THE MASTER'S HAND

About the Book

A Book of Paintings and Poetry - containing the artwork of Taos painter, Bill Rane (1927-2005) adorned by the poetry of eleven poets from the West and Southwest.

In September of 2007, upon the two year commemoration of Rane’s passing, an ekphrasis event took place at RANE Gallery in Taos, New Mexico titled: Reflections on Rane. Poets, reflecting upon their chosen Rane painting, read their poems in celebration of the artist’s work. THE MASTER’S HAND is the result of that evening’s spoken word performance.

Each painting and a detail from the painting is shown in vibrant color accompanied by its illuminating poem. Andrea Watkins states in her preface, the poems took on unique forms - “As companion pieces to the artist’s luminous paintings of women, the sea, horses, orchards of ripening fruit, birds, shells, earth and sky, they wove a tapestry of Bill’s world, expressing the joyous pulse of humanity.”

About the Author

Bill Rane always moved about his studio, constantly weaving around his easels, dripping, dropping, and dashing brushstrokes. To the casual observer, the process might have appeared both random and obsessive - yet these strokes were most assuredly from the steady hand of a master. As he moved, his visitors would often hear him talk about "the literature of paint," a phrase that revealed he was an avid reader with a boundless curiosity for the literature, arts, and myths of all cultures. He could just as easily delve into the Greek Classics or ancient Egyptian or Mayan mythologies to create a visual metaphor. At the same time, he admired such masters as Modigliani and Picasso while remaining resolute in forging his own unique style. In short, Bill Rane immersed body and soul in every painting. This energy, and his inspired interpretation of cultural elements both ancient and modern, produced a large body of paintings, which collectively can be aptly termed a modern codex of universal truths.