painting a picture with words

•
•

hi Poetry Jammers,  it’s dani here this week.
•

we often use images as prompts for our writing,  usually photographs.   i personally find the feeling of poems i write from pieces of  art ~ paintings  to be far different from what i write when inspired by a photograph.  { please understand ~ i am NOT saying photography is not an art form ~ it is an amazing artform,  but today's prompt is limited to paintings. }

•

many of  you aren't old enough to understand what i’m talking about when i say,  writing from a painting as inspiration instead of a photograph is like making a movie using film rather than a digital camera. for me, at least, the focus is softer… dreamier… more magical even. the entire feeling of a piece is influenced by the style  the artist used when painting.   there are many styles  { click on the name of  each painting style to learn more about it. }  here are samples of just a few  ~

•

•

•

"Impression Soleil levant"   Claude Monet

•

•

impressionism  is soft,  'out of focus'  if you will,  with the emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities.   the image above   "Impression Soleil levant"  { impression, sunrise }   by Claude Monet provoked an art critic to coin the term "impressionism" in a Parisian newspaper.

•

•

"Starry Night"   Vincent van Gogh

•

•

post-impressionism  extended impressionism while rejecting its limitations:   continuing the use of  vivid colours,   thick application of paint,   distinctive brush strokes and real-life subject matter.   the style is more inclined to emphasize geometric forms,   to distort form for expressive effect and to use unnatural or arbitrary colour.   "Starry Night"   above by Vincent Van Gogh is one of the best-known paintings in the world, and has been my favorite since i first saw an image of it when i was a child.  someday i hope to view it in person.

•

•

"The Scream"   Edvard Munch

•

•

expressionism  was a modernist movement,  initially in poetry and painting,   originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century.   its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective,  distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas.

•

•

''Le rideau jaune''   Henri Matisse

•

•

abstract art, such as ''Le rideau jaune'' { yellow curtain } above by Henri Matisse,   indicates a departure from reality in depiction of imagery in art. this departure from accurate representation can be only slight or it can be partial or it can be complete.

•

•

"Les Demoiselles d'Avignon"   Pablo Picasso

•

•

Pablo Picasso  is probably the most well-known painter of the style known as  cubism  and, in fact,   is arguably the inventor.

•

•

"Prochainement, Tournée du Chat Noir de Rodolphe Salis"   Steinlen

•

•

my favorite style is  art nouveau,  epitomized by the works of Czech artist  Alphonse Mucha,  who is said to have invented the style.  it was an international philosophy and style of art,   architecture and applied art — especially the decorative arts — that were most popular during 1890–1910,   and was used extensively in advertising and posters.   the style is still quite popular,   particularly in jewelry.   the name  "art nouveau"   is French for   "new art."

•
•
•
•
the prompt for this week is   art ~ painting ~

• select a style of   art ~ painting  and let it inspire you
• select a particular painting as inspiration
• write about what art means to you or how it has affected your writing... even your life
• write about a particular artist/painter
• in other words, let   art ~ painting   { not photography } be your inspiration this week

•

all of the above images are in the public domain and therefore free to use.   please do not use a modern-day artist's work without their permission.   the best source of artwork { in my opinion } which is free to use is Wikimedia Commons,   but even there you need to read the fine print to see if a painting is in the public domain or available for use under a Creative Commons License.   either way,  please credit the author and link back to the page where you found the image.

•
•

as always, after you have written a NEW poem and linked it,   using Mr. Linky below,   please be sure to leave a comment here,  and then visit the poems of as many of the others who link as you can.  that is important too.  and if someone visits your site,  do him/her the courtesy of a return visit to his/her blog.  reciprocity feels good,  and we ALL like comments.  you may find inspiration for your own writing in someone else's poetry ~ that has happened to me a number of  times.  { on a personal note,  it will take me several days to visit everyone.  i appreciate your patience. }

•
•

thank you for joining in and i hope you have fun with this prompt!

•
•
dani
my heart's love songs
•
•
•

Bully

Bully

Hi Poetry Jammers,

I considered a lot of topics before I decided on a topic for this week. It is a serious topic, more serious than most you will find here, but I hope many of you will give it a try; as it is a topic that is so very relevant in today's society.  And we all CAN make a difference!

The topic this week is Bullies and Bullying.

First of all, I saw the movie Bully, and if you have not seen it, I recommend it. I recommend also that if you have children middle school age or above you take them to see the movie and then have a discussion afterwards. Here is a trailer for the movie, which may even give you an idea for a poem:

For the challenge this week: 

Write about a time when you or your child or someone close to you were bullied.  Think back into your own childhood.  I bet many of you can recall a situation.

