Never in a million years would I have expected this, especially as a latecomer to the world of art. Nevertheless, The Universe decided that my artistic efforts be on display in an art exhibition all the same. And here is how this little miracle of the unexpected happened.
It all began with meeting educator, and artist, Dr. Irene Naested, during a reception prior to an Alberta Writers Guild awards evening a few years ago. (Although a “few” might really now be “several.” It’s a bit disconcerting how one’s sense of time shifts as one ages.) Anyhow, Irene’s book, “Exploring the Math and Art Connection,” was up for an award that night. So it was over cocktails and conversation that our friendship began to grow.
Fast forward to COVID-19, and the shock and lockdowns that went with it. Irene productively spent her time writing and publishing another book, this one called: Art-Making: A Companion in Solitude. And with her book, the consummate educator in Irene had her hosting a “book club” (via Zoom, because it was, after all, during COVID) where participants were encouraged to try out, and then share and discuss, the different artistic techniques explained within. To me, it was a wonderful introduction to a varied set of art classes as well as to other members of the local artisitic community.
Brenda Kelly, artist and one of Irene’s Zoom book club participants, suggested a collaboration of artists and poets. I immediately raised my hand to sign up, asking if the group would have me as an “artist,” being’s how I was such a newbie at it all. No problem! I was accepted into the fold with open arms. Wow!
Our group called itself Photo Synthesis, giving a nod to the work we were doing together. And Brenda became our fearless leader and herder of cats. Cool cats, I might add. At least, IMHO. We worked on a call and response basis. A poet would write a poem, and the artist would respond to it. The artist would create an image or a sculpture, and the poet would respond to that. We did two of these calls and responses each month, and ended up with quite a collection of art and poetry within six months. Which is about how long our collaborative efforts lasted. We worked with each other between Spring 2021 and Fall 2022, and took the summer off, like all good Calgarians do.
Then, lo and behold, one of our members was asked if our Photo Synthesis group would like to exhibit our art and poems at the 2023 People’s Poetry Festival being held at CSpace, an artists’ incubator, hub, and resource centre in Calgary. Of course, we said YES, PLEASE. And THANK YOU, too!
As I write this, the miracle is happening now. An exhibit of our poems and art is on display at the 4th Floor Gallery of cSpace from March 27 – April 2, 2023. Our group was also invited to give a presentation during the festival, and we’re doing that, too. On Saturday, April 1st. And it’s no joke, it’s a dream come true!
This is my first blog post on this newly minted website. I’ve launched it to coincide with our art + poetry exhibition opening on March 30th. I’m working to deadline, so not sure if I’ll get much more up for your refuge, reflection, and renewal needs until April. Please bear with me. I’ll get there eventually, and I hope you’ll come along with me on this journey of discovery.
TTFN,
shee