Painting the Dao

138 ak24.93 Song of the Wilderness Ink and watercolour on cloud-dragon paper 143 × 79 cm, Hong Kong, November 2024 Five artist seals 水松石山房 Shuisongshi shanfang (Water, Pine and Stone Retreat) 竹虛老人 Zhuxu laoren (Old man as empty inside as bamboo) 人磨墨墨磨人 Renmomo momoren (Man grinds the ink; ink grinds the man) 石狂 Shikuang (Stone fool) Flying cranes [pictorial] inscr iption The weft threads of the world, fed eternally by snow and rain, weave their way into the fabric of the wilderness, shaping and decorating it with relentless indifference to time or terrain. Nature as sculptress, carving stone with the chisel of infinite patience. Sages seek the wilderness, far from the clanking urban bustle of purpose and expectation; whether literally or in the quiet of the studio with brush and ink, or gazing at one of nature’s sculptured stones – all portals to other worlds, external or internal. I grind the ink and hold the brush, while the wilderness paints itself as the timeless dance of creativity reveals secret realms newly realised. Inscribed by the Master of the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat at the Garden at the Edge of the Universe in the gathering winter of 2024.