Write a poem from the perspective of the bullied person.

Write from the perspective of a bully.

Write a poem addressing the bully.

Write a poem addressing the one bullied.

Or write anything else that comes to mind on this particular topic.

And after you have written a NEW poem and linked it, using Mr. Linky,  please be sure to leave a comment and then  visit the poems of others who link.  That is important too.  And if someone visits your site, do him/her the courtesy of a return visit to his/her blog.  Reciprocity feels good, and we ALL like comments.

Mary, who  "lives" at In the Corner of My Eye.

Where is Your Forest?

Where is Your Forest?

Hi, it's Peggy here this week.  In thinking up a prompt for this week.  I started thinking about forests.  Right, those areas covered with trees.

Photo by Peggy Goetz: Sierra Nevada Mountains, California

I thought about all the different kinds of forests in so many different places in the world.  Pine forests, oak forests, dense forests, canopy forests, evergreen forests, deciduous forests, alpine forests, kelp forests.

Forests can be scary, dangerous places, or welcoming or sheltering or places of escape. They can be frozen or steamy, filled with life or bleak and empty. They can be gentle or harsh.

Then of course there are other applications for the word forest: a forest of tangled wires, a forest of buildings, a forest of road signs, a forest of stones.  Or even less concrete, a forest of obstacles, a forest of fears.

Photo by Peggy Goetz: Stone Forest, China 

Many people have said many wonderful things about forests and trees so I gave up on trying to pick some quotes to inspire you all. You might just want to Google "forest quotes."

Photo by Peggy Goetz: Bamboo forest, Hawaii

So think about forests and what they mean to you. How to they feel, and smell and sound? Where is your forest? What lives in your forest?

Post your efforts below with Mr. Linky. And please visit the blogs and posted poems by our other participants as we all like to have our work read and any comment is usually appreciated.

Peggy Goetz
Blogging at: ON A DAY LIKE TODAY

The Blind Leading the Blind

Welcome to this week’s Poetry Jam!  I’m so excited to join Mary and Peggy in providing prompts for all the Jammers, although I must admit this feels a bit like the blind leading the blind, which leads me to my debut prompt…

I’d like you to write a blind poem, an idea that can lead to many different interpretations.  We all have our own “blind spots” in our lives…the things we can’t see, and the things we refuse to see.  Or perhaps you will be inspired to write about a visually-impaired person such as Helen Keller, Ray Charles, or Chen Guangcheng, whose story has been headline news recently.

We can be color blind.  

We can wear blinders to keep our vision focused.

Here’s a few quotes that may also help inspire you:

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”  Helen Keller

“A blind man's wife needs no paint.”  proverb

“Faith…must be enforced by reason…when faith becomes blind it dies.”  Mahatma Gandhi 

Go ahead and share your vision with us by signing up with Mr. Linky.  Please remember to mention Poetry Jam in your post.  And be sure to visit with the other poets who participate in this prompt, encouragement and support only strengthens our little writing community.

Mary Mansfield from Write Wing Conspiracy

Everybody Knows

Everybody Knows

Each of us has probably heard someone say "Everybody knows......"   Everybody knows he's guilty, everybody knows he's innocent, everybody knows he's older than he says, everybody knows she's going to win, everybody knows women are ____ than men, everybody knows the world is going to come to an end, everybody knows.......  You name it.  Everybody knows.

I really like the Canadian singer / songwriter / poet Leonard Cohen.  He wrote a song called "Everybody Knows."  You can see him singing it here courtesy of YouTube:




If you want to skip You Tube and just read the words (though I think you are missing something great as his voice is so distinctive), here is the link to the lyrics:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/leonardcohen/everybodyknows.html

What I would like you to do this week is to write an "Everybody Knows......" poem.   Or it's opposite, a "Nobody Knows....." poem.  Or, if you don't like those  ideas, how about a "Does Anybody Know.." poem?  You can write in your own voice, someone else's voice.  You can write realistically, sarcastically, tongue-in-cheek, etc. 

Link your poem below, using Mr. Linky.  And don't forget to mention Poetry Jam in your linked post.  Visit others who participate, as that is part of the experience.  And if someone visits your blog, visit theirs as well.  Reciprocity is cool!  And don't forget to leave a comment after you link.

Mary who blogs at  In the Corner of My Eye