One type of painting that I have been creating with more frequency are landscapes and cityscapes that are fairly abstract but usually grounded by a tiny figure, tree, building, pole or some combination of these.

There is something about creating a landscape on a small scale, (sometimes just several centimeters wide and long), that is interesting. Creating a large world and atmospheric mood in such a small space is profound. Chinese ink on xuan paper lends itself to gradations and depths in layers of grey washes. In Chinese traditional landscapes, the humans are often depicted as small and somewhat generic; definitely not the most important part of the composition. Deeper feeling might be imbued in a tree or rock than a human.

The ink in many of these paintings is only half controlled or planned. Just like elements in nature like sky, clouds, water, soil, etc., I let the ink, colors and paper, react and interact adding some brushstrokes or manipulation of the paper but also looking at and adapting to what the painting elements have done on their own.