Artists Of Many Kinds

I've always thought it would be wonderful to be able to paint what you see.  I think about it when I see a magnificent sunset or a mountain so majestic it nearly defies description. If only I could pick up a brush and capture it for others to see.

I've admired sculptures, impressed by the emotion a sculptor can incorporate into a piece of hard stone or marble. My hands would make gravel out of the stone, no piece of art would be seen. If I attempted to mold clay into a recognizable shape, I would fail miserably.

I look at quilts that have been lovingly crafted as a piece of art or a special table runner that was woven in an intricate pattern. Those who work with textiles are artists to be admired.

A floral designer creates art of a different kind. Every day, she arranges living plant life--flowers, branches, leaves, ferns--into beautiful centerpieces.

But wait--writers are artists, too. We paint, we chisel, we weave with a different medium. Words! A good writer is most definitely an artist in her own field.  Several years ago, I wrote a poem for the Kansas Authors state contest theme category. The theme was Pen Life As Art. I thought about it for a long time before attempting to write anything. I finally wrote the following poem which won third place in the contest.

Artists All

Painting with oils,
watercolors brushed across canvas,
clay molded by loving hands,
marble chiseled to exquisite form

Artists ply their trade,
by the golden light of day
and velvet depths of night,
with passion and verve.

One more artist joins the rank.
The writer brushes words over paper,
molds a story bit by glittering bit,
chisels a novel to survive the ages.

The writer gathers life’s stories
from country roads to city streets,
written from the depths of a heart
bursting with intensity and rapture.

Artists all, masters of creation,
be they painters, sculptors or writers,
leaving footprints on canvas, marble and paper--
heartfelt tributes embraced by mankind.

For a writing exercise, use the theme Pen Life As Art and write a poem or prose.

Do you consider yourself an artist as well as a writer? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.