LIFE OF A POET - KATHRYN DYCHE DECHAIRO

Prepare yourselves to be visually wowed, my friends. I have been enjoying the poetry of Kathryn Dyche Dechairo, who writes at The Edge of Silence, for some time, but only recently became aware of her stunning art work. Kathryn describes herself as a mixed media artist. If you have not yet seen her work, prepare to be amazed.   

Sherry: Kathryn, let’s go all the way back. Where were you born and where did you grow up? And how did you get from there to Ohio?

Kathryn: I was born in South Wales and moved to Oxfordshire when I was five years old, so unfortunately lost the beautiful singsong lilt of the Welsh accent.  I grew up in a small market town called Wantage, just 15 miles south-west of Oxford, where King Alfred is famous for burning the scones.

A couple of decades later, while working as a Human Resources Officer for a local biotech firm, we hired an American to do a PhD while working at our company.  From the first handshake, I knew there was something special about this person and a year and a half later, we were married.

Since then we have lived in Oxfordshire, Connecticut, Virginia and now Ohio.  If someone had told me all those years ago I would fall for a Yank, leave a career in Human Resources, move to America and become an Artist/Poet, I would have laughed, thinking them crazy.  These days I wonder if I am the crazy one and laugh at the irony of it all.

Sherry: I love the photo of you, laughing! Life has a sense of humor! Tell us what a day in the life looks like for you and those you share space with. (I am especially excited to meet your four furry friends!)

Kathryn: Some insistent purring, and a cat walking over my face, usually wakes me each morning. While my husband (Bryan) gets ready for work, I can be found groaning under the covers, milking the extra minutes until our dogs (Joey & Ravyn) come hurtling into the bedroom to entice me into the land of the living.  

Let’s just say they are a little more enthusiastic about it than I am.  I like quiet in a morning....... 

........ so after Bryan leaves I roughhouse with the dogs before settling on the sofa with a mug of tea and a soft blanket.

Our cats, Tristan and Connor, like to curl up into the crook of my legs while I open the laptop and begin checking and responding to emails, visit some social media sites, and spend time perusing different blogs.

After that, anything goes.  I may spend the day painting, doing computer work, editing photos, writing, reading, running errands, playing with the animals, photographing birds, taking a nature walk . . . whatever takes my fancy, often with an afternoon nap thrown in for good measure.

No two days are the same and that’s what I love.  I know many people like structure, or some kind of routine, but for me there’s something wonderful about waking up and having no set plans.  

Sherry: Your life sounds wonderful. And perfect for an artist. And your critters are adorable. Your deep connection to nature and wildlife is very evident in your work. Tell us about that. Does it stem from childhood?  How often do you get out into nature? How important is that to your creative process?

Kathryn: I’m not aware of when my love affair with nature first began, it feels like something that has always been there and simply deepened over the years.  I do know that picking a camera up and shooting images has made me more aware and appreciative of my surroundings.

               

                

I have always loved the tactile, textural quality of natural elements, and have to smile when I see these influences transitioning into my work. The bark of a tree, moss covered woodland . . . leaves, twigs, feathers, animals . . . the colors, the hues, the seasons, all part of nature’s art that I find truly captivating and try to capture in my own way.

                       

Rooted

Nature and wildlife are very grounding for me, like a balm for the soul, and I try to venture out as often as I can.

    

Owl Moon

Nourished

I gulp down seasons

thirsty for transformation

for renewal and change

I bathe in moonlight

sprinkle myself with stardust

and clothe myself in nature

I slough away tension

with tree bark and stones

dry autumn leaves and pine cones

I shake off pain

like droplets of rain

filling myself with birdsong

in these moments

in the breathing

my soul is nourished

Sherry: Such a beautiful poem! And your art is spectacular, Kathryn. Owl Moon takes my breath away. How did your creative journey begin?

Kathryn: Growing up I was never particularly creative.  I loved writing letters and would keep a diary from time to time but, while I liked to read poetry, I never penned any.  As for art, it was something that seemed like a whole other world and one I would never be a part of.

All that changed during my early thirty’s.  The year before my father died, poetry suddenly came pouring out like a pressure valve released, yet after he died it stopped just as abruptly as it had started.

A year later I had moved to the US and I think unconsciously I was looking for other ways to express myself.  I began exploring spray paints, jewelry making, knitting, sewing, mosaics, candle and soap making, but it was painting that called to me in a different way.   It would be a few more years before I found my way back to poetry, which now feels like a natural extension of who I am.

Sherry: You have made an amazing journey. I am sorry about your father. You describe yourself as a mixed media artist. Tell us about that.

