nightscape, Monotype of the Day #725

Day 355 of Year 2 (Actually Day 360)

I haven't had much energy the past week. Life is full of choices but when your energy is limited your choices are like a knife slicing away parts of life that you love. Over time I've made peace with this aspect of my journey though sometimes, it's still not easy. In the US we are doers, but the beauty of my situation is in learning the power of being. Being is the place where creativity lives, where we find the ground from which all things must grow. Even unwanted pauses allow space for new ideas, work, or directions to root. I turn to tonight's poem (which I have posted before) to remind we of this because it's easy to forget when you desire to do but cannot.

Gitanjali #81
by Rabindranath Tagore

On many an idle day have I grieved over lost time. But it is never lost, my lord. Thou hast taken every moment of my life in thine own hands.
Hidden in the heart of things thou art nourishing seeds into sprouts, buds into blossoms, and ripening flowers into fruitfulness.
I was tired and sleeping on my idle bed and imagined all work had ceased. In the morning I woke up and found my garden full with wonders of flowers.

From Gitanjali https://amzn.to/38iqHao

rooted, Monotype of the Day #633

Day 263 of Year 2 (Actually Day 268)

Well our new puppy has absorbed every second of time- free or otherwise. Also today my son, who has been in precautionary quarantine in my basement for two weeks, emerged. It was a VERY busy day. So strange that such a crazy and intense day brings such a centered image. This large moon, barren treescape, and color have been coming up over and over. I've been experimenting with different techniques each night. Last night's process was by far the most successful, at least for me, but tonight's is the calmest. Images work on different levels. There is the external level for viewers of my work and the internal level which is a private message to me, The Artist speaking tenderly to the artist. Not every image speaks deeply to me, but this one is particularly charged. The peaceful color and rooted person are directing me, stay calm, find your center. Though the trees are barren, to me they appear simply to be waiting for signs of spring. Patience will bear fruit.

finding peace, Monotype of the Day #623

Day 253 of Year 2 (Actually Day 258)

I couldn't bring myself to erase that beautiful stripe of pink ink from yesterday's plate so I made it into a tree. What else could I do? 😊I am trying to embrace what is happening right now and take in this pause, so I am going on a daily walk. The streets have a peacefulness usually only experiences on Thanksgiving or Christmas afternoons. Bird song is everywhere. I am grateful for these small moments of beauty in the middle of this storm. My love and prayers to all those who are sick or suffering.

The Best of Any Song
By Wendell Berry

The best of any song
is bird song
in the quiet, but first
you must have quiet.

From A Timbered Choir https://amzn.to/33T0w9x

looking out, Monotype of the Day #616

Day 246 of Year 2 (Actually Day 251)

Something very simple tonight. I'm connecting to a calm and peaceful internal energy while working and it's keeping me sane. I also just received a new ultramarine ink. The working properties are very different from my other inks so I'm exploring that too. Just finding normalcy where I can and looking for silver linings everywhere. I hope you are doing the same and if you can't right now that's okay too. Be kind to yourself. Sending you lots of love. xo

the keyhole visits the beach, Monotype of the Day #595

Day 225 of Year 2 (Actually Day 230)

Tonight I made muted seascape after seascape. In the final one, a keyhole appeared. I grew up in Los Angeles and spent a lot of time staring off at the ocean. It was a meditative, healing experience. I guess I need that calming regenerative energy right now because the image I planned to make disappeared the minute I stood in front of my plate! My show has been a wonderful experience. I have been spiritually filled and nourished but physically depleted. I'm fine with that. When you live with illness, you learn there is a fine line between conserving your energy and strength and unnecessarily losing opportunities. It's really tricky because it's next to impossible to be certain how much energy you will have on a given day. You don't want to push yourself so far you get into a mess, but you also don't want to be so timid you miss things you might actually be able to do. It's a constant quandary. Some days 5 minutes in the studio is overdoing and some days two hours or more is overdoing. The key is accepting where you are and what is possible at the present moment. I just take it one day at a time and know that even 5 minutes a day adds up to something real over time. One foot in front of the other and eventually you arrive. I'm feeling incredibly grateful for my show, all the amazing visitors, the outpouring of love, & my ability to continuing working. xoxo

Even if You Have Trudged
By Dorothy Walters

It is never too late.
Even if you have trudged
through snow and ice
for a thousand miles
and still have not arrived.
Even if the map is lost
and the compass broken.
When the eagle who is
supposed to guide you
goes off on a tangent
of its own
and you know you are,
once again, deserted
do not fall into
the pit of despair.
It will return,
brighter than ever.
There will be feather tokens
falling down.

Nothing is irredeemable.
Nothing is lost forever.
Be guided by the stars.
Let the moonlight
direct your steps.

There will be a path
which will open
in the forest.
The treasure which is yours
is waiting.
Claim it.

From her blog: http://kundalinisplendor.blogsp

sunrise, Monotype of the Day #587

Day 217 of Year 2 (Actually Day 222)

It's been so busy lately with my show in a wonderful way. I do still need calm to make work and rest for my body. Since I'm not finding enough of it in my life at the moment, I am creating that energy through my work. This piece was made to simply feel peace and stillness and to let that energy saturate my system.

This work is paired with by "The Task" by Jane Hirshfield

Found on Poetry Chaikhana https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/Poets/H/HirshfieldJa/Task/index.html

From October Palace: Poems https://amzn.to/2VcU0s9 

ready and waiting!, Monotype of the Day #546

Day 176 of Year 2 (Actually Day 181)

A lot of eggs this week. 😊 Whenever I'm making eggs I feel comforted. I've posted tonight's poem before but I love it, so here it is again! xo

Oceans
by Juan Ramon Jimenez, Trans. Robert Bly

I have a feeling that my boat
has struck, down there in the depths
against a great thing. And nothing
happens! Nothing…Silence…Waves… –Nothing happens? Or has everything happened,
and are we standing now, quietly, in the new life?

