Rage, Wonder & the Poetry of Paint: A Kural Conversation with Pam Ingalls

Painting, Seeing, and Being Seen

With my friend Pam Ingalls I was delighted to explore poetry, painting, and what faces reveal and conceal in the light of chapter 71, “Reading Faces,” from THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

Seeing faces and seeing depths. 6:51
The moment when people pass away. 12:33
Rage and wonder together. 16:25
The process of painting and the best of one’s paintings. 21:58
Painting and the experience of being seen. 25:37
How a good poem changes you. 33:30

Pam Ingalls loves to paint light falling on ordinary people, objects and scenes. Raised in Spokane, Washington, she was first inspired by her parents, artists Richard and Marjorie Ingalls. She studied art at the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy and earned an art degree from the art department that her father began at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

After exploring a few side paths—among them, pursuing social justice aims and building a house—Pam returned to her true passion under the mentorship of Russian Impressionist, Ron Lukas – a protoge of Sergei Bongart. She also has studied with Frederick Frank, Richard Schmid and Burt Silverman.

“I paint simple things – the things I see, am attached to and love. Every subject contains an essence that belongs to just that moment. I get to be with that feeling while I translate it into the poetry of paint. As I become more aware, I keep learning that truth is everywhere. Painting is my way to see and tell the truth. I hope that I’ll inspire others to look twice at the beauty of their everyday lives…and to find their own way of expressing that.”

https://www.pamingalls.com/

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

706
A crystal reflects its neighbor—as a face
The fullness of one’s heart

அடுத்தது காட்டும் பளிங்குபோல் நெஞ்சம்
கடுத்தது காட்டும் முகம்

707
What is more wise than a face—it puts forth
Rage and wonder

முகத்தின் முதுக்குறைந்த துண்டோ உவப்பினும்
காயினும் தான்முந் துறும்

701
A jewel on the earth of undying seas—he
Who sees and notes the unsaid

கூறாமை நோக்கக் குறிப்பறிவான் எஞ்ஞான்றும்
மாறாநீர் வையக் கணி

From chapter 71, “Reading Faces.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston