Elizabeth Hurst is the community program director at Warde Senior Living in Windham.
Explain your job and what it entails.
I manage the independent living apartments, and I also oversee the life enrichment programs for our entire senior community. Our life enrichment program is resident-driven … and aims to improve the quality of life for the residents in our community. I stay busy coming up with creative and fun programs for our residents and making sure the diverse needs of our residents are being met.
How long have you had this job?
I’ve been at Warde for nearly nine years.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
Even when I was a kid, I loved helping others and volunteered in many different settings. I always knew I wanted to have a meaningful career and work with people. After graduating high school, I became a licensed nursing assistant in Warde’s nursing home. I enjoyed working with the seniors, and instantly knew this was the population I was passionate [about working] with. I worked my way up through three different positions, which led me to my current position as the community program director.
What kind of education or training did you need?
I’m certified as an activity director and did the required training, education and practical hours to become certified. I also have a bachelor’s degree in business and health care administration, and I’m currently in graduate school for my MBA in health care management.
What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?
I always like to look professional. My workplace is our residents’ home, so I keep my attire business casual.
How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?
Senior communities have faced many challenges throughout the course of the pandemic. It was really hard in the beginning of the pandemic when all the senior communities were closed to visitors and to the public. I had to learn to be flexible and how to adapt quickly. As the coordinator for life enrichment and activities, I needed to be very creative in order to keep our residents engaged during the different restrictions.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
Everyone is on their own timeline. A lot of young professionals are in a hurry to figure out career choices quickly and compare themselves to other professionals, but everyone is on their own speed in life, so take your time and achieve your goals when it feels right.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
That it’s more than bingo. When people hear about activities and life enrichment in a nursing home, bingo is usually the first thing that pops in their mind. Life enrichment is so much more than just bingo and games. All of our residents are unique, and I’m here to make sure there are meaningful activities keeping their lives enriched every day.
What was the first job you ever had?
My first job was when I was in high school, working at a small family-owned restaurant.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
My parents always told me to do something I’m going to enjoy, and I’m glad I listened to them. It doesn’t feel like work when you enjoy what you’re doing, and I can honestly say I love what I do.
Five favorites Favorite book: Harry Potter Favorite movie:I don’t have one favorite. Chances are, if it makes me laugh, it’s in my top five. Favorite music: Folk and classic rock. Neil Young is my favorite. Favorite food: Homemade mac and cheese! Favorite thing about NH: I love how I’m within driving distance to the beaches, mountains and the city.
• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St. in Candia; visitthefarm.com, 483-5623) will host its Egg-Citing Egg Hunt this Saturday, April 16. Sign up for a time between 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. for a hunt for a dozen chocolate-filled eggs, a horse-drawn or tractor ride, a visit to the barn decorated specially for Easter, a visit with the animals (including spring baby animals) and a visit with the Easter Bunny, according to the website. Tickets cost $22 per person.
• New England Vendor Events is holding an Easter Family Fun Day on Saturday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the VFW at 15 Bockes Road in Hudson. Tickets cost $1 (plus fees) to reserve a spot for a specific egg hunt time. The event will also have music, food, vendors and more. See eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-easter-family-fun-day-in-hudson-tickets-248074586767.
• The Saturday, April 16, storytime at the Bookery Manchester (844 Elm St. in downtown Manchester; bookerymht.com) will feature the bookThe Easter Egg by Jan Brett. After the story, kids can participate in a craft making paper Easter eggs with tape and wet chalk.
• The Hudson Mall will host an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 16, with egg hunt times at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and noon.
• On Saturday, April 16, Our Promise to Nicholas Foundation will hold an indoor maze to an egg hunt and the Easter Bunny at the NH Sportsplex (68 Technology Dr. in Bedford; ourpromisetonicholas.com) from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Hop along a bunny trail to play games, do a bunny craft and more and then head to the egg hunt field at a specific “egg hunt time” and take photos with the Easter Bunny (as well as other mascots and characters), according to the website. Tickets cost $8 per person; family tickets are also available through Friday, April 15, at 6 p.m. Tickets at the door cost $10 per person.
