Illustration and Calligraphy Poetry
This is the final for the poem, “The Finish Line” by Jerry Patchen, a lovely marriage between words and images. The latter were done to support , frame, and embellish the former, strictly seen by me in a “supporting role”. Calligraphy and illustration go together so well, going back at least 500 years in those great big illuminated bibles that one sees occasionally at art museums.
The art has a repeating, circular theme to go along with the sentiments of the words, the never-ending pattern written about. And note the large “I” that leads off the piece: it’s more or less a microcosm of the whole, as well as a fine way to begin it. In making this, I took the calligrapher’s (Jane Brenner) own lettering, enlarged it and traced it before illustrating it with background silhouettes.
Illustrating a poem is fun, challenging, and rewarding, as it brings the poem to life, presenting it to its fullest. The artist needs to put the ego no the back burner, and serve the words, and I think this was done to good affect on “The Finish Line”.