Featuring cherita!


March 23, 2018

Poetry Friday--Ekphrastic Cherita

I'm looking forward to National Poetry Month coming up. In the past I've celebrated with "Ekphrastic Mondays" during April. This year I've decided to try for 30 days of ekphrasis (art about art) and I'm planning on writing cherita*. I'm asking for your help in selecting art for me to be inspired by. If you have a favorite work of art by a female artist, please send me the artist's name and the work, or simply send a link [dianemayrATdianemayrDOTcom]. I only ask that the work be within the public domain to avoid problems with copyright and permissions. I can't guarantee that I will use each suggestion, but I'll give it a shot!

Here's an example of an ekphrastic cherita. The painting is "Kinsale buoy" by Patty Gulledge and is used with permission. It was posted to the 6th Annual February Daily Poetry Project by Linda Mitchell and I wrote the cherita to go with it.

seagull watches

old fisherman's fingers
in motion

mending the nets
that haven't existed
for fifty years

© Diane Mayr, all rights reserved.

Be sure to stop by Laura's Writing the World for Kids where you'll find dozens of poetry links for today!

*Cherita: a three-stanza poem that tells a story. The first stanza has one line that sets the scene, the second stanza has two lines, the third has three lines. To learn more, visit the cherita.

28 comments:

  1. I'll be looking for you, a terrific idea! I miss our February writing, much to inspire then!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, February was inspiring and it was good to produce something every day.

      Delete
  2. I love how you start with the seagull, Diane. And then what a touching scene. Sounds like an intense NPM for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad you like the seagull, I used it to set the scene.

      Delete
  3. I'll give this some thought and look through some of my art books. This piece of art and the poem that goes with it is timely. My kiddos and I recently read The Old Man and The Sea. This is a perfect "found poem" for that novel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My 4th grade teacher read The Old Man and the Sea aloud during the last few days of the school year. I must have been sufficiently impressed since I remember it 50-odd years later!

      Delete
  4. Yay! We will be ekphrasis sisters this April! I may send you a couple of pieces. Meanwhile, love this seagull scene. Thank you! xo

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice job with the cherita, Diane. Looking forward to your NPM poems. Will look for a painting to inspire you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jama, you post old illustrations daily! There should be an older one among them that really spoke to you?

      Delete
  6. Touching and melancholy, Diane...I like the tension between nature and human.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The tension between nature and man provides some of the most telling stories of all! Think about The Old Man and the Sea mentioned in the comments above!

      Delete
  7. What moving words. I am fond of Mary Cassatt. Woman in a Pearl Necklace: https://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/72182.html Or a mom with a baby: http://www.the-athenaeum.org/art/detail.php?ID=8664 So many good ones. I can't put any more links or your spam filter will rise up and strike me down. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Brenda, I hadn't decided on a Cassatt painting yet. I think I'll use "Woman with a Pearl Necklace in a Loge"--it is full of possibilities!

      Delete
  8. This is a lovely cherita. I don't know if this suggestion will work for your purposes since Rachelle is a current artist. We met her on a train to London and got to talking about art and poetry and many other things. She was quite interested in our February poetry project that cross pollinated art forms--which is similar to her current art that bridges music and visual art. Here's a link to her website: http://www.rachelleallen-sherwood.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Are you in contact with Rachelle? If so, would you ask her if she'd like to send me a link to one of her works to use? I would certainly be happy to write a cherita to go with it. Thanks, Kay!

      Delete
  9. Sounds like a wonderful NPM challenge for you, Diane! It's a beautiful seaside picture that you've painted with your words today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's definitely a challenge in more ways than one! I hope you'll follow along.

      Delete
  10. Ekphrasis is so rich with possibility. Looking forward to reading more of your cheritas!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Catherine! The fun all starts next Sunday on Easter!

      Delete
  11. love, love and LOVE! I have some great art to share....just need to check the copyright status first. The cherita you wrote for Patty's painting is lovely. If it's OK, I have more paintings by Patty to share.....I'm sure she would love her work used as inspiration.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you have Patty's permission for me to post her art, it's fine with me! I would probably need a piece for late in April. I look forward to hearing from you!

      Delete
  12. Wonderful cherita--I love how the story unfolds differently in each stanza.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Buffy. There's not a lot of space in which to work, so each stanza needs to be utilized to the max.

      Delete
  13. Nice movement in your cherita!
    Lovely idea Diane, though I am having trouble finding images that don't say "maybe subject to copyright." Here's a link don't know if you can use it:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/368028600770448874/ it's art by Dorothea Tanning, If you are interested you could use an image of mine if you list my name with a copyright symbol, or if you pick one out I could send it to you wwwmichellekogan.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Michelle, The Athenaeum is my favorite art site. It tells you what is in the public domain, plus, it has culled the women artists making the search even easier. Dorothea Tanning is still copyright protected since she only died in 2012. There are actually plenty for me to choose from on the Athenaeum's list, but, if you'd like to send a favorite out of your work, I'd be pleased to write a cherita to go with. Thanks!

      Delete