Tag: Recreation
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Turning Moments into Light
A misheard line in Spinning Away becomes a playful meeting of Brian Eno’s songs and my paintings. From scattered marks to fading light and an open sea, each pairing follows a shared movement without closing down what the image might become.
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Just Crossing the Border
A short journey across the Austrian border becomes a walk through Znojmo’s doors, worn façades, medieval paintings and churches. Along the way: echoes of the monarchy, glass, cherubs and late-afternoon light over the Thaya.
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On the Borders of Minimalism
How much can I leave out before an image loses its life? Photographs from Lake Neusiedl lead from ordinary wooden supports towards almost calligraphic forms. A personal experiment in framing, repetition and empty space—and in knowing when to take a step back.
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Meditations on a Single Note
What can a single musical note teach us about attention? Beginning with the sound of a bell in a Peace Stupa, this is a personal meditation on listening, silence, creativity – and the worlds that can open when we pay attention to seemingly insignificant things.
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Doors Between Worlds – China and Austria
Doors and gates photographed in China and Austria: a sunburst door on the Schneeberg, weathered village entrances in Yunnan and a few Viennese surprises. A personal reflection on changing sides and opening new perspectives.
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How to Kill Your Muse
A summer of painting, apricot picking, tax paperwork and website repairs. New variations on The Last Rag and four poetry-book cover drafts bring me back to the work that matters most.
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From SEO to Water Lilies
A summer divided between revising my website and swimming among water lilies at Dürnstein. Photographs from the Kuenringerbad lead to a few personal reflections on search visibility and finding new readers.
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Nature’s Calligraphy: The Art of Seeing
Ducks, swans and reflections lead from a full landscape toward a few marks on water. A photographic look at the rhythms and spaces that also shape my painting and calligraphy.
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Lang Lang in Vienna and Other Music Anecdotes
An afternoon with Lang Lang in Vienna brings back memories of Don Cherry, Friedrich Gulda, cheap concert tickets and the music that accompanied my early years as a painter.
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Afterthoughts on the Yunnan Journey
What remains after a journey through Yunnan? In the final part of my Spring Greetings series, I reflect on warm encounters, cultural misunderstandings, local food and the contrasts between historic places and everyday technology—from village wells to app-based taxi rides.
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The $20,000 Flea Market Find
A two-euro record from a flea market, a mysterious band and an auction that gets out of hand. An April Fools’ Day story about the uncertain boundary between trash and treasure.
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Buddha’s Light and Other Joys
A photographic journey to Yuanyang: crowded roads, village life, a glimpse of Buddha’s Light and the changing mist, morning sun and evening reflections across the Hani rice terraces.
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Customs, Traditions, and Religion
Chance encounters with a wedding party, Buddhist practitioners, a generous tea-house host and a funeral gathering bring Yunnan’s customs and religious life into a personal travel diary.
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South of the Clouds
From the warm hills of evening to mist-filled valleys at sunrise: photographs from near Pu’er, with mountains, trees, grasses and cattle emerging from Yunnan’s sea of clouds.
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Lushi, Lincang and Nakeli – Along the Ancient Tea Horse Road
A winding journey to Lushi leads from stone streets and working pack mules to a surprisingly modern hotel, then on to Lincang, Wulao Shan and Nakeli along the Tea Horse Road.
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Every Day an Adventure, Every Day a Joy
A reunion near Heshun leads to historic timber bridges, an unforgettable encounter with an 83-year-old guide, Yunfeng Shan and Tengchong’s volcanic landscapes and camellias.
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Pure Dao – Shi Dong Si 石洞寺
At Shi Dong Si, stone bridges and forest light lead to underworld paintings and a phoenix ceiling. A personal reflection on religious imagery, shadow and harmony during the Yunnan journey.
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Density, Depth, Tradition, and Authenticity
A journey through Shibaoshan, Heshun and Qiluo in Yunnan, exploring ancient Buddhist carvings, traditional architecture, local markets and traces of the Southern Silk Road.
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Just Shaxi and Fengyu. Yunnan Spring Greetings (II)
Travel through Fengyu and Shaxi in Yunnan, from traditional village life and encounters with local people to the Yujin Bridge, Sideng Square and the Ancient Tea-Horse Road.
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Spring Greetings from Yunnan 云南 (I)
The first of ten Yunnan Spring Greetings: photographs and encounters from Kunming, Dongchuan and Dali at the beginning of our January 2026 journey.
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Don’t Let the Old Man In
On resisting bitterness and keeping an open spirit: political images, memories of Prague and paintings from my ZEN BRUT yearbook for 2025.
