Leaves: Judith Reidy's Painting and Paul Anderson's Poem

Ten Poets, Ten Painters: One Vision

painting by artist, Judith Reidy

Leaves
by Poet, Paula Anderson

A slight breeze brushes the green leaves,
a reminder of summer’s crossing,
the green lobes of the oak leaf
polished and glistening liked waxed fruit
will crinkle from water loss like the rest of nature aging,
no tarted up polyurethane for you,
later gawkers at your colors, leaf peepers,
and you blind to adulation,
knowing no one can re-live what isn’t known.

But we know lost passion.
It remarks on wrinkles like withering
strawberries ripe and red,
losing taste and succulence,
not a single mouth wants you.

A season can be enough to rage the soul.
Memories tied to a face tattooed with mold
but those are hard to understand,
when words for you are the mist of warmth––
breath to push away the fate of winter.

Tonight is the Night for One Vision

Tonight, Saturday, October 17,
"Ten Poets, Ten Painters, One Vision"
Program
at the Raven Gallery
in Pewaukee at 7pm

I am disclosing more of the image of my painting now.
My painting "Leaves" will be completely revealed at the exhibition this evening.

Join us!

Judith Reidy in One Vision at the Raven Gallery

Our gathering should provide an enriching and interesting evening this Saturday, October 17, 2009, at the Raven Gallery: the spot light being the reading of the poems by the poets and the presentation of the accompanying paintings.

Hope to see you there.

Reflections with One Vision- Portraiture

I had some reflections on a wonderful discussion panel this past Friday evening at the Charles Allis Art Museum on which Graeme Reid, Michael Foster, Kattie Musloff and her dear 87 year model where members.

Though I have been a landscape painter most of my career as a painter, I have a fascination with figure work and portraiture for the very reasons they discussed that night.

Particularly, I was attracted to how Katie made her models part of her life. So often as painters we are loners who paint forms or respond to forms as if they were inanimate and we are the ones who give them life in our art. Perhaps, that is what Graeme was referring , when he asked about "objectivity" as a necessity for an artist.

I do at times appreciate when artists take a dis-interesting object and infuse it with life; i.e. paint something ugly beautifully. Nevertheless, while, I, as did the panel, recognize the need for an artist to have an objective technical understanding of the painting before him and in some measure an objective view of what painting is about in general, I often fail to be intrigued by the commonly clinical-like-view that is respected among my contemporary artists when discussing their work "objectively" or mechanically.

What appealed to me in Katie's work was the personal response and respect she maintains for and toward her models... who often become her friends. You may ask what does that have to do with painting or making great art.

In Katie's personal engagement with her models she is able sensitively to begin to connect with the humanity of her model/friends not through a mechanical process but through the her own body kinetically, perceptively and personally in drawing and painting responding to the humanity and life in her subjects before her.

I think that is what made Rembrandt great. Not only was his mind able to connect psychologically with the humanity or soul of his subject, his hand was able to kinetically capture not just the physical likeness but more significantly articulate/capture the soul or humanity before him. That is not objective, but subjective response at its best. His sensibilities matched by his skill, touch a chord that resonates over time and communicates only in the way great art does in truth. This phenomena is the attraction in making paintings and why painting and drawing will never die.

As for myself and my drawings of my mother, I found my line drawings to be very much a kinetic response to my feelings for her and about her. They go beyond a mere likeness. I felt a connection to her moods and her dilemma as an aging woman. I felt elegance and brokenness. I connected in my body with her in my physical response of making art.

What I like about my opportunity with the Lake Country Ten Artist Ten Poets One Vision Project is being able to share my painting “Leaves” based on my drawings of my mother in collaboration and response to my poet, Paula Anderson who has similar sensibilities in writing. In this project, I feel the joy and exhilaration of meaningful human connection as well as the pleasure of kinetic response in painting.

I hope you can join us this Saturday, October 17, at 7 pm at the Raven Gallery in Pewaukee, WI

Judith

My Motivation for Joining the One Vision Project

I am currently part of a collaborative poet/painter program that began this summer. We are having our first presentation this October 17, at 7 pm, at the Raven Gallery outside of Pewaukee on Capitol. I would like to invite you to the poetry reading and the viewing of the artwork.

View today's further uncovering of the piece.

I liked working with my poet, Paula Anderson. I found a poem that she wrote expressed emotionally what I had sensed in making a drawing a few years ago. As she expressed sensibilities in her poetry, I was happy to develop my complementary idea further in making a painting. I found this to be one of the most emotionally honest pieces about being an aging woman; I would like to do more collaboration.

However, the idea is not very pretty, and therefore not appealing to those, which is most of us, who are hesitant to face reality. As an artist who attempts to be honest, I identify with the dilemma of the woman, who is aging. I realized that Paula and I had a common thought on the subject so the project did not seem like illustration, but a natural shared response to life. I liked the common bond it forged between Paula and I.

I would like to meet with other poets and artists and do more of this sort of thing. I hope you can come, perhaps you would like to be part of the next event sharing in our expressed experiences. Perhaps you have a poem or a creative exploration to share in the future. Let us know. Please don't be shy. I would love to see you.

Judith Reidy

Artist Judith Reidy and Poet Paula Anderson in Lake Country Project in TEN ARTISTS TEN POETS ONE VISION

Each day a square hiding the image
will be removed until Judith Reidy's painting will be exposed.

click on the image below

See the painting in person at the event
as well as hear
Paul Anderson's inspiring poem read by the poet herself.

Judith Reidy and Paul Anderson
invite you
to

Join us
Saturday, October 17, at 7 PM
at the Raven Gallery
read
the detailed description in
Lake Country Living