- 28 February 2012
- Art, Japan
These works are joint-pieces, landscape project wide scroll like artworks by students I have worked with. The first piece was made at my studio in winter and the second was made on the inspiring Abernethy annual art excursion (Hamilton College) to the Cairngorms area, where I am fortunate to enjoy making artwork and doing some volunteer teaching outdoors. It is really inspiring to work with an enthusiastic group of art students on this kind of large panoramic ink work, over 10metres long. We were looking at suibokuga ink painting from Japan (such as masters Sesshu and Tohaku) and similar ink screens from China, and taking these methods into splashy visions of the city parks (Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow) and forests of Scotland (Cairngorms National Park).
- 21 February 2012
- Cooking, Japan
After some Tenzo cooking duties at New Year have been using genmai brown rice more for experimenting with filling chahan dishes, plus simple miso shiru soups like tofu and spring onion. You are going to need miso and katsuo dashi fish stock for that and some mirin, sake optional (but great to drink hot with dinner after a studio shift!) and shoyu soy sauce. Spring is on its way so more salads like nato (fermented beans) salad with scrambled egg (good with sugar and soy sauce in) and sliced tomato will be good…
- 20 February 2012
- Poetry, Walking
‘When a dragon howls in its hidden cave,
The entire universe becomes quiet;
When a tiger roars on a cliff’s edge,
A cold valley becomes warm. Katsu!’
Master Dogen
Going by the lunar calendar we are entering the new year of the dragon, which in Japan are flying creatures of the sky rather than stuck underground, and so have a positive feeling about moving forward freely…
Spotted the fiendly dragon above in the entrance to Morrisons Supermarket of all places. Did some walking and photographing on the outskirts of Glasgow near Strathclyde park, there was a visually striking atmosphere around the Clyde with the high water levels and swirling currents with deepening silvers and warmer colours towards the end of the day. A meditative place to rest.
- 05 February 2012
- Poetry, Zen
Zazen
Silent movement
Passing through the stillness
And empty form.
This wee haiku is a thought on zazen and experience. After my recent studio shift, zazen and considering the looser paintings I’ve been doing, I think it’s good not to bring too much, or any at all although this can be impossible, of the bias, discrimination and ‘knowledge’ into the present as these kill the fullness of action and experience. As our teacher at the Glasgow Zen Group says, it is about leaping…
- 05 February 2012
- Art, Walking
moon snow
guided by the rolling moon
heated by the february sun
Glinting and sunbeams – obscured horizons
Above animal tracks, boot prints,
Mountain hare prints in blue-white snow -
Towards the half-moon rolling down Ben Vrackie’s
White hill edge topped by south pointing ice
Snow fingers from monstrous frozen rust structure,
Rising from the summit’s ocean floor of coral crystals,
Plunging to dark red black land below brightening moon.
