Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Flying Girl and the Night of Brooklyn Poetry, or Blackout

Flying Girl and the Night of Brooklyn Poetry, or Blackout 10/14/08
Golden Fluid Acrylic

When the lights went out that summer night, we first thought of the previous September, a day of fear and fire. Then, some people must have thought of the black out of 77, famous for riots and danger. But that night, when the lights went out, the stars came out.

People sat on their stoops and welcomed neighbors. People pooled their freezers and had cookouts in their back gardens, inviting the whole building. People sat on fire escapes and wrote poetry by candle light. People climbed to roof tops and watched the stars. People walked across a whole city to sleep on friends' sofas when they could walk no more. People too walks of camaraderie around the neighborhood, listening to updates on transistor radios as they passed. People sang songs and danced dances and laughed laughs of peace.

No disaster.

Sometimes we need to turn off the lights to see the light inside. Sometime we need be lost to find our path. Sometimes we need to be lonely to find ourselves. Sometimes we need to lose our financial security to learn what is really worth giving our lives to.

No disaster.

Revelation.
Hand and Paint, 10/14 11:30 pm
The Big Draw #14
Pen, Faber Castell Pitt Artist Pens

words say:
I have always loved when
the paint stains cover my
hands. It makes me feel like
there is proof of my being an artist.
Never mind the paintings, it's the paint
on my skin that makes me feel real.

I love this drawing for some reason.

10 comments:

Umā said...

the possibility of spontaneous, beautiful community moments — that's the beauty of living in the city. here in the middle of nowhere, when the lights go out you sit in your own house with your candle, and your neighbors sit in theirs.

this flying girl makes me want to drive to the train station and buy a one-way ticket.

Anonymous said...

This is y MOST favorite Flying Girl yet - I adore her!! I was away for the blackout but so many loved it I wish I'd been here.

sukipoet said...

Beautiful flying girl. I just love your hand, paint stained and what you have said about the stains. The HUman Stain is a novel by Philip Roth I believe. We humans do make stains.

Anonymous said...

can it have been so long? you have a dozen wonderful new flying girls since i visited! this is the one i want to be. i remember stars. before urban/suburban light pollution obliterated them.
thanks for your recent kind comment.

soulbrush said...

yes she is certainly more ethereal than usual...good to see the light inside, but sometimes one can't find it....

Anonymous said...

In a dark time, the eye begins to see.

I love the hand!

Karen Salva said...

We have a friend who just started working for National Grid when that power out happened and busted on him so hard to be the one to blame...even though he was not. But some things happen for a reason and the camaraderie of that night should have been the highlight of the news. I wish our friend was still at NG, I would ask him to flip some switches to leave us without media for a night and let us think for ourselves for a change. I bet we would all be much happier. Just like your Flying Girl in this picture!

I love your drawing too and would love to make a photo collage of "painted hands". I have photographed mine before and would love to do a "show me your talented hands" post. Great work as always Rowena...I love to take time when all is quiet to come and visit here.

Unknown said...

I really like the Flying Girl paintings, especially when one looks at them all. That said, a couple of them speak to me louder (or is it more softly?) than others; Flying Girl Follows Her Teachers, Flying Girl Out Beyond Ideas, Flying Girl and the Big Wave.

Flying Girl Enters the Sun is totemic in quality and looks like it could have been drawn 20,000 years ago or yesterday. Very nice, beautiful tones.

Quite a series! I venture to say it would make a great show.

Cheers!
Son

Anonymous said...

I know I've said this before - but oh my I love Flying Girl's adventures! Beautiful!

And I love your line drawing of your hand and the sentiment you included - very very wonderful

Anonymous said...

This is beautiful Rowena - gave me goose bumps.

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