The word ekphrasis usually refers to the expression of one art form through another. A writer might be fascinated with a certain painting and write a poem about it. A composer might take his inspiration from a piece of sculpture. The painter might use his brush to portray a fictional hero. But ekphrasis can also lend form to something the artist only imagines or dreams about.
I sometimes use ekphrastic expression to explore a particular force in my life. I think of it as creative googling of my own mind. Ekphrasis is the search engine that powers my obsessions.
My mother is one of those obsessions. I’ve written poems about her, have given her a voice in my stories, have sketched her, have gathered a collage of her artistic accomplishments in my journal pages. I still don’t understand the power of her presence. Am I paying homage? Or am I seeking triumph?
At any rate, Bear Number Eighteen is the latest ekphrastic flower decorating her shrine in my victory garden.
I sometimes use ekphrastic expression to explore a particular force in my life. I think of it as creative googling of my own mind. Ekphrasis is the search engine that powers my obsessions.
My mother is one of those obsessions. I’ve written poems about her, have given her a voice in my stories, have sketched her, have gathered a collage of her artistic accomplishments in my journal pages. I still don’t understand the power of her presence. Am I paying homage? Or am I seeking triumph?
At any rate, Bear Number Eighteen is the latest ekphrastic flower decorating her shrine in my victory garden.
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