Interpretations VII

This post is long overdue, but I'm thrilled to finally share it.  I had the joy of being a part of the the Columbia Art League's Interpretations VII show as an artist this past year.  Though I could not see the show in-person due to being on bed rest during the time it was up, I still enjoyed the whole journey and am excited to eventually meet up with the poet I was paired with  I've been a part of Interpretations as a poet three different times: II (which I couldn't go to because I was recuperating from meniscus repair surgery), III, & VI.

What is Interpretations?

Columbia Art League describes it as:

"A marriage of 35 visual artists and 35 literary artists, each submitting one work of their own choice with any theme. Then, an art swap: Each visual artist receives a work from one of the writers; each literary artist receives an artwork. The task for each artist and writer: to create a second work of art or piece of writing, which is his or her interpretation of the other artist’s work. The result: A show of 70 artworks and 70 pieces of writing. The aim of the show: A reminder that we all see the world differently; our interpretations of the world around us are uniquely ours. How will each artist interpret the other artist’s work? How will the viewer interpret the written words and artworks in the show?"

This year was my first time applying as an artist.  

I submitted this piece:

Here is the interpretation:

Blooming Season
by Betsy Garrett

Stand tall
face the sun and revel in
the singular beauty of
your blooming season
hold no fear of the darkness
use your dormancy to rest
then rising taller and stronger
drink in the light and rain
gift your seeds with abandonment
surround yourself with an
adorned field of your offspring
stand tall
and be

Here is the poem Betsy Garrett submitted:

Be a Prairie

grow deep roots
extending feet
underground
hold onto each drop
of water
and nutrient
stand firm against
roiling winds
cyclone forces

sustain life
host pollinators
shelter birds
reptiles insects
boldly proclaim
diversity
attired in
breath-taking
ancient beauty

And this is my interpretation:

I had the good fortune of finding an old folk art book at a library booksale just days after receiving Betsy's poem.  I wanted to capture the cyclical beauty of the prairie giving life, and the life within the prairie giving the prairie life (the whole chicken and egg question), but I wanted to take an element of her poem and make it the subject.  My initial idea used snakes as the subject, but even I recognize snakes have too much baggage.  Thankfully I saw the birds in the old folk art book and changed direction.  

I'm not sure if I should call it a mistake, but I did not map out anything.  I decided to completely wing this (pun intended!).  Thankfully, I could see it in my mind the entire time, and I just so happened to have the perfect beads and materials.  Other than the cotton reptilian fabric, I used upholstery samples, which were unruly, constantly unravelling, and required needles that looked like weapons.  Unfortunately, to sew the teeny tiny beads to the piece I also had to use wispy needles that are no thicker than a strand of hair.  The upholstery fabric laughed in my face every single time I used one of those wispy needles to sew on a teeny tiny bead.

Now that I've experienced Interpretations as both a writer and an artist, I thought I would know which side I preferred.  I remember I would receive one word or two at a time when I was writing my interpretations.  I would have the words but not really know what to do with them.  After collecting one or two words at a time over three or so months, the poem refused to fully reveal itself until the week before the due date.  It happened that way every time.  As an artist interpreting the poem I could both see her poem as it was read in my mind and also my interpretation of the thing that spoke to me the most, which was the chicken and egg question.  My interpretation went through a few different subjects, but it was essentially the same piece of art with the pieces rearranged in each rendition.  Each time I paused my work on the piece I would take a picture, and like anything else I make, I would stare at it and let it tell me what to do next, what to fix, and how to grow it.  There were a few times I did the staring thing with this piece, and my mind was like, "Not that, you fool!"  Here's the thing about upholstery fabric.  It doesn't let you take back your stitches very easily.  You have to cut out the entire progress you made with that piece of thread.  So having said all that I'm not really sure what direction I will take next time.  It will likely come down to whether I have something fitting to submit and what that particular thing is.  There's a reason why this show is always amazing to see.  How we interpret the world and the interpretations others make of our interpretations is a wild, soul-stirring ride.