Day 91 of year 3
I feel more connected to this monotype than I have to one in a while. Some pieces have an inner meaning which is part of a tender correspondence between the artist and The Artist, a message to be unwrapped by its maker alone.
For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.
You can purchase this monotype here.
Day 87 of year 3
“Creativity takes courage.” – Henri Matisse
“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” ― Thomas Merton , No Man Is an Island
The life of the studio has the same ebbs and flows as everywhere else. Some days or weeks are easy and joyful, some are difficult, and some can feel like trudging through mud. Right now I'm experiencing a bit of a malaise with my work. The darker more muddy colors this month seem to reflect that. When Matisse said "Creativity takes courage" he may have meant the courage to express yourself or to break norms, but there is another type of courage. I it see in my fellow artists, the courage to show up and do battle with the self, to create in the face of every self judgement, every moment of resistance, and painful or uncomfortable feeling that spills out in the work. I am grateful everyday for their example to guide me. More than anything else, to adapt Thomas Merton, being an artist is a journey of finding the self in order to lose the self. It is a journey of deep transformation leading the artist ever deeper to the loving arms of The Artist.
For more information about the process of monotype and the Monotype of the Day project click here.
You can purchase this monotype here.
Day 48 of year 3
I am still struggling to like these recent works but perhaps they are too close to me and I will like them when I look back. Not that it matters really, one foot in front of the other moves me forward on this mysterious journey. I am currently editing photos for my book and doing a Lightroom intensive (photo editing program). I'm finding some difficulty switching my brain back to art after working. Life demands compromises, but creative flow needs constant tending and protection. This large hand in tonight's print has come up a few times recently. I think it is the fiery hand of The Artist (as I have often described it in my private writings) revealed to the artist. So much of my work is a depiction of this Artist/artist relationship, my search to find intimacy, a desire for understanding and, at the same time, a surrender to unknowing.
Day 6 of Year 3
I feel such.a sense of relief that my two year anniversary is behind me. I didn't realize how much pressure I was putting on myself to define my situation. The same thing happened on my one year anniversary. I built it up in my head so much that once I made it, I sort of fell apart. The first week after was a real struggle in the studio. but I kept at it and eventually that cleared. There are natural ebbs and flows to working and then there are the roadblocks we create in our minds. Meditation, which has unfortunately fallen off my radar lately, helps. Another thing that helps is knowing that you're in your own way and waiting it out, trusting that the creative flow will necessarily wash the mental dross away. More than anything, making art is about trust, trusting the inner messages from The Artist to the artist, trusting your materials, trusting the world with your work, trusting yourself to be authentic and brave, trusting the importance and purpose of working though we may never know why.
Print of the day! Love this one. I’m obsessed with hands lately.