About the Odes....

I have always loved the initimate worlds of shadow boxes and dioramas. I was first introduced to the world of the shadow box when I was very young. In my early play years, my two older sisters would depart each day for school and leave me lonely and longing for companionship. My mother often kept me occupied by handing me an old shoe box, scissors, paper, pictures, glue and encouraging me to build secret worlds which could only be viewed through the smallest of peep holes. The following shadow boxes contain visual poems. I like the idea of intersecting literary forms, such as the ode, with visual forms such as collage assemblage. Each shadow box is an ode to something. According to my Funk and Wagnall's, an ode is a lyric poem which celebrates something in lofty and serious tones.

(The Shadow Box Series and the Lesser Angels Series both appeared in a show at the Mudhouse Gallery, Springfield, Missouri, December 2005 to February 2006. Prices for pieces range from $75.00 to $200.00. If you are interested in purchasing a piece, you can contact me by e-mail at jvanarke@drury.edu).