Ekphrastic Challenge - Kate Sommer

The snow settled 

on the hills 

beside the stream.

As a child

I splashed in the water

and collected stones

from the bottom.

In the winter

we would jump across

and see who

would fall first.

The stream was 

where I relaxed

and dreamed.

Even on the coldest days

the sun is shining,

and the water sparkles.

Sometimes I'm alone.

Sometimes I bring my sister,

or my best friend.

I feel safe there,

even when the snow takes over,

even when the sunsets.

The stream is

where I escape

and think.

Painting by Marion Hoyt (my great-grandmother)

Ekphrasis Challenge- Kayla Beebout

The Painter

As a rule, he only painted people of

Importance:

Kings, queens, courtiers.

His skill with a brush was

Magnificent,

Known throughout the land.

 

He walked through the woods,

Quietly,

Dreaming of his next portrait.

A princess, beautiful as the dawn,

Delicate,

like a rose only beginning to bloom.

 

He heard something to the left.

He stopped,

Stood still,

Hardly dared

Breathe.

Then he turned.

 

 

There before him was a

Girl,

Sturdy as a farmer’s daughter,

Fast asleep,

Nestled

In the moss-covered fork of a tree.

The painter couldn’t help but

Stare.

His eyes, used to lace and brocades,

Marveled at the girl’s rough

Homespun,

Wondered who she was.

 

Something about her made her

Beautiful.

Her feet were bare, her skirt showed

Her ankles, Her skin was

Bronzed

By the burning sun.

 

And yet, the painter saw only

Beauty

In the head laid back, her hands

Clutching the trunk, the way her

Lips

Parted ever so slightly as she breathed.

He did not wake her.  He left her,

Peaceful,

But took back with him an image,

A perfect picture of a girl

Asleep

In the woods, untroubled.

 

His next painting left the court

Astounded.

Who was this girl, this

Peasant girl, dressed so

Plainly,

Her hair let loose over her shoulders?

The painter never did

Explain,

But from that day he refused

To paint anyone of any

Importance:

No kings, queens, courtiers.

 

He only painted those

Who would not be seen

Without the skill of his brush.

 

 

 

 

Breton, Jules. Asleep in the Woods. 1877. Private Collection. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. The Athenaeum. Web. 30 Aug. 2015.

 

 

 

Ekphrasis - Anthony Tamasi

The darkness was pervasive,
enveloping everything,
save where he held the match
over the papers arranged on the floor before him.

He looked again at the bills.
How will I pay these?
Agonizing as his lover awaits him,
calls for him from his bedroom,
unaware of the bind he has found himself in.

His wife does not know about the debt nor the mistress,
and he will make sure she never does.
A matter of pride,
he will never tell her.

The darkness nearly hid everything,
but it could not hide the past due bills;
It could not hide his seemingly futile efforts,
day after long day.
It could not hide the gap of trust in his marriage.

Why was he here, in this moment?
Still thinking of his family in the midst of his mistress.
A good man, turned by the darkness,
enveloping everything: even him.

The light of a match reaches only so far.

Dubois, Gerard. Man sitting, holding a match over paper. Digital image.Exposition Gerard Dubois. Costume 3 Pieces, 5 Jan. 2010. Web. 30 Aug. 2015.

Ekphrasis - Flower Seller - Avery Brown

 

The night was as sleepless as the night before                                                                                                              

the chickens cluck and flutter about the hen                                                                                                                     coyotes and their pups shiver and come out of their den                                                                                                              and no one else can be such as I, from the day long chores, sore.

An early day begins with the collection of eggs and the milking of cows                                                                     los hijos watch the horses and the goats in the field                                                                                                   but I really need help with these flowers.

The day only gets hotter and hotter, too hot for chores                                                                                          but they aren’t going to finish themselves                                                                                                                    and the baby is crying                                                                                                                                                                     but I really need help with these flowers                .              

The grass is all scorched and the abuelo is porched                                                                                                    that is his favorite spot, black coffee in hand                                                                                                                    but I really need help with these flowers.                        

A wedding to be had on the eve of tomorrow                                                                                                           here at the ranch in the field by the barn                                                                                                        there are no decorations or food or people                                                                                                           But I really need help with these flowers.

