Devoted to Mary Oliver

I have been a fan of Mary Oliver's poetry for years. Her poems are detailed and heartfelt images of nature, the humbleness of being human, and a clear indication that writing poems is a form of prayer. Her newest collection, "Devotions," is a compilation of poems from nearly all of her other collections and I keep it on my reading table and dip into it each morning. The title also gave me the idea for the art journal I've been toying with creating for a while now.

I have wanted to create a journal that honors Mary Oliver and includes some of my favorite lines from her poems. I've been lately intrigued by these 6 x 6 inch disc bound journals and I think it's the perfect style for this new journal.

I will create mixed media, art journal style, layouts and incorporate lines from the poems. It is my way to highlight the lines I love and to pay tribute to the poet who inspires me to write poetry and to experience and witness nature in all its beauty and tragedy with not only open eyes, but with open heart and spirit.

The Diversity of Creativity

Today seems to be about finding myself--yet again.

As most of you know my creative projects veer off in many directions. It could be art journals or mixed media, it could be poetry or short stories, or it could revert to novel writing. My desires seem to shift from day to day and sometimes from minute to minute. Today I am torn between each of these endeavors and the urge to return to fiction--novel or short stories is strong.

Part of the reason I feel so torn I suppose is that the blank page or a white canvas does not intimidate me. Rather it inspires me as I feel it holds, in its vast blankness, a world of possibilities. Once a few words are written, or some color laid down limitations automatically arise. Though things may change in the creation of the story or painting there is already a directed commitment. 

I want to learn how to accept that I am a divergent creative person and I will never settle into any one form but that always brings up a lack of focus that makes me uncomfortable. If I can become comfortable with that I will be okay.

But in looking at my various forms of creative expression I have noticed something. While my fiction tends to lean toward the dark side of life and people my art seems to be all about happiness.

This art journal layout says it all. While my writing tries to expose the problems in life and show how my characters overcome it, my art wants to shout to the world that there is beauty all around us. 

I am the kind of person who stops to smell the roses, pauses to watch a sunset or sunrise as its colors change from second to second, or stills to hear the songs of birds in the morning. I want my art and poetry to show all the beauty in the world and encourage others to stop in the middle of their hurried lives to witness it all.

National Poetry Month

In honor of National Poetry Month in April, every year I like to give myself a challenge. Usually I connect the poetry to some art form since that's what this blog is all about. This year I will focus only on poetry since I've been doing more writing than art lately. (Of course I will add art to my creative time soon.)

I've been taking online classes in two forms of Japanese poetry, tanka and haibun, and so will follow those forms for this year's challenge.

I'm beginning a series of tanka called "Third Marriage" and here are the first two poems:

November chill
unexpected phone call
early dinner meeting
after 5 cups of coffee
relationship is born


harvest moon
color of autumn trees
my heart round
full as the cratered orb
lighting a cobalt sky


copyright by Renee Howard Cassese