Art has a special way of connecting us all, whether it's through poems, stories, or paintings etc.
Take Emily Dickinson, for example. Her beautiful poem "Hope is the Thing with Feathers" (1861) paints hope as a bird that lifts our spirits.
Then there's Max Porter, whose novel "Grief is the Thing with Feathers" (2015) uses a unique and magical story to explore the deep feelings of loss.
Both of these works touch on what it means to be human, using metaphors and symbols to express emotions we all understand.
Dickinson, a recluse whose poetry often explored themes of nature, mortality, and spirituality, crafted verses that are at once introspective and profoundly insightful. Her poem "Hope is the Thing with Feathers" personifies hope as a bird that persists in the soul, even in the direst of circumstances.
She writes:
"Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all..."
This metaphorical representation not only captures the ephemeral yet resilient nature of hope but also invites readers to contemplate the intangible essence of human emotions.
Porter’s novel, "Grief is the Thing with Feathers," offers a contemporary reinterpretation of Dickinson’s metaphor.
Through a blend of prose and poetry, Porter navigates the landscape of grief, personifying it as a crow that intrudes upon a bereaved family’s life.
He writes:
"Once upon a time there was a widow, called Mum, and her two children, called Dad and the Boys. For a year, they lived in the grieving time, when words had small meaning and landscapes had lost their colours." (Porter, 2015)
The crow becomes a companion and antagonist, embodying the chaotic emotions of grief while also serving as a symbol of healing and acceptance.
There’s a certain magic in striving to capture the metaphorical depth of Emily Dickinson and Max Porter in my abstract paintings.
It’s about reaching into the soul of these profound works and letting them resonate through layers of bleached-out colors and erased textures. This is how I seek to evoke the same emotional intensity found in their words.
My journey in art began with my degree show at Wimbledon School of Art in 1989. The exhibition presented two strands: ethereal white wings in titanium white and Naples yellow and black treacle-like crow wings.
This interplay, this dialogue between hope and grief, life and death, touched on ideas that still resonate with me today.
The balance was and still is delicate.
As an artist, the poetic has always been my guide. The words of Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, and Max Porter are not just influences but inspirations. Poetry and prose seems to capture fleeting moments of profound truth.
Do you find peace when reading poetry?
Do you miss the quiet?
For me, quiet moments are precious. I find solace in listening to books on my phone while I paint in my studio. The radio is too disruptive; it shatters the fragile atmosphere I need.
Listening to books is my way of connecting with art and immersing myself in creativity.
Whether through Dickinson’s verses, Porter’s innovative narratives, or my visual abstractions, the themes of hope, grief, and the human condition are ever-present.
These works invite us to contemplate life’s complexities, to find solace in artistic expression, and to connect with our shared humanity.
In their myriad forms, art becomes a timeless medium through which we explore, understand, and feel less alone in our journey.