Today's poem
Indeed, he has a great talent - I was intrigued by Shaun Tan's fine originals at his exhibition in Yokohama ( https://bit.ly/36Fk2tu ) last week. He is popular all over the world with his picture book The Arrival ( https://bit.ly/3d3wHYC ). I particularly like the way Tan has begun his drawings of the every-day scenes of life. It's most impressive for me to see individual steps or detailed process in his work with subtlety.
He has always scribbled or jotted what has appeared in his mind or what he saw with wonder, gradually getting the shape of an illustration or story. His creativity might start in an analog way, i.e., pencil drawings in his mini notebook, though recent young artists may use a tablet. Through reiteration of disassembly, arrangement, and editing of his rough, tiny ideas in slips, a series of sketches get a plot.
I think that his procedure is similar to build up words for completing a poem. Each small sketch is each seed for one world, one story. Among a bunch of scratched pieces, which one is first? which one is next? how does a plot flow? Point, line, figure, solid, at last, illusion - such process can link to consideration to construct a poem.
He has always scribbled or jotted what has appeared in his mind or what he saw with wonder, gradually getting the shape of an illustration or story. His creativity might start in an analog way, i.e., pencil drawings in his mini notebook, though recent young artists may use a tablet. Through reiteration of disassembly, arrangement, and editing of his rough, tiny ideas in slips, a series of sketches get a plot.
I think that his procedure is similar to build up words for completing a poem. Each small sketch is each seed for one world, one story. Among a bunch of scratched pieces, which one is first? which one is next? how does a plot flow? Point, line, figure, solid, at last, illusion - such process can link to consideration to construct a poem.
Moreover, I enjoyed his interest in mechanics that's often found in his work, for I've translated the field of technology for a long time. His creation based on mechanical things naturally has been embedded in his pictures.
Finally, so lucky to view his oil paintings that were awesome, aside commercial success of his books. I felt the texture of his strokes, wanted to buy one piece.
Tan says in one Youtube that he loves The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight: More Poems to Trouble Your Sleep. Accordingly, I would like to introduce here the book author and poet Jack Prelutsky.Finally, so lucky to view his oil paintings that were awesome, aside commercial success of his books. I felt the texture of his strokes, wanted to buy one piece.
(Shaun Tan's working desk)
Deep in Our Refrigerator by Jack Prelutsky
Deep in our refrigerator,
there's a special place
for food that's been around awhile . . .
we keep it, just in case.
“It's probably too old to eat,”
my mother likes to say.
“But I don't think it's old enough
for me to throw away.”
It stays there for a month or more
to ripen in the cold,
and soon we notice fuzzy clumps
of multicolored mold.
The clumps are larger every day,
we notice this as well,
but mostly what we notice
is a certain special smell.
When finally it all becomes
a nasty mass of slime,
my mother takes it out, and says,
“Apparently, it's time.”
She dumps it in the garbage can,
though not without regret,
then fills the space with other food
that's not so ancient yet.
Deep in our refrigerator,
there's a special place
for food that's been around awhile . . .
we keep it, just in case.
“It's probably too old to eat,”
my mother likes to say.
“But I don't think it's old enough
for me to throw away.”
It stays there for a month or more
to ripen in the cold,
and soon we notice fuzzy clumps
of multicolored mold.
The clumps are larger every day,
we notice this as well,
but mostly what we notice
is a certain special smell.
When finally it all becomes
a nasty mass of slime,
my mother takes it out, and says,
“Apparently, it's time.”
She dumps it in the garbage can,
though not without regret,
then fills the space with other food
that's not so ancient yet.
(from website of Poetry Foundation)