108 Flowers - Book 3
A beautiful painting is a symphony of these integrated movements: the first phase is to begin, to lead forward. The second is to follow, to sustain and reinforce. The third phase is to make adjustments and to change. Then comes the finale: to sum up and unify all efforts.
In the circle of the four seasons, autumn is the most spectacular. It is time to reach maturity. It is time for the harvest.
In painting, maturity is confidence reaped from practice. Knowledge and skill are now part of our nature. Intuition from the heart takes over. The mind is left clear. Artist and brush "go with the flow." Strokes and colors are integrated instantly and decisively while maintaining their continuity and fluidity. The motions in the air are as vital as the strokes and washes on the paper. The movement of the brush is completed in a simple, dynamic, powerful, and speedy manner. We are throwing ink and colors on paper.
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Pansy
In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, the juice of a pansy was made into a magical potion. A drop of the potion on sleeping eyelids would cause a man to fall madly in love with the first creature he sees.
With one look at the pansy, we can see a pair of dreamy eyes. "Here's looking at you,...
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Passion
In my high school days, my buddies and I formed a small band. One of the first western tunes we performed was "Passion Flower." The song went like this:
"Passion flower of my heart
Bon to wally wally...
Passion flower of my dream
Bon to wally wally wa..."I cannot remember the rest of the lyric...
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Peach
Xu Wenchang (1521-1593) was an eccentric artist I admired. He was harassed to offer a painting for an official's birthday. He really despised the corrupt official but obliged. At the birthday banquet, Wenchang's big peach painting in splashed ink was the centerpiece.
Folks were curious about wha...
