anonyrrie: Illustration Friday - Superhero

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Illustration Friday - Superhero


Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Maya Angelou (1928 - )

(4" x 5.5" mixed media on wood)

49 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yummy drawing and yummy poem to go along with it. Beautiful work Carla. I've missed seeing it.
Hugs,
a.

6:36 PM  
Blogger andrea said...

oOoO ~ collage. I love it. It looks like it's much bigger than that. Glad to see you making some art Carla!

6:57 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Something about her eyes is so wonderful.

Great piece and poem.

8:11 PM  
Blogger Kim de Young said...

What a rich painting and a wonderful piece of poetry to acompany it. Really Lovely!

9:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Beautiful collage...the colors, texture and the words, half hidden. Lovely. Poem goes well with this too. :)

9:38 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey you; welcome back! Great illo to start out the new year. So is this like a one time thing, or will you be coming back. Great job again and hope to see ya back soon!

9:41 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I always look forward to your posts! Love the drawing and the poem choice. Maya is one of my all time favorite "phenomenal" women!

9:48 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Beautiful painting, and a great poem to go along with it. Very nice!

10:21 PM  
Blogger isay said...

it's beautiful carla! i like those eyes!

3:27 AM  
Blogger Michelle Lana said...

great work as always carla!

8:58 AM  
Blogger valerie walsh said...

Awesome Carla!!! I missed you!!! Perfect superhero!

12:48 PM  
Blogger Aravis said...

Beautiful, mysterious and proud, your illustration is the perfect mate for this poem.

2:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

beautiful eyes. so alive. perfect.

3:19 PM  
Blogger Jaimie said...

what a wonderful poem! And your illustration is so rich with color and intensity. beautiful.

6:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love the image-- and Maya Angelou, too!

7:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is a "Keeper", and as, always, you are so good with color!

12:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love her face, her hair--and the great color combination! Wonderful.

12:01 AM  
Blogger steve said...

Love the layers of color and texture in this piece carla, and the poem is beautiful too! They fit so well together.

8:29 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is wonderful, Carla! The painting and the poem, too!!!

10:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is such a bold piece, Carla. i like how you did it on wood, too! I love paintings on wood!

2:38 PM  
Blogger Laura said...

i'm loving this Carla, what a powerful & stunning piece, wow!
the poem by Maya is perfect with it. also thanks for stopping by & the nice comment on my IF

3:18 PM  
Blogger Valaine said...

I like the texture you created, this piece feels ancient because of the way you proportioned her, and modern by the colors on her face. The combination draws me in but then I feel like its very personal. I respect that. It also makes me wonder what it all means - I like how that ties in with the poem "They try so much
But they can't touch My inner mystery"
Moving work!

4:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

The colors you used show that this woman has confidence and strength. The heart symbolizes her strength inside. Carla this is so appropriate for this weeks challenge. Hope you do more of this type of collage. I like it a lot.

8:11 AM  
Blogger Kris Loya said...

This is just absolutely breathtaking
i LOVE it!! It says SO MUCH to me!
And i simply adore that poem. It stirs something in me when i hear it - i think it has that effect on probably all women.
Wonderful art! I'm bookmarking you.

9:34 AM  
Blogger Victoria Pittman said...

Wonderful image and poetry.
I always look forward to what you do next!

11:57 AM  
Blogger kj said...

she's on wood, huh? i like her even more because of that. she has a bit of a haunting quality to her. i wouldn't try to pull one over on her....

oh, the poem, carla. if only i could feel this way about myself, my sensuality, my body, my spirit--and hold on to that feeling! i would strut and sway down every street and into every room. then i would smile very wide.

:)

9:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Absolutely wonderful! I love Maya Angelou!!

9:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Aw. sniff, sniff. Your piece and Angelou's poem brought tears to my eyes, Carla. Beautiful work.

2:32 PM  
Blogger Tony LaRocca said...

It's like the female version of the Sacred Heart pictures of Jesus with eyes that follow you around the room.

4:43 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

great looking piece and poem to go with it

5:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Love this!! The texture and colors are really nice. Well done m'lady!

11:46 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A favorite Angelou poem, and this has become one of my favorite Carla illustration... great textures and colors and mood.

11:59 AM  
Blogger Sarah .B. Scott said...

Gorgeous collage, Carla!

1:27 PM  
Blogger Digital Scott's Illustrationblog said...

Awesome illustration! Has a great mythic quality to it. Mysterious, powerful, beautiful.

2:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love the drawing and prose. I wish we could distill the essence of Maya and sell her spirit to today's generation of young women.

5:16 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That is one of my favorite contemporary poems and the painting is beautiful.

10:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

carla this is beautiful and collage! wow! tiny powerful and i love maya angelou. such a great combonation.
nice to see your work again!

9:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You have paired those amazing words by the fabulous Maya Angelou with such a gorgeous piece! very intriguing!

2:06 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

beautiful poem and marvellous women - and thanks for stepping by my blog.

7:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A soulful blog. lovely work.

10:14 PM  
Blogger Christine Lim said...

Carla, how inspiring! Very well chosen poem and your illo goes perfectly with it. I feel more powerful being a woman after reading it. Thanks for sharing. Always feel so positive coming back to your words.

And thank you for dropping a note at my blog ... it's really nice to communicate with you again. :)

Wishing you a good weekend.

10:26 AM  
Blogger Amy Zaleski said...

Really great that you are back with new work! And a wonderful collage at that! I love the intensity of the colors and the determined look on her face. Can't wait to see more!

1:55 PM  
Blogger Majeak Ann said...

MARVELOUS poem along with a great painting...
oh, really, loved this poem,thank you Carla!
xx
-Marjorie

7:41 PM  
Blogger String said...

Wow that's lovely, like to see more of that style from you.

7:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

beautiful expressive style!!

2:12 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

you always have such uplifting posts :)

8:33 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I absolutely adore this poem and it goes so well with your painting.

11:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Vibrant, transfixing!

9:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

great portrait. Maya Angelou is a great poet.

12:52 PM  

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