Poet Angel

Poet Angel
acrylic, glitter, rhinestones, 16 x 20"
CM Shaw, September 2008

SHAWART NOW FEATURED AT DECK THE WALLS

A great opportunity has come my way, Friends- my work is now being featured at Deck the Walls in West County Center, the nucleus of Western St. Louis County commerce! Thousands of shoppers will see my work every week- the best exposure my work has ever had- a dream come true, Friends. In addition to several original pieces, they have chosen to offer a framed reproduction of “White Zin Grin” on canvas, 16 x 20” for the paltry sum of $249.95- signed by yours truly! Come by & see it if you need a grin, yourself! Check out my link to Deck the Walls on shawart.com! I am honored to be affiliated with this beautiful gallery-

Deck the Walls
119 West County Center
St. Louis, MO 63131
(314)966-6965
www.westcounty.deckthewalls.com

My gratitude the staff at Deck the Walls for all your support! Great people!

Lover's Eden

“Lover's Eden”, 2008.
 acrylic & charcoal on canvas, 12 x 16”.

Expand Your Mind- Buy Some REAL Art

Some framed pieces left over from my May show pictured here- need some art People? Gimmie a holla if so: colin@shawart.com. Pictured clockwise from top left: "Daughter" 2007, "Her Place" 2005, "Slippery Day on the Parkway" 2006, "Untitled (3 leaves)" 2005, St. John the Baptist" 2005. All framed & ready to hang- see closeup shots under the respective years in the works section of shawart.com.

I Burned Your Letter...

Some more guerilla poetry for you with a sketch from my private journal, People. Thanks again!
I burned your letter today…

I burned it in memory of all I built that you destroyed-
I burned it in celebration of all the great things I will achieve without your wrath.

I burned it to defy you-
I burned it to curse your vengeance.

I burned it for my new lover while she smiled with pride in me-
I burned it while you fell apart someplace far away.

I burned it to cauterize all those little cuts you left open-
I burned it to heal what you tried to break.

I burned it in the name of all that is good and true inside my heart-
I burned it to put rest to your blame and indignance.

I burned it on my knees to pardon your transgressions before your God and man-
I burned it with humility like a torch to light your path to come.

I burned it to demonstrate its inconsequence-
I burned it to help you transcend.

I burned it for the love of and belief in myself-
I burned it to show you how a real man treads this earth.

I burned it to impart the lesson no one ever taught you-
I burned it to show you how fearless and powerful I really am.

I burned it to feel your reminiscence singe my fingertips one last time-
I burned it to know that troubled feeling is forever gone now.

CM Shaw. August, 2008

Just a sketch...

Hey there People-
One of my friends accused me of guerilla poetry recently, so
here's one with a sketch from my current journal.


Just out of reach, but so close
All around me, but you cannot be seen
Right in front of me through the shroud over my head,
fumbling for a grasp on what slips away again, over and over.
What could we have together? What have I to give you?
Nothing but the clumsy inadequacy of ignorance, the lost-
willing prisoner chained to a failure to see, to look eyes wide open.
a solitary sentence- judge, jury, and executioner, as one.
Are you unable to come just a little closer, to feel the warmth of my
breast through the dark?
Can you not bring the miracle promised to a heart so in need?
Days and nights pass by, others enjoying your solace while I go without in the cold black vacuum- no warm arms, no sweet lips, no heavenly whispers of love. I have been waiting for you.

CM Shaw
www.shawart.com

Leave & Stay

“If I had the cash, I think I’d go to someplace lonely by myself. But since I don’t, I choose to stay here with the ones I love so much it hurts…” J. Gaskill

Love that line of poetry. It says a lot- it is simultaneously resigned to a dutiful present, while passionately confessional of deeply rooted connections- deep foundations of love. Anyone of us can choose to leave, cash or not. If you choose to stay, do it for love. Do it for love even if it makes you feel crazy. To love someone or something so much your heart aches is the ecstasy of our mortal coil, the essence of our humanity. I love painting that much.

I painted “Stay” and “Leave” this past May, right before a big shift in my life occurred- a change for the better that, strangely, I wasn’t consciously anticipating at the time. I felt refreshed, ashamed of the scared child inside me, and newly accepted- appreciated for who I am instead of damned for what someone wanted me to be. Weird!  I started smearing the charcoal all over and making a big mess, I got excited and started washing acrylic color right over the charcoal. This resulted in a kind of “worn”, “soiled” look to them- that when combined with the simple figures reminded me of ancient cave paintings or hieroglyphics. Perhaps a primal instinct deep inside me was sending a signal to my brain, to my hands… ?