Silent Sea: Still Life Painting as Meditation · Entry I.

Settings of “Silent Sea”

I spent months with this painting. My studio then was in a historic building, where deep foliage outside the window marked the turning from spring to summer.

Preparatory Drawing, graphite on paper

I began with a pencil sketch, then a color study, always waiting for the soft, natural light. On rainy Seattle days the light was iron-gray, but I waited for the warmth threaded through it.

Poster study of “Silent Sea”

Slowly, I painted—watching the shell until it seemed to glow, a substance both present and dissolving.

In that quiet work, I felt tethered: to the shell, to the shaded world beyond the window, and to something vaster that painting alone could reach.

“Silence Sea” , Oil on linen panel, 2024.

寂静之海 · 视觉日记之一

我花了数月的时间完成这幅油画。那时，我的画室仍在一栋历史建筑里，窗外的浓荫渐渐染深，预示着春天正缓缓过渡到夏天。

我从铅笔素描开始，再到色彩小稿，总是等待那柔和的自然光。西雅图的雨天里，光线常常是铁灰色的，但我始终等待着那一缕带有温度的光。

我缓慢地画着，凝望着这只海螺，直到它仿佛化作一团发光的物质——既有实体，又仿佛在消融。

在这静静的绘画过程中，我与这只贝壳、窗外的浓荫、乃至这个世界，都产生了深刻的联系。