we explore our poland-road norton-pond rental

magic at “wicked
cute camp”—each and ev’ry room
conjures water views!

—dotty seiter

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Notes about poem and art:
• Our June vacation found us at Norton Pond in Maine in the lap of its lapping shoreline and the lap of rustic back-to-basics. It is my modus operandi when we go away to leave both the stressful and the wonderful at home, in favor of embracing the other-than-usual while away. That said, I do bring simple supplies with me so I can invite the other-than-usual into my away creative practice. In early June I packed with the intention to write short poems and play with watercolor paints. “we explore” is my first haiku from our getaway.
• The photo above represents the first post-vacation steps taken with this work in progress. I held a pencil loosely at its top end and made light meandering scribbles that got rid of the ‘blank canvas’ feeling by messing it up a bit as an invitation to make it my own. Then I grabbed a stack of sandwich-wrap papers on which I’d unloaded excess paint when finishing up past projects. Next I color-matched and glued torn bits of that collage fodder to various squares, changing the face of my painting. Very satisfying both artistically and as a way to stay connected to my time in Maine by continuing to interact with what I painted while there.