The midday sun is beaming down making sure there is no water in my body                                                      I look over to see los hijos sitting under the apple tree                                                                                                        But I still need help with these flowers

There are about 104 flowers in this bundle                                                                                                                         I only have two hands                                                                                                                                                                     the whole family is lounging about the ranch                                                                                                       But I really need help with my wedding

                                                                                                                        

Why Art? Skylar

I think that because everything in life is about perspective it is the role of the artist to give us a representation of their perspective. It’s an insight into other people’s views on things. It helps us to develop our own views. And sometimes it’s more than just them telling us what they think but also them showing us how they feel about a given topic. It’s their emotions when they see a certain word or a person or an object. I think their main responsibility when it comes to creating art is giving honesty through their themes and ideas. Portraying their thoughts accurately and realistically. Everything we see, hear, and read develops our thoughts and it is important to know the true motives behind something and know they are really what the artist intended. Language arts is set apart from other arts because it is very middle ground. With painting and 2D/3D media you can only depict what you’ve seen before. With language you, because the English vocabulary is so big there are so many different words, with different connotations, to depict what you see. With music you have all the extra words like you do in language but you can accompany music with it to give it a more defined sense of emotions to depict what you mean. I do consider myself an artist, but I only reproduce what I see in the real world. I don’t add in my own feelings to show how I’m feeling, nor do I speak out on a subject. I only relay it how its shown in the real world.

Ekphrasis Challenge - Emily Salamanca

Rope burns redden her worn hands

She's done this years on end

The daily struggle never bothers her 

Bucolic bothers are still so ideal

The cow tugs against her

The maid pulls back stronger

The cow doesn't know that the maid is trying to help

The maid doesn't realize the cow is being gentle

Her horns mean nothing

Her hooves tread gently on the damp grass

All she wants are her sleepless calves

Who beg of her attention

The maid steps out from her shoes so slightly

The cow lowers her head 

The maid in blue leans backward, coaxing the cow

The cow shifts her weight forward in response

The yellow bonnet on her head absorbs the sweat

Her muscles tire, but never give in

The spring wind revitalizes her

It is a welcomed distraction, though momentary

The cow moans as the calves find place in the shade

The maid loses an inch of ground

The cow accomplishes a small victory

The maid jerks inadvertently

Her udders burn, yet her heart ignores

She points her head against the breeze

Ever more determined to gain again

A tug of morning, a pulse of war

The maid notices the cow's directed gaze

The cow feels the understanding

The maid releases the taught rope

The cow celebrates her triumph

Horodner, Stuart, and Dorothy Freeman. "Favorite Cow Is Back!" Art Museum Insider. The Art Museum at the University of Kentucky, 13 Dec. 2011. Web. 30 Aug. 2015.

Why art? Good question. To answer that we must first know what art is. Art is painting. Art is drawing. Art is writing. Art is expressing. A quick Google search will tell you that art is any given number of things, such as "the various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance," or "a skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice." So why art? It's because we are a creative and emotional species, and we need a way to express our feelings in a creative way. That's why art exists. It is a vehicle of our creative expression. It is also why "art" has so many different definitions and forms. Anyone can be an artist, just as anything can be a form of art. 

So what then is the role of an artist? This agin entirely depends on what "art" is to you, and is therefore highly subjective. But for ease of argument, let's stick to the traditional connotation of the word art: Art is paintings, sculptures, texts, and other visual pieces created to provoke thought and to be appreciated for their inherent beauty. In that case, an artist's role in society may seem pretty simple: all he or she must do is create something "beautiful" for the rest of us to appreciate. But art is more complex than that, and being an artist requires something much deeper. Art helps us understand our humanity and the historical conditions in which we live,and it is the artist's responsibility to ensure that these themes are captured in the artwork. The artist must also act as an advisor/observer, helping the general public by commenting on contemporary issues and acting as both a catalyst for cultural, political, and societal change and as a mouth piece for the oppressed. 

This ever-vigilant watchdog mentality is especially common in the language arts. Many of the greatest books of all time were written as social commentaries. Take, for instance, the scholastic staple Brave New World. It contains a clear warning about the dangers of Utopian ideals and promotes individualism and free will despite the suffering that may accompany it. The language arts allow us as a species to explore issues and ideas in depth in a way that other forms of art don't really provide for. Language arts are important as they function as a forum for intense philosophical discussions, such as the duality of man. 

I am an artist in the broadest sense of the word. I express myself creatively through creative avenues, such as writing my papers or a debate case or by using my own style. But I'm not an artist in the traditional sense. I'm terrible at drawing and sculpting and painting. Absolutely awful.

Why Art? - Sydney Taylor

Art is an escape from reality. It is truly the only way anyone can express the unique creativity they possess. It is a light in the darkness that is ordinary, everyday life. Art can be used to share opinions and ideas about real problems or it can be used to create new, abstract things. Art can inspire and alter attitudes and change lives. The role of the artist is to bring something new into the world. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as it's true and meaningful. What sets the language arts apart from other arts is the ability to almost utilize and combine different arts using language. You can paint a picture, play a song, or create a moment using certain descriptive words. Novels, short stories, and poems are all distinctive art forms and can be used to express important feelings and opinions. Would I consider myself an artist? I work at Panera so my sandwiches are pretty artistic. I think you can find art in anything, you just have to look.

