Writing Art (Punctuate That!)

Writing art. Writing, art. Writing; art. However you punctuate it, it is exciting to participate in the collaboration between a writer and a visual artist. And I am currently involved in two collaborations for the upcoming "Twists and Turns" show sponsored by WIVLA.

This morning I visited my collaborator/friend Kay Kemp (www.wildheartart.com) and saw the painting she is finishing as part of our collaboration. It is just beautiful. The title - which is also the title of the meditation I wrote to go with it - is "Walk With Me." The central images are a labyrinth and a guardian. The words of the meditation are inscribed on the painting. I can't begin to do justice to the delicate, intricate detailing of this painting. I'm imagining Kay with a three-hair paintbrush in her hand! Kay teaches creative process, which is what is mostly on her website, but there is a page with some of her paintings. She is a very good teacher ... I've had the pleasure of taking one of her creativity workshops. I recommend them.

Then, this afternoon, Roberta Sajda, my other collaborator/friend, sent me a file with the digital art she has been creating for the same collaboration show. Oh, my. Another gorgeous piece of art - entirely different, soft and flowing with bold lines and lovely pastel colors. Her piece doesn't have it's final name, but the poem I wrote to accompany it is called "Singularity." I don't think Roberta has a web site displaying her art, but I hope she gets one soon so you can see what fine work she does.

I would love to share both these pieces of art and the writing, but I have to wait until after the show opens (and get permission, of course). Anyone who lives in Houston should attend the opening or stop by the venue to see the show while it's up. It is sponsored by WIVLA, which regular readers know is a great organization (Women in the Visual and Literary Arts - www.wivla.org). The show will be at the Museum of Printing History in Houston from October 21 - November 3, 2004. The opening is on October 23 at 6 PM.

FYI, I am currently reading Annie Dilliard's "An American Childhood." This is a memoir about her childhood in Pennsylvania and it is as raw and edgy as childhood, unabashed, abandoned, cuttingly honest. I really admire the work and it has made me think a lot about my own childhood - what I noticed and how it touched me, what I missed. She has some wonderful passages about the unconsciousness of childhood, about being "asleep" to the world as a child and, when you finally are awake, you've left it behind. This is not a new book. It's been on my bookshelf a long time, but I recently moved a bunch of my books into the new bookcases (see August archives) and decided to read things I haven't looked at for a long time. Annie Dilliard also wrote "Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek" and probably more stuff. I guess I'll have to check on her recent work if I'm going to tell you about her. OR, you can tell me about her if you've been reading her more recent work.

Ciao!