On a haiku site I discover enso. One poet uses them alongside her verses. Intrigued, I google.
I come away with the idea that an enso is both a figure in Japanese calligraphy and a way of Zen meditation.
One draws a circle freehand, open or closed, a continuous line (sometimes two). I understand it encompasses everything. Also it's the void.
This practice is not a striving for the perfect circle. (Nor is it done thoughtlessly.) Each is valid in itself. It’s an exploration of inner space.
Excited – all Western impatience, no in-depth research – I dive right in, thrilled with the idea of meditation by doing.
Though I don’t dare think I’m an artist, I sometimes draw, just for me.
I grab sketch-book, brushes, water-colours (not ink) and draw an enso a day: each one a different colour. After I’ve been through all colours, I resolve, I’ll repeat in different media.
Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, founder of City Lights bookshop – hugely important in the history of literature – dies aged 101. I write a three-line tribute.
I want to post this on Instagram. Instagram is a visual medium. I try to make micropoems I post there look as good as I can, but this time I take things further. I print the text, cut it out, and paste it in the centre of my latest enso.
I photograph the result, run the photo through filters on my iPhone, then edit it for vibrance, clarity, saturation….
‘Beautiful tribute,’ someone comments, ‘– art and words.’
My friend – a real, marvellous artist – has a birthday. A mystical four-line poem comes to me. I realise it’s a portrait of her. I put that inside an enso too. (I try handwriting this one at first, but my writing doesn’t please my eye.)
I take a photo, manipulate it as before, print it, label it a portrait of her, and laminate it.
When I give it to her, her eyes widen, she gasps and holds it to her heart a moment.
I toy with the idea of a different shape that I might use around a poem. I think I will, perhaps very soon. Also, I won’t stop drawing my meditative daily enso.
369 words written in response to Weekly Scribblings #59 at Poets and Storytellers United, and specifically inspired by a line from the musical Hamilton: 'I'm looking for a mind at work'. I don't know much about that musical, but my mind has been working on something new lately, as described above. Then I recollected that art is not work but play.
Note:
My artist friend is also an amazing gardener.
Images:
1. Ensō (c. 2000) by Kanjuro Shibata XX. Available for use via Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
2 and 3 © Rosemary Nissen-Wade 2021.
I’ve seen enso, too, and didn’t know what they meant. Thank you for the thoughtful exploration and explanation, Rosemary. What I like about the concept is that it is not striving for the perfect circle. I am not a fan of perfection; imperfections are valid and add to the uniqueness of an idea, an object, a piece of writing, a work of art. I admire the way you have adopted the concept and made it your own.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I think perfectionism is death to art!
DeleteHow inventive you are Rosemary. Gardens have quite a gift for us in our minds don't they?
ReplyDeleteAlas I am no gardener but I do enjoy other people's.
DeleteHave fun with your enso creations
ReplyDeleteMuch💜love
I am, I am!
DeleteWe've discussed enso in tea lessons. LOL, you can't learn Japanese tea ceremony without exposure to other arts, and since many tea gathering often display calligraphy scroll, we get to learn a little about that art. I took a couple of introductory lessons, but I do need a lot of practice. These came out cool, Rosemary, and I love how you've combined them with your word art.
ReplyDeleteI think it's the start of a lot of fun in combining words with drawn lines.
DeleteThis is very intriguing. When I look at your art, the phrase "zeroing in on the subject" came to mind. It's a visual of just that, and I like it very much.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a clever insight, Bev!
DeleteInteresting. I'd never heard of enso. I love the garden being light, and light being the garden. I'm big on my garden!
ReplyDeleteThe friend I wrote those words for is very big on hers, too.
DeleteThis is fascinating .... I learned much from your prose today. What a lucky friend to have you in her life. I love how she held your art to her heart.
ReplyDeleteAh, I am also lucky to have her in my life; she is always giving.
DeleteHow fascinating to keep each circle and look at them again at the end of the year in order... Very interesting and the poem obviously meant a lot to your friend.
ReplyDeleteIt meant a lot to me that she responded that way.
DeleteThis surely keeps you out of monkey business for a while doesn't it. What would mine look like, here is a photo of Mrs. Jim feeding a roo and then another of the both of us? I have lost 10-12 pounds since the picture so my face is thinner now.
ReplyDeleteMy age is 80+ pounds, Mrs. Jim is now lacking a couple of years for the big 8 0 , as the picture was taken in 2013. I will answer questions if you need for inside info shine.
http://jimmiehov.blogspot.com/2021/02/letter-i-weekend-roundup-and-reflections.html
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Thanks, Jim. I enjoyed seeing your photos. So glad to know you visited Tassie.
DeleteI have read about enso, and you are using it in a beautifully creative way.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I'm not at all sure I am doing it right, but I am enjoying it. And maybe there isn't a right or wrong way – I hope.
Delete