Ji Painting

STATEMENT For me, painting is an unscripted act stimulated by an innate passion to create and influenced by stillness in mind. It is both physical and contemplative, as spontaneous and reflective movements, layers, and colors, evolve into composition. Guilded by training and practices in calligraphy and martial arts, each painting begins as a boundless discovery while form and movement transpire on canvas freedom, spirit, and a natural rhythm in mind, and body.  BIO Keo has developed a significant number of influences in his artistic journey, each of which has shaped his skill and approach in unique ways. His painting practice and process were largely shaped after learning the East Asian art of Calligraphy while attending a Zen meditation retreat under the tutelage of artist and Zen scholar Kaz Tanahashi. As a longtime practitioner of the internal martial arts of qi gong and neigong, the calligraphy influence integrated seamlessly into his meditation practice and painting. The way in which he approaches paint on canvas is much the same as one approaches the art of East Asian calligraphy.  "In calligraphy, unlike painting, there is no going back to correct things. What is on the paper is there for good, and for this reason, it is called a one-time-only art, as irreversible as time itself."   -  Yuji Akimoto Another significant influence was Jim's encounter with international artist Tadashi Haywakawa while on a tour of an arts center where Tadashi was conducting a workshop. Jim was invited to join that day and began painting with the collective group of artists, and since Tadashi has become a mentor and friend having profound influences in his art and life. The employment of bold colors and the movements of his effortless brushstrokes transpire a spirit and energy influenced by the ancient eastern practices. Being attracted to ancient culture he is often drawn to paint in the wild, predominantly in the Desert Southwest amongst the Ancestral Puebloan landscape and ruins. With regular trips to the desert, frequent calligraphy retreats, and painting in studio workshops with Tadashi Haywakawa and others, Jim continues to explore and evolve the size, range, and depth of his extempore works.