"Peace" - A poem by Sara Teasdale

Peace (Stacy Wills, 2014)

watercolors on paper + alcohol inks + sacred altering

Peace

Peace flows into me

As the tide to the pool by the shore;

It is mine forevermore,

It ebbs not back like the sea.

I am the pool of blue

That worships the vivid sky;

My hopes were heaven-high,

They are fulfilled in you.

I am the pool of gold

When sunset burns and dies,

You are my deepening skies,

Give me your stars to hold.

-Sara Teasdale (1884-1933)

moving water - a poem from rumi

meandering by stacy wills

(9" x 12" mixed media on watercolor paper)

moving water

when you do things from your soul,
you feel a river moving in you, a joy.

when actions come from another section, 
the feeling disappears.

don't let others lead you.  they may be blind or,
worse, vultures.

reach for the rope of god.  and what is that?
putting aside self-will.

because of willfulness people sit in jail, 
the trapped bird's wings are tied,
fish sizzle in the skillet.

...you've seen a magistrate inflict visible punishment.
now see the invisible.

if you could leave your selfishness, you would see
how you've been torturing your soul.

we are born and live inside black water
in a well.

how could we know what an open field of sunlight is?
Don't insist on going where you think you want to go.

ask the way to the spring.
your living pieces will form a harmony.

there is a moving palace that floats in the air
with balconies and clear water flowing through,

infinity everywhere, yet contained
under a single tent.

- rumi (1207 - 1273)
translated by coleman barks

painted prayers

every once in a while, someone will commission me to create a mandala especially for them. i consider this a sacred task, and therefore not one to undertake lightly. usually the request comes with a source of inspiration in mind, as was the case with the one you see here. the lovely woman who commissioned this mandala wanted the mantra, om mani padme hum ("hail to the jewel in the lotus"), to be incorporated into the design in some way. other than that one stipulation, she gave me free reign.

one of the things i love about doing commissioned pieces is that they stretch me, and i learn so much through the process. as preparation for drawing the design, i did some research into the history and meaning of the mantra, and found that it is most often associated with the bodhisattva of compassion. therefore, as i worked on this piece, my focus became compassion - particularly as it pertains to alleviating the suffering of others. i thought of all the times i had been on the receiving end of compassion...mercy...lovingkindness and how much i desired to be on the giving end of extending compassion to others. then each line drawn, each brushstroke painted, each embellishment added, became a prayer.

rent

for love of you

my heart is a rent veil

may it never mend

-stacy wills (9/14/2011)