Cindy Ling

Art is a meditative process for me.  The process of Chinese brush painting allows me to be in the moment; grinding ink allows me to clear my mind and reflect before I begin.  I consider various compositions and combinations and make many brushstrokes until I develop a feel for what resonates.  Because the results are immediate and irreversible, once I get set up I continue to paint until I am satisfied or run out of paper.

 

Many of the materials (ink stones, ink sticks, Chinese paint chips and ceramic containers) have been handed down to me by relatives which lends the sense that I am practicing an ancient craft.  I like to work with the traditional Chinese ink & colors which are designed to blend in a special way with each other as well as into the rice paper.  Coaxing out the various shades of black and adding color occasionally for variation brings out the simple elegance of black and white. The increased binder or resin used in Chinese paints affects how the paint soaks into the paper and allows it to stay in place so the painting can be stretched afterwards without bleeding as rice paper cannot be stretched before painting; instead the paintings are stretched and mounted at the end.  

 

I am continually striving to master the blending of the water on the paper and control of the brush so that each stroke is deliberately and thoughtfully placed to capture the essence of the object in that moment.  I am inspired by nature and what I see around me.