05/18/2026
First Spring in October
Acrylic, oil, spray paint, on repurposed canvas
24”x36”
2026
Currently on view at
I’ve always been incredibly fond of people who can write well. I like to write but I’m when I’m at a loss for words I’ll paint. My great grandfather Zeki Omer Defne was a well-known poet in Türkiye. I’ll often revisit his writings when I’m lacking inspiration. This painting is based on a poem he wrote in 1971 called “The First Spring in October”. What I enjoy about his writing is it is very metaphorical (very Turkish lol) and creates vivid and colorful images in my mind as I read it. Every time I read this poem and try to interpret it from Turkish to English I come away with something different. With each layer in this painting I wanted to capture those different moments. In working this way I find it’s often easier to translate into an entirely different medium than to a different language actually. In that way I’m relaying how his words make me feel and not trying to distill its meaning. I wish I could talk to him now but grateful to still have his words.
First Spring in October (My translation to English)
Wherever I looked it was wholly blue, a luminous stirring
October held, but it was as though the first spring had suddenly arrived.
The sky seemed filled with crystal chimes,
As if in some distant star a promising hour had struck.
The whole afternoon had turned into a tulip garden,
In this glowing rain a rich crimson gazelle had been born.
Was it day, or future memories, the hours themselves
all around me, something was scattered fluttering and alive like birds.
It was like reading a letter without ever having seen love,
I had stopped, as if reading good news written upon my forehead.
