Column: Bev Jackson Cotter, Art Is…

“A walk leads to the back door of the house. This walk divides two small worlds. On one side of the walk is a pretty little flower garden gay with moss roses, zinnias, cosmos, petunias and bells-of-Ireland. On the other side of the walk there are several big holes surrounded by dry, packed grass. There is a scattering of toy trucks, tractors, wagons and miniature road-building equipment. The only explanation — mother raises flowers on one side and boys on the other.”

This delightful story is from Chrys Daniel’s book “Patches.” With less than 90 words, she has created an image filled with color and childhood and love. She has created a picture with words.

Let me give you some other examples.

“Dry leaves crunch under my feet

As I walk along the train platform,

A lone figure upon a green peeling bench,

My only companion.

‘What is your name?’

I ask the rail station gargoyle.

No reply.”

This poem by Bethany Courrier is in “Poetic Strokes,” the 2011 anthology of poetry from southeastern Minnesota. Here again, with only a few words, the artist has created a picture, an image that makes me want to read more.

So often we think of art as watercolor or oil painting or sculpture, but words create images of their own that are just as penetrating and just as unforgettable.

In 1931, Iowa artist Grant Wood painted Paul Revere galloping through a New England village at midnight, warning the settlers of the upcoming British invasion. Wood was inspired by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride.” In reality, there were three riders that night. Revere was captured by the British, his friend William Dawes returned to Lexington and the other rider Samuel Prescott was the one who made it to Concord, Mass. Here we have three artists — Wood the painter, Longfellow the writer and Revere the silversmith — who all combined their talents to create a wonderful American legend. They created pictures that have shaped our version of history.

Bill King, of Albert Lea, has written a delightful description of the donut. His story describes its orphan state, it belongs to the entire day, not having a specific home at breakfast or snack time or even bed time. And then its offspring, the donut hole, is another story.

I love the way the creative part of our mind works. It has an absolutely unlimited ability to share ideas. Several years ago, I was teaching a class in Rochester, and I asked the students to see how many words they could find in the single word “storytelling.” They came up with numbers like 20 then 30 then 40 in the few minutes they were allotted. Then I asked them to write a sentence using the newly-found words, and I was expecting three or four words. (They were allowed to use a, an, or the if they needed to complete the sentence.) One of the students came up with this one. “The soil is yelling to Roy, the rotten, lying lentil.” We all laughed and cheered. I wonder where that kid’s creativity has taken him.

In “Writing Down the Bones,” by Natalie Goldberg, she describes the absurdity of a newspaper article about a yogi in India who ate a car. Conversations about that article ranged from “I wonder how much weight he gained” to “How long did it take?” to “Why?” to “Where is the logic in that?” Throughout it all, the mind conjures up interesting pictures of a Ghandi-type of fellow, sitting cross-legged chewing on a steering wheel. Wonderful images — but are they true or not?

Creativity in writing is soul satisfying. Just like a two or three dimensional works of art, words can leave images that last forever.

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center where “East Meets West” the Austin Art Center show will be on display through May 28. The Open House will be held today from 1 to 4 p.m.