Monday, September 23, 2013

The Beauty of Nothingness

THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS, book by Donna Watson
"Creativity has more to do with the elimination of the inessential than with inventing something
new."  ----  Helmut John
THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS,  Donna Watson, page 9
I found some blank journals that were perfect for creating a book.  They are square in format which I like.  The paper seemed sturdy enough for collage and the best of all, the pages lie flat when opened.
And the journal is not too thick....just 45 pages which was perfect for what I wanted to do.
THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS,  Donna Watson,  page 14
I had been reading books on Zen all summer and I wanted to use words and phrases that helped to explain a Zen tenet... the importance of NOTHINGNESS.  Emptiness or nothingness in Zen philosophy can be mistaken for sheer nothingness, but is in fact the reservoir of infinite possibilities.
THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS,  Donna Watson,  page 20
In meditation, one can 'empty' their mind of all the daily clutter, the constant inner dialogue that can be distracting, negative or creating barriers.
THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS,  Donna Watson,  page 21
The Still Point is at the heart of creativity.  In Zen, you access this still point through meditation.
To be quiet, to simply be in the moment, and in stillness.... is the basis of our existence.  It is not a void... but a means to empty yourself from the incessant flow of thoughts and create a state of
consciousness that is open and receptive.
THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS,  Donna Watson,  page 27
As one counts the breath:  inhale, one;  exhale, two...  the mind empties of all the incessant inner dialogue of judging, complaining, analyzing, wishing and so on.  We can spend our time preoccupied
with the past, or with the future which has not happened yet.  As a result we miss the moment to moment awareness of our life.
THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS,  Donna Watson,  page 29
After 2 trips to Kyoto, Japan and their flea markets, I had accumulated a large supply of old envelopes, old letters, post cards, receipts and books.  I used these envelopes and letters as well as my hand painted rice papers to create 43 collages (43 pages in the book).  I have posted some of the pages here as examples from the book.  You can view the whole book at this Blurb.com link here.
You can also purchase the book.  There are 3 options:  soft bound and 2 hardbound versions.
THE BEAUTY OF NOTHINGNESS,  Donna Watson,  page 37
"There are two journeys in every odyssey, one on worried water, the other crouched and motionless, without noise."  ---  Derek Walcott
 
 
 
 
 
 
  

44 comments:

Mary Jo said...

Quite beautiful, and meditative itself. Well done!

Cynthia Schelzig said...

Beautiful work,,,very moving indeed.

Cate Rose said...

Priceless! Everything is perfection itself.

Velma Bolyard said...

yes, this is very good. i am glad of your path back into health.

Blue Sky Dreaming said...

Congratulations Donna...thoughtful work and words.

Ms. said...

Perfect, just perfect for this moment.

ZenDotStudio said...

what a lovely collection of collage and words. I am imagining you opening it every morning to set the tone and intention for the day.

Angi in hana said...

congrats donna! beautiful book, can't wait to get it! aloha, angi in hana

ArtPropelled said...

Each page a meditation. Exquisite work, Donna.

india flint said...

i was thrilled to bits to see this book [and the original :) ] over supper a few nights ago. i really think you're on a good path with this, Donna

ersimarina said...

I viewed the book fullscreen again and again... in silence. Each and every one of its pages is beautiful, visual poetry. Lovely, subtle design. I'm bookmarking it, congratulations on your work.

ersimarina said...

Oh, by the way: your link to Blurb is invalid, check it again :)

Barry said...

D - an ambitious piece of work but not a labour when it is close to your heart. Well done. B

Judy Shreve said...

Calm, serene, beautiful book.
My favorite line - 'The Still Point is at the heart of creativity.'
-- And your book is a beautiful reminder of just that.
xx

amy of studio four corners said...

stunning...I gaze in awe...

Lynn said...

Heavens, that's beautiful, Donna.

Wen said...

The beauty is inside you, as you send it onto these wonderful collages for all to share. Thank you for your thoughtfulness in the nothing in which this comes from.

Seth said...

Stunning, beautiful, meditative, serene, calming, powerful, graphic. So many words come to mind to describe what I am seeing here. Off to Blurb to see more!

Leslie Avon Miller said...

I love your artist book pages Donna. One can spend some time considering "the beauty of nothingness."

ronnie said...

there's something in that nothingness

yum

Clare Wassermann said...

wonderful - have you read The Power Of Now by Eckhardt Tolle?

Anonymous said...

Very courageous!
It's very shape is inspiring..

Jann Gougeon said...

Beautiful wisdom indeed and exquisite work.

Jann Gougeon said...

Beautiful wisdom indeed and exquisite work.

Bridgette Guerzon Mills said...

wonderful!

Nancy said...

So gorgeous and calming.

nancy neva gagliano said...

my comment went to nothingness.
begin anew. capturing what was written
unlikely.
breathing, waiting for the moment
and the words.

thank you

nancy neva gagliano said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sweetpea said...

Literally running over the keyboard with my fingers so that I can get to Blurb, but WOW Donna, this is truly a beautiful culmination of all you've been going though. ... "moment to moment awareness of our life" yes, so important to hold onto.

Tammie Lee said...

your art looks wonderful Donna, calm and inspiring. Still point is also talked about in Cranial Sacral work, a quiet place between that very slow cranial rhythm which is slower than the breath, blood and heart. Nice to hear it mentioned here. thank you for the stillness and a glimpse at your wonderful book!

Laura said...

Wonderful post so glad I came across it.

Fiona Dempster said...

A stunning piece of work Donna and each page helps us understand nothingness better. What a wonderful achievement...

Kim Hambric said...

So beautiful.

I am now going linking.

deborah from collagewhirl said...

Donna, how wonderful is this! So glad you're creating again--and thank you for your double comment :)

susan bowers said...

Meditative and restorative. Exquisite Donna. Have looked through each page at Blurb - now just need to go and buy a copy for myself. Silence for a while and then THIS! congratulations on this lovely body of work. x

susan bowers said...

ps - just noticed your new feature image .... love it. Please don't tell me it has been there for months without my noticing ....

Don Madden said...

I like your "nothingness" book and the thoughts that go with it.

pennypeckham said...

Very beautiful...thank you for sharing

Sharmon Davidson said...

Just gorgeous, Donna. These images are like breaths and the stillness between them. It reminds me of the Heart Sutra: Form is emptiness; emptiness is form...

rivergardenstudio said...

This is such a beautiful book, I love the way your spaces and shapes and colors draw my eyes in and around to your words. "Quiet strength" ... lovely.
roxanne

Laura said...

Love your creations. So meditative!

Anonymous said...

beautiful work and prose, donna. i love what you've done here and of course i'm going to snatch your book up the moment i have a few dollars in my account. you are such a huge inspiration.

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

GREAT COLLAGES!
I am a NEW follower!
Please look at my ART Blog:
www.suemarrazzo.blogspot.com
THANKS!!!

Unknown said...

so wonderful to find you x