Tag: painting
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Dot and Emptiness: The Essence of Chinese Art
An article about the significance of Dot and Emptiness in Chinese artistic traditions. This theme reveals the essence of Chinese painting after my lecture from January 9, 2026
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Before I gotta go, go, go…
“Before I gotta go…” is an article about a new series on dreams, marking a deliberate departure from minimalism in favor of abstract depth. It introduces the concept of the “Oneiric Divide”—visualizing not the story of a dream, but the raw energy it leaves behind—and offers a glimpse into my upcoming dialogue on “Dot and…
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Don’t let the old man in
Don’t let the old man in is more than just a song title; it is a directive for maintaining an open spirit against bitterness. This article explores that mindset by contrasting striking political imagery with the artistic independence of my 2025 Yearbook, proving that staying young is a matter of attitude, not age.
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State of the Art 2025
State of the Art 2025 is my contribution this year to an ongoing series of “self-portraits.” For years, these pieces have documented my creative journey, reflecting the current status of my work.
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Nothingness in Color
Nothingness in Color continues the thought experiment that began with the journey to the Zen master—evolving beyond monochrome, embracing color, and preserving the essence of minimalism
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Goodbye to the Winter
Explore the artist’s journey from winter’s darkness to spring’s light through abstract paintings. Learn how black paper challenges traditional Chinese painting concepts.
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Depression: A Journey Through the Long Winter.
Depression: A long winter is behind me. It felt endless, stretching on and on. While snowfall isn’t guaranteed every year, one thing I can count on is my winter depression. Let’s take a closer look at some works from this long winter.
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Meditation of the Zen Master
Explore the meditation practices of the Zen Master in this insightful article. Gain profound insights and discover the beauty and tranquility of Zen.
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Emperor Hui Zong: When Rulers Still Loved Art
Emperor Hui Zong, a significant ruler of the Song Dynasty but also a remarkable artist and a patron of the arts.
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Blind Drawings: Artistic Expression in Darkness
The Blind Drawings series is an experimental collection of over 20 charcoal works, mainly depicting female nudes. This series reflects my exploration into how sensory limitations impact artistic expression.
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Theme and Variations
In the series “Theme and Variations about a Blossom in Autumn,” the delicate image of a fading blossom takes center stage, offering an allusion to the graceful aging of a young lady.
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Daoist Aspects in My Paintings
Today’s article is divided into two interconnected parts. The sequence of images, all recent works, illustrates my approach to the concept of Nothingness.
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break on through
The Doors, known for capturing exploration and the human desire to uncover the unknown in their music, embody the theme of breaking through to ‘the other side’. The 1970s era of experimentation with mind-altering substances, influenced by psychedelic art, has shaped graphic design. The artist, recently participating in exhibitions in London and Sao Paulo, reflects…
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Selection of New Works
Selection of new works: A small selection of recent works in different techniques.
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Between Calligraphy and Painting
Who Sows Calligraphy will Reap Paintings. Between Calligraphy and Painting: In order not to get too boring, this article will be the last one for some time in which calligraphy sets the tone. We have already heard quite a bit about this high-quality art form by now. A few more aspects will be addressed today…
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Birthday present from Confucius and
one of the best love poems. Birthday present from Confucius: So I’m 70 years old now. So what?! Really – so what? How should I react? Emotional? Annoy me that I’m an old fart now? But I was an old fart last year too – and the year before. Don’t even think about it? This…
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old and new works
and thoughts and concepts. Old and new works – mostly new. And it’s about more than a few brush strokes. When Chinese people see my calligraphy, especially the one written in the traditional style (portfolio), they usually shower me with praise and emphasize that they could never do it that well. The second part of…
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Wu Wei a Key Term. Daoist Talks (X)
Chinese Painting and Wu Wei. Wu Wei is a key concept in Daoism. It is an idea that originated in ancient Chinese philosophy and is of central importance to Daoism. However, the term is not always easy to understand, at least for Westerners. But understanding it can help us in many ways, not only in…
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day dream job
and some remarks. Day dream job: Little boys, especially those of preschool age, often aspire to become firefighters or police officers. However, I’m not sure about girls’ future career aspirations. I’m also not sure what my vision was as a 5-year-old. Probably a demolitionist, since my father was one at the time. When I came…
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Between Here and There
and the Fever-night-creeper between here and there: The topic of this post first came about in reflection on dreams and waking up. One could consider “Here” as the normal state and “There” as the dream world. When we awaken, we are still surrounded by fragments of dreams, and we are between “There” and “Here.” Where…
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between cold and heat
We have an old joke: “Should you take medication if you have a cold?” “Absolutely! If you don’t take any, it will take 7 days until you get well again. If you take some, you’ll be back on your feet after 1 week.” Well, it took me more than 2 weeks to stay in bed…
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and the beat goes on
recent artworks. recent artworks: It’s not that there’s nothing to tell, nor that I don’t have enough new pictures to show, but I’m quite busy with a few projects. These projects require a lot of time and attention, so I’ll be posting less frequently in the near future. As someone who writes posts here, you…
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a kinda yin-yang too
Not many would immediately recognize the yin-yang aspects in the two images I present today. As an extra there is a short video about the presentation of Zen images.
