The last few newsletters have shown off how obsessed I’ve become with printmaking — I can’t seem to stop!
From “All is not well (but some things are”:
“Not everything will be okay but some things will.” Years ago, I saw that phrase on a slide at the end of a Maira Kalman talk. It has stuck with me. I wanted to put my own spin on it, so I made a block print with the words, “All is not well (but some things are.)” I was looking for material to print it on, and settled on a few thrifted copies of Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation.
I made these prints after writing today’s newsletter, “The subtle art of showing up”:
I get several forms of the question, “What good is making art in times like these?”
There are many decent answers, but the one that rings truest to me, I think, comes from art coach Beth Pickens: “Artists are people who are profoundly compelled to make their creative work, and when they are distanced from their practice, their life quality suffers.”
If I don’t show up for creative work, I suffer. I’m not a whole person. If I don’t show up to the studio, it’s harder for me to show up for the people in my life.
And, really, that’s all, sometimes, you have to do: just show up.
I’m getting many “what are you going to do with all these prints?!?” questions… so that might be the subject of next week’s newsletter…