Congratulations, Malik!

Congratulations to my friend, Malik Anas Al-Rajab, in Baghdad, whose work has been accepted for the Letter Arts Review 2007 Annual!

I wrote about Malik in my March 14th post. At the time, I was preparing my submission to Letter Arts Review Annual, so I asked Malik if I could help him enter his work, as well. We needed a large, high-res file for submission and since sending a CD from Iraq was pretty much out of the question, the only option was several files his uncle had on CD outside of Iraq. So, we scrambled to get them and I submitted his work along with my own. His work was accepted this issue; mine wasn’t – LOL! (It’s okay, I’m in the last two LAR Annuals and an upcoming issue! :)

I’m thrilled that Malik’s work has been recognized. Here’s hoping that by the time Review 2007 is published, the postal service is running again in Baghdad and he can see his work in print. Here’s to peace in Iraq; here’s to a young man with the presence of mind to concentrate on calligraphy in a war zone! Well done, Malik!

Responding to our World

Much of my work is inspired by music. As I work, lyrics of whatever I am listening to that day, often stick in my head and ‘infuse’ the work. This painting was inspired by the Cowboy Junkies song, Darkling Days (from their 1998 album, Miles From Our Home) and I have borrowed the name for the piece. The text in this painting is abstract.

I just received word that three of my pieces, including this one, have been accepted by jurors, Thomas Ingmire and Maureen Squires for an upcoming exhibition. The show is entitled Responding to our World: Words, Images, Gestures, and will exhibit June-August 2007 at the Guilford Art Centre in Connecticut.

I am thrilled. And while I may not get to see the exhibition, I can look forward to seeing selected works published in Letter Arts Review magazine in July 2007.