Paintings

There can be great beauty in simplicity. A ripple in the river, a wisp of cloud in a deep blue sky, the fragrance of a fresh blossom. There's nothing that need be said, they are complete in themselves. Many things in life are this way but we often tend to look for pleasure in complexity. It can be found there too, but often, it takes more than it offers.

Asian ink paintings and calligraphy are intended to be expressions of beauty, depth, elegance and power, rendered in a few simple movements of a brush. In order to create such a work, the artist knows she will have to access a state of being that allows it. All we create can only be a direct expression of the state we are in at that moment and there's no faking it. Peace and clarity create expressions of peace and clarity, chaos can only create expressions of chaos.

For the artist the intention is to access a clear, beautiful place within and allow it to move, to express itself, through her. If she is successful, the effect is much more than a lovely painting (although that would certainly seem to be enough), it is another moment lived in that delicious place and another representation of it sent out into the world. Yes, it's about the love of painting, but on a much deeper level, it's that state, that delicious, quiet, beautiful place.

These new works have been, for me, a return to peace, simplicity and vitality in a time where hearts are heavy and minds want nothing more than to control an uncontrollable world. They are a deep breath, a reminder that beauty is always here if I can but notice it. May these works bring a moment or more of peace to anyone encountering them.