ESSAY 2D Enso Circle Painting
<<BACKGRACE UNFOLDING, RESTING ENSO
7'6" x 5'8" Acrylic & Sumi ink on raw canvas
Two words, Grace and Honor . . . souvenirs from my visit to the historic Glastonbury Abbey, West of London. Though several of the historic sites visited stirred emotion, I returned stateside with a profound sense of civility and oddly enough two words kept playing over and over in my head: Grace, Honor.
I finished this painting upon my return from England. The soothing, contemplative lavender and pearl white underpainting reminds me of my walking meditation through the Abbey grounds. The title "Grace Unfolding" emerged through a process of fleshing Grace and Honor—virtues, God willing, honed through ones lifetime.
The circle, a timeless shape repeated throughout history—known as Enso in Japanese lore, tells us that..."a stroke cannot be brushed with resolution if the heart is agitated, and a line that manifests clarity cannot be drawn if the heart is clouded by worldly concerns”. Here is an eloquent description of Enso: "Circle of Infinity...Emptiness with fullness, all things visible, all things unseen. To end and to begin, Circle of Life".—excerpts from Zen Brushwork by Tanchu Terayama
Essay revised August 13, 2021 | Originally published 2008
7'6" x 5'8" Acrylic & Sumi ink on raw canvas
Two words, Grace and Honor . . . souvenirs from my visit to the historic Glastonbury Abbey, West of London. Though several of the historic sites visited stirred emotion, I returned stateside with a profound sense of civility and oddly enough two words kept playing over and over in my head: Grace, Honor.
I finished this painting upon my return from England. The soothing, contemplative lavender and pearl white underpainting reminds me of my walking meditation through the Abbey grounds. The title "Grace Unfolding" emerged through a process of fleshing Grace and Honor—virtues, God willing, honed through ones lifetime.
The circle, a timeless shape repeated throughout history—known as Enso in Japanese lore, tells us that..."a stroke cannot be brushed with resolution if the heart is agitated, and a line that manifests clarity cannot be drawn if the heart is clouded by worldly concerns”. Here is an eloquent description of Enso: "Circle of Infinity...Emptiness with fullness, all things visible, all things unseen. To end and to begin, Circle of Life".—excerpts from Zen Brushwork by Tanchu Terayama
Essay revised August 13, 2021 | Originally published 2008