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Winter Greetings
A winter photo diary from Innsbruck, the Salzkammergut and the Dachstein region — finding unexpected beauty in a season I don’t even like.
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Autumn Greetings
An autumn photo diary through Vienna, the Wachau Valley, Melk Abbey and Český Krumlov, tracing Egon Schiele’s connection to the region.
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Dao and Zen Again: Applying Eastern Philosophy to Contemporary Ink Painting
During an enforced pause in autumn 2025, vivid dreams led me back to sparse abstract painting. I look at the warm and cool marks through my interest in Dao and Zen, then recount one dream alongside photographs from earlier travels.
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Autumn Reflections
Four short fictional poems explore decay, deception and the fall of a familiar figure. English semi-haiku, Chinese adaptations and my calligraphy meet in an autumn experiment, with a look at how the final poem changed through revision.
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The Abundance of Modesty
Cheng Yutian’s calligraphies and seals of 謙受益 bring back memories of learning in China. Through the image of an overflowing vessel and my friendship with Wang Jinhuai, I reflect on modesty as a willingness to receive.
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One Planet, Many Perspectives
A personal visit to the 2025 La Gacilly-Baden Photo Festival, whose theme was Australia & the New World. Photographs of people, landscapes and environmental change lead me to reflect on mindfulness, cultural identity and hope.
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On Giving, Taking, and What Truly Matters
What does “be kind” mean in practice? Memories of a Cambodian tuk-tuk driver, a wedding in Sri Lanka and a prison wall in Colombo lead to personal reflections on giving and human dignity.
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Would You Buy a Used Car from This Man?
A personal essay on political spectacle, the power of images and the difficulty of finding trustworthy information—with satirical collages, historical photographs and reflections on why I need a break.
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The Gift of the Green Snake
A Chinese opera performance in Vienna brings back memories of sketching in Beijing and inspires new abstract drawings. I follow its gestures, colours and stage space into my own work.
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Goodbye to the Winter
After a difficult winter, I explore light through abstraction and reduction: white marks on black paper, a homage to Christo, minimalist ink painting and larger works that turn towards spring.
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Depression: A Journey Through the Long Winter.
Paintings from a difficult winter: self-doubt, memories of childhood and experiments with colour after my Zen master series. A personal reflection on depression and the work it prompted.
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When Things Go Wrong.
I had planned a light account of a Mauritius holiday. A cyclone, repeated flight delays and a fatal emergency on the return journey gave the trip a very different ending—and made me question some of my habits as a solo traveller.
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Every Picture Tells a Story
Photographs from 1979–1982, shared with a Chinese friend, recall people and everyday life in western China, including Qinghai and areas bordering Tibet. Faces, gestures and the character of the old prints invite a slower look.
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The Dao of Annual Planning in 2024
Looking back at 2024, I consider how Daoist thinking shaped my planning, daily business and painting. Alongside the year’s artworks, I reflect on SEO, AI, investing and the room a plan needs for change.
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Merry Fir Tree
Merry Fir Tree or Merry Zenmas? A personal greeting for Christmas 2024, with two cards, a few thoughts on seasonal wording and all the best for 2025.
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Discovering the Beauty in the Ugly
Photographs of worn mannequins in Sharm el Sheikh and wrapped machine parts in Marsa Alam lead me back to a question in my painting: what becomes visible when I look beyond conventional beauty?
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Andy Warhol, a Corpse, Opium, and a Botched Tribunal
Photographs and memories from my years in China: meeting Andy Warhol in Beijing, an unexpected hotel interrogation, a painter’s unusual prospective tuition fee and journeys on the Yangtze. A small surviving collection of photographs brings those encounters back.
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The Silk Road: Personal Reflections
The Silk Roads connect childhood reading with my studies in Sinology, a memorable trip to Dunhuang and work on a book of Li Bai translations. Personal reflections prompted by the British Museum’s 2024–25 exhibition.
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Visit of the Old Zen Master and Other Nonzens
An imagined Zen master moves through seven paintings and a series of short verses. A personal exploration of looking, growing older, emptiness and letting go, with the images leaving room for questions rather than fixed lessons.
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When You Live in the Most Livable City in the World
A personal look at Vienna after its first-place ranking in 2024: Wiener Schmäh, music, imperial traces, diplomacy and the small details of everyday life. Affection for the city comes with a habit of questioning its self-image.
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Emptiness, Space, and Depth
A spring collection exploring what happens between the marks: sparse drawings, dense black forms, musical references and abstract landscapes. A personal account of simplifying my work and finding new possibilities through contrast and conversation.
