Today is National Poetry Day. Many of our artists are inspired by poetry - both overtly - where the words appear in the artworks, but also in more subtle undercurrents. In 2008 we had an exhibition that asked the artists involved to create work more consciously linked to the written word. Here is a link to some of the artworks and the associated poems: www.kilmorackgallery.co.uk/CVs/ART%20and%20the%20WORD%20text.pdf
George Mackay Brown inspired many artists, here's one of his:
Anne Bevan, Sculptor
Hills, Woolcraft, Stone
'Good' said God as he made the
wind, the sea, the fire, the
folded hills
'Good' Said the shepherd as he
fleeced his flock
'Good' said the wife at the hearthstone
spinning wool on her wheel
'Good' said the weaver as the shuttle
clacked
'Good' said the housewife as she
folded blankets in a basket, fresh
from sun and wind
'Good' said the quarryman as he
hewed great stone from
the mountain
'Good' said the sculptor as she
made her sculpture
*
To make things is to do well
*
And to do things in harmony, all
trades and images cohering, is
to catch time and form in their
flight, until all cry Gloria
George Mackay Brown
Some of our artists have inspired poets too, such as Helen Denerley - who inspired Michael Longley's poem, Scrap Metal.
Scrap Metal
I
Helen Denerley made this raven out of old iron,
Belly and back the brake shoes from a lorry, nuts
And bolts for legs and feet, the wings ploughshares
('Ridgers', she elaborates, 'for tatties and neeps'),
The eyeballs cogs from a Morris Minor gearbox.
The bird poses on the circular brass tray my mother
(And now I) polished, swipes of creamy Brasso,
Then those actions, melting a frosty window pane,
Clearing leaves from a neglected well, her breath
Meeting her reflection in the ultimate burnish.
The beak I identified as a Harrow tooth
Is the finger from and old-fashioned finger-bar
Mower for dividing and cutting down the grass,
And, as he bends his head to drink, he raven points
To where the surface gives back my mother's features.
II
The head I pat is made out of brake calipers
With engine mountings from a Toyota for ears,
The spine of a baler chain, the ruff and muscular neck
Sprockets, plough points, clutch plate, mower blades.
The legs a Morris Minor kingpin or swingle tree.
Snow in Aberdeenshire and Helen's garden. A wolf
At the forest's edge where scrap metal multiplies
Waits on claw hammer feet for the rest of the pack.
Michael Longley
George Mackay Brown inspired many artists, here's one of his:
Anne Bevan, Sculptor
 |
| Ian Charles Scott - GMB - etching - contact us for details |
'Good' said God as he made the
wind, the sea, the fire, the
folded hills
'Good' Said the shepherd as he
fleeced his flock
'Good' said the wife at the hearthstone
spinning wool on her wheel
'Good' said the weaver as the shuttle
clacked
'Good' said the housewife as she
folded blankets in a basket, fresh
from sun and wind
'Good' said the quarryman as he
hewed great stone from
the mountain
'Good' said the sculptor as she
made her sculpture
*
To make things is to do well
*
And to do things in harmony, all
trades and images cohering, is
to catch time and form in their
flight, until all cry Gloria
George Mackay Brown
Some of our artists have inspired poets too, such as Helen Denerley - who inspired Michael Longley's poem, Scrap Metal.
Scrap Metal
I
 |
| Helen Denerley's Redshank |
Belly and back the brake shoes from a lorry, nuts
And bolts for legs and feet, the wings ploughshares
('Ridgers', she elaborates, 'for tatties and neeps'),
The eyeballs cogs from a Morris Minor gearbox.
The bird poses on the circular brass tray my mother
(And now I) polished, swipes of creamy Brasso,
Then those actions, melting a frosty window pane,
Clearing leaves from a neglected well, her breath
Meeting her reflection in the ultimate burnish.
The beak I identified as a Harrow tooth
Is the finger from and old-fashioned finger-bar
Mower for dividing and cutting down the grass,
And, as he bends his head to drink, he raven points
To where the surface gives back my mother's features.
II
The head I pat is made out of brake calipers
With engine mountings from a Toyota for ears,
The spine of a baler chain, the ruff and muscular neck
Sprockets, plough points, clutch plate, mower blades.
The legs a Morris Minor kingpin or swingle tree.
Snow in Aberdeenshire and Helen's garden. A wolf
At the forest's edge where scrap metal multiplies
Waits on claw hammer feet for the rest of the pack.
Michael Longley
Comments
Post a Comment