Have you ever heard the word 'Ekphrstic' before? I certainly hadn't. Ekphrstic Poetry means poetry inspired by art. I learned that today at the High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club (HDCWC) meeting. Our speaker was one of our members, Mary Langer Thompson.
I have to say, I'm not big on poetry, but I truly enjoy Mary's. Her work has been published in lots of journals and magazines. It can also be found in our club's anthology Desert Gold.
She gave everyone at the meeting (and there had to over seventy people in attendance) a small picture of one of Van Gogh's paintings along with an observation worksheet. The worksheet had us list words that came to mind when looking at the artwork. We jotted down what was happening in the artwork, who or what the subject was, what the mood was, what sounds, smells, feelings or tastes came to mind, and how the artwork connected with us personally. After we completed the worksheet, we each wrote our own poem. I'm not a poet, but here is what I wrote based on Van Gogh's painting, Portrait of a Woman in Blue.
This woman is thinking.
I can't crawl inside her head.
Are her thoughts as dull as she looks?
Or would she surprise me?
I think the later.
Some people wrote beautiful and moving pieces. I just had fun. People are going to submit their poems to our newsletter editor and she will publish some. Next month, when the Inkslinger comes out, I'll share a few here.
I have to say, I'm not big on poetry, but I truly enjoy Mary's. Her work has been published in lots of journals and magazines. It can also be found in our club's anthology Desert Gold.
She gave everyone at the meeting (and there had to over seventy people in attendance) a small picture of one of Van Gogh's paintings along with an observation worksheet. The worksheet had us list words that came to mind when looking at the artwork. We jotted down what was happening in the artwork, who or what the subject was, what the mood was, what sounds, smells, feelings or tastes came to mind, and how the artwork connected with us personally. After we completed the worksheet, we each wrote our own poem. I'm not a poet, but here is what I wrote based on Van Gogh's painting, Portrait of a Woman in Blue.
This woman is thinking.
I can't crawl inside her head.
Are her thoughts as dull as she looks?
Or would she surprise me?
I think the later.
Some people wrote beautiful and moving pieces. I just had fun. People are going to submit their poems to our newsletter editor and she will publish some. Next month, when the Inkslinger comes out, I'll share a few here.
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