From News of the Universe: Poems of Two Fold Consciousness https://amzn.to/305tT6G

boats at dawn, Monotype of the Day #505

505.jpg

Day 139 of Year 2 (Actually Day 140)

I realized today that I make these boat scenes when I need a sense of inner peace and calm. Making them quiets my mind although today, it only partially worked. It's been a busy few days with the holidays and I'm calling my scattered energies in. The print reflects this, it's not as tranquil as my other boat prints. Still, it calmed and grounded me.
This is a little strange- I find it much more rewarding to post on days with symmetrical numbers like today- day 505. It's oddly satisfying! Numbers do have poetry. 😊

Just Now
By W. S. Merwin

In the morning as the storm begins to blow away
the clear sky appears for a moment and it seems to me
that there has been something simpler than I could ever believe
simpler than I could have begun to find words for
not patient not even waiting no more hidden
than the air itself that became part of me for a while
with every breath and remained with me unnoticed
something that was here unnamed unknown in the days
and the nights not separate from them
not separate from them as they came and were gone
it must have been here neither early nor late then
by what name can I address it now holding out my thanks

From : The Pupil: Poems https://amzn.to/37ViSsn
https://merwinconservancy.org/2017/09/just-now-by-ws-merwin/

home, Monotype of the Day #498

Day 132 of Year 2 (Actually Day 133

It's comforting to see this figure finally come to rest and stop falling. I feel at peace.

The Mystery
By Dorothy Walters
Some come at it
with weights and measures,
some waving a sieve.
Some sing to it,
ballads and carols,
hoping to coax forth
its hidden center,
unwind the sheath
of who it is.
Some tap on it,
or deal heavy blows
with hammers,
trying to smash
its thick shield,
force it to bow down.
Some seek ways to clamber in,
explore its hidden vaults
and chambers.
Some lie down beside it,
breathe its cool scent,
become its own self.

From The Ley Lines of the Soul https://amzn.to/2qtRCAl

the rescue, Monotype of the Day #482

Day 118 of Year 2 (Actually Day 119)

I am rescued everyday by my work. Especially on a day like today when most of my time was spent sleeping, making my print brought meaning. Hopefully I will be fully recovered soon because there is so much to do for my show in January. I also need more time in the print studio to develop my ideas. Once again my mantra must be patience. It's easier to accept that than it used to be. Small movements forward do add up. Trust, faith, hope- I never understood the dearness of those words until recently. They are not just concepts, they are salve to the heart and grease to cogs that keep me working everyday. I am grateful for their gifts.

the echo, Monotype of the Day #477

Day 111 of Year 2 (Actually Day 112)

Something very simple tonight. I've been setting up for my yearly studio tour all day. I am grateful for this project because without it, it might have been easier to just skip my studio practice. But even being really tired from setup, I feel refreshed from making this print. If you are in the area, I hope you will stop by my studio. All the info is here: www.studiotoursoma.com. If you're not in the area, I'll be posting some video of the event soon. xoxo  Sybil

sail away, Monotype of the Day #468

Day 102 of Year 2 (Actually Day 103)

The medieval idea that we are mirrors reflecting divine light into the world is beautiful. In this metaphor, our mirrors have grown dirty with human limits, ego and jealousies, self-pity, the list is long. Our spiritual growth polishes this dust away so more light can be reflected.
It can be hard to keep an even keel during the events that force us to grow. I've found that with time and experience it becomes easier. This year has been has been at once extremely challenging and extremely wonderful. I tried my hardest to maintain the internal space described in tonight's print. To accept and trust my path even when difficult rather than be irritated or embattled. It was not always possible but the more I let go of my irritation, the easier my challenges were to navigate. This internal space of calm allows my life to move forward with times of happiness even in the face of challenges. And so the polishing continues and hopefully the mirror shines brighter. "If you are irritated by every rub,
how will your mirror be polished?"
-Rumi, Trans. Helminski
From The Rumi Collection https://amzn.to/2JhyYBz

Reaching, Monotype of the Day #458

Day 92 of Year 2 (Actually Day 93)

The remnants of yesterday's ink were still on my plate this evening. Somehow I just couldn't wipe it away so I guess, tonight is a partial ghost print and a variation on a theme. I am curious about this symbolism so I hope the suspended woman comes up again. The last time she appeared, she was suspended by her feet so I call this a definite improvement!
The past month or so has been a struggle physically, but mercifully things have shifted and I'm feeling much better. My seas have been choppy and I ride the swells up and down. I know well that every down leads to an up, followed by a down, and over and over. That's life, keeping afloat in these swells. But, there is an internal landscape of peace within reach. I find mine in the studio. When I make these images of calm they change my energy. I am not the same person who walked into my studio earlier today. Like water on a stone, these images are slowly wearing away my rough edges and emptying my vessel.

I Laugh When I Hear That The Fish In The Water Is Thirsty
By Kabir, Trans. Ribert Bly

I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty

You don't grasp the fact that what is most alive of all
is inside your own house.
and so you walk from one holy city to the next with
a confused look!

Kabir will tell you the truth: go wherever you like,
to Calcutta or Tibet;
if you can't find where your soul is hidden,
for you the world will never be real!
---- From The Winged Energy of Delight https://amzn.to/2q41CiS
There is another translation on the web which is quite different, It's worth looking up if you are touched by this poem