of creation is instinctual . I don ’ t have to sit back and think about what line or stroke I want to make . No hesitation . This adds an edge of vitality to my work , which I believe the viewer can see , feel , and sense .”
Knowing Jensen ’ s early creativity started with painting , I wondered when poetry entered his life .
“ Kohaku # 87 ”
© 2016 By Duane Kirby Jensen , 18 x 24 ”, ink and acrylic on board
“ In 4th or 5th grade I was reading Louis L ’ Amour ’ s books , and his characters always valued learning . They carried books and one of my favorite characters was carrying Tennyson . So , I started reading Tennyson . ( I ended up stealing that book from the school library and I still have it .) From there I started exploring other poets . I got into Keats and Shelly and Byron . Each of those poets led to other poets who associated with them . The only problem I had writing as a young person was that my language was too flowery . It felt out of date . When I finally ran into Charles Bukowski in the late 1980s , I was like , ‘ Oh we can use street vernacular !’ Knowing that freed me . That flowery language continues to creep into my rough drafts , but I kill it in editing .”
Jensen is prolific in his poetry . When you visit Jensen ’ s website , it mentions his poetry chapter books — those available , and those to
“ When I finally ran into Charles Bukowski in the late 1980s , I was like , ‘ Oh we can use street vernacular !’ Knowing that freed me .”
“ Moments of reflection : Another early morning - a pause between redemption or the ease of riding the spiral of fractured identity ( II )” © 2012 by Duane Kirby Jensen , 12 x 24 x 2 ”, ink on claybord
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