Chicks!
Kids can make Chicken Clucker crafts at Goffstown Hardware (5 Depot St in Goffstown; goffstownhardware.com) on Saturday, April 16, from 10 a.m. to noon. The event is free.
Movies for all
• Chunky’s Cinema Pub (707 Huse Road, Manchester; 151 Coliseum Ave., Nashua; 150 Bridge St., Pelham, chunkys.com) will hold a sensory-friendly screening of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (PG) on Friday, April 14, at 4 p.m. At sensory-friendly screenings, the volume is down, the lights are up and moving around is allowed, according to the website. Tickets cost $5.99.
Trout for kids
• The Basil W. Woods Jr. Chapter of Trout Unlimited will sponsor a Youth Fishing Day at Merrill Park on Eastman Street in Concord on Saturday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free and kids under 16 years old can fish in a stocked trout pond with tackle and bait provided. The event will include refreshments, fly casting instruction and fly tying demonstrations, according to a press release.
Save the date: for Peppa Pig
Peppa Pig’s Adventure, a live show based on the popular cartoon, will come to Capitol Center for the Arts (44 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Friday, April 22, at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $39 through $59; a $50 VIP add-on gets you a post-show photo experience.
Save the date: for mom
• The Educational Farm at Joppa Hill (174 Joppa Hill Road in Bedford; theeducationalfarm.org) is holding a Mom & Me Spring Hike on Saturday, May 7, with time slots at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. for a hike around the farm. The cost is $18 per family; go online to reserve a spot.
Save the date: for summer theater
Tickets are on sale now for the eight productions of the Children’s Summer Series at the Palace Theatre (80 Hanover St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) starting July 5 and running through Aug. 26. The series starts with the BJ Hickman Magic Show and wraps up with a presentation of Frozen Kids. The shows run Tuesdays though Fridays at 10 a.m. and Tuesdays through Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. The shows are younger audience-friendly. Tickets cost $10.
I have three of these wooden soldiers. I think this was part of a bowling set that was my mom’s.
My first question is, are these old enough to have value? Next question is, could I find more or similar ones to create a collection for my son?
Emily
Dear Emily,
I enjoy the fact that the set of three soldiers might be the beginning of a new collection.
Your toy soldiers could definitely have been part of a bowling pin set. They have been made for many years, from the late 1800s to now. Older ones such as yours could have been marked at one time Germany or Japan.
I think the value would be in having the complete set, and even better if in the original box. That might be in the range of $100+.
Now for starting a new collection moving forward, that’s priceless! The hunt will be fun and there is no saying what you will find out there today. Yes, it’s always worth collecting antiques and older items. Have fun, and I will keep my eyes open for you as well.
I like dahlias. They are bright and come in many colors with blossoms from the size of daisies to the size of dinner plates. My wife, Cindy, loves dahlias. Every year we have discussions about how many we should plant and where they might go. I believe there is such a thing as too many dahlias. Cindy does not.
Dahlias make nice cutflowers. Courtesy photo.
Each fall we dig up our dahlias a week or so after the first hard frost but before the ground freezes. We store them in a cool basement in boxes filled with sphagnum moss or sawdust that is lightly moist. The problem is, each plant produces a dozen or more tubers, and each and every one will produce a new plant the next summer.
If you have purchased dahlia plants at a greenhouse in the past, maybe this year you would like to try planting some tubers. They tend to be less expensive, and there is definitely more variety. Go to your local garden center or go online and order tubers.
Choose a 6-inch pot and fill it three quarters full with potting soil. Place the tuber so that it is lying flat on the surface, and cover with a few inches of potting soil. Pat it down, water lightly, and let it be. When it is ready, it will send up shoots and then it will need some bright lights. They have tiny “eyes” or growing points, and if you can spot one, be sure to plant it on the top side. But eyes are not always easily identified.
