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Write Around PAM: Utagawa Hiroshige

Fukagawa Susaki and Jūmantsubo, No. 107 from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, Utagawa Hiroshige, 13 3/16 in x 8 3/4 inches, color woodblock print on paper. A vertical, rectangular print showing a large bird of prey in flight with its head down and wings spread wide as flies over the land below. The bird fills the upper third of the print and is rendered in black and gray feathers with long plumage on the head. The wing on the right dips down to the lower part of the print and its talons can be seen at upper left under the bird. Below are a mountain range with two peaks and a forested landscape that meets a calm blue sea. Simple tree shapes and small hills are depicted in black on creamy, white ground with pale blue used for shading. The sea is also pale blue that gradually deepens at the bottom of the print. Simple black lines show shallow waves. “Fukagawa Susaki and one hundred thousand tsubo” in Japanese is printed in black ink in a green square cartouche with cloud-pattern ground at upper right. One hundred thousand tsubos is about 33 hectares. To the right of this is a red rectangular cartouche that reads “one hundred views of famous places of Edo” in Japanese and is printed in black ink. The artist’s signature appears at far left center in a red rectangular cartouche and reads “picture (by) Hiroshige.

Writing allows us the chance to gain new perspective to write about our own experiences, or to step into someone else’s. This week, we invite you to spend some time with this piece by Utagawa Hiroshige and see what new perspectives it might offer you. Before or after you write, take some time to learn…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: James Lavadour

James Lavadour, Salamander, oil on board. Size: 48.5x60x3 inches. A rectangular panel composed of three rows of three images depicting individual landscapes for a total of nine scenes in all. Each abstract landscape is painted in earthy tones of browns, tans, grays with bright rusty reds and shows a rugged landscape with cliffs, mountains, canyons and mist. When viewed from a distance, the images can seem almost like photographs but upon close inspection paint appears to have been applied with broad brush strokes, sometimes scraped and dragged to create jagged, rocky shapes.

Writing invites us into other worlds and allows us to smell, taste, see, feel what it might be like to be in a place. This week, we invite you to spend some time with Salamander by James Lavadour and see what stepping into this landscape offers as inspiration. Before or after you write, take some…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Rick Bartow

A vertical, rectangular, abstract painting of a bird, possibly an eagle, that takes up most of the frame. The head is painted with heavy brushstrokes in white, gold, pale pink and blue around human-like eyes. A large, black beak stretches horizontally into a grimace with reddish pigment at the corners. Under the beak is a large triangular area of blue brushwork. The body is rendered in a flat manner with paint layered, streaked, dripped and smudged creating horizontal and vertical lines in the paint. Towards the bottom, the body forks into two wing-like areas. Tan, brown, pink, gray and white make up the wing on the left, the right is primarily browns. A dark leg juts from the body of the bird to the right. The bird is shown in a mustard yellow background with visible brushwork. Areas like the upper left and right corners reveal underpainting in browns, greens and gray. The artist’s signature is at top right in blue.

Writing continues to be a powerful way to engage with, and be inspired by, visual art. This week, we invite you to spend some time with Quiet One by Rick Bartow and see what stories it evokes for you. Before or after you write, take some time to learn about Bartow’s life and art.⠀ We…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Sonya Clark

Shoes evoke movement. Travel. Connection. Style. And, for these penny loafers, the weight of history and Lincoln’s legacy. We invite you to spend some time writing today, stepping into your own creativity and imagination with inspiration from this piece by Sonya Clark. Before or after you write, take some time to learn about Clark’s life…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Isaka Shamsud-Din

A vertical, rectangular painting showing three African American men. Two of the men are shown in the center of the painting almost filling the height of the work. The figure on the left is standing, arms crossing over his chest. He has dark skin, glasses, short cropped black hair and smiles broadly. He wears a red vest over white short sleeved shirt and greenish pants. To the right is a seated figure with dark skin and a beard. He looks toward the viewer/artist. He wears a light cream, short-sleeved shirt with brown striped pants and a flat cap. His hand at left rests on his knee and his hand at right raised near his chin. To the far right sits another dark-skinned man, sitting on the edge of a bed while appearing to read from a red book. This figure wears glasses, a flat cap and has a beard. He wears a tan and brown jacket and brown pants. There are pillows and blankets behind him. A green, red, and black striped Pan African flag with a black star hangs over the bed at upper right. At far left of the work is a table with dominoes scattered on top along with a flower filled vase. Behind the two central figures is a zebra; part of the head and ears of the animal is depicted in red outline only and is transparent. The neck and upper torso are fully rendered in black and white stripes. Behind the zebra is an open door showing a landscape of water and mountains and a golden yellow sky. The artist uses many colors to depict each shade sometimes combining complementary colors and layering and blending color to create a mottled or variegated effect. Red brushstrokes outline many of the details such as the zebra, the men’s arms, the table and a pair of glasses.

