Sunday, January 19, 2014

1/18 Documented Life Project: Secret Message or..

The Quill is Mightier than the Sword!
This week's DLP Challenge was 'secret message'.
Write it down, then cover it up except for one word.
Frankly, I was not prepared for the cathartic effect of doing something which on the outset seemed so childishly simple.
Since my hands seem to cramp up in the mornings when I am at my most 'artive', I chose to type out my thoughts and wow!
Two events came to mind immediately and the words flowed from my fingers as I wrote in what would probably be called a 'white heat'!
Once the words were down in black and white, it was a joy to rip it up into pieces and gesso it to my water colour paper. I carefully saved the word 'decision' from the forest of words and using my newly bought Derwent Inktense Pencils (hooray) and a bit of collage, cobbled something together.
Two miraculous things happened on the day I was doing this:
1 - the gesso I used to glue down my pieces did a wonderful thing 'on it's own'  - it created a perfect rendition of a quill (complete with feather!)  - which I carefully dried to in order to keep it's shape then outlined it with a black fine tip sharpie.
2 - On our way to town, a cloud formation over top of a local mountain was a perfect 'quill' shape!
There was no way I could have planned this if I had tried.
3 - Then in my mailbox: a wonderful quote from Rumi which perfectly capsulated my thoughts regarding that secret message I had written!.
 * If you are seeking, seek us with joy
    For we live in the kingdom of joy.
    Do not give your heart to anything else
    But to the love of those who are clear joy,
    Do not stray into the neighborhood of despair.
    For there are hopes: they are real, they exist -
    Do not go in the direction of darkness -
    I tell you: suns exist.
    - Jalal-ud-Din Rumi
    (Translated by Andrew Harvey from A Year of Rumi)

 I put the poem into the collage mix and taped my two photos from the day: Divine Quill, and Sundog (which I think goes splendidly with the last phrase: ' I tell you: suns exist.')
Blessings to all those who find solace in doing a spate of arting in the morning 'Before Anything Else'

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