the lines unread

I've started working on a new series, in ink and acrylic on canvas.  Each piece begins with a rough figurative sketch over written lines of prose or poetry, and then layers of acrylic gesso, paint and more sketch are build up on top of the words. 

the lines unread 14x11" acrylic on canvas 2014




For the base of this work, I chose one of my own poems, 'blanks' (written in 2006).  The title of this painting, 'the lines unread' is borrowed from the poem:

blanks

sometimes it's good
to let the silence be.

to leave the lines
unread

to let the words
go

unsaid.

sometimes it's best
to leave the rest

to the imagination
the rumination

participation
abounds
in the blanks
we leave for others to fill

or not

inaccessible
is right where
I want to be

safe
in anonymity

reaching so much more
with less ...

answers
in the emptiness.

fill in the blanks
with the secrets
of your own heart

dear heart;

and learn to read

yourself
between the lines
she leaves out.

~ jenraven 11.06

More works in this series, to follow. 

Stay tuned!