This is one of a series of paintings I’ve just completed for the final assignment in my painting course, Painting: Materials Exploration, with Curtin University. The name of the series is “The soft touch of water cleaves the obstinate stone”, which comes from the Tao te Ching. The verse actually goes… “As the soft touch of water cleaves the obstinate stone/ so to yield with life solves the insoluble./ To yield, I have learned, is to come again,/But this easy lesson, this simple example is lost upon men.” (Witter-Bynner translation). This is painted from a photograph I took on my trip to the USA last year. This was just a minor feature really. We flew over the amazing Lake Powell, and then on to Monument Valley. It was absolutely entrancing and provided the inspiration for many paintings to come.
susanskuseart 