Teresa Carson and Teresa Butterfield
Seven Sacred Pauses Exhibit
Teresa Carson
My poems tend to be deeply rooted in place and very aware of Time in its many manifestations. Until our move to Sarasota in 2017, I had always lived in large urban areas in NJ where my exposure to nature was mostly limited to pigeons and squirrels – of course, I’m exaggerating, but not by much. After moving to the Alta Vista neighborhood I continued my habit of taking a long walk early in the morning, usually beginning right before dawn and finishing around 8am before the heat and humidity kick in. Day after day I was awestruck by the beauty of the skies, the diversity of wildlife, and the glorious stillness all around me. Whereas my NJ walks had always been times for me to turn inward, my Sarasota walks became times for me to turn outward. At first, I wasn’t transforming my walks into poems. Then, at a friend’s suggestion, I read Seven Sacred Pauses, by Macrina Wiederkehr. It offered me a structure, based on the canonical hours, with which to pay even closer attention to, and subsequently to write these poems about, the movement of time in this extraordinary place.
Poets tend to be solitary creatures, but collaborating with Leslie, a visual artist, further expanded my vision of the landscape and, therefore, my work. Our process gave each of us the opportunity to be changed by seeing the world through an other’s eyes and by doing so to increase our empathic response to all others.
Leslie Butterfield
As a visual artist, I am drawn to a variety of media including paint, paper, feathers, shells, glass and clay. Several times each week I kayak on Sarasota Bay where my encounters with nature and the environment influence my work and played a large role in the creation of the Seven Sacred Pauses project. While I am sensitive to our culture and to what is happening in the world, I am inclined to put aside my negative emotions and allow the beauty of the world around me to become the subject of my art.
I am trained as a textile designer and studied art history and aesthetics in grad school, yet today I am a visual artist, constantly seeking a balance between my design sensibilities and my desire to express my feelings freely. Tactile elements always show up and I cannot help but add layers to my work whether as color or materials. Working with friend and poet Teresa on this Seven Sacred Pauses project has deepened my appreciation for the world around me and helped me be more sensitive to how differently we each experience our lives.
My poems tend to be deeply rooted in place and very aware of Time in its many manifestations. Until our move to Sarasota in 2017, I had always lived in large urban areas in NJ where my exposure to nature was mostly limited to pigeons and squirrels – of course, I’m exaggerating, but not by much. After moving to the Alta Vista neighborhood I continued my habit of taking a long walk early in the morning, usually beginning right before dawn and finishing around 8am before the heat and humidity kick in. Day after day I was awestruck by the beauty of the skies, the diversity of wildlife, and the glorious stillness all around me. Whereas my NJ walks had always been times for me to turn inward, my Sarasota walks became times for me to turn outward. At first, I wasn’t transforming my walks into poems. Then, at a friend’s suggestion, I read Seven Sacred Pauses, by Macrina Wiederkehr. It offered me a structure, based on the canonical hours, with which to pay even closer attention to, and subsequently to write these poems about, the movement of time in this extraordinary place.
Poets tend to be solitary creatures, but collaborating with Leslie, a visual artist, further expanded my vision of the landscape and, therefore, my work. Our process gave each of us the opportunity to be changed by seeing the world through an other’s eyes and by doing so to increase our empathic response to all others.
Leslie Butterfield
As a visual artist, I am drawn to a variety of media including paint, paper, feathers, shells, glass and clay. Several times each week I kayak on Sarasota Bay where my encounters with nature and the environment influence my work and played a large role in the creation of the Seven Sacred Pauses project. While I am sensitive to our culture and to what is happening in the world, I am inclined to put aside my negative emotions and allow the beauty of the world around me to become the subject of my art.
I am trained as a textile designer and studied art history and aesthetics in grad school, yet today I am a visual artist, constantly seeking a balance between my design sensibilities and my desire to express my feelings freely. Tactile elements always show up and I cannot help but add layers to my work whether as color or materials. Working with friend and poet Teresa on this Seven Sacred Pauses project has deepened my appreciation for the world around me and helped me be more sensitive to how differently we each experience our lives.
Richard E. Cannon
Richard E. Cannon
700 JOHN RINGLING BLVD
SARASOTA, FL 34236
941 374 0028.
[email protected]
Rick has designed, built and painted scenery for theatre since graduating from DePauw University in 1969. He later went back to school to get his MFA in scenic design from North Carolina School of the Arts. Since then, he has worked in New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida as a designer, scenic artist and production manager.
When not in the scene shop building sets, he loves the challenge of technical drafting, working with pen and ink, pencil, and watercolor. His resume includes a world premier design for Robert Ward’s opera “Roman Fever”, over 50 set designs for the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, and set and lighting designs for almost every theatre in the area. Rick has lived in Sarasota with his wife, Kitty, since 1981.
700 JOHN RINGLING BLVD
SARASOTA, FL 34236
941 374 0028.
[email protected]
Rick has designed, built and painted scenery for theatre since graduating from DePauw University in 1969. He later went back to school to get his MFA in scenic design from North Carolina School of the Arts. Since then, he has worked in New York, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida as a designer, scenic artist and production manager.
When not in the scene shop building sets, he loves the challenge of technical drafting, working with pen and ink, pencil, and watercolor. His resume includes a world premier design for Robert Ward’s opera “Roman Fever”, over 50 set designs for the FSU/Asolo Conservatory, and set and lighting designs for almost every theatre in the area. Rick has lived in Sarasota with his wife, Kitty, since 1981.
