Mary Cassatt (1844-1926) was born in Pennsylvania but spent most of her adult life in France as a friend of the French Impressionists, though her work remained more traditional. She was an accomplished painter and printmaker, learning the former art form from her friend, Edgar Degas.

Mary was a courageous and pioneering woman of her own mind and passion. She went against her family’s wishes to become an artist. She never married or had children. In this context, her subject focus on parents and children is a poignant aspect of her work.

Reflection is thought to be a self-portrait. She used a dry point printing technique here that deserves a complete description. It involves many steps, including first drawing at an angle on a copper plate with a metal “needle.” The pressure of that drawing affects an important variable of this technique – the height of the ridge thrown up at the edge of the drawn line. This ridge is called a burr. The burr holds the ink. After drawing into metal with metal, Mary would have put ink on the plate, pushed it down into every crevice and scratch and then carefully wiped it off. Last, she would have laid a paper over the plate, pressed it down on the design and pulled a single print.

I am fascinated that Mary Cassatt mastered and explored this demanding manual scratching technique of soft lines and small runs. She seems a teacher of accepting challenges and noticing continued possibilities and inspirations within them. She reminds me of these words credited to Judith Campbell Exner – When your heart speaks, take good notes. I would add – When God calls you to the thing that brings you life and joy, go and keep going.

Thanks be the God for our every inspiration.

In gratitude, faith and hope,