Journeys - Exploring my mind and the world

 

Jim Isham

Our show for May and June features beautiful work from members of the Concord Art Association:

• Anamilena Ayala
• Annette Batchelor
• Colin Hall
• Deanna Merrigan
• Deena Sheranko
• Irene Bee Kain
• John Nakanishi
• Kees van Prooijen
• Laurie Mansur
• Lori Rutledge
• Marjorie Graham
• Nancy Roberts
• Pat Calabro
• Pat Viera
• Renaye Johnson
• Saira Grube
• Sharon Petersen
• Tom Quinlavin
• Yumiko Nishizawa

CAA members will be guest docents here in the gallery each day during the show - be sure to come by and say hello! We're open Wednesday through Saturday, 11am-5pm.

Everyone is welcome to join us for the Artist Reception on Saturday, May 21st, 2-4pm. 

Renaye Johnson

Poem: Cyanaen Rocks

 

Rocks by Lorraine Wells

Cyanaen Rocks

How could water move    

Euripides Ignatius and Plato 

Do not have no way around it 

Dancing rocks bright red corals 

The wind blows high this very day 

day passed night on its way 

Bright blue sky 

Dancing rocks 

Jason sea Odyssey 

Sea is so calm here 

rocks more as soft boulders 

How could they move 

a little in two centuries 

Could the water move 

we through it 

could we move along the Water 

rock stone boulder 

dance in the sea 

We will kiss the lizard king and she

And be well in home

Yes home.

Thomas Stanton
© 2022

••••••••••

The Benicia First Tuesday Poets’ Group and members of Benicia Literary Arts have written ekphrastic poems about paintings from our show, Watercolor - A Happy Medium.

Ekphrastic poems are vivid verbal descriptions of a work of art. Fifteen different poets each came to the aRt Cottage to pick one pieces from each of the 15 artists in the show. 

Poem: Settled

 

Settled - Barbara Tapp

Settled

two buildings

one in decay

the other a beautiful house

located in close proximity 

each with a history

one more recent than the other

both inhabited

the building in decay

lives bats, spiders and other creatures

the beautiful house

people dwell

both places create a home

comfort from weather,

place to raise young,

have food,

realms of safety,

and most important thrive

both buildings life has settled

settled in

settled

Thomas Garry
© 2022

••••••••••

The Benicia First Tuesday Poets’ Group and members of Benicia Literary Arts have written ekphrastic poems about paintings from our show, Watercolor - A Happy Medium.

Ekphrastic poems are vivid verbal descriptions of a work of art. Fifteen different poets each came to the aRt Cottage to pick one pieces from each of the 15 artists in the show. 

Poem: Day Trippers

 

Day Trippers by Ruth Miller

Day Trippers

Beach bicycles navigate

Rough cobbled paths

Beams of light ignite

Kaleidoscope colors 

Sun filtered emotions  

Delight spirits to dance

Gusts of ocean air

Tangle hair in disarray

Laughter follows behind

Sand-covered lovers

Inhale fragrant breaths

Warmed by exertion

Seagulls squawk overhead

Race to the water

Boats bump the dock

Hearts beat in rhythm  

Seaside shops lure  

Travelers to their repast

Aromas of brewed coffee

Mated with baked croissants

Encourage seasoned riders’

Reflection upon years

Tasty morsels savored

Tender moments shared

Memories created to last

For when they cannot ride

Bicycles to the shore

Sandra Simmer

© 2022

••••••••••

The Benicia First Tuesday Poets’ Group and members of Benicia Literary Arts have written ekphrastic poems about paintings from our show, Watercolor - A Happy Medium.

Ekphrastic poems are vivid verbal descriptions of a work of art. Fifteen different poets each came to the aRt Cottage to pick one pieces from each of the 15 artists in the show. 

Poem: Ninety-Nine

 

Oldie But Goodie - Leslie Wilson

Ninety-Nine

On her 99th birthday

She asked me, “How ya doin’?”

   “Really,” I said, 

   “If anyone but you asked me that,

    “I’d have said, ‘Gettin’ old, and feelin’ it.”

We laughed.

By phone, we bridged the continent

   and the 50 years past.

We reminisced a bit,

But more than that –

   More than the weather –

   Or the rust and brokenness of age…

We renewed our shared sentiment

   For peace in a world at war

   For clean air, justice and good government.

On her 99th birthday

When we rang off our phone

We gave thanks.

She’s an oldie,

   But God, is she a goodie.

Roger Straw

© 2022

••••••••••

The Benicia First Tuesday Poets’ Group and members of Benicia Literary Arts have written ekphrastic poems about paintings from our show, Watercolor - A Happy Medium.

Ekphrastic poems are vivid verbal descriptions of a work of art. Fifteen different poets each came to the aRt Cottage to pick one pieces from each of the 15 artists in the show. 

Poem: Campfire Stories

Campfire Stories - Fiona Hughes

Campfire Stories 

There is a painting of a blazing fire 

We gather around it to bond

as human animals in the dark mysterious night

enchanted by the voice of the storyteller

as many have done before us

Watching the sparks that protect us from the dark

where the great unknown and unseen awaits

These flame warm me

as do the close bodies of the others in the circle

and protect me from the final alone-ness I must one day face

but at this campsite so close to all of you

I am safe

I am safe and secure.

Nina Serrano

© 2022

••••••••••

The Benicia First Tuesday Poets’ Group and members of Benicia Literary Arts have written ekphrastic poems about paintings from our show, Watercolor - A Happy Medium.

Ekphrastic poems are vivid verbal descriptions of a work of art. Fifteen different poets each came to the aRt Cottage to pick one pieces from each of the 15 artists in the show. We'll be sharing the poetry here on the blog over the next several days - enjoy!

Poem: Sea Spectator

Sea Spectator - Cynthia Slyker

 

Sea Spectator

Do you see it all

from your perch above the churning waters  

humans carelessly degrading the environment

the floating fields of jetsam

ensnaring the legs of your brethren

the coatings of oil fouling your feathers?

Does it make you angry

that people so foolishly flout 

the interconnectedness of our species

the precariousness of nature’s balance

the fragility of our joint health?

Do you wonder

when you must fly farther through overfished waters

when your ancestral foods now taste of toxins

when your thin eggshells crack so quickly…….

what kind of world your offspring will inherit…….

As I do?

Katrina Monroe
© 2022

••••••••••

The Benicia First Tuesday Poets’ Group and members of Benicia Literary Arts have written ekphrastic poems about paintings from our show, Watercolor - A Happy Medium.

Ekphrastic poems are vivid verbal descriptions of a work of art. Fifteen different poets each came to the aRt Cottage to pick one pieces from each of the 15 artists in the show. We'll be sharing the poetry here on the blog over the next several days - enjoy!