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Delving into the Realm of Seals on Artwork
The little red marks on a painting lead back to people, journeys and years of collecting. I recall carving my own seals, learning from Wang Yong and Cheng Yutian, and discovering Xiao An’s picture seals.
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Selection of New Works
Palm-tree sketches from Sharm El Sheikh lead into calligraphic gestures and paintings of desert, sea and fading dreams. A few close-up photographs follow the textures that caught my eye along the way.
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Petra and Sharm El Sheikh Trip
From Sharm El Sheikh to Petra and back to the Red Sea: a personal account of a long day, rose-coloured sandstone, Nabataean monuments and the people whose lives are tied to this landscape.
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Superior Haiku by Ashley
Ashley’s haiku inspired a small collaboration: a free Chinese adaptation written in cursive script. I follow the choices of wording, brush movement and composition, with studies and a video of the finished work.
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Red Dao and Black Zen: Painted Calligraphy
From green and turquoise layers to Red Dao and Black Zen, I follow the point where repeated writing becomes painting. Two process videos show how brushwork, rhythm and reduction shape these works.
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Birthday Present from Confucius
Turning seventy prompts a few jokes, a second look at Confucius and some thoughts on curiosity, painting and gratitude. A favourite poem by Erich Fried offers another kind of birthday present.
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About Being Happy: Reflections and Thoughts
What makes a life feel happy, and how much can our way of thinking change? Personal reflections on gratitude, ambition, consumer culture and the present, with philosophical companions and a little humour.
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2024: Defy or Embrace?
A greeting for 2024, an unreliable economic forecast based on spam emails, and two passages from Chinese classics. The post ends with a voice from my old Vienna neighbourhood.
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New Yearbook Is Out
Five signed yearbooks, surprising blog statistics and a more difficult question: what can artists contribute to opposing war? A December 2023 studio update, with early drafts for a peace initiative.
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Yin Yang and the Journey of Artistic Expression
Two ink paintings, a promotional video and a glittering transformation: I consider how new images affect my visual memory, and where AI-assisted presentation sits alongside my own painting practice.
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Not Nothing This Time, But
From “more nothing” to catalogue covers: I try out ways of showing my paintings in imagined rooms, including settings for children. These AI-assisted mock-ups explore how a room changes the way a picture is seen.
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Another New Morning for the Same Old Sod
A three-week spa stay in Bad Tatzmannsdorf, a painting from the Reduce series, and a few things noticed on quiet walks: old houses, a wooden bench, sheep in the shade and changing reflections on water.
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Elements of Rhyme
After Dominik Alexander wrote a poem about one of my paintings, I wanted to return the gesture. Elements of Rhyme responds to his writing through an imaginary landscape, with solid rocks below and restless blue-green forms above.
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About Letting Go
My paintings had become opulent again. These studies explore what happens when I leave familiar effects behind and ask how little can remain while the picture still feels like mine.
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Cucumber Cutting, Abstraction and Salome
What connects slicing a cucumber, diving and Salome? A reflection on attending to the senses, leaving descriptive details behind and finding a painterly language for an experience.
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Something Totally Different: My New Friend Bing Chat
My first conversations with Bing Chat in 2023, from asking better follow-up questions to exploring politics and Reddit. The original dialogues remain a record of that moment, with later clarifications.
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Two Links – TV Portrait and Dao Index
The broadcast is here: a short portrait within a wider programme on China and Austria. Alongside it, a Daoist Talks index and a painting made around Easter.
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Interview for TV and Stream
A television crew visits my home to film a portrait. Early paintings, memories of China and a few thoughts on cultural exchange come into view.
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A Poem About One of My Paintings
A playful idea for a children’s book led to an unexpected collaboration. Dominik Alexander chose Scene at the Waters and wrote a poem in response, with complete freedom to follow the image.
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The Magic Sea
An opera in which painted forms, light and space carry the story. The Magic Sea follows a visual sequence from darkness to luminous openness, while leaving room for the project to change.
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I Promised You the Sky
From the Alps to the Egyptian desert and back, photographs through an aircraft window become studies in composition, light and changing perspective. With an introduction to The Magic Sea.
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The Valley of the Kings
Details of hieroglyphs and tomb paintings draw my attention away from the panorama. A personal visit to the Valley of the Kings, followed by memorable encounters on the road.
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Back from Egypt Trip – Stones and Sands
Twelve days in Egypt brought underwater impressions, photographs of rocks and sand, and an unexpected meeting. A personal look at composition and the traces that resemble brushwork.
