Diane Melby
Salon for Creative Expression
You're Invited
Join me in this exercise to find and share inspiration!
My daughter gave me watercolors for Christmas. I’ve never thought about painting. Even as a kid, I opted for sticker books over paint-by-numbers. But hey, I like surprises and she surprised me so I gave it a go. YouTube tutorials advise starting with gradients. I had fun with those and second surprise, when I was working with blue I realized I was painting a sky!
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Earlier this month, my grandson found a Civil War button while walking through the pasture of his family farm. I think about how in tune he must have been to notice something so small in such a vast environment. What do you see in the course of your daily life? What do you miss?
The invitation: Find something in your environment you might have overlooked in a busier moment. Sit with it for a while. Use its colors, shapes, textures to create …a painting, poem, song, bowl…whatever moves you. Complexity doesn’t matter. What matters is the act of picking up a tool…camera, pen, brush, glue, needle…and making something that brings you a drop of joy.
Be brave! Inspire others! Send me a photo or a few lines. I’ll post it in future editions of this newsletter. Don’t get hung up on perfection, creation is its own perfection. To get us going, here's my first attempt at painting a robin.
Salista News
Congratulations to Jane Groviahn. Her poem, “Ten years married: the queer persists” was selected as one of this year’s winners of the Racial Unity Team 2025 poetry & art challenge. The Opening Ceremony and Awards Presentation in Manchester. Jane reads at 38:37 in at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tGHb8o3Wgk
Applause to Riley Kilmore on the publication of her book, Alexy, Strong and Silent. Written for middle grade readers, this the sequel to Shay The Brave and published by Wild Ink Publishing LLC. Keep those hands clapping because her Share With Shay Workbook is now also available through Wild Ink. Follow Riley: https://substack.com/@rileykilmoreday
Shout out to George, Georgia and Greta Shuster, editors of Prudence Dispatch for giving a home to two of Diane Melby’s poems, “Liberation Day” and “The Weight of Ice.”
Welcome to our newest Salista, James Aaron Snow. James is a Southern revisionist poet, crafting words into weapons for over three decades. He writes from the framework of a Social Work education (MSW) and wellspring of experience in the nonprofit sector. His goal is to stir the indifferent, agitate the bigoted, and be a light in this dark world. He is currently seeking a publication home for his first collection, pig’s blood and blackberries. He enjoys quality coffee, live music, and walks in nature. His inspiration comes from anywhere, at any moment but often from contemporaneous topics. He will be reading from his collection on March 21, 2026 in Winchester, VA. Details can be found here: Event Link