Suiko McCall

Painting

Horizontal Renewal Moon, Buckthorn Pokeberry Copper Oxide Chestnut Skin-8x6

She Who Dispels War, 14x11 Marigold, turmeric, henna, charcoal, and alcohol on paper

She Who Caresses Uncertainty, 8x6, Copper Oxide, Coffee, Red Onion on Paper

Humans Are Not The Only People, 8x6, copperoxide chestnut skin salt

She Who Speaks Naked Unadorned Truth, 50x30, Ink on Paper

The Meaning Is Not In The Words, Ink on Yupo, 7.5x11

Suiko McCall

Studio practice. Meditation practice. The dedication and rigorous rhythms demanded by both disciplines inspire my work, which explores repetition, breath, and pattern as a space of transformation.

In Italy in 2007 I created a monumental life-as-artwork: the Art Monastery; a community of artists that applies the collaborative and intentional “social sculpture” of monastic life to art-making. In 2016, we transitioned to the US and today the Art Monastery is located in Vermont.

My time dedicated to the Art Monastery has affirmed the daily link between Buddhist practice and art-making practice.

Most recently, my work has turned toward an investigation of the question: am I in Right Relationship with the earth? As such I have been endeavoring to practice not stealing, as in not taking what is not offered, which has led me to not extracting, and to discontinuing use of plastics. As such, I have shifted away from the use of inks that arrive in my studio wrapped in plastic (which, who knows how much industrial waste was created and extractive methods were used in their making), in favor of foraging for natural materials near my home and making inks myself. The paintings included in my submissions here are made from Buckthorn berries, wild grapes, chestnut skins, copper oxide I made from soaking rusty nails and copper left behind at construction sites, salt, and more. This move represents a deepening of my dedication to the eightfold path and to the bodhisattva precepts.

Practice is a commitment, repetitive and prolonged, a disciplined and sustained effort that yields perspectives that are undiscoverable any other way. Regardless of the stated goal, practice itself reshapes the practitioner over time, whether gradually or through bursts of inspiration and insight. By engaging the repetitive rhythms of practice, my work also aims to reshape my life as an artist.

More on Suiko McCall’s work can be found on our Links page.