congregation, Monotype of the Day #822

congregation. monotype, 12 x 14”
Sybil Archibald

Day 90 of year 3

I finally cleaned my studio up about halfway. Such a relief! Mess is good for creativity up to a point and I crossed that point long ago. 😊Art doesn't happen in a vacuum, everything in an artist's life is linked. Get out of balance in any area and it effects the studio.

Effortlessly
by Mechthild of Magdeburg, trans. Jane Hirshfield

Love flows from God into man,
Like a bird
Who rivers the air
Without moving her wings.
Thus we move in His world
One in body and soul,
Though outwardly separate in form.
As the Source strikes the note,
Humanity sings --
The Holy Spirit is our harpist,
And all strings
Which are touched in Love
Must sound. –

From Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Cebturies of Spiritual Poetry by Women: https://amzn.to/2GMmQuk

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fire, Monotype of the Day #798

fire, monotype, 12 x 14”
Sybil Archibald

Day 66 of year 3

My printing plate is just about out of gas. I've been using it every day for a couple of years. The paper is sticking to it and the ink is rebelling. I can't get a solid field of black. It's an interesting texture but I think I'll be replacing this plate soon. To be an artist often means being at the mercy of the physical world. The push and pull of materials is an active force during creation. Materials have purpose and desire, they have moods. Sometimes you get along with them and sometimes you fight. Tonight I fought a bit but in the end I let the ink and plate have their way. This evening, one of my favorite all time poems below. I've posted several time before and used as inspiration for my solo show last winter. I never get tired of reading it and the fire in this print is a good excuse!

This work is paired with "A Fish Cannot Drown in Water" by Mechthild de Magdeberg translated by Jane Hirshfield from The Enlightened Heart https://amzn.to/3hGQDRQ

the artist is carried, Monotype of the Day #457

Day 91 of Year 2 (Actually Day 92)

I was thinking of many things to say about this print, but when I sat down to the computer, I realized nothing more needed to be said than the poem below. Perhaps my thoughts need another night to mature? Timing is everything. One of the greatest lessons of the studio is listening, when to wait, when to stop, and when to close the computer and call it a night! 😊 . xoxo

Effortlessly
by Mechthild of Magdeburg, Trans. Jane Hirshfield

Effortlessly,
Love flows from God into man,
Like a bird
Who rivers the air
Without moving her wings.
Thus we move in His world
One in body and soul,
Though outwardly separate in form.
As the Source strikes the note,
Humanity sings —
The Holy Spirit is our harpist,
And all strings
Which are touched in Love
Must sound.

From The Enlightened Heart: An Anthology of Sacred Poetry https://amzn.to/2VD9OlT