Words

Carol Hille (poem) and Linda Sohlberg (sculpture)

Carol: What was your inspiration for this piece?
The pandemic gave me large blocks of time that I thought would be a good opportunity to write but the words wouldn't come to me. When they finally arrived, they came in the form of a poem rather than the prose I was trying to write.
Linda: What was your inspiration for this piece?
Ars Poetica brings Poets and Artisans together. Carol Hille's poem "Words" really spoke to me- the frustration of losing the ability to find just the right word, the right sentiment. As a woodworker, I had been working on turning square bowls/sculpture, and the juxtaposition of square, wood, tactile....with words spiraling ever further away until they are gone in a mirrored infinity seemed both doable and appropriate.

Carol: Tell us about the creation process including any obstacles overcome or surprises.
I think of myself as a prose writer and it always surprises me when a poem pops out onto the page!
Linda: Tell us about the creation process including any obstacles overcome or surprises.
Turning thin wood is always a challenge! Additionally, I needed to acquire a new skillset: the laser cutter (and associated software) in the Electronics & Technical Arts Studio. Perfect! And then I needed to figure out how to best display the piece so that the "infinite" destination of the words was viewable, meaningful. A simple, angled stand made of sheet Metal (Metal Fabrication Studio) completed the sculpture.
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Carol is a founding member of BARN, She is thrilled to be part of this creative community. She had no idea when she joined the first writing group, Alpha Writers, that she could write things that others would enjoy reading!
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Linda is an architect, trained at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, where she first learned how to use tools and build things (and also, of course, design!). That training is always present- in her photography, her woodworking efforts, and her approach to learning and teaching. She has lived on Bainbridge Island for about 40 years.