Poetry has become an unexpected part of my creative process. As I sit with an idea or a story that I am hoping to capture within my work, I feel the words begin to form. The poetry becomes an anthem of sorts for the collection and although it is very outside my comfort zone, I've learned that sharing these words only brings greater meaning to the art.
The New Beginnings collection launched at the Spring at the Silos event in March 2022. These works were marked by their moody, abstract landscape compositions. I had the idea for this collection as I reflected on the months following pandemic lockdowns. The pandemic changed us and how we relate to one another and while there was so much beauty in "getting back to normal" there was also a messiness about it. As I grappled with this tension, these words and these works poured out. I felt this transition reflected in the changing seasons as well. This collection was painted in late winter, when the clouds and the cold have not yet let up, but the warm breeze of spring feels eminent. This imagery inspired much of the color palette and word choice of New Beginnings.
New Beginnings
by Katie Mulder
There is something in the breeze that blows.
It sways the tender trees.
A quiet promise whispered
that brings me to my knees.
So long a time I’ve waited
for the icy cold to lift.
And now the warm wind cuts its sting,
the most merciful gift.
I’ve seen this shifting elsewhere,
winter changing into spring -
the melting of the snow
and the hope that new buds bring.
It’s reflected deep within me,
the call I feel towards growth.
Thawing out what’s been laid dormant,
new and yet familiar, both.
So I will marvel at each seedling,
every blossom, every bud.
I will dance in rain that quenches,
changing dry ground into mud.
Growing forward marked by bitter cold,
once frozen from within.
Now resolved to let life flourish,
determined to begin.