During my 2005 travel to the Carolinas, I was drawn into these interior spaces where the afternoon sunlight filled in a narrative of antiquity. The story dates itself to circa 1800’s on a plantation near the Catawba River in the Carolinas, where early African-American slaves created various objects used for daily living. In these post-photo images I had asked a photo service to add sepia, my favorite. When the final touches were applied, a result of which I refer to as frayed edges came forth. Sepia has the ability to effect emotion that reestablishes a mood in history, and it also serves as a sage of time.

my poems emerge from the dark of you meeting i. then there is something more than light. there is life.

in this life there are people wanting secret wishes taking shape as poems; friends connecting 3000 miles of wonder and wisdom and what now’s; lovers giving each other keys to rooms they’ve always wanted to open; rain smells on sidewalks; kites shaped like swallows; squirrels; chickens; yes; no; o; oh!; children laughing as mothers underdog them on swings; men named harry and women named betty living in nursing homes writing poems for the first time in their eighty-something years of life, “well,” they say, “how about that.”

that is where magic lies, where a poet turns teacher, meets old people turned friends, and so much waiting and wanting comes alive. that, like tea-lit pumpkins on porches and thousands of fireflies looking like fallen stars over a field at night, and punctuation changing so many things, that is the stuff of my life.

if you’d like to know more about my work teaching poetry in nursing homes, visit the Institute on Aging’sCEYA Program

if you’d like to hire me to write poems at your next event, or teach poetry, contact me at [email protected]

thank you so much for your support. yours in poetry and gratitude,

silvi

p.s. the poetry store is an interactive experience where, in 3 minutes or less, you get a custom poem typewritten on beautiful paper, about anything you want! also for sale: one-of-a-kind art & jewelry inspired by the same of-the-moment process and made with an upcycled ethos and vintage appeal.

After becoming interested in an observation or idea, I feel an overwhelming desire to explore, describe and share it. Subjects range from the improbable juxtaposition of things that I happen upon, to concepts that I find particularly interesting. The process of translation into imagery enhances my experience and distills information from whichever image or idea has captured my attention.

Context is the primary mechanism that I use to filter my perceptions. Relationships between a subject and its viewer, or between an object and its environment, create a contextual reference that orders and defines the way something is understood. Seemingly concrete concepts like east compared to west, up and down, or in front of and behind, become fluid depending upon the position of the observer in relation to direction.

People define and are defined by their experiences. In my art practice I use sculpture, two-dimensional media and performance to explore the interrelationships between forms and their implied observer in order to share that experience. My perspective in the observation and creation process inevitably becomes part of the art produced. This implied reference, manifested in the work, engages the viewer as part of the context, while they experience the art.

I'm exploring the medium of oil painting, after doing sculpture for a while.  An engineer by day,  I'm working with volume and shape as well as bright colors.  I'm now exploring abstraction and cubism as takeoffs from my objective paintings, and did figures in a spring class.

As a photographer and book designer, I am deeply invested in looking closely at the natural world around us. My current explorations are with seaweed and kelp.  I have authored six books on forms in nature.  Please visit my website:  www.josieiselin.com