In celebration of National Poetry Month, Harold Washington Library Center hosts an exhibit featuring Emily Calvo's vivid watercolor-illustrated poetry. The paintings are on display through April 30 on the 3rd floor of Harold Washington Library Center.
Calvo will read her poetry at this year's Poetry Fest.
Artist Statement
When I tell people I work in watercolor, they often comment, "How can you do that? It's so difficult to control." I tell them, "I don't."
So much of life is about figuring out when to take control and when to let go—to allow the universe to shape the next moment. Ultimately, control yields accuracy and predictability, while letting go invites the unexpected, the fresh stroke, the surprise of blended colors. I gravitate to watercolors because each painting is a reflection of this exercise: the dance of intention and accident, the choice and the discovery. And while I dip the brush into one color, the paint pools and blends, the paper's texture redefines the intensities, the shifting air and surface angle the paint in unpredictable directions. The resulting aesthetic is testimony to the unity of my vision with the elements that surround me—making painting an act of faith.