Why Art? - Anthony Tamasi

Art is expression. Art is our culture. Our society is run by technology and ridiculously hard mathematics, but the things we enjoy in life are generally the arts at work. Music, poetry, and prose are all art, in addition to the things one would generally associate with art such as paintings, drawings, or sculpting. Artists play a huge role in our lives, whether we realize it or not. Their form of expression forms our culture, our habits. The music we listen to every morning in the car on the way to school. The short stories we read while at school. The paintings hung up on the walls to try to liven up the dullness of the workplace. These conventional artists aim to use these mediums to help enrich our lives. They feel a certain responsibility to let their experiences out through their art, and allow us to see what they have been through, how it has shaped them, and how their art will shape us, as viewers. The language arts are so subjective, as the others arts are, but even more so in my opinion. Nearly everything is a symbol, every sentence or verse chosen with such precision, especially in short stories where every word matters. Every sentence has a purpose, and is carefully chosen, which is crazy to think about when looking at a book with several hundred pages including thousands of those precisely picked sentences. I am an artist I suppose, but not in the conventional sense where I paint, draw, or create music to spread a message. I express myself in my own ways, personally through the game of basketball. Everyone is an artist in that we all express ourselves; it is just a matter of how. 

Why Art?- Kayla Beebout

As humans, we have a need to express ourselves to the world.  This is easy to see.  People talk to each other all the time, to share opinions and stories.  Talking to people can be rather limited in scope, though, unless you’re someone like the President who can communicate with people from all around the world at the same time.  So, we create art.  Art is a way to show others what you think.  It is a way to express your feelings.  It is a way to reach people with a message in a way that they can understand.  And, for the viewer, art is a way to feel connected.  We connect with art that means something to us.  Maybe you’ve gone through the same situation, have felt similar things, or think that it is beautiful.  It is a way for us to see into other people’s hearts and minds.

An artist’s job is to create something of beauty that others can relate to.  Art, in most cases, reveals something about the artist—but, in a broader sense, it reveals something about our world.  Every piece of art needs to carry some sort of message, and it is the artist’s job to get it across.  Artists also have a responsibility not to think of themselves as being above others.  Art should not be so abstract or so full of jargon that viewers cannot understand it.  They will marvel at the genius at the artist (or maybe groan about it), but that isn’t the point.  The artist is not the point.  The point is for people to feel something real when they view art, and to understand themselves and the world better afterwards.

The language arts are very different from most other types of art.  When most people think of art, they think of drawings, paintings, and sculptures.  Some might even think of music, film and photographs.  But the language arts, on the surface, are not visual or auditory.  You cannot stare at a page and divine its meaning and beauty.  You have to read the words, understand them, and visualize them.  Artists working with language arts are not creating a visual or audio display per se; they are describing something visual or auditory.  That almost makes it harder to do, because all you have are written words, and somehow you need to turn those into something that people can see, hear, and feel.

Yes, I am an artist.  I am a writer.  I love to put into words the stories I see play out in my head, and I want people to see what I see.  I want them to feel something when they read my words.  Whenever I write, I feel as if I were pouring a bit of my soul onto the page.  The images and feelings that were only mine are now available for others to see, and that can be a scary thing.  But, at the end of the day, all artists put themselves out there, hopefully so that others can learn something.  One of my deepest desires is for something I write to really impact someone, even if they don’t realize it at the time.  So, I pour that bit of my soul onto the page and let myself become an artist.

Why Art?- Max Kaufman

Art at its core is a means to create an emotional impact on an observer, whether it is minor or life changing. The role of the artist is to choose a media; while art is quite forgiving the art must be a media of sorts. This is because the job of the artist is to create a soul within the piece. Without media the art wouldn’t exist.  The artist in order to make good art must be emotionally raw. Because art is the visual/audible/physical manifestation of emotion, the artist is at their best when there is nothing dividing their emotions and the work. In other words, the art must be a piece of the artists themselves. The language arts are different from other forms of art because when dealing with language arts the artist must use words to express themselves. In this sense the soul of a literary piece is not necessarily dependent on what is being stated, rather how it is being stated (use of diction, syntax, and imagery). On a separate note what I find interesting about art is its ability to form compound art forms. Take music for example, generally a song is not just instrumental; it has both singing and instrumentation. From this we could conclude that this song has two general art forms residing in it, the lyric and the “music”. As art is discussed, it becomes clear that it doesn’t have to meet many requirements to be considered art. This brings me to whether or not I am an artist. My personal belief is that everyone is an artist, anyone who has attempted to express themselves emotionally (communicate) is an artist. This brings me back to what I stated earlier in that an artist must be emotionally raw; this is rather what separates the effective artists and the ineffective ones. I cannot speak to whether or not I am a good artist.

