Category Archives: Art

A Miracle of Nature

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Beauties they are

with orange-tipped, translucent wings

spanning to three inches.

Stout bodied with concentric stripes

they belt their songs

and an audible trill pierces

the summer night and day.

A thousand small engines

pulse endlessly.

Two or more falter

dropping to the ground

while others drone on

in an unrelenting cadence

east of the Mississippi River.

More than a decade long life cycle

large-eyed adults

live merely weeks.

Spending most of their time

as nymphs

they burrow into soil

feeding on deciduous tree roots

inhabiting meadows, forests and prairies.

At 13, or 17 years, ripened

the nymphs crawl to an upright support

split their skin and climb

fulfilling their destiny as cicadas.

(c) June 8, 2015 Gabrielle Songe

All Rights Reserved.

Found text: National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders

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Not that we are sufficient of ourselves

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W_12_15 FINALBeStillBrownWashcopyright_Page_07to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God  2 Cor. 3:5 NKJV

The buyer for the Booksellers at Laurelwood, an icon independent bookstore in Memphis, purchased two copies of my large format, art only edition of Whippoorwill Calls. His plan is to display it where the book will be seen.

Art Only front singlepg

 

For this weekend’s art exhibit at Church of the Holy Communion, only one of my pieces made it into the show. The book cover was pulled.  Since the nudes were considered a bit to revealing, the gesture drawing of the dancer was the one included.

And I read the title poem, Whippoorwill Calls, rather than two smaller ones, at a well attended reception Friday evening. I am grateful for the opportunities God is providing.

As each one has received a gift

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minister it to one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.  1 Peter 4:10 NKJV

In my writers’ group the suggestion was made to approach a local coffee shop to host a book signing. The next day sipping a latte’ and checking messages on my cell phone, I began a conversation with a family at an adjacent table in Square Beans Coffee in Collierville, Tenn.

From Texas and visiting a daughter and grandchild, the grandfather, who has authored several books, asked to see a copy of Whippoorwill Calls. The couple became interested in my poetry and drawings. Following our lengthy and cordial discussion, I met the coffee shop owners’ daughter who had become available and agreed to my book signing and sale of prints on Valentine’s Day from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

It was certainly helpful that a patron had shown interest in my work: one author to another, not to mention the original suggestion from the first author to visit Square Beans Coffee shop.

It is noteworthy: Sometimes the manifold gift of creating art, is less the actual art than it is the generosity of the artist.

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Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth

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Serve the Lord with celebration! Come before him with shouts of joy! Ps. 100:1-2 CEB

 

Today the hardcover edition of Whippoorwill Calls arrived. Immediately I turned to the inside to see how the red Conte’ crayon figure drawings appeared in premium color and discovered they are better defined than in the paperback in standard color. I let out a sigh of relief. The hardcover passed the test hardcoverand was approved for distribution.

What I didn’t expect was how the ridges and sharper edges of the hardcover would feel beneath my fingertips, or how the weight of the book would make it feel more substantial in every respect.

In printing, the company added a heavier blank page at the front and back giving Whippoorwill Calls a finished appearance.

I am filled with joy and gratitude to the Lord for directing my steps and opening doors for me to walk through not on tiptoes but confidently.

 

God didn’t give us a spirit that is timid

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but one that is powerful, loving, and self-controlled. 2 Tim 1:7 CEB

A project begun in May is at the launch pad. The checklist has been reviewed and parts fine tuned. A test run is in progress: a copy of the paperback edition of Whippoorwill Calls is in route and scheduled to arrive in a couple of days. Once approved, it will be released for printing and global distribution…and countdown to market.

PaperCover

A hardcover edition in premium color is completing its revision cycle. Once the proof is available, it will go through the same steps as the paperback. The target release date for both is November 24, 2014.

If you have faith

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as small as a mustard see, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it will obey you.  Luke 17:6 NIV

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Today I delivered the book package to a local pre-press group to “set the type” before it goes to the printing company. It has been an arduous six months of photographing drawings, revising poems and getting everything just so.

There have been missteps along the way. Yet, all situations have added to my learning curve as a self-published artist poet. The self-publishing company, a sole proprietorship, is 1writersdevotion.

Reaching Skyward, featured here in black and white, is one of my sketches which will be in red Conte’ crayon in the book.

An eBook is out, as of this writing.

I found centered poems with stanzas and irregular lines which need to be left justified lose something in translation, and a good deal of photographic technique applied to photos may need the images tweaked, not just pulled into a digital format without massaging.

So plans change. Two print editions of Whippoorwill Calls are being created. Both are in color and will be available in retail stores and online. The hardcover edition is in premium color.

I have faith the books will reach market in perfect timing. Why, do I say this? Because He said to ask in His name and I did.

Behold I will do a new thing

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now it shall spring forth…  Isaiah 43:19 KJV

In retirement and after a lifetime of fulfilling commitments I am living my joy, creating art.  Whippoorwill Calls, A Collection of Poems & Art, a thin read, features 22 figure and gesture drawings with seven poems. Paperback and hardcover editions will be available soon.4Ffinal7_31APrintcopyright

I spent two months preparing the photographed art for publication. Several are black charcoal figure drawings and others are in red Conte’ crayon. Two are faces. In the book the leg in black and white in this post is in golden tones in Whippoorwill Calls.

 

Seeing art

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 in stacked rock

Tennessee Department of Transportation workers have been moving earth and heavy rock beside a road that crosses a river and bottomland. Recently someone stacked several pieces at the westside entrance  to the road construction, depicting art in the balance.

Longview of stacked rock at beginning of road construction

Rock sculpture