"In my craft or sullen art"
2018, 35mm, Kentmere 100 film, 5X7 in. prints exposed on Ilford fiber paper
In my craft or sullen art
Exercised in the still night
When only the moon rages
And the lovers lie abed
With all their griefs in their arms,
I labour by singing light
Not for ambition or bread
Or the strut and trade of charms
On the ivory stages
But for the common wages
Of their most secret heart.
Not for the proud man apart
From the raging moon I write
On these spindrift pages
Nor for the towering dead
With their nightingales and psalms
But for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.
- Dylan Thomas
I have arranged an ekphrastic series of photographs inspired by the poetry of Dylan Thomas. The short, masterful poem “In my craft or sullen art” encapsulates the altruistic endeavor of the artist. In this poem Thomas shows that the action of creation is formed by a deep seeded, uncontrollable drive towards the purity of creativity rather than the seeking of fame and glory. By heeding this creative urge artists are able to interpret the world that we inhabit and find the right reasons to create. I encourage reading the poem aloud and making connections to the images however you might, they are not arranged to form a narrative, but to foster a feeling.
