My students have asked me to think of ways we tell stories and where we find inspiration for those stories. One place I’ve turned to and continue to turn to for inspiration, is art. Author Tracey Chevalier discusses the Vermeer painting that was her inspiration for her novel Girl With The Pearl Earring in her TedTalk, “Tracy Chevalier: Finding the story inside the painting.”
Several poets discuss ekphrasis prompts and poems from Diane Lockward in this forum and suggest the following to approach poem writing:
1. Imagine yourself observing the artist at work.
2. Consider the effect of the artwork on your speaker.
3. Observe someone else observing and responding to the artwork.
4. Focus on a limited aspect of the work, e.g., the bottle of wine on a fully laden table.
5. Enter the artwork and become part of the scene.
6. Consider what is left out of the artwork.
Now begin a draft. Bring in your description and list of details. If your artwork is dominated by a particular color, weave that color in and out of your poem. If there are multiple colors, bring them in. Of course, your poem should be rich in imagery. You are painting a picture with words. Let your imagination be stimulated by the artwork. Allow a few enigmatic metaphors to enter the poem. Don’t be excessively literal.
Other places for prompts and discussions of ekphrastic include the Lantern Review and the Ploughshares blog. As we’re getting ready for April’s month of poetry, perhaps my students and I will will try our hand at writing poems and stories to these paintings from artists’ work I’ve recently come to adore.
Courtney Kenny Porto, Mirror, Acrylic, 15″x19″, 2014
Amy Kollar Anderson, What the Dormouse Said, acrylic on canvas : 10″ x 16″ : 2012
