writer and artist behind Woven Chains Jewelry created this magnificent work.
“I continue to be touched by the themes here,” said Trina. “This one was wonderful to work with, bringing back so many memories. I chose two of my favorite poems to be inspired by; one from my childhood, and one from my womanhood.”
“First, I chose An Invitation by Shel Silverstein (http://www.lverose.com/littleones/order/poem.htm). This is my favorite poem from my childhood. I can remember this on almost every elementary school classroom wall growing up. To celebrate the wonderful sentiment in this poem, I made a pendant in my favorite shape — a star.”
“Second, I chose Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou (http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/phenomenal-woman/). This bracelet is my homage to every Phenomenal Woman out there, as well as an acknowledgment that I have most definitely joined their ranks.”
Amanda, the awesomely talented writer and artist behind Persistent Green, created this striking untitled 8×10 mixed media (work in progress).
“I’ve been celebrating Poetry Month all through April, so this was a perfect way to cap the experience,” said Amanda. “For my piece I took a step back and played with highlighting the creation of a poem. The photo I used includes bits of my actual poetry in progress (remember to click on the photos if you want to see them up close).”
For this theme, I read poetry and loved it all. At the same time, I was pondering the question – “What is poetry?” A poem was born. I laid the colors down on the page in the same way the words were spread across my mind and soon the two became one.
In case you can’t read the words, here is the poem:
The Poem…
is the green leaf turning a deep red,
the two hands becoming one,
the pen’s final burst of ink.
It is the mist skating across a lake in early morning,
it is dew drop fairy tears – they hate to part with night,
the great curl of a wave before it makes love to the shore,
the almost invisible puff of smoke following a candle’s brief flicker,
the birth of a new moment inside an already unforgettable moment.
It is all the Goddesses that time has tried to erase,
the midway point in the journey of a paintbrush,
the last breath of any creature,
that first hug after a nightmare,
the expression an instant after a balloon pops,
a crack of thunder on a sunny day.
It is You.
It is Me.
It is this moment right now.
OR
Is it simply living life?
Copyright 2011 Natasha Reilly
Are you feeling inspired?? Well, why not jump in on the next theme…
Cosmic
Let the music, the lyrics, the lights in the video, whatever it is inspire you…Dance…close your eyes and dance before you begin and see what is born!
”
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