THE PACIFIC RIM REVIEW OF BOOKS:

I'm very grateful that people are still letting me know how much pleasure the book has given them. It's an intimate observation of two creative people that "get" and love each other as they deal with life's hardships and joys. Here is what Carol Sokoloff (author and jazz performer) says in the esteemed Pacific Rim Review of Books:
When renowned British-Canadian painter Ted Harrison meets the dazzling jazz pianist, Jan Stirling, at a Victoria, BC Rotary meeting, an unusual friendship develops. Both had suffered recent losses - Stirling, the end of her second marriage and Harrison, then in his eighties, the loss of independence through a move to a senior's residence. Despite a considerable age difference these two artistic souls find comfort in each other's company, and even a kind of romance.
"We sat in my Honda...sipping from small bottles of champagne and gazing at the crashing waves in front of us...we were cozy and comfortable, not feeling a need to talk. The occasional squeeze of our clasped hands expressed our delight. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be," I thought with surprise," Jan Stirling recalls. (p.10)
Delighting in Harrison's occasional spontaneous
musings on diverse subjects, Stirling begins to record in shorthand the artist's sensitive commentaries. Now, some years after Harrison's death, she has published Ted Harrison's Rainbow Road, her memoir of their unusual relationship interspersed with what they came to call Harrison's 'poems."
It makes for a compelling narrative, a book to enjoy and reread regularly for the effervescent engagement of two creatives reflecting on life and love and art. Stirling offers a window into Harrison's vivid imagination. The bright tones of his paintings are easily conjured in the colourful language of his meditations. But we also see the deep music of friendship, the dance of intimacy on a level beyond the physical and the journey of a woman negotiating the heart's challenging path. Their relationship allows each to be honest and open with each other and Stirling is able to reflect both of their vulnerabilities as they help each other sustain joy.
"Where love is, anger is not...where love is joy prevails...There are no fences around love. All is an open gate...So freedom remains a quality of love - the freedom to choose, the freedom to think the finest thoughts and noblest actions. Everyone is an aristocrat where love is concerned...."Harrison affirms after a fine Valentine's dinner. (p.126)
Stirling's writing is simple, candid and moving as she describes the emerging relationship with authenticity and flair. Stirred by Harrison's optimism and appreciation for beauty despite the deprivations of age, she shares, not only his reflections and perspectives, but also their context - the walk, the visit, the food eaten, the drinks consumed, the words exchanged and the music heard. It is clear that Stirling's affection for the elderly artist created an atmosphere which enabled Harrison to freely and easily express his playful observations, echoing a mature wisdom.
Perhaps this is the reason Ted Harrison is named in the title but not as a co-author even though a large segment of the book consists of his words. While graced with attractive Harrison artwork on the cover, the book design might have more easily distinguished between the two voices through typography. Or maybe, like the Sufi poet Rumi and his teacher Sham Tabriz, these two spirits melded to the degree that separate thoughts and words ceased to exist. Ruminator called his writing the poems of Shams Tabriz). Despite the occasional confusion, the pairing of these fascinating personalities results in a unique volume of universal appeal and of particular interest to those involved in creative pursuits. It is to these that Stirling dedicates the book, to those, "who embrace their hardships, including them as their inspiration for creative works." Though Ted Harrison is now gone, his art remains as vital as ever and Stirling's book brings his personality alive to those who never knew him. She is an adept weaver of tales and I hope to read more from this emerging author as her own creative adventure in music, healing and the art of living continues.

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