Monday, December 16, 2013

Three Artists, a Poet and One Great Love

"Your Moment of Zen" by Dave Smith


If Mother Nature is the mother to us all, then I think she would speak to us in ways which move the spirit and encourage us to lead lives of greater love.  Dreams often inform my poetry.  The fanciful narratives that filter into my head at night become the scenes for future verse.  "The Path to the One Great Love" is one such poem which spoke to me in that space between deep sleep and wakefulness.  

I am honored to share the ekphrastic artwork of Dave Smith, Joanna Turlej and Kelsey Becker.  Through the lens of art, you will see three different visual expressions of what this poem might or might not be about.  I will let you, the reader, reflect on how these offerings meld together and weave their own individual stories of what it is like to be on the path of the One Great Love of life itself.


"The Path to the One Great Love" by Joanna Turlej



The Path to the One Great Love
(Dreamtime messages)

There is a path that leads
to great unhappiness.
Why do my children choose this?

The steps replace themselves
with more steps.
No two, well-worn pavement stones
are alike.
And yet –
each path leads
to isolation from the Great Love
and weakened bones.

I shower them with deepest blue skies
and blooms as big as a baby’s head.
No, this is not enough they say.
More.
We want
More.

So, the sun fades to mellow.
The loosened buds close their petals
and take refuge in the deep sleep
of winter.

I shall come in spring –
to root down and flower up.
All life will come to be again,
but my children, you must live.
Even inside the hibernate cave,
you must dwell
in union
and BE.

Cristina M. R. Norcross
Copyright 2013


"Silence In Between" by Kelsey Becker


About the Artists

Dave Smith

Dave Seth Smith is an artist, poet and co-founder of the Art Ambush Project.  He lives in the Tidewater area of Virginia.



Joanna Turlej

Joanna Turlej graduated from OCAD University in Toronto, ON with an honours degree in art and design, and the George A. Reid Award of Excellence.  She explored different media, from tapestry weaving, silk painting, watercolours to acrylics.  Joanna exhibits three to four times a year in group exhibitions and participates in the Oakville Studio Tour on annual basis.  Her expressive style and luminous colours are her trademark.  She is inspired by moody and atmospheric landscapes that she likes to interpret in her own way.  To learn more about Joanna's work, visit her website.

 

Kelsey Becker

To learn more about the artwork of Kelsey Becker, please visit her artist Facebook page HERE.