Art and Faith

I planted some trees this month – apples, plums, a persimmon, and a fig. I’ve been thinking about how gardening, and printmaking, are acts of faith. We stick a stick in the ground, giving it what seems like a ridiculous amount of space, trusting that it will fill up that space, will leaf and flower, and eventually will bear fruit.

Creating a print – or anything at all – can feel, similarly, like a leap into the void. Printmaking is not unlike ceramics, in that you don’t really know what you have, til you have it. That’s part of the joy, but it also requires courage and faith. Here’s a favorite poem of mine, by a 14th century Persian mystic poet named Hafez, about faith:

A hunting party Sometimes has a greater chance Of flushing Love and The Divine Out into the open Than a warrior All Alone

My classes are hunting parties: we collectively dive into the well of creativity, hoping to flush out something exciting. My last linocut class flushed out a herd of beautiful prints! Here is a gorgeous mandala by Adrian Hern, printed on fingerless gloves.

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