In Myself Painting Clarence Major seeks to re-create for readers the inexpressible feeling that comes from creating art, with poems that speak not of painting itself but of its underlying process. Major incorporates the techniques of painting- particularly that of Post-Expressionism- into his verse, describing scenery with an artist's eye and using form and color to evoke striking images: ""Desire, artichoke green . . . leaves all radiant, / creating the thickness of blue shadows."" A master of highly structured free verse, Major also paints sounds, enthralling the reader in a realm of private symbols and dream visions. Using dynamic, surreal images, this original collection invites readers into the poet's own fascinating world.

Prizewinning poet, painter, and novelist Clarence Major is the author of ten books of poetry, including Configurations: New and Selected Poems, 1958- 1998, a National Book Award Bronze Medal finalist. He is also author of critically acclaimed nonfiction and fiction and is editor of several landmark anthologies. Winner of the National Council on the Arts Award and the New York Cultural Foundation Prize, both for poetry, he is professor emeritus at the University of California at Davis.