I grow ours on a plant stand with fluorescent lights and have never tried them on a bright windowsill, but I guess that would work, too. If you find your plants on a windowsill are floppy or pale, switch to artificial lights if you have them.
I love calla lilies. These beauties are not true lilies at all, but members of the Arum family (which includes Jack-in-the-pulpit, skunk cabbage and the house plants dieffenbachia and philodendron). Calla lilies are perennial in warm climates but, like dahlias and gladiolas, must be dug and brought inside before the winter here. Now is the time to start some calla rhizomes (a bulb-like modified stem) indoors. Plant them with the smooth side down.
Calla lily growing in a pot on my front steps. Courtesy photo.
One of the advantages of growing calla lilies is that they are not true lilies, hence not bothered by that dastardly red bug, the lily-leaf beetle. The lily-leaf beetle attacks Oriental and Asiatic lilies that I do so love but have given up growing. Calla lilies also bloom for a much longer time than true lilies, though they lack the fragrance of Oriental lilies.
To start calla lilies indoors now, buy rhizomes now at your local garden center or from a reputable supplier. The rhizomes need to be planted about 3 inches deep, then covered with potting mix. It is a good plant for people who tend to overwater their houseplants, as they thrive in moist soil. (By the way, start doubling the water to your rosemary plants if you over-wintered any. Otherwise they will dry out and die).
Once summer is here you can either transplant your potted calla to a nice sunny spot, or keep it in the pot and move it outside. Come fall, you will need to bring them inside, as temperatures around 20 will kill them. Callas need to go dormant in winter.
When buying some calla lily rhizomes at my local garden center, I also bought some gladiolus corms (commonly called bulbs). My gardening grandfather loved growing gladioli, and won ribbons at the Worcester, Massachusetts, county fair most years.
Gladiolus corms are relatively inexpensive so most gardeners don’t bother saving them. Classic colors are red, yellow, pink and purple. I recently bought bulbs that will produce flowers with pink, white, and white with pink designs at my local garden center. I will wait and plant them directly in the soil in my garden in June.
This canna lily has purple leaves and stands nearly 6 feet tall. Courtesy photo.
Another summer beauty is the canna lily. We grew some that were 6 feet tall last summer and they bloomed from mid-summer till fall. Buy rhizomes now and start them indoors to get a good jump on the season. They come in various sizes, and with green or purple foliage.
My favorite summer bulb plant is called a variety of common names: peacock orchid, sword lily, or fragrant gladiolus (even though this plant is not an orchid, a lily or a gladiolus). That’s why I like Latin names. If you ask for acidanthera murielae, plant-knowledgeable people around the world will know what you mean. But for now, I’ll refer to it as sword lily.
The sword lily has long, narrow leaves — like swords — that stand 18 inches or more tall. The blossoms are white with deep purple markings in the center of the six-petaled flower, along with a little yellow at the very center. You get two or three blossoms per stem, and they are enticingly fragrant, particularly in the evening. I’ll plant them now, eight to 12 bulbs 3 inches deep in a 12-inch pot, and grow them on the deck this summer.
I don’t know about you, but I need all the green growing things around me I can get as mud season lingers on. So get your summer bulbs now, before they are all sold out, and start a few indoors.
Featured photo: Sword lilies are highly fragrant in the evening. Courtesy photo.
The latest from NH’s theater, arts and literary communities
• Artistic exploration of the White Mountains: Writer Howard Mansfield and composer Ben Cosgrove present “A Journey to the White Mountains in Words and Music” at the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St., Concord) on Thursday, April 14, at 7:30 p.m. The show, which is based on a chapter from Mansfield’s recent book Chasing Eden: A Book of Seekers and on Cosgrove’s landscape-inspired music, explores the impact that the discovery of the White Mountains has today. “Pioneering artists in the 19th century taught Americans how to look at the wilderness,” Mansfield said in a press release. “Americans were eager for the lesson and … followed the artists. Their art created a market for the views, filled hotels with tourists, and laid the bounds for national parks across the country.” Tickets cost $24. Visit ccanh.com.
