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| Golden Dawn-Step 1 The big bright uncertainty |
Dearest Readers,
This is the summer of painting through uncertainty–diving in
instead of holding back; risking ruin in my Peacham, Vermont studio (with the help of a glass of wine and loud music for moral support at the final phase.) Ursula
LeGuin’s new translation of the ancient verses of the Tao Te Ching has offered
me some parallels on my artist’s Way. This week the notion of “Not Knowing”
frames my work. I’m trying to say something in paint about a recent wellspring
of essential being that is bubbling up from inside. The inner spark has both
its dark and light incarnations. Unlike last summer’s hole digging, this force
manifests by rising up, not delving down.
So, join me as I approach a painting entitled
Golden Dawn, begun in April at home in Georgia, then worked and reworked in my
mountainside studio until it seems to give voice to this tangled mystery inside. Click on any image to enlarge.
First, here's Lao Tzu's poem that served as inspiration for the process:
First, here's Lao Tzu's poem that served as inspiration for the process:
14. CELEBRATING MYSTERY
Look at it:
nothing to see.
Call it
colorless.
Listen to it:
nothing to hear.
Call it
soundless.
Reach for it:
nothing to hold.
Call it
intangible.
Triply
undifferentiated,
It merges into
oneness,
Not bright
above,
Not dark below.
Never, oh! never
Can it be named.
It reverts, it
returns
To unbeing.
Call it the form
of the unformed,
The image of no
image.
Call it
unthinkable thought.
Face it: no
face.
Follow it: no
end.
Holding fast to
the old Way,
We can live in
the present.
Mindful of the
ancient beginnings,
We hold the
thread of the Tao.
-Lao Tzu
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| Golden Dawn-Step 2 Something rises like segmented wings |
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| 3. Stripped down and transparent |
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| 4. solid and blocked |
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5. Adding different voices     It's finished. |
Your work is profound. And you express your ideas so well. I am moved beyond words. I can say that I am so happy for you and so happy that you are here making my world richer by the art you create and the way you talk about your journey making it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Ruth for saying this, and for sharing this blog on the Daily Creative Practice Page. Diving into Not Knowing is somewhat like you sailing ahead on the Pilgrim into new adventurous waters in art and life. (I'm having fun with the boat metaphor!)
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