keep art alive: kelly haigh

keep art alive; art by kelly haigh

the ten questions project: kelly haigh

*1. what music (or other art form) inspires you when you create your art?

kh: Anything by Neko Case, Carolyn Mark, Freakwater, or Bob Dylan. (Gene Watson, the Louvin Brothers....) Any really old country duet songs, or gospel. (I love the Louvin Brothers, their 'Satan is Real' kicks my backside every time I hear it.)

*2. long distance road trip: what three people do you invite along (fictional or non-fictional, dead or alive)?

kh: My 'Terry-dactyl' was kind enough to give up his seat to Bob Dylan, so, the other two passengers would have to be Jack the Ripper, and Ray Caesar... (with his wife's kind permission.)

*3. what is your favorite breakfast cereal?

kh: Fruit Loops... without question... but if you're all out, I'd take hot oatmeal with lots of milk and brown sugar.

*4. what is one thing that is hanging on your bedroom wall?

A mounted fox head from 1875.

* 5. what smell/scent evokes strong memories for you?

Lilacs... and the smell of musty antique books. I love that smell the most.

* 6. coffee or tea?

Diet Pepsi, please.

* 7. what has been the most impactful compliment, or criticism, you have ever received?

Ray Caesar told me to never stop painting or making music... For some reason, his kind words of encouragement have meant the world to me, and his art inspires me beyond words.

* 8. three words that describe you?

Can't .... Find ..... Any...

* 9. cartoon character crush: who is, or was, yours?

Bambi.

* 10. the world is ending in ten minutes and you get to listen to one, and only one, song: which song?

Hold On, Hold On, by Neko Case. (Although, I MIGHT cry that I didn't choose Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues by Bob Dylan.)

***

kelly would like to tell you about her website: kelly haigh; her upcoming show in march at thinkspace gallery; that she has work in the upcoming book big eyed art, transformed and resurrected by blonde blythe, which should be out in april, by merrell publishing; and another space where you can find a different interview with her: glubdub.com.

i would like to thank kelly for participating in the keep art alive: ten questions project, and for being inspirational to my writing.

go now go and check out more of her work, visit a gallery showing, and buy something if you can. keep art alive and show your support.

but i never know if it's real

keep art alive; art by kelly haigh

"we are walking down the street, holding hands. there’s a playground at the end of the block and i run to the swings and climb on, and henry takes the one next to me, facing the opposite direction, and we swing higher and higher, passing each other, sometimes in synch and sometimes streaming past each other so fast it seem likes we’re going to collide, and we laugh, and laugh, and nothing can ever be sad, no one can be lost, or dead, or far away: right now we are here, and nothing can mar our perfection, or steal the joy of this perfect moment.”

the time traveler’s wife ~ audrey niffenegger

untitled ~ the cure

they taught you how to feel

keep art alive; art by kelly haigh

i feel a bit rough around the edges. as if there are parts of me that have just been cut out. molded. shaped. but with scissors that are just a bit warped. a little bend to the left. and now i just hang a little crooked. nothing seems to fit around me. i am more comfortable naked and wrapped in a blanket. i feel that too much of me is opening up to the world. i'm not ready for all the scrutiny. but yet, i'm still running around with no clothes on.

i used to feel so alive with you. i used to feel so okay to be one of your conquests. i didn't count on caring this much. i didn't anicipate getting so cold. you are used to me now. i don't think i can hang you on my sleeve anymore. my heart is full of holes and you pour out of it a little bit each day. leaking out of me in tears and shouts. i don't want to sponge you off the ground and bathe in it any longer. i want to bleed until i'm dry. i want the desert inside of me. i want to feel sand cut my throat and burn my eyes. i need to feel nothing.

today i lined up fifty masks. i named them all. gave them days of the week. but sometimes the choices overwhelm me. i don't know how to fit inside of them anymore. i forget which one you prefer. what do i wear when i'm alone? which one allows me to wear the red dress and the fuck-me heels? is this the one for the big promotion? the two drink minimum? i feel lost. i feel faceless. raw. exposed.

i carry too many titles. i've had them in me for the all of my life. i was a mother before i could even conceive. a lover before i knew what love was. a child for only a breath of time. it is hard to balance being a woman and being me. i sit here. look in the mirror. shout out my names. make faces. i spit at the images. i laught until i cry. i'm singing now. rocking back and forth. angel. devil. innocent one. slut. liar. saint. mother. daughter. sister. friend. lover. hater. manipulator. truster. betrayer. employee. negotiator. loser. succeeder. geek. tormentor. woman. girl. bitch. educator. student. confused. conflicted. strong. weak. dead. alive.

i run up the stairs now. jumping two at a time. i can't wait to reach the top. i'm naked still. unabashedly so. running the water in the bath. diving in. drowning in my own juices. all that i am. drinking in the dirt and decay. wiping all the days mistakes off. i watch them spin down the drain. i feel new now. ready to face the day. maybe i will wear the happy mask. the one with the big, bright smile. the one meant for first days of school. for auditions. for parent-teacher conferences. first dates. anniversaries. for my mother. for you.
(written by me)

avalanche ~ ryan adams