PRAISE THE RAIN

30 x 22 inches, acrylic, inks, water-soluble crayon, and polymers on BFK Rives paper, inspired by Joy Harjo's poem of the same name.

Each piece in this series, called IN THE DEEP, begins with me handwriting the words from a female poet's poem about water. This act of writing the words helps me dive deeper into the meaning of the piece and my response to it. I seal the words to make them permanent, and then cover them with many layers of paint and/or ink to connote how women's voices tend to be erased. Yet the words are still there, and can never truly be lost.

Joy Harjo is one of my all-time favorite poets. I saw her speak and read once many years back, and I was enthralled. She is majestic, wise, sentient. An aura of calm strength comes from her, and I am in awe of both her and her work. This painting pays homage to her poem "Praise the Rain," which follows.

Praise the rain; the seagull dive
The curl of plant, the raven talk—
Praise the hurt, the house slack
The stand of trees, the dignity—
Praise the dark, the moon cradle
The sky fall, the bear sleep—
Praise the mist, the warrior name
The earth eclipse, the fired leap—
Praise the backwards, upward sky
The baby cry, the spirit food—
Praise canoe, the fish rush
The hole for frog, the upside-down—
Praise the day, the cloud cup
The mind flat, forget it all—

Praise crazy. Praise sad.
Praise the path on which we're led.
Praise the roads on earth and water.
Praise the eater and the eaten.
Praise beginnings; praise the end.
Praise the song and praise the singer.

Praise the rain; it brings more rain.
Praise the rain; it brings more rain.