I paint the forest.
While rooted in the tradition of Chinese landscape painting, I no longer confine myself to depicting specific mountains, waters, trees, or rocks. What I pursue is the essence and spirit of the "forest."
"Forest" is not merely an accumulation of countless trees, but a majestic realm where all things merge into an organic whole. It embodies a misty atmosphere, vibrant energy, and profound tranquility. I observe it with the mindset of landscape painting—its vastness and serenity share the same origin as mountains and rivers. I construct it using the techniques of landscape painting—texturing strokes, dotting, washing, density, and emptiness are all methods refined through landscape practice. I elevate it through the artistic conception of landscape—seeking an ethereal vitality that transcends physical form.
Thus, the "forest" in my brushwork has no concrete form yet carries the soul of landscape. It is the spirit of landscape freed from literal representation, a more essential reflection of nature. Within chaotic ink tones and dynamic lines, I create a world belonging to the "forest": where life breathes, cosmic order prevails, and my imagination of "great beauty beyond words" resides.
To paint the forest is to paint the landscape within my heart.
This means that what I seek is not merely the likeness of individual trees, rocks, birds, or insects, but the pursuit of a **great natural state** where all things coexist, energies blend, and harmony prevails. It is not just the visible forest but the cosmos within the heart—alive with vitality yet profoundly serene; tangible in its vegetation yet boundless in its abstraction.
Therefore, "painting the forest" means using brush and ink to construct a self-sufficient world brimming with vitality.
By progressively interpreting "bird," "insect," "tree," "grove," and "forest," the symbolic significance of "forest" as a holistic realm is emphasized.
Extending this to artistic philosophy, "painting the forest" concretely expresses the great natural state, the symbiosis of all things, and the inner cosmos, clarifying its aesthetic depth.