Art: Journey Within by Carolyn O’Neill, @carolynoneillartist
AN INSECT’S DREAM OF HONEST CONCRETE
So often there are blocks that give way to
the arachnidian spires of wind-up basilicas
and stretchered nuns who cry out pantomime Italian,
Questo è tutto per i turisti, This is all because of the tourists.
Faces everywhere are set in plaster and handed
over to the cops. The cops are hard at work on a
bas-relief collage for the next big potluck, and
they say, We’re all just itching to show you.
Wherever there are quickening parkside parking lots,
there are lonely office men who scuttle over every
crack, careful not to break Mother’s back, and who will tell
you, Never turn your back on the kind of person you meet online.
Grandma is the pinching, candy-giving carnival
clairvoyant of early youth. Her irises are onion haunted
pools, her teeth are the yellow, ship-breaking rocks of
distant shores. She glides over the mentholated carpet
and glares deep into your pupils as she reveals
your destiny: You’d better listen to me, boy.
About the author:
Miles Varana’s work has appeared in a variety of publications, including SOFTBLOW, After the Pause, Crack the Spine, Typehouse, and Chicago Literati. He has worked previously as a staff reader and managing editor at Hawai’i Pacific Review. Miles lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where, chances are, he is currently suffering to some degree from the effects of a dairy hangover.
Art: Journey Within by Carolyn O’Neill, @carolynoneillartist
In the artist’s words:
My name is Carolyn O’Neill, I am an Australian visual artist and have been painting since 2003. I work mostly in oils on canvas, my work is a fusion of the mid century modernist aesthetic and abstract expressionism.
The act of self-expression inspires and motivates me. The ’action’ or the physical outpouring of one’s inner self becomes a connective force. This raw but intangible energy is what I attempt to convey onto canvas.
I’m inspired by the early abstract expressionists from the 1950’s such as De Kooning, Pollock, Motherwell and Kline. Like them I feel that I am unable to express myself through representation. I desire to move beyond the recognizable ‘surface’; evoking a deeper emotional response. Much of this work is autobiographical; depicting my inner world and emotions. They are similar to journal entries that are painted rather than written with references to biblical themes and the inspiration of music.
My work is generally unplanned; it is spontaneous and intuitive. I tend to navigate without a map and work at a frenetic pace which I find both exhausting and energizing. It expresses a roller coaster of emotions in varying degrees. My work is an exploration of line, colour and form. The physical and emotional tension in this work is evident in every brushstroke and drip of paint. It is this visual dialogue that allows me the freedom to express not what is seen; but what is felt. I once read somewhere that “Abstract art is similar to a piece of music which may not describe anything tangible or tell a story; yet may stir emotions. An abstract painting depends on colour and design to do the same. “
You can view my full portfolio at www.carolynoneill.com.au