• Diverse female authors panel: The New Hampshire Writers’ Project will present a virtual panel discussion, “Speaking Of: Women of Color,” on Saturday, April 16, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Six female authors of diverse origin and culture will discuss their work and how their backgrounds led them to start writing as a form of self-expression and education. The authors include Brinda Charry, an immigrant from India to the U.S., fiction writer and specialist in British literature with a focus on English Renaissance literature and Shakespeare; Christine Nih’shaw Almstrom, children’s book author of Blackfeet/Onondaga Iroquois descent; Gledè Browne Kabongo, an author of psychological thrillers, originally from Dominica in the Eastern Caribbean; Hanh Bui, a children’s book author who came to the U.S. with her family at age 8 as a refugee escaping war-torn Vietnam; Loretta LC Brady, an author and a licensed clinical psychologist, professor of psychology and the director of the Community Resilience and Social Equity Lab at Saint Anselm College; and Masheri Chappelle, a playwright, novelist and intuitive consultant of African American and Native American descent. Rosa Marie Bell, Afro-Panamanian educator, multicultural moderator and executive producer of a weekly broadcast “Cafecito Cultural,” will moderate the panel. The event will take place over Zoom and is free for New Hampshire Writers’ Project members and $20 for non-members. Visit nhwritersproject.org to register.
• Ancient photography: The Currier Museum of Art(150 Ash St., Manchester) has an exhibition, “Appeal of the Real: 19th Century Photographs of the Ancient World,” on view now through June 12. It features photographs of the ruins of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, taken prior to when tourists could take their own photographs, often at the request of wealthy European and American tourists. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17, and is free for children under age 13 and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org.
• Opportunity for teen writers: Under the Madness, a new New Hampshire-based teen creative writing magazine, is accepting submissions now through Friday, April 15, for its second issue. The magazine is designed and managed by an editorial board of New Hampshire teens under the mentorship of New Hampshire State Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary. It features creative writing by teens ages 13 to 19 from all over the world, including poetry and short fiction and creative nonfiction. “It speaks to the confusing whirlwind faced by teenagers [due to the] pandemic, political polarization, global warming, inequity and unrest,” Peary told the Hippo earlier this year, “[and to] writing and creative expression as a way to set a foot on the ground when the adult-made sky seems to be spinning.” Submissions are open for future issues on an ongoing basis. All writing must be written in or translated into English and must be previously unpublished. Visit underthemadnessmagazine.com for full submission guidelines and to read the first issue.
ART
Exhibits
• “STITCHED TOGETHER – ELEMENTS OF NATURE FROM TEXTILE FRAGMENTS” New Hampshire Art Association exhibition features the textile collages of Cheryl Miller, inspired by the colors in nature. On display now through April 15. Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center. Regular gallery hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. All work is for sale. Visit nhartassociation.org or call 431-4230 for more information.
• “APPEAL OF THE REAL: 19TH CENTURY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD” exhibition features photographs taken throughout the Mediterranean to record the ruins of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display now through June 12. Museum admission costs $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 through 17 and is free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.
• “WARHOL SCREEN TESTS” In the mid-1960s, American multimedia artist Andy Warhol had shot more than 400 short, silent, black-and-white films of his friends at his studio in New York City. Warhol referred to the films, which were unscripted and played in slow motion, as “film portraits” or “stillies.” The exhibition will feature 20 of those films, provided by the Andy Warhol Museum, in loops across four large-scale projections. The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St., Manchester). On display from March 31 through July 3. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and up, $10 for students, $5 for youth ages 13 to 17 and free for children age 12 and under and museum members. Current museum hours are Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday through Wednesday. Call 669-6144 or visit currier.org for more information.
Powerful works on display at ‘Impact! Abstract’ exhibition
Twiggs Gallery in Boscawen has opened its 2022 season with “Impact! Abstract!” featuring the work of six local artists and on display through May 28.
