Jess’s story appeared in the local newspaper when I was a young teen. She’d been badly burned in a house fire. The front page image had been black & white. Try as I might, I couldn’t purge Jess’s pain or her image from my head.
I honored her in my way. The painting I did remains with me, as she always has, hanging on a wall in my studio, where I tell Jess how beautiful she is.
It was this painting that taught me the meaning of art.
My mom loved hotdogs. A month after my dad passed, Keith and I took her to Dallas Hot Wieners, a charming little eatery in Saugerties, NY. A hotdog had made her smile that day. Afterward, we walked to Emerge Gallery.
Oddly enough, I created the image below in 2017, several years before Covid. This painting had been part of a group show, “Primar(il)y Red,” Emerge Gallery, Saugerties, NY.
“At the end of 2023 Emerge Gallery closed its physical space in Saugerties, NY, but continued hosting group shows virtually through the gallery shop on Artsy.net. The on-line shop offered a platform for the works of Hudson Valley artists to be viewed and purchased by collectors throughout the world.”
Robert – who only months ago shared his stellar poetry through a powerful voice – is no longer here. His generosity and kindness – needed so desperately in this world – will never be forgotten❤️
Find his work here
Long ago
letters were thoughtless
compartmentalized
in walls of wood
lined in metal
alone as they were
dull
strung together
blossomed
broad thoughts
narrow concepts
soft guilt
hard passion
letters
singular
sideways upside down
gathering residue
together
prescient
wipe clean
return home
job box
alone again
’til evenings events
rally
once more
May you dream of beautiful transient letters making gorgeous journeys…
Above: Long ago, individual metal letters for traditional typesetting were kept organized in job boxes. The boxes were actually drawers that slid into a larger metal cabinet. Today, these boxes are considered antiques. I was given a plain wooden job box in exchange for a painting I did for someone. I painted the box and added my kiddies plastic toys, when they no longer had need of them. 🙂
she is not fearful
monster habitats
are not of this world
loved ones reinforce
and echo friendly books
monsters are creative figments
phantasms of fantasy
she is not fearful
monster habitats
are not of this world
learned now
she reminds herself
monsters are creative figments
phantasms of fantasy
buck fifty headline – RAMPAGE
monsters
are not of this world
she is learned
she reminds herself
May you dream of safety for all the world’s children.
Photo of delicate daughter taken 14 years ago in her most favorite house, monster on black sketched on printer paper while subbing yesterday, marker added at home.
anntogether 