contemplation, Monotype of the Day #348

The luxury and problem of my old ink is it never dried. I loved coming to work on a dirty plate with ghost images smeared into it. It was a beautiful source of inspiration. The new ink must be cleaned up everyday, something that goes completely against my nature! 🙂 Greeting an empty plate is more work and requires more contemplation. It's okay though, I stand before the plate and try to mirror its emptiness. This is good practice for other moments in life.

We are the mirror as well as the face in it
by Rumi, Trans Coleman Barks & John Moyne

We are the mirror as well as the face in it.
We are tasting the taste this minute
of eternity. We are pain
and what cures pain, both. We are
the sweet, cold water and the jar that pours.