Longing for Light

Longing for Light

Sometimes light breaks in where it is unexpected,
finding shapes in the darkness of shadow stones
my luminous finger flows across fault line crack.

A stampeding sky horse, I gallop as a mad stallion
eight legs flying across land and water, hammering
hoof-fall a mythical rhythm of skaldic visions now.

One-eyed Gods of poetry – nothing more than lust
licking with words, as high above winged laughter
mocks blind master free of memory, void of thought.

-Jim Larwill

Tiny flame within is fed with oxygen
and bursts into a roaring blaze
Suddenly all is made clear in the
burst of light

River Truths

River Truths

A spruce hangs clinging to frozen soil:
here at this river’s bend, winter weighs
heavy with – hazardous storms of truth.

Cloudy virgin ice mirrors and mocks this
spring-doomed tree with erect visions of
youth, still straight with heavenly belief.

Soon falling storms of snow will razor wash
face of lonely branches with an ashen beard,
roots cracking like old fingers anointed at last.

-Jim Larwill

Working with a Poet

Below is one of my paintings alongside one of the many beautiful poems that the Ottawa poet, Jim Larwill has written for my paintings. It is a humbling experience to work with a poet who can look at the paintings and reflect them back in words that reveal new energies within the images. I am able to see my work more clearly with these new revelations. The paintings are somehow more complete with his lyrical words framing the images. It is a joyful thing to share the creative process with an artist of another medium, we are presently working on putting a book of images and poetry together.



Passion

A quake threatens to tumble upon a tender
meadow with an avalanche of love as fall beauty
pulls upon fractures of a root tickled hillside.

Raspberry leaves, these wind licking flames -
a burning bush torturing this grey slate rock:
heart of the mountain beats hard and steady.

Cracked teardrop tongue of stone cries for sweet artist cut;
below her glass breath sky – hearts of granite skip-a-beat.
Everywhere at once a sentinel spruce sings free - trembling.

-Jim Larwill

Coming Snowstorm

There's a snow storm coming, I can feel the stillness in my bones. There are blurry blends of warm and cool grays in the clouds, I can smell snow. Spent the day learning about glazing acrylics at the Visual Arts Center in Montreal. The glazing of acrylics intrigues me as a new medium to replace the toxic oils I am now using. I can't wait to get back in my studio and give the acrylics a try on larger canvas...have plenty of ideas brewing. Montreal Studio is a busy place these days since we have
the St-Henri Art Walk coming up and all three of us are participating. The studio is FULL of paintings, feels so alive in there!!