From my working manuscript, Growing Wild (first published in The Talking Stick):
Poet
She left the house
four hours ago.
She returned with poems
and sticks in her hair.
My Story
Yup, you guessed it. From the time I was a kid learning to read, write and draw, I was obsessed with art and writing. I published my own little neighborhood newspaper when I was only eight. It was full of drawings, poems and word puzzles for my friends to color or complete. As a teen, I drew and painted characters from the television screen and later for my own children when they wanted pictures of their favorite animated heroes.
I painted murals on the walls in my childrens rooms, but I still didn't really know what to do with my passion for recreating those scenes and fictional beings.
At that time, I was also writing and publishing poetry. When my first book, Agates, was published, a writing group I belonged to hosted an art class on printmaking and I was hooked. I created thirty-six bird images for the organization that sponsored the class and continued with feathered and furry subjects ever since.
We moved from the Minneapolis area of Minnesota to the North Shore of Lake Superior, where I found so many wonderful writers and artists who offer ongoing inspiration and learning opportunities. I am so grateful for all of my creative friends and collectors, old and new, who continue to support my journey toward being a full time artist.
What’s your story?
If you’re interested in writing or printmaking, or if you want to see what I’m working on, sign up below and I’ll keep you in the loop.
Swan (from Agates)Today I am
an origami swan
folding into myself,
wanting nothing
of the world
but solitude -
the turning
of pages,
a leaf
airborne,
a wakeless
drifting
to another shore.
Poetry Bio: Shelley Getten has been publishing poetry since 1990. Her chapbook, Agates, was published in 2005 by Finishing Line Press, shortly before she began printmaking. The 2017 winner of the Lake Superior Writers Annual Poetry Contest, Shelley loves sharing the printmaking and poetry process with students of all ages. She truly believes that creativity and nature are healing forces in the world.
Art Bio: After publishing her first chapbook, Agates, in 2015, Shelley took a printmaking class with Grand Marais artist, Kelly DuPre. She was immediately hooked on the process and began showing and selling work at Jaques Art Center in Aitkin and then Twin Cities galleries, Your Art’s Desire and The Good Life. After moving to Two Harbors in 2008, Shelley continued to publish poetry and sell her art in Duluth and along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Shelley loves teaches classes and truly believes that creativity and nature are healing forces in the world.