touched, Monotype of the Day #765

Day 33 of year 3

When I moved my website this year, I had to move my blog as well. The written content carried over but not the pictures. I've been going through it fixing and reading before I make it live again. Right now I'm in 2009 and I was writing about art and creativity even then. In some ways though the change in me is pretty dramatic. In 2009 I was afraid to post artwork and especially any photos of myself. Clearly those things aren't a problem for me anymore! How to account for the change? I attribute it to two things. One, Illness forced me to sit still and deal with myself, and two, the work. Making art is such a deeply transformative process. I am endlessly grateful to both my illness and The Artist, source of all creativity, for feeding me. It has been a difficult and painful road at times, but though I am more limited physically now, I carried much more internal pain and struggle then. I prefer now. I'll let you know when the blog goes live. xo

self portrait listening, Monotype of the Day #754

Day 22 of Year 3

I'm working through something with all these self portraits. Although I'm not sure what right now, I am sure that it is important stick with this process and listen deeply to see what's on the other side. This piece provoked a strong reaction of discomfort, so much so that I have trouble looking at it. It must embody an energy that no longer serves me and needs to be transformed. Making this print was a start in that process, a moment of identification. Now I need to embrace this discomfort and work with it by making more prints. The act of embracing what is given rather than avoiding it has transformative power. I may never understand the content, much of art works outside of the conscious mind, but I do have trust and faith in the importance of the process.

greening, Monotype of the Day #733

Day 362 of Year 2 (Actually Day 2 of Year 3)

O most noble Greenness, rooted in the sun
By Hildegard of Bingen, Trans. Jerry Dybdal and Matthew Fox

O most noble Greenness, rooted in the sun,
shining forth in streaming splendor upon the wheel of Earth.
No earthly sense or being can comprehend you.
You are encircled by the very arms of Divine mysteries.
You are radiant like the red of dawn!
You glow like the incandescence of the sun!

From Hildegard of Bingen's Book of Divine Works https://amzn.to/3gSC6lY

tree of life, Monotype of the Day #640

Day 270 of Year 2 (Actually Day 275)

I'm focusing on setting my house in order. Each day my family and I are spending an allotted amount of time stripping away the clutter of 7 years in this house. It feels liberating. The alchemists believed that every external act of healing has a corresponding internal one. I usually feel this effect in my studio. The studio is my great teacher and the lessons learned there spill out into my life, And this goes both ways, strides made outside of the studio inevitably show up in my work. So although I would love to be spending every minute in my studio, I must follow the energy and trust that it all serves my work. At the very least, I will finally have a clean and organized home, I hope! :)

messaging, Monotype of the Day #627

Day 257 of Year 2 (Actually Day 262)

I thought I'd show a few pictures for scale and process. Tomorrow I'll take a picture with ink on the plate before printing. Right now, the urge to simplify is strong so I find myself using just one color. I'm also back to meditating twice a day and it's like spring cleaning my brain! :) My show in February already seems like a millions years ago but really I'm just getting my grove back. With everything going on in the world, I'm grateful for any grove at all. I'm in the studio each day because I love it, but also because I need the healing and generative energy of the creative act. The centering moment of clarity that comes with making art balances and me. And studio teaches that though it's not easy, it's okay not to know what's coming. We are here now and this present moment is sacred and has the power to transform. My love and prayers to all those sick or suffering.

windows, Monotype of the Day #618

Day 248 of Year 2 (Actually Day 253)

Is this a sunrise or sunset? I wasn't sure until I realized it is both. One way of being is ending as another is coming into form. Now is a moment of deep surrender and trust. It is a moment of unknowing. Our old ways have, at least for the time being, come to an end. The studio teaches so much. In the studio the artist learns to let go and embrace the unknown, to let life force run through them and into the world. By doing this, the artist is changed and healed, enveloped by the greening, generative energy that undergirds all of life. What happens in the studio then spills out and effects the world. If you feel helpless think of the artist. There is little we can do right now to change the outside world. We must stay home, we must wait. But we can look inside, we can find kindness for ourselves and others, we can heal and reshape our internal world and thereby create ripples that positively effect everyone around us. We have lost a lot but all is not lost, we can still make these moments count. Sending prayers for healing and love to all those who are sick or in difficulty. xo

greening, Monotype of the Day #589

Day 219 of Year 2 (Actually Day 224)

