For many years, I have been including circles and dots in my paintings and collages. I don't try to analyze where my attraction to circles comes from. I wear polka dot socks and scarves. There are circles and dots all over my home decor. Even my dish towels have polka dots or circles. I think I like the feeling of infinity and continuity. As I walk around my zen gardens, I see the circle everywhere.
This is one of my water basins. Inside the basin, I have placed bamboo charcoal, a symbol of purity.
This is a large carved rock that we have placed in front of our greenhouse, as the step into the greenhouse.
I collect beach rocks and pebbles that have circle veins in them.
I found these large round rocks at a Washington beach. Some of them are the size of a melon.
And then there is the Zen enso. The enso (circle) is the most common symbol of Zen calligraphy. It symbolizes enlightenment, power and the universe itself. It is a direct expression of "this-moment-as-it-is". The above book by Audrey Yoshiko Seo brings together a collection of the best enso art to show the variety of form, from the seventeenth century to present.
My blog friend, Coffee Messiah, sent me this book (above). The title is INSTRUCTIONS TO THE COOK by Bernard Glassman and Rick Fields. No, it is not a cookbook. The subtitle is A Zen Master's Lessons in Living a Life That Matters. I love the rocks on the book cover. Coffee Messiah's collages are clever, topical and sometimes tongue in cheek humorous, and they can be found at his blog here.I am also attracted to art work that includes circles. Check out the following 2 artists:
Dick Allowatt combines collage with found objects, discovering relationships for incongruous materials and images. You can find his creative website here.
Wen Redmond combines digital prints collaged with textiles, stitching and paint to create one of a kind, unique art pieces. You can find her website here. And you can find her wonderful blog here.
"Round and perfect like vast space, nothing lacking, nothing in excess." -- Chien-chih Seng Ts'an
