Wage peace – calligraphic

a favorite corner of my studio with 8 color bags, a buddha, hyacinths in walnut ink, a canvas stitched little totem bag, a Tai Chi lesson schedule, an announcement for the Jeroen Krabbé exhibition, and a 3 panel piece, ‘Wage Peace’

I’ve been working with the poem, ‘Wage Peace’ by Judyth Hill.  Since the moment I saw it several years ago I wanted to give it form using ‘my’ media- letters, color, collage, etc.  But the classical approach: lettering it in ‘nice’ looking calligraphic letters, set in a good composition held no artistic challenge for me. 

It has been that way for years.

Abandoning that old safe approach, I finally got around to doing some experimental pieces using walnut ink and mixed media on watercolour paper.  It brought up some classic problems of working with calligraphy. Legibility vs expression. I opted for expression this time. I used the words simply as a starting point for form, movement and line.  It still isn’t ‘there’ but it was wonderful to do.

After a spending most of my adult life striving to make ‘perfect’ letters and fully worked out compositions, this spontaneous way of working is confronting, but liberating. 

It is the lesson that keeps appearing at this stage of my path; let go, trust, enjoy. The rest takes care of itself.