Why Art? - Kate Sommer

For me, art is a stress reliever. Often, when I'm stressed about an assignment or school/life in general, I'll find myself painting or drawing something. Whether it be a simple doodle or a painting that takes a few hours. Art relaxes me. But why art? I've never been the most vocal person when it comes to emotions. Since a young age, I've tended to keep things bottled inside for longer than they should be And when they do come out, it's a bit of a mess. So, personally, art is a way for me to express those emotions and get them out my mind before an explosion occurs. For many like me, art is way for people to express emotions without having to put them into words. Rather they can express them through images and colors.
The role of the artist is difficult to classify. Many would say it's the role of the artist to come up with ideas and create the art. But there's much more than that. The artist has to make decisions about the subject, color scheme, positioning, meaning, etc. The artist has to convey a certain meaning/topic through these decisions so they have to be made carefully.
Language arts is different from many arts because it's main medium is words. When people think of art they, more often than not, think of painting, drawing, sculpture, etc - art that is primarily made of images. But language arts requires the same kind of decisions and insight that visual art requires. Sometimes language arts is even harder because you have to form sentences and concise thoughts to portray images rather than drawing/painting the images.
I do consider myself an artist because I create art and because I enjoy it, and to me that's all it takes to be an artist.

Why Art?- Isabelle Rinker

Art is passion. The purpose of art, in all its forms, is to express. A feeling, a moment in time, hardship, happiness, what have you. Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson said, "Art is the window to man's soul. Without it, he would never be able to see beyond his immediate world; nor could he see the man within." As an audience, we are able to identify with another artist's work by interpreting the piece the way we view it. And as artists, we are able to express the feelings we want to communicate through masterpieces. Personally, I find myself identifying with musical works more than anything else. There is almost nothing more satisfying to me than finding a song with lyrics I can relate to completely. However, other forms of art (i.e. film, drama, literature) have touched my soul as well. The role of an artist is to portray the images and feelings he/she wants to express to an audience, and his/her responsibility is to inspire an audience. Literary forms of art put those thoughts and feelings into words that may be difficult to express through other forms of art, or even in real life-- this I've discovered through my journey as an amateur novelist). The beauty of literary works is the ability include a concrete plot and well-developed characters as well as underlying meaning through symbols and motifs. I would, indeed, consider myself an artist, as I posses the ability to express my thoughts and feelings through word.

Art? Or nah?

                Art is the escape from society. It is the tourniquet that stops the constant flow of bad vibes and all things negative in the world. Famine? Then sing. Poverty? Then create music. Disaster? Then paint. Injustice? Then write about it. There is endless ways to distract ourselves from the inevitable hate, crime and cruelty that waits for us outside of our front doors. The role of the artist is to create something that is relevant to their lives or have an impact on the world around them, or both. They have a responsibility to their viewers to create their art on whatever inspires them the most. The arts of language are set apart by the fact that literary arts have the elements of words. “A picture is worth a thousand words” the viewer of a painting looks at and contemplates a piece or art while someone who reads a literary masterpiece creates an image for themselves, from the thousand plus words they have just read. Poems, essays, short stories, plays, all written. They all make the reader create their own image, create their own reality and that’s is what separates the literary from the visual arts. I think the literary arts stimulates the reader to think about the subject more than visual arts do. Am I an artist? I think I am an artist. And I believe that everyone is an artist. The loudest character in the room has their own quiet place where they express themselves through art (Unless they’re a comedian, then their personal style artistic expression is very loud) And the quietest personality in the class has their own corner where they go and create masterpieces worth millions.

Why Art? - Emily Salamanca

The role and responsibilities of any artist are both numerous and singular. The artist creates first and foremost to express himself, but by publishing the artwork, the art itself takes on more meaning. Suddenly, an individual work becomes not only what the artist wants it to express, but what the community understands it as. Thus, the artist himself is rendered somewhat useless. The artist is just the carrier of the ideas, which come about from the piece itself. Still, the role of the artist can not be denied in this procedure of carrying out the ideas. After all, the artist collects all the fragmented thoughts and arranges them neatly in whichever form he chooses. The role of the artist is to execute the ideas, but the responsibilities are harder to explain because they may or may not exist. If an artist chooses 'art' as a job, then it is his responsibility to society to produce art. However, if art is just a casual hobby, then the responsibility is to just appreciate others who do art like him.
Unlike other arts, visual, musical, or  dramatic, language arts affects the general population most intensely. Words are omnipresent. One can not choose whether or not to read a sign. One has always been forced to read a book or two. Literacy is becoming more universal. Nearly everyone in our country can write and read, making language arts the most accessible art. One need not have talent in order to appreciate a good book or write a personal statement.
Yes, I would consider myself an artist, though I find myself lacking creativity. I love to paint and draw, but the only stuff I tend to draw is blanks.