The Sunday Challenge ~ Featuring Kim Nelson

Today it is my pleasure to feature the artistic talent of someone who is well-known to us on Real Toads. It is the poet, the painter, the photographer, Kim Nelson. This feature also serves as an introduction to Kim as a member of Real Toads.

Self-Portrait of the Artist

Kim Nelson is the award-winning author of dozens of magazine articles as well as three non-fiction books and a poetry collection. A Desert Gardener’s Companion, Southwest Kitchen Garden,  Mommy I’m Still in Here and Woman’s Evolution are available at her etsy shop and at Amazon.com.  Also a visual artist, Nelson works with various media including encaustic, acrylic, watercolor and pastels.   To view currently available pieces visit her website,Kim Nelson Creates, or her etsy shop.

©  Kim Nelson

Kim shares with us a selection of paintings for our poetic inspiration, as well as her process notes on her many creative pursuits.  As an added bonus to this challenge, Kim has kindly offered a giveaway in the form of a lucky draw to be made among the participants. The winner will receive an original artwork from Kim. 
Entries for this part of the challenge will close at 12 PM CST on Thursday, 17 January, when the draw will be made.

©  Kim Nelson

And the Angels Flew
               by Kim Nelson 

There
Behind the window glass
Eyes peered
Feared
What would be

O’er

The field of frost-maize grass

Eyes leered

Jeered

Killing spree

Ensued

And the angels flew

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

©  Kim Nelson

My processes for writing and creating art are simple and the same.  I start. Never without a moleskin book, I pick up pencil or pen and sketch an outline. Then I fill gaps and spaces with color and life. Not afraid of erasure or removal, I edit quite a lot, getting rid of  the extraneous or unnecessary.

©  Kim Nelson

As a wordsmith, I respect (perhaps adore!) the power of words, the power of every word. I want only to use that which is necessary to convey meaning, message or thought, neither wasting nor wanting. With a natural inclination toward rhyme and meter, I spend a fair amount of time in wordplay as I work to convey the nuances I intend.

©  Kim Nelson

My visual work is layered, both literally and figuratively. I paint in, paint over, add texture and depth with various media and ephemera. I use my fingers to apply and alter material as well as brushes, palette knives, toothpicks and popsicle sticks. I use a variety of textiles to remove and alter what I've put on the canvas.  A blowdryer and heat gun often come in handy. I find it easy to keep my writing simple. In creating art, I tend toward abundance, over-exuberance. I'm working to pare down my approach to create cleaner pieces. 

©  Kim Nelson

In all that I do, I'm ever-evolving, constantly learning, perpetually growing and changing.

©  Kim Nelson

Kim has generously offered these amazing works of art for use on our blogs.  If you add an image to your post, please acknowledge the name of the artist and provide a link back to her website.  

The Sunday Challenge is posted on Saturday at noon CST to allow extra time for the creative process, so please do not link up old work which kind of fits an image.  This is in the spirit of our Real Toads project to create opportunities for poets to be newly inspired. Management reserves the right to remove unrelated links but invites you to share a poem of your choice on Open Link Monday.