“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” – Pablo Picasso
Art holds such an important place in our lives. Experiencing art in its many forms is how we relax and decompress, explore and understand ourselves and others, and make sense of the complexities of the human experience.
That’s the inspiration behind the theme of this year’s Visiting Artists Show “Poetic License – Art to Navigate a Beautiful, Messy World.”
In this show, the worlds of poetry and visual art collide. They both grant us the licence to explore, to question, to interpret, and to navigate the messiness of our existence. Translating poetry into paintings and other visual art forms is a testament to the power of art to illuminate the unspoken, to transform emotion into form, and to help us make sense of the world around us.
The Poetry of “Poetic License”
When curating this art show. We decided to choose a selection of poems to inspire our artists and bring their artwork together under a unifying theme. The evocative and empowering poems of J.K. Kennedy’s Clumsy Beauty were the perfect fit.
J.K. Kennedy so movingly traverses the beautiful contradictions of life – the sorrow and joy of creativity, the order and chaos of experiments, and the noise and quiet of one’s destination. It’s what makes us human and it’s what connects us to art, whether words or visuals.
The Paintings and Artwork of “Poetic License”
The artwork of the Visiting Artists Show 2025 is structured into 4 acts inspired by 4 poems from Clumsy Beauty. Our artists really resonated with them.
- Act 1 “Creativity” – Our artists express their creativity as an exhilarating process, ranging from blooming like flowers to emerging from chaos, and beyond.
- Act 2 “Experiments” – Approaching their materials like a laboratory, our artists found experimentation to be freeing, a form of self-love, and a source of magic.
- Act 3 “The Destination – This poem started artistic conversations about our connection to ourselves, our history, and the moments that turn into memories.
- Act 4 “From the Thoughts Pile” – These pieces invite us to slow down, enjoy the moment, and appreciate the small but no less valuable things in life.
As you can imagine, this resulted in a wide variety of artwork from paintings to sculptures to photography. It’s not just the form that is diverse but the feelings, stories, and reflections captured in the artwork.
Join us for ALG Fine Art’s Visiting Artists Show “Poetic License – Art to Navigate a Beautiful, Messy World” to support all 30 artists who have used their “Poetic License” beautifully, boldly, and with brave vulnerability to create a stunning show.
You can get tickets for the Opening Night Reception on Saturday, October 4th HERE.
