Sunday, September 13, 2015

This is the Way the Mandala is Made!

 A mandala begins simply enough, 
lines...shapes...color

 A quarter turn...a quarter turn...
color goes all around 

 Little things added...
a ruffle here

 Bold lines there

Choices made

 and changes, too

 Definition...

 Detail...a flourish here and there,
a quarter turn...a quarter turn

 Once more 'round the circle...
this is the way

The mandala is made!
(20" x 20" acrylic on canvas, Stacy Wills, 2015)

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Portal and a poem by Dante Alighieri

Portal (Stacy Wills)
24" x 36" acrylic on canvas

The Love of God

The love of God, unutterable and perfect,
flows into a pure soul the way that light
rushes into a transparent object.

The more love that it finds, the more it gives
itself; so that, as we grow clear and open,
the more complete the joy of heaven is.

And the more souls who resonate together,
the greater the intensity of their love,
and, mirror-like, each soul reflects the other.

-Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321)

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

At Home in Nature's Cathedral


 I feel at home in nature's cathedral.


"Look up!  Look up!" the timbers sing -


and I, humble penitent,


quick to obey, 


behold glory.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Birth/Afterbirth

Each mandala I create has a life of its own.
It begins, as many lives do,  with an intention
and the planting of a seed.

A mandala in its embryonic form, holds
the promise of what is to come.

The gestation period varies, but always

I know when transition hits…the final few pushes

that must come before a mandala's birth
always lead to...
a time of joyous celebration!

"Any Way You Slice It" came into this world
at 9:36 am on 11/14/14
(20" x 20" mixed media on canvas)

And naturally, what follows next...

is the afterbirth,
with a beauty and a purpose all its own.









Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Dance

The Dance (Stacy Wills, 2014)
alcohol inks on yupo  4" x 6"

Circles, wheels, light on light, 
a dance of invisibles.

-Dorothy Walters 
(from her poem, The Abundance of Brightness)


Friday, July 4, 2014

Adventures in "Touch Drawing"


This past week, I've been getting my studio at Allison's Wells back in order after repairs were done to fix a leak.  When I was finished, I decided to try my hand at Touch Drawing, an intuitive drawing process developed by Deborah Koff-Chapin.  I had heard about Touch Drawing a year or so ago and have been eager to try it, but had not had the opportunity until now.  There is much I need to learn, but I wanted to share what I've done thus far…


Happy Face (Stacy Wills, 2014)
acrylics on craft paper

Day 1...This was my first attempt…using acrylic paint (not recommended!) that I had applied too thickly  onto the glass.  The "happy face" that came through though was exactly how I was feeling about having my studio back in working order!

Spirit Dance (Stacy Wills, 2014)
acrylics and NuPastels on craft paper

Day 2…try, try again!  This time I used a more fluid type of acrylic paint  and got a better result.  (Acrylics are generally not a good medium for touch drawing as they tend to dry too quickly; water mixable oil colors are best.)   I  added the color later using pastels.  As I was coloring it, I still could not say exactly what this is a picture of, but the name, "Spirit Dance" came to me.  Looking at it now, I think it could be interpreted in many ways…in the moment of drawing, however, the feeling was one of freedom…of moving with abandon…of energy spiraling up from deep within seeking release.

 Blue Moon (Stacy Wills, 2014)
acrylics and NuPastels on craft paper

I'm still trying to get the hang of putting the  right amount of paint onto the surface of the glass.  Blue Moon actually was a "failed" attempt at touch drawing.  When I pulled the paper away, it was pretty much one blue blob!   I thought perhaps I could salvage it  by creating a mandala out of it, so I drew a circle and waited.  There were two very small, faint marks that I could detect from my original  touch drawing - the sharp slants of the eyes - I started there and a face began to emerge.  As I was working, I was listening to the audible version of Barbara Brown Taylor's book, Learning to Walk in the Dark.  I was listening to the last few chapters where she describes a cave sitting experience and also a visit to Chartres Cathedral to walk the labyrinth.  That led to some moon stories…and...well…I think you get the idea.  Creating while listening to the spoken word…be it a book read aloud, a lecture, sermon  or interview…is my favorite way of doing art.  It serves as a form of lectio divina, where the art I'm making becomes the response to what I'm hearing…it becomes my  prayer.