ARTWRITE #25: TELLING STORIES

Dani Shapiro and Laura Karetzky

Laura Karetzky, Flight of Departures, 2024; 55 x 72”; oil on canvas

Hello, old and new Art Write followers,

It's not easy to admit that it's been three years since my last post. The gap is partially due to a move from California back to the East Coast, but I was also grappling with massive writer's block. It's great to feel my writing gears churning again.

The hardest part of leaving California was saying goodbye to my garden. My mornings began on a ladder, reaching for the passion fruit vines under my trellis. As I wove the vines and plucked out dead leaves, I discovered a modicum of zen that I'd never experienced.

I relished watching the garden transform. Donkey tails trailed, then spilled over the edges of walls and pots. Aeoniums nestled into aloes, while succulents miraculously produced babies attached to their hips.

I told my husband that if I had to give up the garden, we would have to move to a place that gave us access to even more nature than we had in California.

And here we are, surrounded by woodland, so nature is no longer contained to a backyard or garden. From our windows, I watch the light shift against the mountains. The seasons change. We take walks through grass, leaves, snow, and mud.

Now that the New Yorker in me is finally comfortable saying that she lives in Connecticut, I'm ready to get involved in my new community.

Next week, I'll launch the first of a series of live conversations with artists and writers at Spring Hill Vineyards in New Preston, CT.

The first event, Telling Stories, pairs New York Times bestselling author Dani Shapiro with narrative painter Laura Karetzky, a NYSCA/NYFA fellow and Bennett Prize Finalist.

Fun Home, 2023, 60 x 48”, Stripped/Film Screening, 2021, 30 x 24”, oil on panel

We'll discuss the creative process, the use of multiple perspectives and juxtaposition in storytelling, and the themes that drive Dani’s and Laura’s work.

I'd love to see you there if you're in the area.