The poems in the section “Utah Map” use nature as a catalyst for rediscovery, opening into a life much different than her childhood in New Jersey. Her subject matter is unflinching and grasps the core of what it is to be human, to transcend our surroundings and make sense of the world we inhabit. From the poem, “Sunday, My Brother,” we hear an example of Takacs’ haunting voice: This first section reaches back to a time of I Love Lucy, garter belts, and childhood secrets, defined by Takacs in her poem “Hurt” as a time when “writing was penmanship, / and we were in love with letters / as if they were tears, and we were / the ones who had cried them.” These poems lend a renewed perspective to growing up-Sunday Mass followed by donuts from the deli, a stolen kiss, and intimate relationships that form family-the brother’s distance, the father and his buddies at Campbell’s Tavern, and the mother’s voice of prayers and songs. The determination and grit that drives these poems is expressed further in the poem: This poem serves as an introduction to the collection as a whole. Takacs immediately focuses on the act of writing, the physical activity of the wrist, the ability to go beyond the self, drawing on nature and its images, to become lost in the centering-an intuition that gyrates with wisdom.

In the April wind, flies low to the apple trees Her opening poem of the same title begins with a lyrical description of voice which serves as a springboard for the poems that follow: In the opening section, “The Voices,” Takacs journeys back through her childhood in the cityscape of Bayonne, NJ. Each of the four sections has its unique theme, but the unifying threads are in Nancy Takacs’ attention to voice and imagery, her relationship to the natural world, and her intuitive perception.

Regardless of the spraying method, to get the best results, keep the sprayer at a set distance from the truck (usually around 8'), avoid drips, and apply nice and evenly.The poems in Blue Patina weave through varied subject matter, some relating to childhood, others to wilderness, and still others to the concept of worry. You defiantly have to be using a thin auto paint for this to work. So, if you can, I'd recommend using something like the preval brand spray gun, but if you can't, I found a regular hand powered spray bottle worked nicely. So while the four dollar system is very cheap, by the time I pay shipping and handling, and wait around for it to be delivered. Except, as it turns out, the ones near me. Its a great system that aerosolizes anything, is easy to clean and available at nearly any stores. My initial plan was to use these little cheap-o sprayers from the hardware store. To make this color, I used silver (5 parts), blue (1 part) and yellow (1 part). Here, were going to apply our top color layer- for this truck, I went with a teal-green color. If you're starting to panic because it's looking like you ruined your truck, rest easy - it's going to start looking better after this step. But again, we're after a pretty thick layer and want that texture. To actually apply the red-oxide layer, brace yourself once again, you're going to need a roller. I give my truck a rinse with solvent before each paint coat. It's not essential for this layer, as we are going to be putting more paint on top, but keep it in mind for the final coats.īecause I live on a gravel road, the dust levels are pretty intense. I mix up a quart of color at a time and keep it in a sealed container until I'm ready to use it.

Even if you use a paint measuring cup (which you should be using), there will be a bit of variation between batches. It's not essential, especially at this layer, but its a good idea to mix enough to cover the entire car before your start painting. To make this color, I used a combination of hugger orange and black (4 parts orange to 1 part black). Most of the older cars used a red-oxide primer, which is what we're going to duplicate here. The next step is to put a layer of red-oxide colored paint over the base coat.

Dark blue patina truck