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I’ve always found it interesting to visit different places and meet new people. Once a conversation starts and I learn something of substance about a person or a place, I try to reflect on my initial impressions and were they right or wrong.

This piece is a continuation in the series of looking beyond the obvious. Sometimes, it can be quite difficult to see beyond walls and barriers, only catching a glimpse of reality. What to trust? Were my first impressions positive or negative? Were they accurate? It really depends on what is permitted to be seen.

I found it interesting to be in China and treated as a novelty. Many times there was a the constant stream of people wanting photographs with me, especially while using chopsticks while I eat (not the most flattering of photos I’m sure) and at times it was ‘too much’.

I was simply enjoying the sights, sounds and mysteries. I am more that what a stranger simply sees on the surface. We all are!

Resulting from my 2018 art exhibition in China (by invitation), I created a series ‘Beneath the Surface‘.  Thankfully, each culture is different proving opportunities to learn and grow in profound ways.  It takes a willingness to look beyond the obvious to see what is truly there. Inner reflection and understanding can provide insights to new depths of discovery.

This painting is the first in the series and is my most personal. In China I found acceptance of and for my use of Chinese inks. I found encouragement to continue in this art form, in my own way. I found respect as a woman, who couldn’t speak the language, but was willing to dig in and continue learning about the art culture, its history and its value.

I found it ironic that my primary medium of Chinese Inks couldn’t help me convey my thoughts and emotions in my art, but that it took a western style of painting to help me actualize my feelings.