“It showcases artists boldly approaching abstraction in completely different ways with a wide variety of media,” Twiggs Gallery Director Laura Morrison said. “Most of the artwork in this exhibit is on the smaller side, yet each piece really stands out on its own. It’s very powerful work.”
Each of the six artists answered a few questions via email about their inspiration and techniques.
Ann Saunderson
Acrylic, mixed media, oil & cold wax, monotype
What draws you to abstract art?
At first abstraction was just a challenge after having been a landscape and narrative painter all my life.
What was your artistic process in creating pieces for this exhibition?
It was surprisingly difficult to switch over and loosen up enough to enjoy the process. Once I accepted that I could paint over layers it was easier. And oil and cold wax helped and added the possibility of texture. Most of my work is really quite accidental. I may start with a theme, a concept, and then halfway through there’s a moment where the paint and I change directions and truly I’m just along for the ride.
How does your work in this exhibition make an impact?
My work is pretty dynamic. It doesn’t have answers and leaves a great deal up to the viewer. I love color and texture and I think those factors also give my paintings impact.
Daniela Wenzel
Oil painting, assemblage, ink drawing, driftwood pyrography and improvised quilt making
What draws you to abstract art?
What excites me about abstraction are the endless possibilities to depict facets of everyday life and the environment, without portraying clearly recognizable subject matter. An abstract work of art can mean many things to different viewers. I am specifically drawn to the emotional capacity in abstract art and its utter unpredictability. I rarely have a definite vision in mind when I start a new piece.
A low relief abstract sculptures by Daniela Wenzel.
What inspired your choice of materials?
I enjoy free experimentation with color and techniques, pushing boundaries and being resourceful with my materials.
What was your artistic process in creating pieces for this exhibition?
While time stood still at the height of Covid-19 in the spring of 2020, I found myself home with my kids on the days I wasn’t working at Elliot Hospital. My three Lego assemblages were created due to lack of time to paint in the studio. A lover of any kind of colorful visual vocabulary, I improvised my art making and created simple color abstractions. I specifically enjoyed playing with color theory and depth by layering different shapes and hues. Legos are an incredibly fun and abundant art supply and after repeatedly stepping on them I realized they could be more than nagging booby traps. For the two oil paintings included in the ‘Impact! Abstract’ exhibition I also used pigment sticks, which are basically solidified oil paint in the shape of a thumb-sized crayon. The use of these is more immediate and less deliberate and the marks noticeably different than from a paint brush.
How does your work in this exhibition make an impact?
The paintings both reflect and resonate the same playfulness and positivity as the Lego assemblages. They contain colorful pattern work, evocative shapes and a variety of paint application techniques to carry a sense of spontaneity.
Kate Higley
Printmaking
What draws you to abstract art?
I was a painting major as an undergrad, discovered printmaking in my early 30s, and fell in love with the way it has to be done step by step. The focus on process slows me down in a good way.
Printmaker Kate Higley’s “Spinning World.”
What inspired your choice of materials?
These particular prints are intaglio drypoints. This means that the ink is snagged inside the lines rather than flowing across the surface. I use an expanded plastic material for the plate and all kinds of sharp objects to make an image. It is then inked, wiped, and put through a press onto dampened paper.
What was your artistic process in creating pieces for this exhibition?
The gallery inquired if I could submit some black and white images. With three older plates on hand, I printed those, became engrossed and created four more plates specifically for this exhibit. The incentive was the invitation and I think Laura Morrison, the curator, used the absence of color to break up the other more vibrant work in a lovely installation.
How does your work in this exhibition make an impact?
My interest is inventing small organisms swimming or tangled in imagined aquatic or marine environments. The concerns are ecological and environmental. As an abstract artist, my aims are quite different from those who work toward realism. Texture, movement and repetition are all used to create a mysterious and engaging space where the viewer can consider not just what is present, but what might be happening outside the picture place.
Ethel Hills
Acrylic
What draws you to abstract art?
