art

Fire and brimstone

irlandesuk art, poetry
small world_2
Small World, John Lyons (oil on canvas)

Fire and brimstone

A text in every texture
           but texts for nothing
the sinews of my soul
           laid boldly here in the lattice
formed by my many deeds
           and misdeeds
strokes that have
           gone astray
paths that led
           into dark ground
where bearings
           were soon lost

I see too the flickering flames
           of reds and yellows and orange
with streaks of black
           that burn in self-recrimination
a mind charred
           in the failing honesty
of its art and upon it all
           the criss-cross
of patterned purity
           with which I still hope
to redeem myself
           in my time
in my place
           in my life

John Lyons

Fabric 1

irlandesuk art, poetry
fabric_1
Fabric 1, John Lyons (oil on canvas)

Fabric 1

A synthetic poem
           a tissue of words
that I find within me
           the reds of passion
in all their shifting shades
           woven upon a web
of blacks and whites
           and one colour dripping
into another
           here clear here opaque
a pigmented narrative
           latent with mystery
laid thickly or scraped
           to the bone
the interplay
           of light and dark
text upon textile
           a soul laid bare

John Lyons

Fabric 2

irlandesuk art, poetry
fabric_2
Fabric 2, oil on canvas

Fabric 2

A biopsy of my brain fabric
           reveals a few dark traces
scattered among
           the dull orange cells
there are too
           brief flashes
of inspiration as evidenced
           in the white synapses
yet underlying it all
           is the highly structured
chaos that seems
           only to resolve
in a deep love
           for you

John Lyons

 

Michelangelo

irlandesuk art, poetry ,

Michelangelo

Where if not in the mind
           does beauty lie ?
Who sees the puckered rose
           who sees the pursed pout
of her lips primed for a kiss ?
           And so the white swan drifts
through my consciousness
           where the sun rises and sets
and the river never runs dry
           Who sees and yet fails to see
the truth of the beauty of life ?
           Out of the subtle stone
of Carrara the artist draws
           the beauty of his soul
sets it in the palpitating
           folds of his imagination

John Lyons

2 peaches

irlandesuk art, poetry
Two_peaches
Two peaches, by John Lyons

2 peaches

Two ill-painted peaches
            and long gone but one hopes
that they were sweet
           that they were enjoyed
as a fruit of the moment
           not meant for eternity
a tasty time capsule
           subject to oxidation
and to inevitable
           decline

the succulent flesh
           concealed beneath
a soft furry skin
           and the hard stone
awaiting within for
           burial under the earth
and a bold opportunity
           to rise again

John Lyons

Apple and orange

irlandesuk art, poetry ,
Apple_orange

Apples and orange, by John Lyons

Apple and orange

What have we here
           a painting of three
two alike and one non
           representing
the fruit of life :
           nothing concords
with art
           and words
are not replicas
           the paint is unique
neither good nor bad
           just of itself

as is love
           neither one thing
nor another
           merely itself
and there is texture
           and feinted shadows
and a ripeness
           that goes to the core
but this is life
           apples and orange
trying to capture life
           availing itself
of the materials to hand
           love that extemporizes
that is love
           that exists beyond
the realm of times
           love that shifts its shape
and its complexion
           but is always original

because repetition
           is a myth created
by Plato since there is
           nothing old under the sun
and love is evolution
           and constant innovation
and art couldn’t care less
           or give a damn
for anything else
           except love

John Lyons

 

Life study

irlandesuk art

Life study

Life_study

This is the last of the recent paintings executed in acrylics on the wooden lids
of French cheese boxes. It shows the energies and colours of life emerging from the sea
and reaching up to the sky. The painting is double-sided and the reverse (shown
below) represents the literal reverse of life, the dull grey mass of uncreativity
of those who prefer to exercise their purse rather than their imagination
and are consequently disengaged from the vibrancy of their true humanity.

Life is dedicated to my wonderful son, William, born 38 years ago today,
a natural poet, gifted with insights I could only dream of possessing!
Happy Birthday, William!

 

Reverse

Life_study_reverse

John Lyons