Art is a rich source of inspiration for our own writing, which in turn invites us deeper into our own stories and the stories of those around us. We invite you to write with us today using this exercise inspired by Isaka Shamsud-Din’s “Hare, Lion and Spider.” Before or after you write, take some time…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Kehinde Wiley

An almost full-length portrait of a young, dark skinned man against a colorful, floral background. The figure is shown standing, facing the viewer or artist with the arm at left raised and bent at the elbow to create an L shape while holding a long stick of bamboo. The bamboo rests on the individual’s neck and shoulder, passes behind his head and is seen extending to the right of the figure. The arm at right is held out from his side and in his hand is a white towel. The figure gazes directly out, head turned slightly to the right with a neutral expression. He wears a backwards blue ballcap and a blue t-shirt with the Portuguese phrase “Bleo, carioca de coracao”. He wears knee length light blue shorts on which are printed phrases and large letters in black. The portrait ends at the figure’s mid-calf. Surrounding him are large blue and yellow flowers with green leaves on an orange background. The overall effect is very busy. Some of the floral pattern is superimposed over the figure’s shorts at the lower hem and hip area and the shirt at the mid-section.

Art invites us deeper into stories. Writing is an especially powerful way to slow down, connect and explore those stories. We invite you to spend some time today with this piece by Kehinde Wiley, noticing what comes up as you put pen to paper. Before or after you write, take some time to learn about…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Carrie Mae Weems

During this time, it is important we all take moments to reflect. Writing is a powerful tool to pause, connect, and heal. Using this work by Carrie Mae Weems as inspiration, here are two prompts to help you get going. You can choose one, both or follow your own adventure. Before or after you write,…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Marilyn Levine

Photo of a sculpture representing a deep brown leather handbag. Viewed from the side, a rectangular handbag with both ends and middle collapse inward as if half empty. A highlight on the outward bulge of the main body of the bag is represented in a lighter color. A shoulder strap lies draped across the main body and lies next to the highlight. Hardware and rivets attach the strap to the main body of the bag at each end. A flat pocket with a flap is on the right end of the bag. Seams and stitching are clearly visible and a zipper puller is at the top center of the bag.

During this time, it is important we all take moments to pause. Writing is a great tool to reflect, de-stress, #breakforjoy and heal. Join us for another mini-writing exercise focused on the people we are spending our days with (or are feeling separated from), using this piece from Marilyn Levine as inspiration.   First, imagine a…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Heidi Schwegler

This sculpture depicts an object that resembles a bed pillow. Its shorter side is closest to the viewer. The sculpture is turned so one pillow corner is nearest the bottom center and the pillow is shown in a three-quarter view. It is deeply creased in the center as if it has been folded in half, short end to short end. The rear part of the pillow appears to be bunched upright and is indented in the center, corners jutting upward. Wrinkles, creases and piping along the seams are visible. The color is a very pale tan with cream highlights and deeper tones of tan in the creases. A shiny highlight of white is at the pillow corner nearest the viewer at bottom center.

During this time, it is important that we all take moments to pause. Writing is a great tool to reflect, de-stress, #breakforjoy and heal.  Join us for a writing exercise focused on the everyday objects we spend our days with, taking this piece by Heidi Schwegler as a starting point.   Step 1: Make a list…  Read more

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Write Around PAM: Brian Calvin

A horizontal, rectangular illustration of a white woman with long brown hair tucked behind her ears, positioned at the right. Viewed in profile, facing right, she leans her forehead against a bathroom mirror. Her eyes are closed. She wears a long-sleeve, light-blue top. She is reflected in the pink-framed mirror, seen with white, diagonal stripes representing the mirror’s glare. Behind her, in the center of the picture, is a window, also with glare streaks in the lower half, showing a tree with dark brown trunk and branches with foliage in various green tones. In the upper-left corner, leafy greens of a house plant are visible. The wall behind the figure is a yellow-green, the window is framed in a slightly darker yellow green. A dark blue horizontal stripe of tile runs along the back wall at chest level to the figure. A pink towel hangs on a bar at left.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with the enormity of both our own and the world’s pain. It feels even more important now to take moments to pause. Writing is a great tool to reflect, de-stress, #breakforjoy, and heal. Using this piece from Brian Calvin as inspiration, here are two prompts to help you get the pen…  Read more