I started in abstract art almost accidentally. I was working in watercolor and started using a wet in wet technique to drop unusual colors into my landscapes. That led me to being more experimental and more colorful, letting go of realism in favor of design and color. The bottom line is that I’d much rather have a luscious crazy colorful painting than one that looks like a photograph.
Ethel Hills – Signs of Spring – Acrylic on Panel – 8″ x 8″
What was your artistic process in creating pieces for this exhibition?
The pieces in this exhibit were painted with lots of play and experimentation. I put shapes and marks on the panel or canvas and then keep playing and experimenting, looking for surprises, and looking for what speaks to me. At some point in the process I start to see what the painting is about. At that point the refining, rearranging and adjusting are a bit easier, because I have an emotional direction for the painting.
What inspired your choice of materials?
Acrylic is a great medium for this type of playing around, trying things out and changing things.
How does your work in this exhibition make an impact?
Hopefully these paintings make people think and make them smile. In general, I think that abstract art asks more of the viewer. The artwork isn’t always a quick read. It’s an invitation to look and think and feel. My paintings are kind of two sides of a coin. The ‘Mud Season’ ones are dark and rich, but with strong lights. They’re the contrast between the dark and messy parts of life and the brighter things, such as hope and joy. The brightly colored ones, from the ‘Early Spring’ series, are joyful and reminiscent of the contrast between snow and the coming spring. But that’s just my read on them. Everyone gets to bring their experience to the work and make their own judgments and their own stories.
Grace Mattern
Mixed media collage
What draws you to abstract art?
I’ve been a writer since I was young and have published two books of poetry. … Poetry is an abstraction of sorts, using as few words as possible to express the meaning of moments and events in our lives. Ten years ago I began to make image-based collages, layering figures and backgrounds to reflect multiple dimensions. That led me to an interest in combining image and text to create an additional layer of meaning. From there I began to make abstract collages because I was intrigued by the process of creating meaning without representational images. I enrolled in an online course in abstract collage in the spring of 2021. Through that class I learned different techniques for mark-making and printing collage papers and committed to a regular practice of collage-making. I’ve been regularly making abstract collages since.
Grace Mattern’s “Mending.”
What was your artistic process in creating pieces for this exhibition?
The pieces in the exhibit were created using techniques I’ve learned over the past year. The pieces arose from experimentation with techniques and materials and building trust in my instincts regarding composition and how to create meaning through abstraction.
What inspired your choice of materials?
I’m intrigued by meaning that can arise from unexpected combinations of materials. Sewing on paper, then painting the paper and cutting out shapes is included in three of the collages in the exhibit. I’m also drawn to the effects of layering transparent paper with varied prints, and what can emerge from that process. That’s reflected in the pieces in the show also.
How does your work in this exhibition make an impact?
As a longtime writer and somewhat beginner visual artist, I’ve always struggled with the question of how art has an impact in the world. I’m a lifelong social justice advocate, and worked for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence for 30 years. The current focus of my activism is racial justice and land conservation, which overlaps with recognizing the ongoing contributions of indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land for thousands of years. I believe that the act of creation itself is activism, as it’s a gift to the world to express ourselves through art, music, poetry, etc. I hope the impact of my work in the exhibition is to create excitement in people to find whatever creative expression is meaningful to them and put it out into the world.
Becky Barsi (Artsy Barsi)
Interdisciplinary with a focus on mixed media assemblage
What draws you to abstract art?
The element of experimentation, chance, and the unknown draw me to create abstract compositions.
From Becky Barsi’s “Texture in Motion” series.
What was your artistic process in creating pieces for this exhibition?
It all started by deconstructing a bullet and playing with the gunpowder inside. After a few singed fingertips I learned how to safely control this mild explosive. Following these experiments I considered the broader significance of this media and how it could be juxtaposed with traditional art media.
What inspired your choice of materials?
