Detail from "Rain Dance," an original quilt by Sherrie Spangler

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Art inspires poetry in "Deep Spaces"

Visiting my quilt in the "Deep Spaces" exhibit in Edmonds, WA

Last week I headed to Edmonds, WA, north of Seattle, for the ArtsCrush opening that included the "Deep Spaces" fiber exhibit that I'm in. A very special treat -- an honor, really -- was getting to hear the Floating Mountain Poets read their poems inspired by our art. The poets chose the pieces they wanted to write about after seeing the photos and titles of our work, but not our artists statements.

"My" poet, David Jones -- check him out at
www.djonespoet.com -- hit a home run. I wanted to pump my fist in the air and yell, "Yes, yes!" as he read, but I'd never actually do that because I'm quiet and reserved. So here he is, and here is his poem:


David Jones, left, reading his poem inspired by my quilt.
Another of the Floating Mountain Poets, right, listens.
Other Worlds

By David Jones

 

I want to remember a place like this
with warm colors and nice lines
a place where I can float in my dreams
and visit the suns of galaxies
in universes of pastel DNA chains
where the hills of green rise like towers
where the skies come alive
like being inside a kaleidoscope
filled with warm water
and there is a beach
with waves of sand that change in colors
and confuses you
as to where the sky ends
and you want to lie on this beach
watch the multitude of suns dance
for the gods and goddesses
who reign over a place
that defies boundaries
in a time of seeming chaos
with the elements in flux
a muse has come
gifted the hand of the artist
conveyed the vision
contained the dream of eternity
into a form you can understand



After the reading, we got to meet and pose for pictures in front of the quilt. I hope to hear him in person again some day, along with the rest of the fabulous Floating Mountain Poets.



Two days later I spotted this floating cloud mountain in Bellingham and snapped it as it sailed beyond the evergreen.



P.S. "Deep Spaces" will hang through Dec.9 at the Edmonds Conference Center. It will be part of the Edmonds Art Walk Opening on Nov. 17.


Have a colorful day

5 comments:

Pam said...

Huge congratulaitons, Sherrie, wonderful display, and really nice poem! The pictures of the two of you in front of the quilt were great, too.

Judy Ferguson said...

Wow, it just doesn't get any better than that. Congratulations on both your work of art and the inspiration for the poem. Well done.

Frieda Anderson said...

What a wonderful opportunity.

The Idaho Beauty said...

This sends chills up my spine. What an experience! If you ever doubted yourself, this should dispel those doubts.

Ladybug said...

This thrills me to no end to see poetry combined with visual art. Some years ago I displayed a few paintings at a community art show in Kingston, along with some of my poetry written specifically to go with the art. People who attended said they had not seen this done before, although I'm not sure it hadn't been. It's such a wonderful way to fully experience several different art forms at once - the visual artist puts the work out there for all to see, the poet interprets what he sees and shares his gift of words. CONGRATULATIONS - what a wonderful experience for you!