Biblio and words

A friend recently gave me this book, and I took it along to our first Biblio session here to read. I thought it might be nice and enjoyable; I didn't think it would inspire me and get me excited!

It introduced me to the notion of ekphrasis - "a literary device consisting of a vivid, detailed description of a visual work of art". Being a pretty much self taught artistic type person I am often rather late to the party when it comes to well understood notions in this world (strangely my degree in physiotherapy and post grad in public sector management never mentioned it!).

And I got excited and wrote notes.

I read the poems and then spent the rest of the time investigating this new word and looking for exercises to take me through the process of doing it. I read lots of things and wrote lots of notes.

This week at Biblio I decided to try out the exercises on a painting we have in our bedroom here. I love the painting and thought there was so much in it.

We purchased it nearby, and it is called Night Swimming by Rhona Graham. Luckily I had forgotten the title as I was doing this work.

I began by letting my eyes rove over it for 5 minutes, looking at what caught my eye first; what I noticed; where my eye went next; the different things I saw.

Then I simply wrote for 10 minutes and was intrigued where my thinking began to go.

After those 10 minutes, which were pretty descriptive and literal; I turned to do 10 minutes of creative writing, trying to loosen myself up to find words and rhythms and meanings. Some of the prompts were to consider the point of view you might write from, take your observations out of the frame and so on.

After those 10 minutes I went away and thought about words a bit and rhythm. Then the next step was to cull these words and to simply write 10 lines.

It was such an enjoyable process and exercise. I melded steps from all sorts of sources and mixed and matched and changed the process half way through but ended up doing something I really enjoyed and that got me a lot further down the path towards a poem than I would have had I simply looked at the painting and written "an ode to a painting".

My ten lines at the end of it:

Safe harbour, amongst the many moons

All the moons

Expanding to an infinity of stars

Water settles into permanent night

Serene, secure, safe

Ways in and ways out

Steering clear of worries

Breathing in the dark sky

Drawing in the moon glow

Releasing the deep water.

There is more to do in refining and working on rhythms and culling and re-arranging, but I am so pleased that I have the kernel of poem sitting here, speaking with me.

I do love learning!

Thursday Thoughts...

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.” 

 Georgia O’Keeffe

The older I get, the more I enjoy trying to understand what making and creating is REALLY about. I sometimes think oh yeah it's all right for famous and successful artists to say that recognition or success is irrelevant, but of course no matter their status, they are right!

More and more I am on the side of the folk who think about art as a way of expression; as a means by which our personal slant on the world or thoughts about something can be shown. In particular I love this idea of our unknown becoming known.

So much of art making is a mystery and for sure, much of it is unknown even to ourselves. I imagine Ms O'Keefe is saying here that the important thing is that we bring forth previously unknown thoughts and ideas and imagery and allow them to be seen; and to be known.

And I think it is important that she refers to YOUR unknown, nobody else's.

The Library of Lost Words (2014) - I did not know I needed to do this all those years ago, but loved doing it!

Dabbling and viewing

 It felt good to sit down and get my hand moving again. 

Whenever I need to begin again and feel my way, it's good to sit down, touch things, tidy things, put some things away, pull some things out, and wait to see what happens. 

I sat at my wee desk-studio space and made some postcards out of some left over prints. I also found three strips I had left over, cut from something else last time, and put them together to make a book mark. Nothing earth-shattering or brilliant, but getting back in the groove of putting things together and making stuff.

We visited the gallery at the North Coast Visitor Centre last week and there was a vibrant showing by young people from the area. I was particularly taken with these glorious wings, with over 500 young people participating.

And we have hyacinths, and the first of the lambs...

Cottage arrival and welcome

We arrived at the cottage through the week and were welcomed by big blue skies and the mildest of weathers. Of course this changed to quite chilly weather as well; but no rain and not too much wind means it has been a mild re-entry...

Here are some of ht moments from the first week. I hope to get my hands into some arty things in the next few days, but for now I am adjusting to the beauty of this place and falling in love with it all over again.

The cove with lots of different colours happening.

Morning light on the crofts - so many lovely dividing lines of fences..

Waiting at the old school gate...

One of my favourites - our neighbour's sheep along the top of our stone dyke and some of our sculptures and daffodils.

Speaking of which, I brought a real variety inside to enjoy.

But there were plenty of lovely ones outside to be enjoyed as well.

And the cottage looking gorgeous in the sunlight with the blue sky and daffs in front.

One of Barry's peace doves still flying, in the plum tree, which very happily is flowering!

And then a different bird on a sunrise wire...

A truly lovely return and much beauty around us.

Thursday Thoughts...

"A story can always break into pieces while it sits inside a book on a shelf; and, decades after we have read it even twenty times, it can open us up, by cut or caress, to a new truth." 

Andre Dubus

I oftentimes wonder about which books to keep on my shelf. Which books might I re-read? Which books should I say I have read you once and that is all I need? These words suggest that perhaps I should keep them all and regularly re-read them! I doubt that I could, but I do agree with the sentiments that suggest that even after a very long time, book can be re-read and utterly shatter us.

So much of the joy and wonder of reading is the equation that a book = author's words plus reader's perceptions. And each and every one of us brings our experiences and thoughts and beliefs to the reading of a book; and of course, these change over time. 

I love the phrasing here of how, after re-reading, a book can open us up by cut or caress - it can wound us or enfold us. So true, depending on where we are and where we have been in the intervening years.

Also the notion that what we had thought of as "the story" can itself, break into pieces and be re-formed or re-shaped into a new story based on who we are now.

Sigh, so many big ideas, and so much to think about and consider about the process of reading and re-reading.