the fountain, Monotype of the Day #507

Day 141 of Year 2 (Actually Day 142)

I've posted this poem before, but I love it and it says so much

The Fountain
By Denise Levertov

Don’t say, don’t say there is no water
to solace the dryness at our hearts.
I have seen

the fountain springing out of the rock wall
and you drinking there. And I too
before your eyes

found footholds and climbed
to drink the cool water.

The woman of that place, shading her eyes,
frowned as she watched — but not because
she grudged the water,

only because she was waiting
to see we drank our fill and were
refreshed.

Don’t say, don’t say there is no water.
That fountain is there among its scalloped
green and gray stones,

it is still there and always there
with its quiet song and strange power
to spring in us,

up and out through the rock.

From Selected Poems https://amzn.to/2Y5nlUE

boats at dawn, Monotype of the Day #505

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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/

bower, Monotype of the Day #503

Day 137 of Year 2 (Actually Day 138)

It was another prop your eyes open with toothpicks night. I barely made it to the print studio but as always, I found myself revived by the process. It's a busy week for Americans prepping for Thanksgiving. Wishing those that celebrate a beautiful day with much to be grateful for. I am grateful for so many things but especially my family and friends, my studio, and .you. Thank you for all the kind words, reactions, and support throughout my Monotype of the Day project. It means so much! Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo #gratitude

rooted II, Monotype of the Day #502

Day 136 of Year 2 (Actually Day 137)

Focusing on finishing up two new large sculptural paintings for my solo show in January. I have the strong desire to spend a whole day in the print studio but this other work calls. Instead, a print studio day will be my present for completing these last two pieces. I have way more work than gallery space and yet I am compelled to make more. I guess that is the nature of being an artist. The natural generative creative flow that undergirds and carries all life forward is infectious if you are listening.

reflection, Monotype of the Day #501

Day 135 of Year 2 (Actually Day 136)

I made it through day 500 without letting the number 500 get in my head like 365 did. This project has been great training. Looking forward to tomorrow. xo

Reflected
By Kobayashi Issa , Trans. Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto

Reflected
in the dragonfly’s eye —
mountains.

From Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter https://amzn.to/2qLffV0
Although I own this book, I found the poem here: https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/blog/2011/05/23/kobayashi-issa-reflected-2/

rooted, Monotype of the Day #500

Day 134 of Year 2 (Actually Day 135)

Day 500! The second two lines of tonight's poem (see below) encapsulates this project for me: "I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go." I am grateful that this is where I have to go. Thanks journeying along with me. Woohoo for reaching 500 and here's to day 501. xo

The Waking
By Theodore Roethke

I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.
I feel my fate in what I cannot fear.
I learn by going where I have to go. We think by feeling. What is there to know? I hear my being dance from ear to ear. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Of those so close beside me, which are you? God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, And learn by going where I have to go. Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair; I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Great Nature has another thing to do To you and me; so take the lively air, And, lovely, learn by going where to go. This shaking keeps me steady. I should know. What falls away is always. And is near. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I learn by going where I have to go.
From Collect Poems https://amzn.to/2sezWck)

weathering the storm, Monotype of the Day #499

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Day 133 of Year 2 (Actually Day 134)

Something about the stream of images last few days has felt important, like a major shift of energy. The move from falling to repose feels good. Since my life and my work are so intertwined, it's not surprising that there have been lots of small positive shifts there as well.
Tomorrow is day 500. That feels like a milestone, but milestones can be tricky. It's important to keep moving and not get caught up in labels. When I hit day 365, it threw me a bit and took some perseverance to get my flow back. Tomorrow presents just another invitation to work in the studio which I will gratefully accept.

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

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.

on point, Monotype of the Day #495

Day 129 of Year 2 (Actually Day 130)

Hymn to the Nameless One
By Dorothy Walters

Now as the year swings down,
and the darkness encloses
even the smallest bird,
the largest animal,
and we too enter the hour
when everything is falling once more
into the twilight
of not knowing,
what we ask is that
you be with us,
not as a pillar of fire
nor a blaze across
the heavens,
but like water
at rest in a pitcher
which catches the morning light
and is filled
with its own radiance.

From Ley Lines of the Soul: Poems of Ecstasy and Ascension https://amzn.to/2XCnFdq

trust, Monotype of the Day #494

Day 128 of Year 2 (Actually Day 129)

I've felt a little blocked in the monotype studio lately. Mainly because I'm focused on prepping for my solo show in January. I have a limited amount of energy each day and have to be judicious about how I use it. I thought this was my major constraint, but today I realized lack of mental space is even more of an issue. The to do lists, deadlines, and anxieties were overfilling my brain. This last week, I began meditating again to reclaim and empty my mind. It feels great to have the channel open once more. Today while meditating, this image dropped in. With all the tasks to finish before my show, there is a bit of vertigo, a feeling of falling. This image is a gift from The Artist to the artist (me), to sooth and comfort. Trust the process and all will be well.

cocoon, Monotype of the Day #493

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Day 127 of Year 2 (Actually Day 127)

Deep change happens beyond the comprehension of the mind. This is why it helps to surrender and trust. When the mind cannot understand something is afoot. The studio is a microcosm, trusting in the process here helps me trust out there in the world. The Artist trains me (an artist) everyday in my studio. This builds spiritual muscles that inform and change the way I lead my life. The result is my small "a" in artist keeps shrinking. The more it shrinks the happier and more empowered I feel. It's a beautiful sacred process and I am grateful to have a chance to pursue this work in the studio and in my spirit.

From burweed
By Kobayashi Issa, Trans. Stryk and Ikemoto

From burweed,
such a butterfly
was born?

From Zen Poetry: Let the Spring Breeze Enter https://amzn.to/2XpvtyM