These Feet are Made for Walking, Monotype of the Day #215

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My feet have been hurting and I have been listening.


Drifter, on your feet, get moving!
by Lalla
(English version by Ranjit Hoskote)

Drifter, on your feet, get moving!
You still have time, go look for the Friend.
Make yourself wings, take wing and fly.
You still have time, go look for the Friend.

Charge your bellows with breath
like the blacksmith taught you.
That's how you turn your iron to gold.
You still have time, go look for the Friend.

One of my favorite resources for sacred poetry is http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com. Evening will often find me immersed in it's pages. I found this poem there.

Untitled, Monotype of the Day #214

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Some days are harder than others. Some things are harder than others to accept. But the struggle always comes from within. Outer circumstances don't control our reactions, only we can do that. This is another one of my favorite poems. I discovered it through learning about Nelson Mandela, who loved it as well. I don’t find the world so bleak as this poet, but still the message of the power we have in the face of circumstances rings true.

Invictus
By William Ernest Henley
Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

Fish Pile, Monotype of the Day #210

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Lately I’ve been experimenting with adding ink. Normally I ink a plate completely and then wipe away. It’s a somewhat mystical experience, seeing an image emerge from the dark. Today I tried to find more mystery in adding ink by using a very rough implement to decrease my control. I like my materials to have a say in the process. Art is really a conversation between mystery and the material world as represented by the artist’s medium of choice. Anyone who thinks materials don’t have something to say isn’t listening closely enough.

the artist seeks forgiveness, Monotype of the Day #208

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One of the challenges of being an artist is there is no escape while you are working. Many times unprocessed emotions come up while working. I'm convinced this is why so many artists have been heavy drinkers, etc. These feelings can be raw and intense and as with anything, you can choose to face them or run away. I try my best to (wo)man up and deal. This is a very personal piece. I'm sharing it because it's an universal experience. We torture ourselves for years over such minor things. We turn to others for forgiveness when it is really we who need to forgive ourselves. Today after making this piece, I forgive myself for the times I didn’t live up to my own expectations