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works on meditation
Works on Meditation: According to a study experts estimate that the mind thinks between 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts a day. Of course, many thoughts seem very important to us. After all, they come from us.
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Summer swan song – or the bitter croaking of ravens
The summer holidays are just around the corner and the last article concludes for the time being on the basis of 2 pictures with the theme of emptiness.
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about letting go
Flow and letting go. New series of abstract images on the subject of omission.
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Bada Shanren Fish – Daoist Talks (IX)
Ziran is a fundamental concept in Taoism that can be understood as “naturalness” or “spontaneity.” It refers to the inherent nature and self-so of all things, emphasizing the importance of following the natural flow of the universe rather than resisting or attempting to control it.
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environment and nature topic
From time to time I dedicate myself to the topic of the environment in my paintings. This is also the case in this picture, which addresses the topic of environmental destruction in a special way.
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Interview for TV and Stream
Interview for TV and Stream: Earlier in the week I had a TV crew over at my house. A portrait was shot of me, which will be broadcast on Chinese television and on the streaming service.
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a poem about one of my paintings
A poem about one of my paintings by Dominik Alexander – and an extra poem by him.
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Daoist Talks (VIII) Ego versus Self
Daoism distinguishes between the ego and the self. The ego refers to the individual’s sense of self, which is often shaped by societal norms, cultural values, and personal experiences.
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new horizon
A few weeks ago I came across a meditation where you should practice the following: Sit on a high level and imagine the wide horizon in front of you. Easy. But then: “Imagine the wide horizon BEHIND you”. And then the horizon left and right. That changed a few things for me.
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Dao in Chinese Poetry. Daoist Talks (VII).
Dao in Chinese Poetry: Two masterpieces of classical Chinese poetry with a Taoist structure. Li Bai and Du Fu.
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gone they are
Depression: I would like to take up a topic again today and I promise it will be the last time – for this year. I recently wrote about my winter blues – and they’re gone! Hopefully sustainable.
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Getting rid of the Blues…..
Since my work is very much influenced by ideas from Chinese calligraphy, I wanted to try again to approach things in a more “western” way.
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Because it’s Wednesday again…
This and That and Everything: I’ve started 2 new series, one spilling over into the other.
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Jean Michel Basquiat Exhibition in Vienna
There are exhibitions that give me impulses and make me want to paint myself. However, Basquiat is of such greatness that afterward I ask myself whether it makes any sense at all to continue painting myself.
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Daoist Talks (III): The Cosmos in One Dot
Mindfulness in a dot After a lot of theory, we want to highlight practical aspects today, but first a summary of the last post: Everything is Dao, from the smallest dot to the universe; thus, everything is imbued with Dao, especially the counterplay of yin and yang. These are not opposing forces but depend on…
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three strikes
Three strikes: Today I would like to present 3 newer works and will not write much about them. The first is a play on Zen thought. In the sense of what was said above, it remains without further explanations.
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Daoist Talk (I) Supplement
Existence of the non-existence. The sound of one hand clapping. An afterword to Daoist talks (I)
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two book covers and one dragon
Introducing two cover designs and a new dargon painting.
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Too young to die – too old to rock’n roll + scam alert
No, it’s not the title of my autobiography and no advertising for Jethro Tull. Much simplier.
