Flowers

For me and for many other citizens of this earth, flowers offer a glimpse of grace, simplicity and peace in a world that wobbles out of balance. Every Spring, irises, daffodils and tulips push up out of the dirt and remind us of mortality, theirs and ours. Except for days of snow and cold, I like to sit in the dirt near them and draw as accurately as I’m able. The chop is a seal traditionally used in China and Japan as a signature. It is carved from stone; the red color comes from cinnabar paste. This one states my name in Mandarin. I sign my watercolors of flowers with it in homage to Hokusai, Hiroshige and other masters of floral painting.