Monotypes and Wise Words

“How do you learn a language before you can hear? How can you make a painting before you can see?”

—JD Wissler

On Saturday, I took a monotype workshop led by the artist JD Wissler. The workshop took place at Kings Oaks in Newtown, PA. I had taken the same workshop last year (read about it here: Monotype Workshop) and my memories from that day were so wonderful that I was eager to do it again.

It was as lovely as I had hoped, and we made monotypes for hours! It was a glorious autumn day, the wide green fields stretched out beneath the pale blue sky. I lay down in the warm grass for a long time and watched the thin, wispy white clouds floating above me. In the surrounding distance were stands of trees, glowing like jewels with their new autumn colors: reds, oranges, and bright yellows.

Inspired by these autumn colors, I decided to try my hand at something new: monotypes using colors instead of my usual black ink. The images in this blog post are monotypes I made during the workshop.

And now… here are some things JD said that sounded wise, so I wrote them in my sketchbook. Enjoy!

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Wise words from JD Wissler:

  • “You will learn something with every mark you make. It will lead you somewhere.”

  • “I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. That’s what’s so exciting at times.”

  • “I can’t wait to get ink on my fingers and wind in my hair!”

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  • “It’s a process. It’s about learning. It’s about exploring. It’s about constantly questioning.”

  • “I happen to be one of those people that enjoys seeing the struggle, the decisions…”

  • “Enjoy what you’re doing.”

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