The nuances of natural color never cease to
amaze us. And so I created this video where
Dan meditates on finding precise words —
and I mix precise combinations of paint — to match the color of a simple berry.
and I mix precise combinations of paint — to match the color of a simple berry.
—Suzanne
_________________________________________________________________________________
Naming Colors
“Soapy purple — no, deep soft
pink — those
berries” . . .
All my conscious life
I’ve striven, blind to other
earthly orderings, to get
them “right”: without
clear gainful
purpose?
You’d
swear I was a painter,
potter, or at least some
dyer of fine cloth,
seeking ideas . . .
But no such
chance, with unclear
goals & gently
trembling
hand.
Just inner need
to pierce small moments
of the day: this
ritual
that from my youth
I’ve naturally
adopted.
Now older
& so often foggy-minded
when I rise, can tell my
morning clarity of mind, my
cast of eye, by how quickly
I cease groping. How
quickly I’m satisfied with
my first “mental
match” —
sometimes
shared with my artist wife,
when trimming growth
around the yard, or on
our “viewing” walks down
rural paths.
Companion
I trust the most, more
skilled & industrious,
in many ways,
than I .
. .
And so I wait
on tenterhooks, while
feigning nonchalance
(another of our
games) for her
response:
“I
believe they’re more a cloudy
rose, those berries . . . "
 |
| Suzanne Stryk Naming Colors 30" x 22" mixed media on paper |
The Naming Colors painting appeared in "Love," an exhibit at Second Street Gallery
(Charlottesville, VA 2006) curated by Leah Stoddard. The show featured collaborations
between writers and artists. The images in the video are details from the painting, including
Dan's handwritten poem.
