Monday, December 3, 2012

The Poetics of Silence

Donna Watson, 8"x8" collage
"Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn?  Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends.... or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak...Norton Jester
uploaded by miichan at Flickr.com here
 
Behind all creation is silence.
Silence is the essential condition, 
the vital ingredient for all creation and all that is created.
It is power in its own right.
The artist starts with a blank canvas - silence.
The composer places it between and behind the notes.
The very ground of your being, 
Out of which comes all your thoughts 
is silence.  --- Theresa Lasichak
uploaded by Nora Louise at Pinterest.com here
 
The most wonderful silence is when snow is falling.  Sounds become muted.  Even the birds seem to be quietly waiting.  A moon-lit night is silent beauty.

October Moon, by Sarah Gillespie, more of her work found here

A wealth you cannot imagine 
flows through you.
Do not consider what strangers say.
Be secluded in your secret heart-house,
that bowl of silence.
Talking, no matter how humble-seeming,
is really a kind of bragging.
Let silence be the art you practice.
--- Rumi:  Bridge to the Soul

     Momoyama, uploaded by Michael Chandler, at Flickr found here  

It all happens in silence.  The way
light happens in the eye.
Love unites bodies.
They go on
filling each other with silence.
--- James Sabines, Pieces of Shadow

  Jo Van Rijckeghem

Sometimes a quiet piece of art can be achieved with subdued colors and minimal shapes.   Looking at art like this can be a place of refuge... of rest.

 uploaded by tokyo sanpopo at tumblr.com found here  

Elegance
All that is cared for.
Left alone in the stillness
in that pure silence married
to the stillness of nature.
--- Linda Gregg

   Akhra Ajinja

uploaded by Yubo Mojao at Flickr, here

The way to silence is through meditation.
When you arrive in your own silence
You will know true freedom and real power.
Stop, take a minute,
and listen to the silence within you today
Theresa Lasichak, found at Flickr here 

Quail eggs in a Japanese bowl by Sarah Gillespie
    
come to my quietness
I shall cover you with it, like
a white sheet that has blown all day in 
the sun, like a mountain lake
filled with spring, it shall slip over you.
--- Diane di Prima
 


34 comments:

Velma Bolyard said...

lovely...those touches of red. the quiet photographs.

ZenDotStudio said...

lovely as always. Yes those pictures of temples and bridges in the snow are divine! and the Rumi quote.

I am steeping in the feeling of silence you have created here.

My niece has been telling me about a book called "The Sound of Silence" by Ajahn Sumehdo. You have reminded me to look that up.

Kathryn Dyche said...

Love this, felt so calm reading this post. I'm not afraid of silence and actually seek it out.

Anna Mavromatis said...

What a brilliant post, what an elegant way to illustrate silence. Your silence definitely "speaks" and becomes a very clear narrative on beauty and inspiration.
Thank you!

Leslie Avon Miller said...

Yes, the beauty of silence which you illustrated so well in these images of stark winter beauty and minimalism.

I enjoy silence in the studio - the better to hear what is really going on.

What a brilliant blog post topic Donna. Thank you!

Leslie Avon Miller said...

P.S. I also like your collage - It seems quiet, like the silence you write of, and seasonal.

Laura said...

may you feel embraced and comforted in silence... thank you for sharing these beautiful works of art and quotes.

Sweetpea said...

...I have just let out
a long, slow exhale.
Thank you.

Judy Martin said...

beautiful black white and red photos

I totally agree about silence.

ArtPropelled said...

"Be secluded in your secret heart-house,
that bowl of silence" ......
One of my favourite quotes. I feel the peaceful silence in your beautiful collage, Donna. This post provides a few moments of calm in a jarring day of drilling and hammering while burglar guards are being reinforced.

lyle baxter said...

Peace is often found in silence! your post is lovely! thank you

Lynn said...

Lovely!

Valerianna said...

The quite here, the stillness is nourishing this morning.

india flint said...

i needed to see this today. thank you.

jack sender said...


could comment
but i'll
think about it

Marianne Hall said...

This is beautiful Donna, especially the last little poem by Diane di Prima......it is going in my healing space today. Thank you.

Tammie Lee said...

such a lovely post
calm
still
silent
beauty
pause
breathe
thank you

Carole Reid said...

Your title "The Poetics of Silence" intrigued my brain and quieted my body. Thank you.

rivergardenstudio said...

"Come to my quietness..." perfect words to start the winter with. I want to remember this poem forever! Lovely photographs and words. Thank you for this feast!
roxanne

Ruth Armitage said...

one of my very favorite posts you've ever done. The quiet of creation... it is powerful!

Jennifer said...

I keep coming back to this post. It's perfect. Thank you for the quietness.

mansuetude said...

... And here, within--within, lay the
As power as dove.

Deep Blessings.

Liz Davidson / Artist Notebook said...

Beautiful post Donna, love the silence of winter as the earth cuddles in her down blanket. And lovely to see Sarah work, with that same sensibility of deep silence.

Emma said...

Lovely calming collage. I long for silence in this busy world & am lucky to find it, with serenity, thru Yoga, such a gift I've been given.

Jo Reimer said...

What a beautiful post, Donna. The older I grow the more I value silence... the hushed, prayerful moments in life when all there is is right there with me.

Patricia G said...

Makes me crave that stillness and silence brought by snow. Busy life brought to a stop. Time to breathe, see and listen.
I also love those blacks, greys and red.

Barry said...

D-such a beautiful, quiet and thoughtful post. Silence is so important but many feel it is important to fill all the gaps with noise. Thank you for the reminder and encouragement to sit easy with the power of silence. B

eb said...

deep listening
to the poignant silence
here
after the after
creating
a new normal
in this quiet...

Donna,
you have captured
the essence
of this...

many thanks,
xox - eb.

Fiona Dempster said...

I love the quietness and the silence here...it slows my heart and my breathing.

susan bowers said...

come to my quietness
I will coveryouwith it ......

Like Jennifer, I have dipped into this gorgeous post on silence many times. Am always to mellow by the end to comment!

I have no words - just joy.

Caterina Giglio said...

wonderful post and I am torn between telling you that and leaving a blank post of ... silence...

Gaby Bee said...

This is such beautiful post! Love these black and white photos with a wee bit of red.

Wishing you and yours a fabulous holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

Gaby xo

Roberta Warshaw said...

Every so often I find a blog that makes my heart sing in the silence.

Yours is that blog.

Thank you.

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