“THE SURRENDER”

‘The Surrender,’ Oil on Foam Board, 78cm x 50cm

‘The Surrender’ is a visualization of the state between life and death, based on the philosophy of Lao Tzu. What I gleaned from my research was that Lao Tzu emphasized the importance of living without resistance to the natural flow of life. This painting is built up on a series of his quotes:

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them – that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.”

“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”

Since life exists as a “series of natural and spontaneous changes,” the state of living is symbolized by water, an element of change and flow. To contrast that, the afterlife is symbolized by the universe, a fixed backdrop. The composition is divided evenly between life and afterlife while the girl is in between, transitioning. Despite that, her body is buoyant and weightless, floating without resistance – as she surrenders to the universe, the universe surrenders to her.

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“DREAMSCAPE”

‘Dreamscape’ Oil on Canvas, 74cm x 60cm

In this painting, the cherry blossoms and waves symbolize short cycles and recurrence. This impermanence is contrasted by the universe, a fixed backdrop. Like cherry blossoms and waves, our life spans are startlingly short. Whole generations are swept away to be continually renewed and the cycle continues. Yet as the waves progress they merge with the background, representing the unity of everything that’s gone away.
 

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“RISING ABOVE THE SEA IN A VIBRANT DUSK”

‘Rising Above the Sea in a Vibrant Dusk’ Oil on Canvas, 45cm x 45cm

This painting combines the works of J.M.W. Turner, Vincent Van Gogh, and Gustav Klimt. The background sunset scene is from ‘The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her Last Berth to be Broken Up’ by Turner, the moon is an iconic feature of ‘Starry Night’ by Van Gogh, and the figure is from ‘Medicine – Hygieia’ by Klimt. The assignment required that the painting be a self-portrait, so I substituted my face into the new composition.

I chose artists from different movements so that the synthesis of the three works would have an interesting aesthetic. This piece was one of the most enjoyable to paint due to the vibrancy of the colour palette and the fact that I was emulating the style of different artists.

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SUMMER STUDIES IN OIL PAINT

“Blue Woman”

‘Blue Woman’ Oil on Canvas, 27cm x 45 cm

“Lilies Against a Backdrop”

‘Lilies Against a Backdrop’ Oil on Canvas, 45 cm x 27cm

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