Claudette Collingwood

Black Bird in Winter Tree Claudette Collingwood

"The painted poem is a mysterious medium. This phenomenon has existed since the pre-linguistic stages of human development and the first symbols of this language can be found in prehistoric paintings. So eminent are these ancestral images that they are sometimes described as an inner voice addressing us all. This poetry book contains picture-text co-ordinates that may be described as illustrated maxims related to some of the mysteries of life. It is often portrayed with naivety in paradoxical or humorous ways. Here we witness a curious, interchangeable language appearing to chant as if from a quiet dream. Black Bird in Winter Tree is presented in such a way to demonstrate that the making of poetry (poiema) is a natural and intuitive instinct of humankind. Poets do not belong to a specific group and visitations can be a universal experience for us all."