Kaczyk seeks to move the legacy of abstract expressionism forward by focussing conscious attention to heartfelt experiences of loss, guided by Robertson’s evocation of these tender places.

“The paintings are not intended as illustration—this is an important point,” says Kaczyk. “The painting is a furthering of the poem, a sense of impression beyond the obvious narrative, a wordless felt experience.”

The idea to collaborate happened when Meg Kaczyk decided to take a walk on the Cape George beach near her home before teaching a creative process class at Fort Worden. Robertson was there walking too. They had met before, in a hiking group. Linda mentioned some recent poems she was writing and Meg said, “Send them to me! I’ll use them in my class as an example of how poems can inspire the painting process.” And so it began.

Ultimately Linda shared a collection of more than 30 poems with Meg. The work in this exhibit is rooted in that serendipitous meeting with Linda on the beach, and a shared connection to loss and grief.

“Meg’s paintings bring the heart of my poems—of transience and loss, comfort, and the wild world—to profound wordlessness again,” says poet Linda M. Robertson.

Robertson’s recent work touches on the tragic losses of her 20-year-old son, Evan, in an avalanche accident and her oldest brother, Tommy, to brain disease, and include her experience caring for aging parents.

“Linda’s poems resonated with my life. For the past six years, I have been caring for my husband who has a rare, incurable form of cancer. Loss is slow but real,” says Kaczyk. “Going into the studio to work with the poems and my art is a restorative practice. Art-making – and this body of work in particular – helps me and grounds me, and it is my hope that comfort emanates from the work to be felt by others too.”