Richard Negri: Sonnet XVII, Neruda

For as long as I can remember, I have loved Pablo Neruda's poetry because it achieves an emotional depth, a political relevance, and an exploration of love, loss, and life- pleasures. In Sonnet XVII, the speaker says, "I love you as one loves certain obscure things,

secretly, between the shadow and the soul." I have always adored these lines for their power to go deep in, perhaps as a witness, a friend, a comrade, a lover ... possibly all of those at once. I began reciting, in not-so-great Spanish, a few lines of Neruda as I was painting this beautiful unknown/imagined face. "Te amo sin saber cómo, ni cuándo, ni de dónde," such a beautiful sentiment, even in English: "I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where."  The painting sat overnight and when I got back to it in the morning, I immediately went to the bookshelf to find Sonnet XVII in a book of Neruda's poetry. When I read the whole sonnet again, I thought this is the perfect fusion, the perfect pairing, it all felt great. So, I posted the painting to Instagram with the poem in both Spanish and English, and since then I've been getting lots of back-channel messages about the piece, and that just brings me so much joy.  This piece -- Soneto XVII -- and many other imagined faces will be featured on the March 8, the FIRST EVER FOR ME Second Saturday studio tour. I am so excited and can't wait to see everyone then.