A Dog from Every Village
As a good businessman should, I take inventory twice a year. With my paintings, this brings me almost within reach of order. I find works I thought were lost, and others I had forgotten altogether. Some turn up in hiding places: after finding fingerprints on two pictures that were not yet dry, I began putting unfinished pieces out of harm’s way.
The results of this summer inventory are a little like the saying “a dog from every village.” I usually write around a particular subject and choose images to match. These are works that did not find a place in those articles—leftovers in that sense, rather than paintings I value less.
The first piece is a good example. I had painted a similar work for my Metaverse series, but was not satisfied with this one. After letting it rest for a few months, I returned to it. The reworked version came closer to what I had in mind.
New Additions to Familiar Subjects
My project Abstract Art for Children has also grown. An earlier fish painting offers one point of reference; the work below, Kinderparty (Children’s Party), is a more recent addition.
The Zen Paintings page brings together another strand of my work. These three examples approach gesture, balance and rhythm in different ways.
Calligraphy is another lasting interest. It gives me a way to practise brushwork, but I also use it to try things that might not find their way into a more conventional piece.
Music and Dance
Music and dance continue to provide subjects. In one work, I returned to Erda’s warning to Wotan in the fourth scene of Wagner’s Das Rheingold: he must give up the ring and escape its curse. In July 2024, the image of power-hungry “Wotans” seemed all too relevant to me.
Sometimes I try a different style simply to see where it leads. In City Lights, the dark structure and sharp colour accents took me away from the quieter gestures of the Zen-inspired pieces. I was looking for a new experience rather than a polished conclusion.
And the Sea Beckons Forever
I have often touched on the subject of the sea, as many readers know. It is one of those topics that means a lot to me and has been with me for years.
An Evening of Conversation
The summer of 2024 also brought an occasion away from the studio. At a time when political tensions weighed on me, I appreciated an evening that left room for conversation across differences.
At the summer party at the Chinese ambassador’s residence, former Austrian Federal President Heinz Fischer spoke about cooperation despite disagreements. As I understood his message, differing views should not prevent us from working together where we can. That thought stayed with me.
I am glad to be invited to these gatherings. They give me a chance to meet old friends whom I might otherwise not see for another year.
I found Ambassador Qi Mei’s (亓玫) manner natural and friendly. As her predecessor Li Xiaosi (李晓驷) had done, she spoke about the embassy’s work and its plans. I appreciated the concrete account of what had been done and what was intended. That is the kind of report I like to hear from people in responsible positions.
Related articles
Metaverse V · Can We Hear a Painting? · Zen Paintings
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