Ekphrastic

"Ekphrasis" comes from Greek "ekphrasis" meaning "description."

"Ekphrastic" is a literary description of visual art.

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not. ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

Stone Flower, photo above, was a response to a poem by Emory D. Jones about Georgia O'Keefe. https://thelightekphrastic.com

The online journal, The Light Ekphrastic, pairs artists and poets to respond to one another's work. Recently my photos and a poet's response appeared in the May issue of the journal.

In responding to a poem by Emory D. Jones about George O'Keefe, this is the process I went through:

Choosing: I had to choose one of three poems by the same poem. I was elated to find that one of the possibilities was a poem about Georgia O’Keefe, one of my favorite artists. And the fact that she was also married to photographer Alfred Stieglitz connected me even more with this poem. New Mexico is one of my favorite states and her landscapes of that area capture its spirit.

Considering: In my response, I knew I needed to include elements of color, especially warm colors, and rock. I thought a flower would be ideal, both because of Emory’s poem and because of O’Keeffe’s work. Since her style is largely abstract, I decided that style might be best for my photo image.

Creating: I live far from New Mexico but not far from rocks in Downs Park (Anne Arundel County, Maryland) on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. I usually walk there every day but to prepare for this project, I spent a great deal of time on the beach studying the surrounding large rocks. The challenge was to find one that I could work with and avoid getting my camera splashed from waves crashing on the rocks during high tide. I finally found one part of a rock that held possibilities and photographed it several times on different visits to the park. The rest of the work remained in the hours of post processing to mold the image to my vision of the poem. The evolution traveled through many iterations until I finally rested with this one. (Note: I used Photoshop CC and OnOne.)

When you read words and unfold the layers until you connect, it's your world for the moment. I want to give my vision to others. Most people skim in their reading and never really stop to examine the words in front of them. I want them to "see" the words whether they want to or not. ~ Bonnie Schupp

The Light Ekphrastic, May 2016 issue