“…where many an evening she had played a song/ that strangely moved and touched him deep inside.”
—Rainer Maria Rilke, “A Childhood Memory”
sketch for a painting, 4x6” gouache on envelope
This month I am working on a painting inspired by a Rilke poem, “A Childhood Memory.” I’ve done bunch of sketches for it, and I plan to do some monotypes next week. (This week isn’t working out because school keeps getting cancelled due to weather, and I’ve been distracted with kids.)
I’m haunted by the image of a boy’s wide eyes in the shadows, and a woman, also in shadows, playing the piano at night, the piano keys gleaming white, like the moonlight.
Here’s the poem:
poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, translation by Albert Ernest Flemming
Here is one of the pencil sketches I did in preparation for the painting:
“A Childhood Memory” pencil sketch
So, this post is just a little glimpse into my process. Hopefully it will be interesting and/or useful to someone! It’s all I have time to do today. Now I’ve got to take my kids outside to burn off some energy! The sun is shining, and it’s a good day for a walk to the library.