Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Considering Carp

Watercolor monoprint enhanced with colored pencil, inspired by watching carp attempt to spawn in the United Way parking lot, in the flooded Rock River

There is a lot of disdain around here for the carp, big, brown bottom feeder that it is. These days though we have a sort of fascination watching the big fish try to get away from the fast current of the flooded river, and head for calmer water in which to reproduce. I decided to try to make some art to remember the event. It was hard finding a good carp poem to go with the picture, but I like this one.

Loyal Carp
Gerald Stern

I myself a bottom feeder I knew what
a chanson a la carp was I a lover
of carp music for I heard carp singing
behind glass on the Delaware river,
keeping the shad themselves company
and always it was basso, in that range there
was space for a song compleat, it was profundo
enough and just to stop and drink in that
melody and just to hum behind those
whiskers, that was muck enough for my life.



2 comments:

Jane said...

Excellent commemorative artwork!
Love it.

mARTa said...

This is beautiful. I am astonished at the photos you've been posting too. I can't imagine so much water. And here we are dry, dry, dry and fires instead of carp are spawning.