Jellyfish Stew
Poem to Painting
Greetings friends and followers,
I thought it might be nice to share some of my artwork here and describe the process and inspiration that brought them into being. My 3D assemblage piece “Jellyfish Stew” has a fond place in my heart. I mentioned it in my former newsletter here:
I love poems and read a lot of poems to my children while they were growing up. One of our favorites was Jellyfish Stew, by Jack Prelutsky. It is a silly poem about longing to eat something that sounds absolutely horrific. I would read it aloud exaggerating all the best parts and my kids would giggle and exclaim, “OOOOh, Yuck!” It was wonderfully awful.
When I found a brittle cistern in the Carr Fire collection of rubble, I instantly saw a jellyfish. I am not sure how long it took for the poem to come to mind, but as I collected bubbles and spoons, it became more obvious what I needed to create. That is what I love about reclaimed assemblage. The items almost speak to you prompting you to bring them to their new existance. I hope you enjoy my soupy masterpiece, “Jellyfish Stew” and the inspiration poem below.
Jellyfish stew
Jellyfish stew,
I'm loony for you,
I dearly adore you,
Oh, truly I do,
You’re creepy to see,
Revolting to chew,
You slide down inside
With a Hullabaloo.
You're soggy, you're smelly,
You taste like shampoo,
You bog down my belly
With oodles of goo,
Yet, I would glue noodles
And prunes to my shoe,
For one oozy spoonful
Of jellyfish stew.Jack Prelutsky
I would love to hear about your favorite poem.
"Do not let the behavior
of others destroy your
inner peace,"
JANE AUSTEN
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
A THOUSAND VERSIONS OF YOU
You have shed
a thousand skins
to become the person
you are today.
And if you ever feel
overwhelmed
by the many people
you once were,
remember,
your bones have grown,
but what makes them
has never changed.
Nikita Gill