A painting about holding hands A line from a poem I love says, "This weather makes me wonder how many hands l've held." Poetry is an exciting medium to me. I've found it can be really intimidating to many people, both reading it and writing it. A friend of mine came over the other day and picked up a book of poetry that I had sitting on my coffee table; she opened it to the page that I had bookmarked with another friend's zine (this is something else I will write about soon) and began to read the two-page poem aloud. It was a sweltering day, so I had the window AC unit running; I was lying on my sofa, and she was lying on the living room floor. As she began to read the poem, her head was turned slightly to the right, away from me, so l had difficulty hearing her recite it. She was having a really tough day, so I didn't want to tell her that I couldn't hear anything she was saying. I let her continue, as I tried to gather the poem's meaning by reading her lips as she read the pages, but nothing made sense. She finished the poem and turned her head back towards me. With a really innocent and sweet look in her eyes, she said, "I don't think that I understand it." We both laughed as she just spent a notable amount of time reading something aloud that I couldn't hear and that she couldn't understand. That is the case with a lot of people. We talked a bit about poetry, and I told her l often pick apart the poems and take what I need from them. That's the beauty of symbolism. You feel into what means something to you and leave what doesn’t. “La Misma Pagina”, 8x11inches. Acrylic on canvas panel. 2023

Tauni Western

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Tauni Western is a multi-disciplinary artist currently residing in Los Angeles, California. Taking inspiration from her youth and everyday experiences, Tauni creates dream-like worlds, as if they are distant memories. Using vibrant color, continuous observation, and modern twists on classic techniques, she synthesizes life’s many joys, sorrows, and inner yearnings.