Returning to painting through bookmarks
After a long break from painting because of my work, I began finding my way back. Bookmarks were among the first things I made.
I collected withered leaves, then blossoms and flowers as spring arrived. Working with them was a way to recover my sensitivity to colour, texture and composition. Their small format gave me somewhere to begin.
A small space to work in
Why bookmarks? I think they are a form that art tends to overlook. Years of working with Chinese seal carving had also made me fond of fitting a great deal into a small space. A narrow strip of paper offers a similar challenge: the placement of a single leaf can change the whole composition.
The first pieces were more decorative, or took the form of small calligraphies. Gradually, the arrangements became more constructivist and more minimal. The leaves and petals still retained their own shapes, but the spaces between them began to matter more.
A broad leaf can almost fill the paper; a few separate petals leave much of it open. On a dark ground, the pale stems become fine lines. On lighter paper, veins, spots and worn edges are easier to follow.
This return to small formats mattered to me. In my earlier paintings I had been leaving more and more out, until some consisted of only a few lines. I still like those works very much. These bookmarks offered another way to work with that economy, using material that already had lines and textures of its own.
The leaves keep their spots, tears and uneven edges. Those traces remain part of the picture.
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