I got my hands on some semi-sized Xuan. This one is very thin and translucent; feels like a giant sheet of onion skin. I like this kind of paper due to the fact that it allows a build up of layers of ink. The regular unsized Xuan would not tolerate this practice.
Lately I've been drawn to some of the classical elements of a formal Chinese garden. I decided to further explore this arena.
I sat down with a pen sketching of a plausible layout
At this stage I was trying to pin down the spatial relationship of the different structures. I wanted to glorify the sweeping roof lines and use them as a back-drop for the cozy enclosure. I have not decided on how to treat the pond. I am inclined to leave it blank, with a ribbon of pond lily as garnish.
I hoped to be able to use the center pavilion as the focal point, but somehow my attention was diverted to the side structures
I kept embellishing my sketch
Never for a moment thought that this would be an exercise in futility, I pressed on.
I started to brush down an outline in very diluted ink, and piled on subsequent layers to achieve the different tones.
Eventually I established the general arrangement of the structures.
I took a break at this point. I was having difficulty concentrating. Actually I was running out of ideas. I felt like I was manufacturing instead of creating.
I just realized that I stopped because I was bored. It wasn't fun anymore.
I left this on the table and examined it from afar, from close-up, skewing and tilting my field of vision. Unfortunately I could not find one iota of emotion in this rendition, not at this stage anyways.
Everything looked so rigid and stoic.
Like Cougars said in Top Gun, " I'm holding on too tight, I've lost the edge"
I was thinking about what I paint, and not painting what I think!
I am an enthusiast of Chinese Brush Painting and I would like to share my trials and tribulations in learning the craft. I want to document the process, the inspiration and the weird ideas behind my projects and to address some of the nuances related to this dicipline. I hope to create a dialogue and stir up some interest in the art of painting with a Chinese brush on Xuan. In any case, it would be interesting to see my own evolution as time progresses. This is my journal
No comments:
Post a Comment