Yesterday's print was a fast demo piece for studio visitors. I cleaned the plate quickly and poorly 🙂 leaving some of the soap and ink. It left this interesting sort of striated pattern underneath the image. Tonight I played with that effect a little more intentionally. It's fun to experiment with something new. I am really exhausted from all the excitement around my show but also, and more importantly, profoundly nourished by all the beautiful interactions I've had with people. I think this image expresses the nurturing I've experienced. I am deeply grateful. Next Saturday 2/29 is the last day to see my show. The gallery will be open from 12-5pm and official closing reception begins at 2pm. I hope to see you there! xo

dream of bird, Monotype of the Day #530

Day 160 of Year 2 (Actually Day 165)

Playing with the ghost ink from yesterday's plate tonight. I liked the beam of light so I reorganized some of the symbols from last night and calmed the emotion. It felt like consciously choosing to shift out of that old energy by rearranging the physical world. I really find the ancient alchemical saying, attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, to be true: "“As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul.” Making art changes the artist. It is so important to be present while working. Otherwise we slip into habits and ruts and loose the opportunity to be changed by the process. Being present keeps the eternal creative fountain running and its constant flow wears away our sharp edges and makes space for more of what is good and true to pour into the work and thereby into the world. xoxo

you are held, Monotype of the Day #496

Day 130 of Year 2 (Actually Day 131)

Tonight's piece is a perfect example of how making art can change you. I first made the images of the person falling. But every time I looked at the print, I felt myself clench up with anxiety. This was a feeling in me than needed to be healed so I went back to the studio and added the hand catching the top figure. I instantly felt that anxious feeling slip away and a new feeling of trust and optimism creep in. We can't always change the outer world, but there are so many way to shift the inner world and those changes ripple out.

the rod and blob, Monotype of the Day #376

Day 11 of Year 2

A rod and bob is the swinging pendulum on a fancy clock. This is a new symbol that has been popping up in my work lately. It will take time to unfold its meaning but I have been thinking a lot about time. In the studio there is almost an absence of time. No matter how long I'm in there working, it only feels like a few minutes. I'm regularly surprised at how late it is when I emerge. This is because the artist touches a timeless place while working, the deep well of universal creativity. This week I've been meditating a lot, trying to touch that timelessness and bring it out of the studio and more fully into my life. Making art is a kind of meditation and In the studio there is a spaciousness that allows the pressure of time to disappear. It would be an amazing thing to experience this is daily life. I'm not there yet as this print reflects, but meditation is helping.

Eternity is time
by Angelus Silesius, Trans. Paul Carus

Eternity is time
And time eternity,
Except when we ourselves.
Would make them different be.

inner landscape (2), Monotype of the Day #372

Day 6 of Year 2

Again I am reminded that it's not for me to judge my work, judgement only gets in the way. When I put up yesterday's print I felt it was a failure. But more people than usual commented on it and I am happy for the reminder that worrying about product over process is a rabbit hole. It's easy to disappear down that hole and be distracted from the real work at hand. It is impossible that every piece an artist makes resonates with them. Some pieces come though for other people, some pieces are energetic messages almost like a pill meant shift or wake something, some are just clearing out old to make room for new. In a way, it's hubris to demand each work be masterful or even complete to an artist's satisfaction. It's trying to control a process so deep we can't know it's true purpose. Knowing this is freedom. An artist only has to listen to the inner Voice to know when to stop. All pressure to create perfect works of art is gone. Trust the process and what is meant to come will come and some will be perfect. With tonight's piece, my inner voice is telling me there is something else that wants to be said that hasn't come though. Thankfully tomorrow is another day!
I've posted this poem before, but it is too perfect for this piece. (It was also the inspiration for my earthen vessel sculpture series many years back. You can see it on my website : www.sybilarchibald.com)

Within this earthen vessel
by Kabir, Trans. Rabindranath Tagore

Within this earthen vessel are bowers and groves, and within it is the Creator:
Within this vessel are the seven oceans and the unnumbered stars.
The touchstone and the jewel-appraiser are within;
And within this vessel the Eternal soundeth, and the spring wells up.
Kabir says: “Listen to me, my Friend! My beloved Lord is within.”

sunrise, Monotype of the Day #365

One year! And something totally different again, a sunrise, full of optimism. It's been quite an adventure of late in the studio. I have no idea at all what will come out. One year of prints everyday without fail through all my ups and downs, through hospital stays, trips and grumpiness, feels like a big occasion. But I'm treating it like any other day, a chance to get down to work and see what will happen. Tomorrow I'll be back in the studio again. Year two, day one.

