Escape Into Life: Issue No. 32

Corey Corcoran, Thinking Cap, acrylic, goauche, penicl, crayon

Poetry: A Visit from St. Valentine . . . the blush and brimstone of love are explored in a selection of poems by Escape Into Life contributors and alumni. What better place to rest than among these images of wordlessness, orgasm, loss and adornment. Celebrate Valentine’s Day with your favorite EIL poet, visit their individual sites and leave a comment with your own favorite heartfelt or heartless blessing!

Darcilio Lima — Artist, Prophet, Time Traveler . . . EIL contributor Beate Echols draws us into the ambitious 2000 exhibition that documented Brazilian history and culture in a project so massive that it required fourteen separate catalogues. Of these the collectd works of psychiatric patients is particularly compelling and among these, especially, the work of Darcilio Lima (1994-1991). Although little is known about this surrealist/symbolist, visionary and mental patient, his work is delicate, haunting and steeped in imagery that seems mythological, but may be drawn entirely from his own thoughts. This essay synthesizes what little is known about the artist and illuminates his intricate visions.

Dali and the Stage of Surrealism . . . The fusion of the Surrealist and Formalist influences in Salvador Dali’s work provides analytical tension in this essay by Mark Kerstetter. “Today we are used to seeing illustration juxtaposed with geometry, as well as works that draw attention to the process of both making and seeing art,” he writes, but  this juxtaposition was part of a fierce forging process carried out by Dali and his contemporaries. The essay provides a delicious examination of interior and exterior dramas expressed in these formative years and historic works.

Fiction: Evil’s Day Off by Johanna Harness . . . With deceptive simplicity Harness decends into revelation and a kind of haunting projection in this short-short story that brings cold and warm-blooded creatures together on hot desert stones. With a seductive flair the reader visits and revisits the tantalizing messages of ancient petroglyphs and is led to question, quite personally, our own myths and their meaning.

Music Video: White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes . . . Sufficient to this chilly month is the winter thereof.  The raging snowstorms of the last few weeks can be celebrated by viewing this musically brilliant and visually striking video. The band Fleet Foxes is now preparing to release their newest album, and as we wait it is a good time to look back on this gem from the past. Seasonally and metaphorically appropriate to the moment.

Stacy Ericson is an editor and photographer who is interested in imagery both in word and in art.  Her work often reflects her roots in the western states and her abiding interest in other cultures, ancient languages and religion, and visceral passions. She lives and works in Boise, Idaho. and her poety, fiction, essays, and photos can be found at The old bouquet.