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Sakura Bud | Ground Study II
The Sakura studies emerged from an exploration of the first bloom of the cherry blossom trees that are celebrated around the world and especially in Japan as the beginning of spring: a threshold between seasons that signifies renewal and the transitory nature of life. Fleeting by nature, the pale pink and white blossoms offer a sustained meditation on impermanence.
This fragility is embedded within each work. A fine Sakura Pink gesso forms the ground, selected to evoke the initial blush of a blossom bud, poised on the verge of opening. The surface is shaped through process: as the gesso dries, the canvas contracts, producing organic fissures inherent to the material behaviour of the work. These are carefully worked back into the ground using water and remnants of canvas, resulting in a marble-like surface of subtle monumentality.
The raw, frayed edges of the canvas are intentionally left visible, softening the work and reinforcing a sense of vulnerability; and a reminder of the material delicacy of gesso.
The painting is finally sealed with wax, fixing the surface in time and holding it in tension between fragility and permanence.