Phase 2 Work
Still Life - Erica Thi
Poetry
Based on Solitude 2022 by Isabel Cevallos
Artist Statement:
This poem is inspired by Isabel Cevallos’ Solitude 2022 in which a figure sits alone dressed in monochromatic clothing and blankets against a similar colour background. Cevallos’ work conveys a coziness and a damper mood from the model’s downward expression. This poem attempts to replicate a similar experience of loneliness and incorporate the motif of memento mori, which Cevallos did by blending a skull into the cave-like background.
Phase 1 Work
Adage
By Erica Thi
I knead together
Flour, butter and chocolate chips
Baking cookies in the microwave
With no egg today
And there’s a little window in my basement room
Snow covering the view
But I want to see more
Maybe next year
Headed to the gallery at a reserved time
In line patiently
To see the blue period
In the opposite hall there’s another sight
Warm yet shattering yellow brakes through
Moonlight, starlight upon two clips of ferns and flowers
I return from the seven
It’s eleven minutes from the lake
Their hot pizza is so delicious wedged between
The nine hours of online school
Watching the instructor on the screen
I write study notes for another class
As I rewatch yesterday’s lecture
And my neighbors still see that little basement window glow past midnight
I dip the crust and pepperoni into that
Little ranch cup with the baby blue lid
On an impromptu trip I eat a breakfast sandwich
Wiping biscuit grease from the side of my mouth
And slip on a mask to enter the national ballet
Dancers return to the stage in spring and weave wreaths
Of pink and yellow flowers
The beauty sleeps and for what feels to be a hundred years
Before reawakening
These two years are a slow movement
So surely if it were a meal
Each bite must be enjoyed thoroughly to last till the far morning
Before the sun rises to greet it
Then one morning I’m at the diner
Spreading firm strawberry jelly
Across buttered toast
And the next year has already arrived
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Adage - Erica Thi
Poetry
Artist Statement:
This poem focuses on the desire to do as many things as possible to make up for lost time. Although the last two years have been a very slow transition, life is returning to normal with various adjustments. This poem looks to celebrate small instances that make us happy such as food and art, while continuing to look forward to what the future brings.
Artist: Erica Thi
Program: Advertising Media Management Alumni
Erica Thi enjoys writing stories and poetry as a creative outlet. Her inspiration is everything from flowery poetry to contemporary plays. She has recently taken a lot of inspiration from Toronto events and galleries.
