Awe

This last month, I set out to explore the experience of awe in my artwork. However, unsurprisingly, I found it very challenging to land on a direction. A few books ago, I stumbled upon the term “The Science of Awe,” which caught my interest—had “awe” been researched, made measurable, and could it purposefully be returned to? This question led me to various resources, specifically the writings of Dacher Keltner, and I was delighted to learn about how the experience of “awe” has been explored. Suddenly, I had a word for all those moments in my life that left me bewildered – from the top of mountain passes to the birth of a child, from a fleeting connection with a stranger to the way dust dances in sunlight. Coincidentally I also watched the movie “Perfect Days”, which spoke directly to this theme and solidified my goal for the month.

However, perhaps “Awe” is too big for a single piece of artwork. I struggled with capturing it. Should I focus on the tiny, fleeting moments or the grand, sweeping ones? How could I possibly choose which one would best express this feeling? I imagined all the Haiku poets of the past chuckling at my attempt. Eventually, I realized I wanted to somehow capture both perspectives. That’s when I started exploring mandalas as a way to bring everything together. Once I arrived at that concept, I felt like I was finally on the right track, with progress that felt a bit like a world building exercise, bringing me to some other new points of direction.

Firstly, I greatly enjoyed the walking figure that originated from the previous “Journey’s on Foot” print. So, she appears here again in this month’s work. Over the last several months, I’ve been following a particular “red thread” of themes involving the transformative effects of long walks, pilgrimage, trails, the wilderness, and my encounters with Buddhism. During these explorations, I’ve been considering whether to establish a central character—perhaps a self-portrait, a contemporary walker, or a historical pilgrim—and how this character would relate to my interest in Zen. I’m unsure if the “Journey’s on Foot” character is that individual, but she seems right for now and, more specifically, for the next point of exploration.

With the focus I described above, I’ve also been asking myself, where is this story of “journey” found in Zen? The first to come to mind is The Ten Ox Herding Pictures, a set of ten images and accompanying poems deeply rooted in Zen Buddhism. They depict an individual’s journey of seeking, taming, and training an Ox, symbolizing both an inner and outer exploration. This story requires a main character, and the “Journey’s on Foot” walker would be perfect for this journey. So that’s where I’m heading for April. It will not be possible to complete all ten prints in one month, so I will break the story up over two months and maybe three. I’d also note that among the imagery seen in this month’s print, you might notice that there is not an Ox, but there is a dragon…