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Gold, History, Friends, Sinology and Luxury
An artist’s week in the most livable city in the world: Vienna. About artistic and cultural events.
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only one picture this time….
solid gold: It’s not that I haven’t painted a lot lately, but I’m making slower progress than usual. Some of the work is almost finished and then, only small things are missing, I break off.
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goodbye beijing, hello chongqing
After the exhibition in Beijing had to be repeatedly postponed due to the pandemic, the organizer moved the exhibition to Chongqing, to the Hong Art Museum Chongqing.
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front page in Chinese newspaper again
The 光明日报 guangming daily has published a quite detailed report about me, and that on the front page. Last year an article about me, with a focus on calligraphy, appeared in this important newspaper,
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teaser for next exhibition
I’ve been needing a few short video clips for my work for a long time. With a little effort I was able to get something going myself, but then the result was too boring for me and I left this task to someone else.
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etudes
Etudes: If one looks up the English-language equivalent of the French term études in conventional dictionaries, the result is generally “studies”. Only when you translate it from a music-theoretical point of view do you come up with “etudes”.
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metaverse (V)
After my last post (metaverse IV) Schrödinger, his cat, you and I basically agreed that IS and NOT-IS can exist at the same time.
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metaverse (IV)
day & night and Schrödinger’s cat [1] I am very pleased that my postings on this topic are so well received and thank you for the general interest!After this posting today, one more on this topic will follow, but it will be easier to understand. Today it gets a little more complicated. When I…
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studies for oil paintings
This week I did some studies on landscape, seascape and organic theme. 3 representative works are presented today.
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state of the art 2022
As I posted in an earlier post, I used to paint a self-portrait every year and named the series “state of art”. This portrait is from 2022.
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my kind of metaverse (I)
In February I started playing around with an idea, but I don’t know if it will become a series yet: It’s dedicated to the metaverse.
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Flyer for my Beijing Exhibition
Flyer for my exhibition in Beijing this spring. Honoring 50 years of cultural exchange between Europe and China.
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Cats in Chinese Painting
Let’s play a little game again: Let’s imagine there is a competition with 3 cats at the start. The “best” cat should be chosen. Which would get your vote: 1, 2 or 3?
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What a dot can do
Reflections on a dot in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. About the meaning of the smallest part of a painting.
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diffuse light
When I started thinking of light in fine arts again about who influenced me it was, Lyonel Feininger came to my mind.
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snow and ice and corona
As I mentioned in my last post, January and February are not my favorite months, especially when it comes to painting. But I try to use the time, make drafts, do some calligraphy, play with ideas and try to improve my painting technique.
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watching the night
About winter depressions. Since this topic has been with me for decades, I would like to present a few examples that have emerged over the years. A useful tool to cope with this is the artistic reflection on this topic.
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new works in abstract surrealism
When it comes to painting, I’m most creative in the evening and after-hours. I can turn off the day’s events and concentrate fully on painting. However, I have to be careful not to work too long. It often happens that I start with enthusiasm and vigor and fall in love with a job right from…
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triptych variant
I presented a tryptich a few days ago. As is so often the case, the underlying idea has not been shelved for me and so I wanted to see how a variant could look like. So I created another work to replace one of the triptych.
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waltzing corona
My first painting this year is this triptych. I will take this as an opportunity to present my point of view, because if I can manage to explain the essential points clearly, you may look at Chinese art from a different perspective in the future.
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about my surrealist work
When I started painting decades ago, the first few years were marked by surrealism. Mainly because I was more concerned with literature and I soon came across authors like André Breton or Paul Éluard, whose ideas fascinated and influenced me.
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trying environment topic
I made 2 versions on a topic that has been with me for a long time: 2 vanishing points. The easiest way to depict this idea is in a landscape painting and so I chose this construction.
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new territories to explore
I haven’t painted as much for a long time as I did this year and my vigor, joy and urge to improve is unbroken. Now we are in the 4th lockdown and I take it very calmly – more time to paint…. I deliberately took a short break from my Corona series. That prevents me…
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corona and the sea
Graphing the phenomenon Covid-19 is a difficult undertaking in several respects, whereby the most important questions for me are: How do I make the invisible visible? How do I create a predominantly abstract image in such a way that the underlying phenomenon can be recognized? But above all, how do I convey the areas of…
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another one of those
Today I would like to present a newer picture and originally I had no intention of writing about it, at least almost. Why this?