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The Children’s Book of My Last Post
Could abstract pictures become a children’s book? Thoughts about dragons, underwater creatures and making room for children to discover and invent, with a dedication to Tom and Jerry.
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Criticism: Not Amused with the Emperor
A horse in the wind, an emaciated horse, an eagle and a silenced face: historical images lead into questions of criticism and interpretation, and a personal memory of Wang Keping’s generosity.
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State of the Art 2023 – A Step Further
My 2023 self-portrait turns from outward likeness towards an inner world. Looking through two versions, I consider opposing forms, the pull of the centre, and a step from shade into light.
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About Jack
Jack Dorner first knew my online shop through antique prints. Years later, his enquiry about my calligraphy became an exchange of works, ideas and experiments across continents.
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Gone They Are
A reader’s suggestion about light led me back to the painting table. I followed the dark forms into lighter, more open spaces, and found that the process brought some sunshine into my winter days.
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Getting Rid of the Blues…
What happens when red replaces blue in a painted dream? I revisit a study in red, two December experiments, and the movement and stillness that continue to interest me.
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Merry – What, Actually?
A childhood photograph of my brother, delighted with a bar of chocolate, leads from a Christmas greeting to thoughts about the Christkind, Santa, and the growing expectations surrounding the holiday.
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Explanation and Summary of #WordlessWednesday
A final look at my #WordlessWednesday series: photographs from Sri Lanka and elsewhere, the memories behind them, and my interest in the strange within everyday life.
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Goodbye #WordlessWednesday
A girl waving goodbye in Guilin, China, 1979. The last photograph in my #WordlessWednesday project, with thanks to everyone who followed the series.
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Black and White. More Fish #WordlessWednesday
Fish drying in Negombo, Sri Lanka, 2016. A photograph for #WordlessWednesday, with a hand reaching across the pale catch.
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Jean-Michel Basquiat Exhibition at the Albertina, Vienna
A visit to the Albertina’s Basquiat retrospective in November 2022: the impact of his paintings, a corrected auction reference, and a detour into the Batliner Collection and its picture frames.
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The Big Catch #WordlessWednesday #Snapshot
The Big Catch: a girl with her fish in a village near Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2015. Originally dedicated to participants in the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference.
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Busy Painting the Future #WordlessWednesday #Snapshot
Busy painting the future: a large mural taking shape above a Beijing street, China, 1979. A photograph for #WordlessWednesday.
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Belated Halloween #WordlessWednesday #Snapshot
Memento mori behind a basement-window grille in Verona, Italy, 2015. A belated Halloween photograph for #WordlessWednesday.
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Soft Drink Delivery #WordlessWednesday
Soft drinks make their way through the medina of Fez. A photograph from Morocco, 2022, for #WordlessWednesday.
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Standpoint and Point of View #WordlessWednesday
A fly on a glass window in Liesing, Vienna, 2022. A photograph for #WordlessWednesday: meditating on standpoint and point of view.
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Falco & the Vienna Music Scene of the 1970s
Between 1975 and 1978, my Vienna studio became an artists’ club and a rehearsal space. Memories of Bona Mente, Falco and the Stojkas sit alongside paintings from those years—and the people I lost.
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Hakuin’s Koan: The Sound of One Hand Clapping
An open hand, a dark ground, and a question that resists a quick answer. My painting approaches Hakuin’s one-hand kōan as a meditation aid, rather than an illustration of a solution.
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Alternative to #WordlessWednesday
A little political satire instead of a wordless photograph: cartoons and photo montages featuring Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un. Please forgive my childish sense of humour.
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On Special Request: More Morocco
At readers’ request, more photographs from my September 2022 journey: Fès, the Atlas Mountains and Chefchaouen, with short notes on craftwork, colour and everyday details.
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Back from Morocco
An adventure holiday light: my September 2022 journey through Fès, the Atlas Mountains and Chefchaouen, with photographs of streets, craftwork, animals and changing shades of blue.
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Not Much to See #WordlessWednesday
Not much to see: bamboo, mist and a boat on a Chinese river, photographed in 1980. From my Wordless Wednesday series.
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One of Those… #WordlessWednesday #Snapshot
It must be one of those black wires. Hanoi, Vietnam, 2018. A street photograph from my Wordless Wednesday series.
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The Blind Musician #WordlessWednesday
The blind musician, Tianjin, China, 1979. A street scene from my photographs, shared for Wordless Wednesday.
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Two Book Covers and One Dragon
Two poetry books call for different approaches to cover design and illustration. Alongside the work for Theodor Storm and Wolfgang Kubin, I return to my dragon series.