So much of my life is lived in motion. Going, going, going. I often forget to stop and observe the subtle details of the life around me. … ‘Texture in Motion’ is a response to the chaos of a life that had intended to be more reflective and aware. Developed over the past year, this mixed media work was created as a meditative process and bridges three unique media. The work plays with the physical properties of a fluid medium, bending and twisting, sometimes colliding with colors (acrylic ink). It is balanced by the varied, yet structured, textures that are interacted with on a daily basis (security envelopes) and are tied together by the contrasting unpredictability of a volatile explosive (black powder). This work is a reflection and metaphor of a life.
How does your work in this exhibition make an impact?
There is a visceral reaction to working with gunpowder that can’t be avoided. The anticipation of the ignition, when the flame touches the volatile grain, adds an extra beat to the rhythm of my heart. The chance, the unknown result of this material instantly impacting the surface and surrounding materials, adds to the anticipation and impact of this process.
A poet’s perspective New Hampshire poet laureate Alice B. Fogel (2014-2019) will be at Twiggs Gallery On Saturday, April 16, from 1 to 3 p.m. She will be reading from her new book of poems inspired by abstract expressionist art, Nothing But: a series of indirect considerations on art & consciousness. There will be a book signing opportunity after. The event is free but seating is limited; reserve a ticket at twiggsgallery.wordpress.com.
How did you use abstract art to inspire your writing? What I wanted to do was to start with abstract expressionist artworks — without describing or explaining them — and bring to language those same disruptions to our stream of consciousness that occur when we encounter the unexplainable. … I’m so grateful for the opportunity to transcend mundane logic by means of nonrepresentational material — mineral, color, form, texture, light, shadow — I hoped the poems would create a conversation about reality, illusion, embodiment, perception and thought itself.
Was there any piece in particular that originally made you think, ‘This could be the basis for a poem’? The very first poem I think I wrote for this series was based on my response to a painting called ‘Field Notes, No. 59,’ by Andrew Moore, that I saw in a gallery in Asheville, North Carolina, Blue Spiral. (The poem is ‘Notes for 59,’ which opens the book.) I was so taken with it that I began to contemplate how abstract art, while not representing recognizable, ordered figures from our daily lives, can still represent a great and necessary part of our primal or archetypal human experience. I wondered if language could confound and re-orient us the same way.I took off from there.
How did you find the artwork that you drew your inspiration from? Local galleries? Online? Some of it was from galleries, and a very few from artists whose work I already knew. But because I was injured and immobile at the time, I found most of it online through websites. Not the best way to view art, but it was a life-saver that I could view it at all.
Why abstract as opposed to representational art? If I saw a painting and I could say, ‘That looks like a tree/house/river/anything!’ then I wouldn’t use it for this project. I didn’t even like using a totally abstract painting if it had a title that was too directive, like ‘Loneliness’ or ‘Rain in Winter.’ … I wanted to be affected in my heart or my gut or my skin while being clueless in my mind. I’m basically examining consciousness itself, building up a first-person plural, collective conversation, poem by poem, about reality and illusion, embodiment and spirit, perception and thought, as well as about art itself. Whether my response was infused with humor or wonder or ache, the art became … akin to a religion — a way to access the transcendent by means of pure material.
Explain the subtitle of your new book. Thank you for asking about this.The book starts with an epigraph from William James’s The Stream of Consciousness, written in 1892: ‘Consciousness is in constant change … a series of indirect considerations…. The only breaches that can well be conceived to occur within the limits of a single mind would … be interruptions, time-gaps during which the consciousness went out….’ The book’s subtitle reflects that concept. … It’s probably no surprise … that these poems are not narratives or linear lyrics. So I also hoped that by providing a pretty concrete hint of what the poems are after, the subtitle would help people know what they were getting themselves into.
Twiggs is calling this exhibition “bold and powerful.” Do your poems fit that description as well? That’s not for me to say, but that’s definitely how I think of the art that inspired the poems in this collection.
Featured photo: “If only…” by Ann Saunderson. Courtesy photo.
