Margaret A. Harrell

Henrik Ibsen, the father of modern realist drama, said, “To be a poet, most of all, to see.” Margaret Ann Harrell sees with the eyes of a poet. She is a seer. Ihave been blessed to work with her for the past twelve years on non-stop book and recording projects. She dwells in the realms of the creative imagination. She never ceases to amaze me. Her new Cloud Conversations II: A FILM Photography Book is a master class on the art of seeing. Margaret Ann Harrell walks in the footsteps of the ancient mystic poets. She sees with the eyes of her soul.
Cloud Conversations II is a masterpiece.
—Ron Whitehead, U.S. National Lifetime Beat Poet Laureate

I was stirred enough by the Leonardo and Blake quotes AND the first few photos that I began to get butterflies (like before going on stage) to know that I was going to enjoy the rest of it!

Years ago I had many long conversations with the late abstract expressionist painter Nicolas Carone—so much so that I later became his biographer. We discussed Leonardo’s “ashes, stains, and clouds,” and Nick took it a step further: “see that dog peeing on the sidewalk—look at the beautiful dragons and creatures!”

Leonardo, Carone taught me to see. And now, Margaret is teaching me to see with her beautiful photos.
As I neared the end, I wondered how does one finish such a book? I was pleasantly shocked to see my poem quoted there and said to myself, “but of course!”

Thank you for capturing those mystical godly moments and assembling them into a magical book. Thank you for finding THE proper place for that poem. I never thought it would be applied so beautifully.
—Frank Messina, poet, artist, actor