Resuming Painting ...

I was preoccupied with looking after Hubby after he succumbed to bacterial infection of the stomach and was hospitalized for two nights early in the week. He is recovering at home now, thus enabling me to resume my favourite hobby: Chinese brush painting.

Painting flowers in the family

There were eight of us in today's Arts class, demonstrating that painting is gaining popularity among chinese ladies who have made US their home in one form or another, notwithstanding the fact that one of the newbies is my elder daugter from Oregon, CY. CY is on her penultimate day of her brief sojourn with us that has commenced earlier in the week.

As you can see from the last two paintings below, it's certainly like Mom like daughter.

Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

CY's.

CY's.

Flowers in a flourish

Different clusters of red (also crimson, ruby, apple candy, scarlet ... various terms used to denote different shades of Red Hubby saw on a window display at the Talbots Inc. at Hyde Park that he passes on his walk to the office every workday) flowers are in plentiful supply today. Hope they will brighten your day as they have done for me.

Heart Sutra and Guan Yin Pusa in Calligraphy and Painting

The Heart Sutra, or completely known as the Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutra (in Sanskrit, Prajna mean wisdom, and Prajnaparamita stands for wisdom acquired experientially, by means of intuitivge insight, and prefected through cultivation to the level of transcendental knowledge; it is the original wisdom of the mind, or the True Mind, and Hrdaya means heart).

The Heart Sutra was composed of excerpts from the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, and simple words were carefully employed to convey profound meanings. Although the Chinese version contains only 260 single characters, nevertheless it embodies the entire Prajna literature in all its depth and subtlety.

Here then is my calligraphic expression of the Heart Sutra, which I have written for my Mom back home to recite everyday.


Also, the Heart Sutra is seen through the eyes of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who is known in Chinese Buddhism as Guan Yin Pusa, as can be seen from the first line of the Heart Sutra, When the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was coursing in the deep Prajna Paramita ...

And below is my painting of Guan Yin Pusa.

The above Italicized text are taken directly from the booklet, The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra translated by Master Lok To, published by Sutra Translation Committee of the US and Canada (1995), and printed by The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, Taiwan.

The Serene Setting of Nature

Whether single stalk or double stalk, flowers are always an appealing sight that induces relaxation. Fish, on the other hand, seems to engender the same serene state of mind when it is not solitary, which may not be surprising since animals, and humans for that matter, are social and gregarious beings.

Cranking along the bird and flower trail

Unrelenting, I continue to churn out more paintings, a tapestry of birds, flowers, and cicadas enjoying mutual company.

Adding fish and butterflies to the usual mix

Soar like a fish and float like a butterfly.

A fish out of water, albeit momentarily, transmitting joy.

The birds seem to be welcoming the butterflies to the scene.

Bird, Flowers, and Fish

The usual bird and flower combination finds a new friend today, fish, joining the two contiguous realms of terrestrial and aquatic life, presented on rice paper. The second one bears a special significance. Read on.

This is a gift to our friend, Amanda. In addition to being Hubby's colleague, she is a Notary Public, the equivalent of an Oath Commissioner back home. And she has notarized all of our documents that require such an endorsement. As a token of our appreciation for her invaluable service in this regard, this is our way of saying a big Thank You. The greeting words, in Chinese, read as follows in English translation:

To Amanda, May you realize all your aspirations, May everything go your way, and May there always be a surplus of blessings for years to come.

[Note that the word, surplus, is the phonetic equivalent of fish when pronounced in Chinese. Hence, the Chinese people have always used fish to denote a surplus of blessings and fortune, especially on Chinese New Year greeting cards].

Click on the image to see a larger view.

More Basketful of Joy

Fruits and birds, the latter in a more thoughtful pose than the previous one. The top bird seems on the plump side, perhaps having had too good a time savoring the fruits.

Basket of Fruits and Birds

For a change, I have baskets of fruits replacing the flowers and leaves, the only constant being the birds, seemingly standing guard over the delicious looking food of nature.

Painting birds and flowers

Leaves, flowers, buds, and birds perched on branches together serve as the subject of my painting efforts for the day.

From No Bird to Two Birds ...

Birds and plants, especially those flowering types, do make for a natural tapestry of harmony that evokes the great love in us for the environment, for the free, and for the therapeutic serenity that invariably ensues.

Stillness and Motion: the floral and avian combination

Sometimes, mere words become superfluous. Just let the eyes take in the sights, along the garden path and amidst the serene harmony born out of the constrasting stillness and motion.