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trying the big bang
At the latest when I started to approach abstract painting, and that was only a year ago – so I’m still pretty much at the beginning – an idea stuck in my head. ….
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remembering a landscape
whole, I am quite satisfied. However, they are not landscapes, as I often used to do in the past, that I painted in the wild, but rather a play around with ideas or set pieces.
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simple painting with some ideas
I recently presented a few drafts and sketches, ideas that should flow into my next exhibition on the subject of Covid-19. They were largely abstract. I was very pleased with the feedback, as it helped me to reflect on the topic better. Thank you!
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Out of the Blues into the Blue
I’m still working on my exhibition on the subject of Covid-19 and have now started a few works that are not so abstract. Symbolism, archetypal elements and often stronger emphasis on the painterly are again in the foreground.
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landscapes by the water and in the mountains
I consciously wanted to work on a boring landscape scene by the water. The first draft was too excited, too restless. In this second attempt I managed to capture a mood better. Actually, I wanted to convey more of the feeling that one has when an evening song or serenade is performed by the water…
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Drafts for the Corona series and questions about them
For one of my exhibitions, which will be shown in Vienna next year, I chose the topic around covid-19. I think this is a subject that might be of some interest. We all suffered and still suffer from it in one form or another and so I thought that it might be of interest to…
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painting about a love poem
Lately I’ve started some work on clouds. The point is not to represent different cloud formations true to nature, but to give the clouds a meaning that goes beyond “being a cloud”. Poem by Berthold Brecht.
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triptych theme and variations
Music is undoubtedly one of the most important driving forces in my painting. This tryptic is based on theme and variations influenced by calssical music.
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state of the art – a couple of self portraits
For many years I painted a self-portrait every year. I called the series “State of the Art”. Unfortunately I stopped because I didn’t want to be perceived as a narcissist.
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better this time – I think
After I decided yesterday to throw away a piece of work I painted the basic idea of that work in a completely different version and I’m relatively satisfied with the result.
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it don’t come easy
When is a picture ready finished? I paint and paint and at some point a voice says: let go. It becomes more difficult when a painting does not “feel” finished.
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trying landscapes again
I took a break from my calligraphy-oriented work and made 2 studies for landscape paintings, which from my point of view have some good aspects.
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calligraphy – painted
Since I’m not Chinese, one might wonder why I attach so much importance to this aspect of art. There are essentially 3 reasons: I consider traditional Chinese calligraphy to be one of the most challenging and superior art forms.
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power, elegance and savageness
I continue to paint a lot, but it’s getting harder and harder to surpass previous work. Maybe they look pretty much the same for some viewers anyway. For me, however, it is about certain issues that I would like to perfect over time.
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gestural painting a step further
The works from the series “gestural abstraction” now have content. No content in the sense that one is now figuratively led in a certain direction, but that psychological sensitivities or concepts from psychoanalysis are taken up.
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The Essence of Chinese Painting (IX)
The Essence of Chinese Painting Part 3. This artivcle is dealing with the structure in Chinese painting by using some examples.
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burning down the snow
There has long been a phrase in my ideas treasure chest: burning snow. I’m not sure if this is a creation from myself. Probably born out of my intellectual confrontation with Schubert’s “Winterreise”. It can just as well come from a poem or even a pop song.
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white black red
As in most of my work ideas from Chinese painting and calligraphy flow into them. I would like to take this opportunity to point out a special aspect that is of essential importance for the understanding of East Asian art: the importance of the non-represented, the nothing, the white.
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triptych finished
The title of this triptych is a mountain. In principle, it shows 3 mountain peaks that together form a mountain. Just like the Chinese character for mountain 3 represents mountain peaks.
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nude drawing
Nude drawing is one of the most important pillars in a painter’s education. For me it has always been one of my weak points. These works are from the time I was at the academy and the time I started to enjoy life drawing.
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abstract landscape painting
Abstract landscape painting, ink on Yupo Paper
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paint away pain
Abstract landscape painting, ink and pastels on hand made paper. With Schubert as a source of energy.
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another couple of new works
Last weekend was another very productive one. I am working on a couple of series and was able to finish some work which can be added now. Like these painting of withered flowers, landscape, stones and abstract composition.