In this video sparked by Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda’s evocative “Deer
Running,” her own intimate voice and that of her husband, Patricio Foronda,
poignantly entwine. In turn, representing
the passionate yet turbulent union of the famed Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and
Diego Rivera. Suzanne conveys the spirit of Carolyn’s own empathic vision of
Frida’s deep emotional suffering underlying her vibrantly painted “The Little
Deer,” where roused by the dual ordeal of chronic spinal damage fused with her
soulmate’s infidelity, she paints the wounded creature — surreally endowed with
her own keen gaze and dark knit brows — pierced by ruthless arrows, like a bleeding
St. Sebastian.
— Dan
_________________________________________________________________________________
Deer Running
Beneath a coarse sky, I flee
through an enclosed glade,
through an enclosed glade,
Run toward the light,
little deer.
Catch hold of
my limber frame: a young
stag’s
crowned with massive
antlers.
brightness sizzling above
the glazed, forest floor.
Arrows gash my chest and
flank.
Crimson trickles from
wounds,
Raw sienna spools
a well-worn path
my pursuer crouched behind a
tree,
the trunk’s exposed roots
swollen
in the distance.
Birdsong
pulses like waves bobbing
like the flawed design of my
human
form, stones in my soul.
crystal notes. Run toward
the hymns, nimble deer.
And you, Diego, place one
leafy,
golden branch withering
before me
Let loose your foe’s nine arrows,
trembling in your hide.
as I prepare to die and
resurrect
as growth: green bark,
Do not fear death. Your wounds,
their indelible marks will heal
green branches at the foot
of your shadow,
as I push away lightning
from the barren plot,
swallowed whole
by sun’s unerring rays.
where your body collapses
in a radiant spool.
"Deer Running" appears in The Embrace: Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo (San Francisco Bay Press, 2013).
About Us
Carolyn and Patricio
Foronda share a love of the visual arts and recently began collaborating to
produce paintings that celebrate nature. Eighteen years ago after moving to
Virginia’s Middle Peninsula, they established a NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat
to preserve the natural land surrounding their home. Daily, they attract an
array of birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Currently, they’re raising
Monarchs and releasing them daily during the summer months.
Patricio is a native
Chilean, who grew up in the highlands of Bolivia and earned his degree as a
veterinarian in Brazil. His admiration of the visual arts originated in
South America, where he watched Quechua Indians in the Bolivian highlands
craft musical instruments, jewelry, and colorful shawls. He started painting in
Brazil and expanded his knowledge of art by taking classes and by attending
lectures at museums. He has exhibited his work in South America and in art
galleries throughout Virginia.
Author
of seven poetry books and editor of three anthologies, Carolyn served as
Virginia’s Poet Laureate from 2006-2008. Her numerous awards include the
Art-in-Literature: Mary Lynn Kotz Award for The Embrace: Diego Rivera and
Frida Kahlo. Carolyn also works as an abstract colorist painter. She finds
inspiration for both her art and poetry from her natural surroundings and from
viewing artwork by such celebrated figures as Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and
Georgia O’Keeffe. A lifelong educator, she conducts art-inspired poetry
workshops through the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Statewide Partners Program.
For more information visit her website, www.carolynforonda.com.
Photo of Carolyn and Patricio Foronda by Michael Kunzinger
Photo of Carolyn and Patricio Foronda by Michael Kunzinger