As I look back over the year I feel such intense gratitude for all the changes this project has brought to my life. I've grown as an artist and a person. The constant wash of creative flow through me has worn away so many rough edges like a river smooths a stone. I've felt the immeasurable power of showing transform my life and open opportunities and connections. I have formed a deep faith in the value of working. As those of you who follow me regularly know, I had a difficult spring with 3 hospitals stays. It was working that carried me through, even as fever and an operation pulled me down. Touching the creative flow healed me and brought me back to life. Over the course of this year, I've had an intimate, life changing conversation, artist to Artist (the source of all creativity). It has been profoundly private and also more public than anything I've ever done- two opposites almost mystically coexisting in one moment. I've experienced great beauty, sorrow and joy while working and now I am filled with gratitude. My profound thanks to everyone who is following my journey and all the support I have received from you. The comments, likes and sales mean the world to me. If you are not a commenter, know that I feel and value your support. Although I would still be in the studio without you all, your presence this year has made everything so much sweeter and you are dear to me. A special thanks to Barry Echtman, without whose support so much would remain undone and all my artist friends!

As once the winged energy of delight
by Rainer Maria Rilke, Trans. Stephen Mitchell

As once the winged energy of delight
carried you over childhood’s dark abysses,
now beyond your own life build the great
arch of unimagined bridges.

Wonders happen if we can succeed
in passing through the harshest danger;
but only in a bright and purely granted
achievement can we realize the wonder.

To work with Things in the indescribable
relationship is not too hard for us;
the pattern grows more intricate and subtle,
and being swept along is not enough.

Take your practiced powers and stretch them out
until they span the chasm between two
contradictions… For the god
wants to know himself in you.

———————

See you tomorrow

xoxo

distant storm, Monotype of the Day #363

Holy cow! Where is this work coming from? I am amazed at this sudden departure into landscape. I can't judge this work at all. Part of this project is to post the good, the bad, and the ugly so my assessment doesn't really matter. Not everyday in the studio is a good day in terms of output. However, everyday in the studio is a good day when an artist shows up to work, a good result is icing on the cake. So I'm not judging, but I still feel way out of my comfort zone. Anxious, jittery but exhilarated. Interestingly, the personal meaning of these landscapes is so much clearer to me than the figurative work. I am chasing the feelings in these newer pieces. I take heart because this energy is pouring through me onto the page and it cannot help but effect me for the better. Each time I am able to grow, that positively effects the people around me. That's what it's all about, how can we soften to love the people around us more deeply.

Whatever this is
By Dorothy Walters

What is it,
this channeling god,
these words pouring through
like love strokes of light,
these syllables taking over
becoming flesh, my flowing veins,
I cannot remember
when it was not this way,
when my blood did not ache
for whatever this is.

Peace, Monotype of the Day #358

After finishing photographing all my prints, I've moved to the next phase- sorting and inventory. It's an interesting process to revisit my work. I find that some images repeat. They evolve, but some same core structure is there. This is true of tonight's print. Several years ago I made a similar series. At first I was bothered, but realized this image is a key to unlocking certain feelings in me, in this case peace. Some of the images that come through are an expression of my feelings and some, probably most, are a message, a transfer of energy and they change me. I needed this image tonight and definitely am more at peace since making it. Although some pieces are more successful than others as works of art, they all play a roll in my own growth and healing. When I see an image has evolved, I take heart. Progress is being made even if it hasn't yet shown up outside my work. This brings me a great deal of peace, knowing I've found my place and my work is progressing.

Wild Geese
By Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

xo

the artist has heart, Monotype of the Day #347

I struggled with tonight’s print. It’s been a very busy few days and I found it physically arduous to make. I wonder if you can see that in the print? The ebb and flow, easy and struggle, are part of the process. It’s important that seems impossible to fulfill because it inspires you to keep going during the ebbs. I think of this poem by Rumi which expresses such a gigantic wish for his work:

My Work is
By Rumi, trans. Barks and Moyne

My work is to carry this love
As comfort for those who long for you,
To go everywhere you’ve walked
And gaze at the pressed-down dirt.

How that desire must have propelled him forward and cushioned his downs, and, in the end he did accomplish his goal. The take away is dream big and let that dream carry you like a river safely through the rapids. The artist must keep working and and trust in the value of their own process.