Art Quilts & Poetry

a tango of vision and voice

Poetry is an echo, asking the shadow to dance ~~~ Carl Sandburg

Art Quilt Gallery

Ode To Creativity: Let Imagination Be Your Child

or

Looking For That Woman-Girl

Scroll down page to view and read in detail about each art quilt in this gallery

The Tango Between Art and Poetry

The Tango

In silence I sit. With openness I receive.

Singular images. Simple words. A strong feeling.

A memory arises. A thought stirs my soul.

Connecting the dots. This is my journey toward wholeness.

Another beginning. Creativity, the cure.

Pieces of fabric. Scattered words. Colors and sounds.

Art and poetry make a lovely tango.

Dancing together, one leads, the other follows.

Alignment. Harmony. Unity.

Stitching together the parts of myself ~~~ anew.

Finding my voice ~~~ changed.

Owning what fits.

The fruit ripens.

My feet are stained.

Sweet wine I sip.

~~~ c2019 Susanna Hotchkiss

Ode To Creativity: Let Imagination Be Your Child

THE INSPIRATION

Listening to music one morning, I found my own voice in the form of evocative poetry. Resonating with the lyrics from the 1982 Crosby, Stills, Nash song, The Southern Cross , and the 1969 Joni Mitchell classic, Woodstock. I spontaneously wrote a 25 verse poem, in their spirit, and created an Art quilt to relay my own muse story in visual form.

ODE TO CREATIVITY is immensely autobiographical relaying my past to present story. Behind each image is a personal tale. It also celebrates the outing of my first creative muse.

MY LIBERATION

Making this Art quilt was a process in uncovering my voice, in honoring my creativity. It mirrors my personal trek of courage and action toward:

- letting go of doubts and fears

- releasing the ties that bind me

- finding my creative muse

- opening up intuitively

- developing as a Visual Artist

- desiring to create on my own terms

- understanding my tango with the universe

A NEW ATTITUDE

Blending with my mermaid muse, I express the joy I feel when I finally let the child that is my imagination be free and run wild. My muse fulfills a deep need to finally declare myself 'an artist' and to own my brand of visual expression (however it may evolve and in what myriad of ways) and not to be afraid to express myself. Each of us has a unique perspective to show. Our Art matters.

The tango with poetry adds depth, feeling and authenticity. Here, I own my love of words (as poetry) and symbols (as Art in textile form) to reveal my heart's longing.

Ode with detailed images below.

Ode To Creativity:

Let Imagination Be Your Child

or

Looking For That Woman-Girl

My Creative Muse

(aquas, violets, lavenders, chartreuse, fuschia, red, black on blue-teal, emerald and deep purple batik background

(Swarovski crystals and teal/blue/purple ruffle scarf)

76" h x 40" w ~ $4500

Ode: a lyrical poem celebrating someone or something special

my mermaid muse

nautical buoy

Triton conch shell

New Moon

tall sailing ship and waves

a whale's tail

the colors of my muse

young mermaid's tail

Southern Cross constellation

the water bearer

Trident

Ode To Creativity:

Let Imagination Be Your Child

or Looking For That Woman-Girl

original lyrics by

Susanna Hotchkiss, c2019

an ode intended to be sung aloud

(tune inspired by Joni Mitchell's Woodstock)

When and where did I lose

That woman-girl I could not choose?

I want to know where has she been hiding?

I am that buoy in the sea

I long to break this anchor free

There are so many waves I could be riding

A conch shell on the ocean floor

Calls to me: “Open the door,”

“Press your lips to mine and start singing”

I blow the horn with all my might

All possibilities in sight

The mermaid deep within me is awakening

Let Imagination be your child

Set her free, let her run wild

She is The Joy of all creation

She is young and she is sprite

I feel a longing to unite

The woman and this dream-girl are now merging

I rejoice in this birth of mine

Freedom found is so sublime

My sisters in the sea; they all are smiling

In this New Moon of Aquarius

I feel a heightened awareness

As I swim in the shadow of a tall ship sailing

And the record keepers of the deep

These giants whisper in my sleep:

“Your destiny is always your own making”

Let Imagination be your child

Set her free, let her run wild

She is The Breath of all creation

I set my course for parts unknown

I feel my soul expanding now

As I follow the one song of all creation

The world is at my helm each night

Effervescent bubbles rise

As I eagerly explore unchartered waters

Hey, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

And Joni, girl, I've just begun

To play my own music in this liquid garden

The woman-girl inside of me

She guides me now from sea to sea

She is stardust glowing exponentially

Let Imagination be your child

Set her free, let her run wild

She is The Heart of all creation

My aqua, rose and violet chi

Flows in a blue teal and deep purple sea

All hues my muse creates as she paints my tapestry

As above and so below

My watercolors flow and flow

My masterpiece is a mystery unfolding

Each tail I splash on my journey

Is hope for all eternity

Let fall the ties that bind you from creating

Each constellation in the sky

Is a twinkling of the eyes

Of all before who never stopped believing

Let Imagination be your child

Set her free, let her run wild

She is The Soul of all creation

Come join us in this paradise

Take a leap and don't think twice

Your future self is at the threshold anticipating

I hear my muse, I must return

There is so much for me to learn

This tango is a dance I am joyfully embracing

And when we find our waterfall

And bathe ourselves in The Source of All

Then, life will take on a brand new meaning

A mermaid now, what will be next

On each new spirit vision quest?

With open arms I welcome the adventures…

Let Imagination be your child

Set her free, let her run wild

She is The Future of all creation

And she is The Momentum of the future...

The Outing Of My Creative Muse: A Mermaid's Tale

My first work creating a full body and using stitching to define the face and hands

My Muse is the more daring creative side of me wanting to come out

I was born during the New Moon of Aquarius -- The Trident shows that my Destiny is in hand

Hundreds of various size Swarovski crystals in different colors add bling

Red-Violet and Yellow-Green are favorite colors

My theme: "Looking for that woman-girl", a line inspired from THE SOUTHERN CROSS song

A recycled teal/blue/purple ruffle scarf for seaweed adds great texture

Living life in turtle mode on the sea is a treasure

What a joy to have cruised on 3 boats and lived aboard 2 of them for 7 years

To inquire about an Art Quilt, go to the Contact Me page

May Art connect us. Thank you for visiting susannahotchkiss.com

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All text and art quilts, unless otherwise noted, are the copyright of Susanna Hotchkiss

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