“I'm speaking of the pursuit of excellence in all things. All things! Presence of mind and devotion to craft. A great artist has these. A great chef. A great master of tea. There's powerful kung fu in a well-built house or an eloquent letter, but the limit of your imagination is bones breaking and bullets flying.” MindWellsArtistHouseImaginationPowerfulMastersLimitsBuiltAll ThingsLettersExcellenceBonesPursuitFlyingDevotionCraftsTeaBulletsChefGreat ArtGreat ArtistEloquentKung FuPresence Of MindPursuit Of Excellence Author:Scott Lynch
“He [the artist] ought to have 'these powerful organs of expression' - colour and chiaroscuro - entirely at his command, that he may use them in every possible form, as well as that he may do with the most perfect freedom; therefore, whether he wishes to make the subject of a joyous, solemn, or meditative character, by flinging over it the cheerful aspect which the sun bestows, by a proper disposition of shade, or by the appearances that beautify its arising or its setting, a true "General Effect" should never be lost sight of.” ShouldWellsMayCharacterUseFormArtistLostWishPerfectPowerfulSunSubjectsEffectsExpressionOughtAspectSightAppearanceSettingCommandSettingsColourOver ItShadeOrgansDispositionCheerfulSolemnJoyousChiaroscuro Author:John Constable
“Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a "real artist" unless you're getting paid for it....I personally know so many poets that work a 9 to 5 in a cubicle and come home and write poetry. Their poetry is just as powerful and moving as anything that I've ever written, if not more.” PeopleIfsThinkingKnowsWritingRealHomeMovingArtistPowerfulWrittenPoetPaidPoetry IsComing HomeUnfairReal ArtistsCubicles Author:Sarah Kay
“'Everything beautiful occurs when the body / is suspended,' Helena Mesa quotes a performance artist who hangs his own pierced body in the air. Mesa's poems are artfully suspended between lyric and narrative, between humans and animals, between Latin America and the U.S., between desire and the difficulty of its fulfillment. Horse Dance Underwater is an inventive, musical, and powerful debut.” HumansBodyAmericaBeautifulDesireArtistAnimalPowerfulAirPerformancesHorseDifficultyMusicalNarrativeFulfillmentLatinLatin AmericaSuspendedDebutUnderwaterHumans And Animals Author:Mark Doty