Trees take centre stage in my watercolour painting Foliage Church VI. They appear not simply as elements of nature, but as symbolic forms connecting the visible and invisible worlds.
Along a woodland path, the trees arching overhead form a dome, as though we were inside a church. Architectural and organic forms merge, creating a sacred space for contemplation and stillness. Light filters through the canopy as it does through church windows, bringing a sense of transcendence.
For me, the Foliage Churches series does not depict specific places. These are inner landscapes — spaces of peace and stillness.
In my creative process, I approach nature as a space for direct experience. I often feel a stronger sense of the sacred in natural surroundings, in their quiet, irregular perfection, than in architectural spaces made by human hands.
Intentional empty space, a characteristic of many East Asian artistic traditions, therefore plays an important role in this series. The white areas are not unfinished passages: they are breathing spaces where the gaze can rest.
Foliage Church VI is thus more than a depiction of a woodland landscape. It is an invitation to pause, turn inward and reconnect.
This painting was created on watercolour paper using a combination of watercolour and pencil.
Title: Foliage Church VI
Size: 30 × 40 cm, unframed
Medium: Watercolour, pencil and charcoal on 300 gsm paper
Year: 2022
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