poetry boat #3

Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

This image is for my brother in laws poetry book entitled, We Bed Down In Water, coming out on Northwestern University Press. They actually did not choose this variation of the image for their final design but it is the one I happen to like the most. My brother in law is John Rybicki and he has been an enduring influence on me in his enthusiasim for the written word. He lives a very humble life with his wife Julie, also a wonderful poet, and their adopted son Martel. John does combination of hard labor jobs including working in a tire repair service, odd construction/remodling jobs, and landscaping. He also has intermitent appointments at local colleges and highschools leading poetry workshops. Julie has been battling cancer for 15 years and this has given their life together a certain urgency and potency that comes with fighting to stay alive. Their writing reflects this struggle to keep hope alive while living with a life threatening disease that refuses to go away. What is it about living with hardship that makes us feel more alive? How do we continue to alow these life crushing experiences become the mortal and pestal of healing? How can artists continue to produce work that can bring light into seemingly hopelessly dark places? I often times feel lost in my life that is quickly taken over by countless tasks that seem endlessly to be repeated; make dinner, clean the dishes and put them away, straighten up the livingroom, put away the toys, mail out the bills, walk to the grocery store for more milk….this is the weave and texture of my life right now. My life is made up of many things to do and I find my brief times to make art are helpful in bringing me back to a place of being like a child lost in the process of play. Making Johns book cover was a chance for me to colaborate with a dear friend. I saturated my self in his poems. I prayed and began to creat images like you would cook a stew, adding a bit of this and a bit of that. (You can check out more about John and Julie at Julie’s blog called, dancing the cancer down to dust)

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woman with pears at the window

Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

The dress the woman in this painting has been kicking around our house for years. I have always liked this dress and have a particular fondness for the styles of the 40s for some reason. Some times I think that it has something to do with the old pictures of my father and mothers courtship and early days of their marriage where they look like they love each other and life. Much of their life seem to run down hill by the time I came along in 1960 but those early years things were good. Maybe I just have a fondness for the past in general. Even stepping up to the computer is often a challenge to me. I would rather by plunking away on the keys of a big old black typewritter. I digital world makes me even more hungry for things concrete like tree bark, plump golden pears with a hint of red on one side and extra cold snow squeaking under my shoes. Tonight is the Sunday night potluck and Pearl and I are just about to go into the kitchen and begin a large batch of fried rice. We like cutting up vegtables and garlic.

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house concert

Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

We are having a house concert at our house coming up this month on the 18th whih is a sunday night. Ben Scott-Brandt used to have a band called Bunk Bed Nights that got to be pretty well known in town for their creative and intense acoustic performances. His new band is called Ribbons of Song. I have been wanting for a long time to invite people over for an evening of live music in the inimate environment of our own home for a long time now and this is our first event. We will be suggesting a $5.00 dollar donation so that we can have something to give the performers for their work. I hope all those reading this post in the general area will come on over and help us create a warm place in the middle of a cold winter night.

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