Kathryn: As you know, I love texture, so when I began creating art I was looking for ways to invoke that feeling you get as a child; the kind where you want to reach out and touch something.  Through experimenting with different mediums, I discovered that tissue paper, caulk and sand gave me the textural elements I’d been searching for.  

 

                  

                 

Sherry: Very interesting, Kathryn. [Kids, do check out Kathryn's shop, Dyche Designs - there are amazing creations in there: art prints, beautiful textured journals, and the shop home page with a mix of wonders. Reading Kathryn's poetry, I had not ventured into the shop until now, and I am completely blown away.] 

Kathryn: From there, it was a case of combining my love of nature with texture, and the most incredible journey ensued.  Painting is like a form of meditation for me, at least what I assume meditation to be like.  Inevitably, there are times when I find myself lost in the process, unaware of just how much time has passed (although the animals are quick to inform me if it’s past dinner time)! 

Photography initially started as a means to an end, a way to take photos of my work, but as my painting improved so did my photography.  A completely new world opened up when I realized that I could apply my love of texture to this format too.  

                                              

Blue Raven 

Sherry: You have succeeded admirably, Kathryn. Your art is breathtaking, in each form. What does poetry mean to you? How do you feel when a poem just totally works?

Kathryn: Poetry tears down walls, builds me up, rips me wide open and keeps me together.  It’s like a waking dream that allows me to process what I’m thinking and feeling and to voice things without the awkwardness that often accompanies the spoken word.   It’s a slipping of the mask I hold on tight to, allowing others to truly `see’ me if they choose to look.

Many think my poetry is dark, but it has been incredibly cathartic to write about pain, grief and the darker aspects of life, and I believe that poetry and art can heal.

Shadowy Tricksters

tongues wild with silence

in murmurous blackness

etch fear into frigid bones

as shadowy tricksters

wielding concealment

cavort with the mind

their treacherous

lecherous

inky fingers

harvesting fear

for the light of day

There are times when it's ethereal in nature, as though something takes over my body and I can’t write or type fast enough.  The poems that ‘really’ work often come in this form, where I’m so focused and locked in that when I sit and look at what I’ve written, I feel purged, wondering where on earth it came from.

Puzzle Pieces

on a path to nowhere

I sit arms crossed

gazing downward

at strewn puzzle pieces

of why’s and why not’s

a puzzle with infinite size

numerous parts missing

for life doesn’t come in a box

with a picturesque image

and all the pieces

Sherry: I know that feeling! You recently published a book, The Edge of Silence, available at Amazon. How did you feel when you held the first copy in your hands? 

Kathryn: Honestly, it felt surreal.  Each year I try to push myself in some way and self-publishing a book of my work was a monumental challenge.  There were many occasions when I wondered what I was doing and whether I should continue but I am glad I did.  When I sat there with that first copy in my hands, as a book and not just scraps of paper, it felt incredible.  It’s amazing what we’re capable of if we put our mind to it and it made me realize that I need to stop asking “why?” and start asking “what if?”.

stop asking "why?" and start asking "what if?"

It’s a part of my journey that links me to the now, and if just one other person is touched by something I’ve written or can relate in some way, then it’s worth it.

Sherry: I like changing the question to "what if?" What is your favorite place in the world, the place that most says “home” to you?

Kathryn: I’ve been fortunate to travel to many incredible places over the years, and while wherever my family are will always be home, it’s the Gower in Wales that has a special hold on me.  We spent most of our family holidays/vacations on the Gower coastline when I was younger, and I have so many great memories of our time there.  It’s also  where my brother got married, where my father’s ashes are spread, and where I plan to be scattered to the wind too.

There is just something about this place that draws me to it time and time again, and I feel ill equipped to find the right words to express it.  It’s the land of my birth, it speaks of family, of my love of the sea, it speaks the language of home. 

Sherry: What an incredibly beautiful spot, with such wonderful associations. Is there anything you would like to say to Poets United?

Kathryn: I would like to thank you, Sherry, for being the perfect host, and all the incredible poets I have met through Poets United.  Each of you have inspired me in so many ways, and have been so encouraging and supportive. Thank you.

Sherry: Thank you, Kathryn, for this very generous look into your life. It has truly been a pleasure. Thanks for sharing your life, your poetry and your art with Poets United.

Well, kids? I am rather knocked out by the talent of the folks we visit every week, aren't you? Humans are amazing and I so love hearing their stories. I have the best job in the world! Do come back and see who we talk to next. Who knows? It might be you!