Sun prints and cosmic art
What better way to welcome spring than to make art in partnership with the sun? In case you’re not familiar, sun prints use a type of photography called “cyanotypes” that utilizes a special paper coated with iron salts. When you put the paper in the sun for a few minutes and lay some objects on it, you get a “print” of the object (or its outline or shadow). When you wash the paper in water for a minute, your image turns white and the background of the paper turns blue. Pretty cool! Often, kids do sun print projects, but sun prints are not only for kids. I love using projects and tools that are often used with children not only because it’s fun, but because it helps adults to cultivate beginner’s mind and approach something seemingly simple and “childish” with awe and childlike wonder. In my opinion, “childish” should be seen as a good thing! After all, it was Pablo Picasso who said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
Who doesn’t want to tap into childlike innocence, wonder, and awe, and to look at the world with freshness? Children are fresh like flowers as my teacher Thich Nhat Hanh would say, and I see this type of art as a way to tap into our own freshness, especially as the first flowers of spring begin to emerge. It was so much fun to feel the excitement as the prints made by the sun began to reveal themselves on the paper. My students created the most gorgeous and sweet landscapes using objects we had brought in from nature. I read recently that the difference between children doing “children’s” art, and adults doing the same activity is intention. I believe it’s from the book The Zen of Creative Painting. The intention and care that went into the sun prints was absolutely astonishing. As adults, we can use our thinking minds, which often turn against us in the form of the inner critic, hurling hurtful words and judgments at us, and use them in a positive way to create beautiful intention. Let us use the power of our minds to create beauty and harmony both within ourselves and in the art that we create together which ultimately finds its way out into the world. We don’t know what kind of impact this art can have on us and others. The act of making and creating is its own process and has its own impact, and once our words and works are released out into the world, we don’t know who they will touch or what they will inspire. Like dandelion seeds in the wind, they are beautiful in themselves, in their journey on the wind, and ultimately they can bloom where they are planted or go back to feed the Earth and its creatures.
I have also been delving into the world of acrylic painting lately, exploring different textural elements using large brushes and sponges. My students are creating gorgeous landscapes full of color, feeling, and texture. It’s great to see them let go and experiment! Sometimes, when we are stuck, just changing the medium we are working in and going for something abstract can really release us. For some reason, I am enjoying painting scenes of the cosmos with acrylics. I like the way the paint can be manipulated by dripping, swirling, or block printing, creating interesting galactic- type reactions. It’s fun to experiment. This isn’t my usual media, and it’s fun to explore. It’s important to keep trying different ways of doing things so we don’t get too attached to one particular way, method, or approach. By trying different media, I am able to stay present and challenged, and not too stuck. I hope this is helpful for others. We all get stuck sometimes!
What I’m reading
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros. I just finished this third book in the Fouth Wing series. It had a lot of twists and turns. I enjoyed it.
What I’m watching
The most distant galaxy yet known by EarthSky
I love learning about the universe. And since I’m really into the cosmos right now, especially when it comes to art, this is right up my alley. This video is fascinating because it tells us at Oxygen was present in a very early galaxy, an unexpected element at this time in the formation of the universe. Earthsky.org is so great – check it out to learn about the planets, the solar system, galaxies, and the universe!
What I’m listening to
Little Bit Better by Caleb Hearn, ROSIE
Pop goodness, what can I say? Feels indulgent, but then, sometimes that’s what’s called for.
