the path, Monotype of the Day #738

Day 7 of Year 3

Another Mary Oliver poem today.

Thirst
By Mary Oliver

Another morning and I wake with thirst
for the goodness I do not have. I walk
out to the pond and all the way God has
given us such beautiful lessons. Oh Lord,
I was never a quick scholar but sulked
and hunched over my books past the hour
and the bell; grant me, in your mercy,
a little more time. Love for the earth
and love for you are having such a long
conversation in my heart. Who knows what
will finally happen or where I will be sent,
yet already I have given a great many things
away, expecting to be told to pack nothing,
except the prayers which, with this thirst,
I am slowly learning.

From Thirst https://amzn.to/2CulGl1 

the lead, Monotype of the Day #737

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.

fires afloat, Monotype of the Day #736

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Day 365 of Year 2 (Actually Day 5 of Year 3)

I do want to take a moment to express gratitude to all those who have supported me in this project over the last two years. My family, friends and art besties, I hope you know how much you mean to me. You have made my work possible. My talented and amazing studio assistants, thank you for you hard work. Those of you who have purchased work, come to my shows and open studios, commented on my posts, and supported me on Patreon or otherwise, I can't thank you enough. This beautiful world has conspired to make my work possible and I am deeply grateful. Love Sybil

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.

boat fire moon ghost & the slumber, Monotype of the Day #735

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Day 364 of Year 2 (Actually Day 4 of Year 3)

Two prints tonight. The first is the ghost print from last night which I liked it so much, I didn't want to put another layer on. The second, the slumber, is a ghost print from a reject. Ghost prints are the ultimate ego deflater. The print I worked hard on was a mess, but the ghost is better. That is the ink's work not mine. Much of the history of art is filled with big egos, Dali, Picasso, Duchamp. But I find making art to be a gentle stripping away of ego. The more I work, the less of me is there. On my best days, I am like a glass filled with clear water. An idea arrives like a drop of ink slowly spreading until it colors the water completely and comes pouring out.

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

entrance, Monotype of the Day #732

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Day 361 of Year 2 (Actually Day 1 of Year 3)

Two nights ago I put a lot of ink on my plate and was able to take a few ghost prints. It was fun working with them as a base last night and tonight. The images turned out quite differently despite their similar start. I have one more ghost, I'll see if I am moved to use it again tomorrow. For now, I am so grateful to have my work, this window, to see beyond myself or is it through myself into mystery.

steps, Monotype of the Day #731

Day 360 of Year 2 (Actually Day 365)

The Guest House
By Rumi, Trans. Barks & Moyne

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.

From the Essential Rumi https://amzn.to/2OiRX0L

even at night, there is Light, Monotype of the Day #730

Day 359 of Year 2 (Actually Day 364)

One year ago I made my first boat fire image. Looking back on photos of that print (sold for a while), I find myself as fascinated as ever by it's symbolism. Last year's print was calm and peaceful, this year the waters are rough, but still there is a sense of hope. This print is a message telling me to take heart. My vessel may be small and insignificant in the vast sea, but the way is lit and the fire is strong. Wishing you many blessings. xo

the artist listens deeply, Monotype of the Day #729

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Day 358 of Year 2 (Actually Day 363)

Of all that God has shown me
By Mechtild of Magdenburg, Trans. Jane Hirshfiled

Of all that God has shown me
I can speak just the smallest word,
Nor more than a honey bee
Takes on his foot
From an overspilling jar.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55266/of-all-that-god-has-shown-me


From Women is Praise of the Sacred https://amzn.to/2W9x1xz

keyhole, Monotype of the Day #728

Day 357 of Year 2 (Actually Day 362)

I did a very light white and yellow layer over the ghost from last night but I wish the white ink was more opaque. Art materials have a will and vision of their own and often t is at odds with what the artist wants. It can be an ongoing battle, a conversation, and sometimes even a surrender. Artist materials ground and connect us to the physical world. They remind that we are physical beings that live in the present moment. This is why I try to listen to my materials and partner with their purpose rather than resist. Surprising things happen at the meeting point of divine creative flow and the material world. The artist is the cauldron where these two determined energies mix and are transmuted into one.

hand, Monotype of the Day #726

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Day 356 of Year 2 (Actually Day 361)

I had a break though tonight. The piece is fine, but what happened in my mind was important. The number one limitation on any artist is their mind, the unconscious rules that shape our actions. This is particularly true in printmaking. The plates must be lined up, no marks on the paper, etc. etc. etc. Somewhere in my head, I decided I couldn't add more color to a print unless it was printed with a plate. Tonight I painted in a touch of color on this print to wake it up. It's a surprisingly small thing that has the potential to transform the way I work. Will it? I don't know, but anything that breaks through the hold the mind has on possibilities is a good thing.

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