poem and a painting

detail of poem and a painting, gravity

Last week, as I was browsing in my local second-hand shop, I came across a palm-sized book about Braque printed in 1958. It covers Braque's cubism and papier collé period from 1906 to 1920. During that same week, I also was working on a poem.

When I finished the poem, I wanted to match a painting to it. I knew which drawing I wanted to use, but what additions would I add? I picked up the book I had bought the previous day on Braque. Leafing through the booklet, sparks of ideas on a painting began to fly. Everything came together and I felt satisfied that the painting illustrated my poem perfectly.

Gravity

There are days

when I am in pieces,

broken and scattered.

And there are other days 

when I am like a collapsed cloud

of dust and atoms,

full of possibility.

All the scattered pieces

get pulled in and compressed;

until from the core of my soul,

dense and hot,

a new self emerges.

Juana Almaguer

June 18, 2017

poem and a painting, gravity

The sparks are still flying, and I'm working on a new series of paintings inspired by this poem and a painting.


I hope everyone is having a good weekend. I'll be spending the day riding my bicycle out to a new trail system and exploring its forest.





joining Sunday sketches